The Sweetest Thing

Montana Riverbend #2

by Lilian Darcy

Tully Morgan hasn’t been back to Marietta for more than a few brief visits since the night of the 1996 senior prom eighteen years ago, when the chance exposure of a long-held family secret sent her running to her uncle in California in shock. She stood up her date Ren Fletcher that night, and she hasn’t seen him since. Now she’s here for an extended stay, to help take care of her seriously ill mother. It’s an edgy reconciliation, the first time that Tully, Patty and Sugar Morgan have been together since that long ago prom night. Tully has had so much anger toward Sugar… can she ever forgive her? And Sugar still has one more secret that needs to be dealt with, one that needs Ren Fletcher’s help. Has he forgiven Tully for leaving him in the lurch on prom night? And is there any chance that he and Tully can rekindle what they might once have had, when he’s still tied to someone else?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Fiction, Ebooks, Amazon

324 pages, Paperback

First published January 7, 2014

About the author

Women's fiction and romance author Lilian Darcy has written more than eighty novels for Harlequin, Silhouette, Mira Australia, and Mills & Boon. Under another name she has also written for Australian theater and television.
Lilian's career highlights include many appearances on the Waldenbooks Romance Bestsellers list, five nominations for the Romance Writers of America's presitious Rita Award, and translation into twenty different languages.
Lilian has an active family life involving kids, chickens, cats, music, scouting, gardening, hiking and horses. Oh, and there's a husband in there somewhere, too.

Her upcoming releases include the first book in her Cherry Sisters trilogy, "The One Who Changed Everything" from Harlequin Special Edition, and a novella, "Marry Me, Cowboy" for Tule Publishing's Copper Mountain Rodeo mini-series, part of the exciting new Montana Born series, with authors such as Jane Porter, Megan Crane and C.J. Carmichael.

Reviews

[Desere · Rating 5 out of 5]

This read is about Tully and how she returns home to help take care of her terminally ill mother. But she is not returning out of free will, more out of guilt and at the request of her grandmother.

Once back in town Tully knows the road to being there for her mother during her last days is not going to an easy one, nor it is easy having to face the man she left hanging eighteen years ago.

But as we all know sometimes it's best to just suck it up and get it over and done with, it won't kill us to try and play along, long enough to make others happy and then you can be on your merry little way.

Only Tully soon discovers that playing along won't cut it. More and more secrets are revealed and she once again wants to take off running, if only her heart would let her.

This was without a doubt the best Lilian Darcy book ever! So emotional and so very touching it left me in tears! I completely adored how the author took three generations of woman and delved deep into each one's past. It was a story showing just how many secrets can be gathered between three woman and just how much of an impact it can have on their future decisions.

And the secrets in this read, oh my the secrets were so excellent that it made me sit up and take double notice, and yes I did yell out " No, really? You've got to be kidding me!"

I have always loved Lilian's books because her characters are always so very realistic that they crawl into my heart within seconds after gracing the pages with their presence. This time around the very same happened only with so much more of a bang in your face punch.

The author let the characters get to me so bad that I was crying my eyes out for the hurt Tully has to face, and the anger Ren feels for Tully walking out on him. I was right there living every moment with each character, I felt every emotion right down to my very core.

I am taking away a message of secrets kept can destroy lives when kept too long. Yes sometimes it is necessary to keep a secret because you know the person will be hurt or not strong enough to handle the truth. But it is not for you to decide, you need to let the person find their own way of handling the situation, it will help to let the person discover themselves in a way you cannot do for them.

I highly recommend this read for anyone and everyone looking for a heartwarming, emotional and touching read, filled with lots of real life issues and the sweetest moments of joy.

Word to the wise, this book will cause unexplained cravings for chocolate, make sure to have a supply handy before starting the book.

