A Magnolia Adventure

The Red Stiletto Book Club #7

by Anne-Marie Meyer

I wanted to forget my feelings for my brother's best friend, but when he shows up on my doorstep, I can't find the strength to turn him away.

Welcome to Magnolia

Naomi

I’m ready to start my life with Walker on Harmony Island. The best thing for me to do, is to forget Magnolia and especially, Colten. I’m determined to pick up again where I left off-- even if that means forcing myself to ignore the things about Walker I can't explain.

When Walker comes home and announces that he has another month trip on the oil rig, panic sets in. That is, until Colten shows up. Not wanting to shoo him away, I allows him to stay.

What started out as an innocent visit is suddenly making me feel extremely confused. If Walker is the man that I’m destined to be with, why can't I stop thinking about Colten?

Penny

I’m ecstatic that Spencer has finally decided to reconcile with his daughters. So, we pack our bags and head to a small island town off the coast of North Carolina. Harmony Island is sweet and quaint and reminds me of Magnolia.

However, once we get there, Spencer starts to pulls away. Our vacation turns dark and suddenly, Spencer wants nothing to do with me. I know he's dealing with his wife's death and estranged daughters and I’m trying to be patient, but nothing I do seems to appease Spencer.

Especially when I mistakenly run into Abigail, Spencer’s youngest, and we hit it off.

My intentions were innocent, but my execution was lacking. When Spencer discovers that I’ve gone behind his back, he tells me to leave. I want to stay and fight but Spencer is making it impossible to do so.

If you love romances to curl your toes and small towns that make you want to move there, you'll love A Magnolia Adventure.

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, Contemporary, Clean Romance, Fiction, Ebooks, Contemporary Romance

168 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 19, 2021

About the author

Anne-Marie Meyer is a USA Today Bestselling author who lives south of the Twin Cities in MN. She spends her days with her knight in shining armor, four princes, and a baby princess.

When she's not running after her kids, she's dreaming up romantic stories. She loves to take her favorite moments in the books and movies she loves and tries to figure out a way to make them new and fresh.

Join her newsletter at anne-mariemeyer.com

Reviews

[Carolyn A · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the books are sweet, but I legit, verbiage, storyline and MFC felt like I read the same book 7 times.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good to get to know Penny a little more and I look forward to reading the rest of her stories in the next book. Naomi is a character I want to love, but I struggled with her indecisiveness. She finally gets it in the end, but I was hoping she'd mind herself sooner. I loved Colton though. He's great and I'm so glad he was as patient as he was. I'm anxious for the last book to see how this all wraps up.

[Jen Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was almost like the last but with a trip to Harmony Island. Spencer is wanting to relocate a battered relationship with his two daughters. Penny joins him. After what seems like a easy thing turns into heart break and secrets. Penny forms a friendship with Abigail, Spencer's daughter, like it's natural, whole Spencer is having a difficult time with connecting to her. That seems these love birds on a fight to save their relationship.
Colton visits Naomi who is now living in Harmony Island with Walker. When he leaves again for work, Naomi is left alone until Colton showed up and stays. Whole there Colton showed her how things should be as a couple. She's having mixed feelings about everything. When things are starting to get confusing for her she heads out alone too the bookstore that Abigail owns and is ready for a job.
Walker returns and isn't happy. Demanding Colton leave, he did with 3 little words.

Naomi wakes up to walkers voice telling someone he misses them and will see them soon as Naomi will think he's on the rig again. She calls him out, and ends everything. Now it's time to face facts with her. Will Colton still be on the Island or had she missed her chance?

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

Penny and Naomi are my least favorite characters. They’re whiny. And Naomi’s pregnancy was dealt with horribly. How did no one know - the ENTIRE book - that she wasn’t pregnant? Especially Walker - when just the previous chapter they talk about how much she showed all of a sudden. The timing was strange. She found out she was pregnant when she was supposedly 5 months along. At least one month passed during the book, she’s back with Walker, and she NEVER TELLS HIM?! Plus, he doesn’t notice her baby bump? It was too unrealistic and annoyed the hell out of me.

I also have been annoyed with Penny. Early on, Maggie is afraid of her because she’s so rigid and perfect. I know she eases up and changes. But the fact that she continues to whine about Spencer is irritating. Where’s the backbone she had earlier?

[Carissa Caulum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review: I really enjoyed this book. This book continues to follow Penny and Naomi. Both Penny and Naomi end up in Harmony Island. Will their stories end in happily ever afters? I loved the writing. I loved the character development throughout the book. I love the female friendship on this book. This is such cute series. If you love Gilmore girls you will like this series. You get that small town feel and get to know the towns people. Onto the last book in the series.

Favorite Quote: “We have to believe that the sun will rise every morning, or we would never go to bed at night. We have to believe that the earth will keep turning, or we would cease to desire to live.”

[Maggie Carr · Rating 3 out of 5]

One left.

[