5/5 star review
" Within a secret she finds her sweetest victory"

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute, fast read for me. I enjoyed getting to know all the characters and their personalities. I liked that there were a couple of different things to be happy about in the book since what Sugar was going through was hard and sad. I'm glad that Tully was able to forgive Sugar for all that she had done wrong

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review written: December 3, 2014
Star Rating: ★★★☆☆
Heat Rating: ☀☼☼☼☼

An Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book was received free via Netgalley for an honest review.

Like Good Together, this book read more like women's fiction than romance. A long, painful family saga of one family from Marietta and their terrible secrets, it's hard to enjoy when so much of the book is just downright depressing.

Tully stands up Ren for senior prom, running away when she discovers the horrible truth of her life. What could have been a budding romance was stopped in its tracks at that stage. Now years later, Tully is back to make peace with her family. Ren is stuck in a bad marriage, but there's something there anyway.

With every turn of the page, it seems another shoe drops. First, it's Tully's parentage which is pretty obvious to the reader, then it's the long-lost son also obvious to the reader, then it's Ren's divorce, then Sugar's almost dead, then it's David.

I swear, if it weren't for Ren's mother, I'd have wanted to just sit down and bawl over it all. She was welcome comic relief, though I'm not sure she was meant to be. Plus, Tully and Ren don't have much of a romance at all.

It was a good book, but not even close to my favorite Montana Born story.

This review is ©December 2014 by Monique N. and has been posted to Netgalley.

[P. Zoro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disrupted all my plans for the day.

Sugar has made so many wrong decisions in her early life but she will not let the ghosts follow her to her grave. She has to make right all the wrongs and it is not an easy task. Lilian explores Sugar's trip down reformatory lane with depth of emotions, a lot of anxiety on my part and a satisfying end I just had to sigh when it all ended. She finds love, perseverance and forgiveness for herself and all those who matter to her. Would love to read another book from the author.

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sister who isn't really a sister, but her mother.
The prom date she stood up 18 years ago.
A brother no one knew about.
Tully Morgan's life hasn't been easy and it's about to get even more complicated.

Tully is coming home to help her mother (who everyone thinks is her sister) in her final stages of cancer. She wants to finally make amends with her and try to build some kind of relationship before her time is up. At the chocolate shop buying candy for her mother Sugar, she runs into Ren Fletcher, the boy she stood up for their date when she left home for California after finding out Sugar (the addict who came and left as she pleased) really wasn't her sister, but her mother. Ren has changed. He's no longer the nerdy boy he used to be. He's grown into an attractive man who is now a lawyer in the town of Marietta where they grew up. Lots of memories come back. Ren is in the process of divorcing his wife, the girl he hooked up with after prom.
Can you really turn back the clock and make up for lost time?

Sugar had done four good things in her life, she gotten clean, gone off the game, gave her son up for adoption and now found him. She was running out of time. Can she fit in one more good thing before it's too late? Can she do the sweetest thing yet?

Although it's not necessary, you can read Late Last Night by Lilian Darcy to get some background information about some of the characters.

[Runner10 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sweetest Thing is the 2nd book in River Bend series. I love the characters of Copper Mountain. Lilian brought the story of Tully and Ren's journey to happiness. Tully stood Ren up for their high school prom. Almost twenty years later, the truth is revealed why she did. This book explores the complex making of a family when Tully learns of a dark family secret. It takes years for her to find forgiveness. It is heart touching to see her finally find love. Lilian kept me glued until the end of the story. She captures the insecurities we face in opening up to love and loss. I love a happy ever after and you won't be disappointed. I can't wait to read more of Lilian Darcy and Tule Publishing.

[Stevie Carroll · Rating 3 out of 5]

Previously reviewed on The Good, The Bad, & The Unread:

Following on from Late Last Night, which I reviewed recently, we return to the small town of Marietta, Montana, to visit more of the residents who were involved in the tragic events following prom night 1996. Tully should have gone to the prom with Ren on that fateful night, but she stood him up, leaving town mere hours before he arrived to ride with her in one of the borrowed classic (not vintage, whatever the author seems to think) cars that we read all about in the previous book. Eighteen years later, Ren is a lawyer, still living in Marietta and in an unhappy marriage to the girl he was with when tragedy struck after the prom, while Tully is living over on the West Coast, a successful accountant in the movie industry. Then Ren gains a new client – a relative of Tully’s – with an unusual request, and Tully returns to town to care for said relative, who is terminally ill. Naturally Ren and Tully run into each other almost immediately over purchases of fancy chocolates: his a Valentine’s Day gift for his wife, hers a conciliatory gesture towards Sugar – nicknamed for her sweet tooth – the dying woman whom everyone in town has always assumed to be Tully’s sister. The attraction is still there after all those years, but neither is going to act on it under the circumstances. But then Ren’s parents step in…

Ren’s parents are great. His father has bought a farm to keep himself busy following retirement, and his mother is a French-born artist. The pair of them have watched Ren grow ever more depressed by his marriage, in stark contrast to the relationship they have, and the one Ren’s brother had prior to being suddenly widowed, and on Valentine’s Day, they can’t keep quiet any longer. Ren’s been inching towards divorce for a long time, but never quite faced up to saying so, partly because of not wanting to offend his Catholic mother. Now he has her approval, he can broach the subject with his wife, who is equally unhappy, but even less likely to take the first step. Ren and Ruth are just wrong for each other, but once apart, they both flourish – and by the end of the book, Ruth is starting to become likable after appearing to be overly bitchy early on.

Meanwhile, Ren is searching for the son Sugar gave up for adoption nearly three decades earlier, but has been forced to promise not to tell anyone, not even Tully, whom he keeps seeing everywhere. And Tully has her own secret about Sugar too. The night of the prom, Tully found out that Sugar, a long-time addict, was her real mother, who had been pregnant at the age of thirteen – and she’d run away rather than face her classmates once she knew the truth. Time is short for all of them: Tully has leave of absence from work, but Sugar only has a few months to live, and then Tully will have to go back to the West Coast in spite of her burgeoning relationship with Ren.

The relationship has happened too soon after his divorce for her to push him into making a commitment, and she doesn’t want to stick around unless they have a real chance of a future together. At times I really wanted one of them to actually tell the other how they felt, but at least with this pair they both had a track record of being infuriatingly bad at telling people their thoughts. Eventually one of their family members has to step in again to resolve the issue, and the solution isn’t quite the one I’d been expecting – no bad thing.

Overall, I like this book better than the first, although I am once again disappointed that while both of the mysteries running through the series are mentioned, one is wrapped up in a single sentence and the other is left hanging. I’d like to visit the town for another story – it has many more fascinating residents for us to watch pairing up – but I really hope we get proper answers soon.

[Umi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sebenarnya kisah romansa di novel ini nggak begitu ditonjolkan. Ada banyak subplot di dalamnya. Tentang wanita mantan pecandu dan akhirnya menderita kanker servic yang berharap di hari akhirnya bisa menemukan anaknya dan dikenang sebagai orang baik, tentang pernikahan yang sudah nggak harmonis lagi, tentang wanita yang akhirnya memaafkan ibu biologisnya dan mencoba memulai hubungan yang hangat dengan ibu biologisnya, tentang orang tua yang masih mencemaskan anaknya padahal si anak umurnya sudah 36 tahun dan mapan, dan tentu saja kisah romansa yang kembali bersemi setelah 18 tahun. Semua sublot itu diracik dengan takaran yang pas dan memiliki penyelesaian yang rata. Emang saya berharap romansanya lebih ditonjolkan. Tapi mengingat subplotnya banyak, agak susah kalau menonjolkan cinta-cintaannya. Cerita lainnya bisa terbekalai.
Saya suka gaya penceritaan penulis. Mengalir dengan lembut. Pendeskripsiannya membuat tokoh-tokohnya manusiawi. Saya nggak senang dengan tokoh Sugar yang mantan pecandu itu. Kesannya seperti wanita nakal dan murahan. Juga oportunis. Merepotkan semua keluarganya. Terutama ibunya. Tapi karena penceritaan penulis yang lembut dan mengalir, saya jadi nggak bisa membencinya. Terus tokoh utama cowoknya, Ren si pengacara. Saya juga kurang sreg karena dia ini tipe cowok lemah dan pengalah, harus didorong dengan keras dulu biar sadar. Dan lagi-lagi saya nggak bisa membencinya karena penceritaan novelnya yang bagus. Yang membuat saya simpati tentu aja tokoh utamanya, Tully. Kayaknya dia yang banyak berkorban. Memaafkan ibunya yang rusak dan mengurusnya di hari-hari terakhirnya dan bahkan nggak menyalahkan Ren yang masih belum sadar dan bersikap egois.
Novel yang manis. Dengan banyak subplot tapi memiliki penceritaan yang mengalir dan lembut.

[Nancy Brady · Rating 3 out of 5]

Duplicate review, duplicate book, but this is the cover of the one I read.

Returning home to Marietta, Montana, Tully has to deal with her past...with Sugar, who is dying of cancer, and with Ren, her prom date that she stood up many years ago.
She has issues with both, but can she learn to forgive and develop deeper relationships with them?
What about Sugar herself? Has she truly changed, or is she still the messed up 'sister' that Tully remembers?
And Ren...can they reconnect or has too much time passed?

This is a romance that is more than just a romance...there is dysfunctional family dynamics; there is redemption; there is forgiveness, and so much more.

One complaint...the author apparently thought her readers would not remember that the event of the prom as it was mentioned over and over again...ah, to have a nickel for every time she used the word, prom. The word dance could have been used as a nice synonym once or twice.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was supposed to be a romance and it did have romantic elements. But, this is a family saga. A story of love and redemption between a mother, a daughter, a son, a family.

The storyline was beautiful and the writing was excellent, although I did think the ending was rushed.

This was free on Amazon and definitely worth taking a read if you love a good mother/daughter story.

[Donna]

I really cared about all the characters. I didn't want the story to end; and now I want to read the stories of all those impacted by the prom of 1996.

[Midgie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read !

Little slow at first but it didn't take long to grab hold. Once it did I couldn't put it down. Perfect.

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the story of reconnecting with family-but didn't care for the Tully and René romance.

[Char (1RadReader59) · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was Tully Morgan’s Prom night that she had been waiting for. And a guy she liked asked her to go with him. She never felt like a prize, and she would have been classified more as a nerd back then. Quite frankly René Fletcher would have been, too. The reason was that he was super thin, on top of that he was extremely tall. Then, you add he spoke French and English. Not to mention he was more comfortable around horses than people, due to the ranch he was raised on. Ren had been looking forward to it, too.

He and his friends had set up to have their dads drive them in their classic cars. However, when he arrived with his carload of friends Tully was not there. Her mom said there had been a family emergency and she was gone she had flown to California. Tully never knew the chain reaction she caused in his life by not at least calling him to let him know she couldn’t make it. He was devastated. He never forgot that night or the girl who stood him up. Not only that, but he had always wondered why. When he sees her at the local candy store on Valentine's Day eighteen years after the fact he still wonders.

Even as he left the candy store to take his ungrateful wife the box of candy he bought her. Sure enough, she hated it because he bought local and from the woman she still wasn’t quite sure he hadn’t had an affair with. You see Tully was home to help her mom take care of the sister she had always despised. Her sister had always been an addict. Slamming in and out of their life any time she felt like it or needed help. Whether she was high or hurting and mostly high. And Tully at that point had been over it.

She stayed out of her way Sugar went looking for Tullyand wanted to talk with her. Of course, Tully wants no part of any discussion with Sugar. And locks herself away to get her dress ironed for the prom she had a couple of hours but she wanted a clean dish towel to protect the silk. That's when Sugar entered coffee in hand setting it down on her dress not less than bumping the feet of the board and spilling the coffee ruining the dress. Things go up in smoke from there. Tully lost it because she knew Sugar was high, and once again she was there to ruin another important day for her.

But it was the revelation that Sugar reveals that sends Tully fleeing to California faster than her heart and brain could catch up. The pain of all the lies makes her stay away for eighteen years. There is so much to this story's twists and turns that keep you reading and wanting to know what is next.

[10914 Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darcy told a beautiful story, and as a result, I came to care about everyone I came across. What I liked most about her story was just how interconnected everyone was. My favorite character, surprisingly, was Sugar; it's not too often that the "fan favorite" is someone who most people could easily argue is the Villain or the most flawed character. But what I loved about Sugar was that she had it all. She loved, she lost, and more importantly, she loved again until her last breath. It's often say that it's impossible for people to change, but I believe it isn't. It's the fear of being rejected, the fear of not being good enough despite the change that keeps people from taking the risk of changing. This is a beautiful story about love, forgiveness, trust, pain, and perhaps most of all, about acceptance. We could all use a little more of that in our lives, don't you think?

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tully Morgan returns to her hometown of Marietta, Montana after 18 years of being away. She returns to help care for her mother who has cancer and to help her grandmother care for her daughter, Sugar. Tully grew up thinking her mother was her sister and that her grandmother was her mom. Sugar was only 14 when she had Tully. Tully discovered a few days before graduation that her mom wasn't her grandmother. Tully is understandably very upset to learn the truth and she leaves for CA to live with her brother who really is her uncle. This is an excellent book especially if your life has been touched by any of the circumstances in the book. Sugar was a drug addict, a taker, a woman of the night and lied to everyone.

[Lillie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I debated between three and four stars for this one, but in the end I selected the higher rating because of the way Sugar grew on the reader. As is the case in so many families with members who are addicted and/or difficult in other ways, her family loved her in spite of all the trauma she put them through. By the end of the story, the reader comes to like her much more than at the beginning of the book.

I liked the romance between Ren and Tully, but I didn't like that Ren had to be divorced first. The marriage had been over a long time; Tully wasn't the cause, but it's still sad to see that the couple's happiness required the legal loss of a long-time spouse. The divorce was probably best for Ruth as well, so it's not like Ren and Tully had to cause Ruth's unhappiness to get their happiness, but I just hate to see any marriage fail.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story line and well developed characters. The secondary characters were crucial to the progression of the story and in nudging the MC's into decision making. The h had a long distance relationship with her family after learning that her 'sister' was actually her mother and her 'mother' was her grandmother. Her real mother is dying and seeking to right many of the wrongs she experienced through poor choices. She does and earned the forgiveness of Tully, the h. This process was thoughtfully done and progressed according to a logical timeline-it did not happen overnight after a single conversation.

The H had his own emotional growth to complete and, fortunately, he also had a mother who understood both him and his needs.

Highly recommended.

[Linda Rorex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tully Morgan has returned to Marietta, Montana to take care of her ill mother. Tully left her prom date Ren Fletcher in 1996 when a family secret sent her to live with her uncle in California. Tully found out before prom that her drug-addicted sister Suzanne “Sugar” Morgan was her real mother. Tully works as an Accountant in the movie industry in California and Ren is a lawyer in Marietta. Ren’s client is Tully’s ill mother Sugar and is taking care of her estate. Ren’s marriage is failing and he wants a divorce. Tully and Ren work together to settle Sugar’s estate and they still have feelings for each other. Sugar has requested Ren to locate the son she gave up for adoption thirty years ago. I really enjoyed the wonderful contemporary women’s fiction novel.

[Dian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new way to look at family issues

A woman has wreaked havoc on her entire family for too many years is dying. The pain she caused has left so many bad memories it is hard to come to terms with the past and move forward by being the family together. The main character comes home to help care for her sister. Everyone is forced to deal with years of distrust, true hurt and anger. I enjoyed the characters. With time the harsh realities forced a new loving fresh start. No more secrets and the pain. This novel shines the light on addiction and redemption. The struggles that effect the entire family.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet story about healing old wounds and family conflicts. Plus the hero and heroine find each other and fall in love. The heroine returns home to help her mom take care of her terminally ill sister. Except relationships aren't what they appear to be. And of course the first person she encounters back in her Montana hometown is the boy she stood up at prom, all grown up. She had reasons, but she hasn't spoken to him since before she skipped town, so the old sparks are still there, but there's some repair work to be done. With him, and her family. It's a good story with angst and sweetness. I liked it a lot.

[Heather Puckett-wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tough but tender

I picked up Book 2 before I really paid attention to it being a series book. I will be looking for the others now. This was such a touching story about a family torn apart and learning forgiveness to come back together. Of course it is a romance between REN and Tully in the middle of all this, but the other storyline was very touching and sad at the same time as Tully learns forgiveness for her new mother. Ms. Darcy puts you right there in Marietta in this ensemble.

[Susan Garatino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly a sweet thing

Tully returns home to help her eldetly.mother take care of Tully's older sister, Sugar. After years of addiction and being away from the family she caused so much trouble fir, Sugar is off drugs but dying of cancer. Tully struggles to find a way to forgive her "sister". As they work on their relationship, many more family secrets are revealed. At the same time, Tully finds herself falling for recently divorced Ren. Sugar does the sweetest things to help Fully and other family members.

[Ayr Warrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was amazing. The story goes beyond well written to well "crafted". Perhaps all of us recognize how "timing" is important in our lives and how paths taken or not taken are so dependent on that timing of our choices or of events beyond our control. Like the chocolates her characters eat, the author skillfully blends a mix of bitter, sweet and spicey. She tells a story that feeds the soul while making your heart smile. EXCELLENT!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Read

Romance novels are not what I normally read, and now I have read two in a row! The Kindle made me do it is my excuse. I enjoyed this light read because it brought to light human emotions that I have had and that are probably common to the lot of us. A woman who was of no good account most of her life is now dying and, in doing so, does some good things for those she loves.

Thank you, Ms. Darcy, for a good read.

[Ruth R · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a second chance love story. Tully had to leave on her prom date because few hours before she knew that her older sister that she always refused because of her drugs addicted,was her real mum.
After years she came back to help her grandmother because of her mother ilness.
She met her prom date exactly in his last days of his marriage they were always attracted to each other.
It’s a real lovely story ,I really enjoyed reading it.
I recomend this lovely book.

[Donna Engler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liked it very much

Great characters, some who are not whom they seem to be. Lots of good phrasing that it’s obvious others have also enjoyed. Loved Tully, Patty, Sugar and I won’t spoil it by mentioning the important men in the story, but there definitely are some. I recommend this sweet tale and look forward to reading more from this author.

[Swtdrms · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is a sad one in the end. I have not read the first book, but found this book to be very harsh on it's characters. I thought the author painted a full picture of scenes and characters, however; at times the characters rambled on causing me to become lost and need to go back. Everyone was likeable but the love story is not involved enough for me.

[Mark Whalley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweetness from heartache

This is a gripping book of sweetness from heartache. A young girl finds out her sister is actually her drug dependent mother. Ruining a very fateful day, her senior prom. Years later her mother is no longer dependent but is dying and needs her help. What transpires from this is truly an inspiration of forgiveness.

[Ronnie Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh the things that define us!

A wonderful story of broken lives that find healing, past heart aches finding peace, hate caving into love, and true romance enduring through years of scars and misunderstanding. This is a wonderful book. Not clean, but not overboard sex description. A great story.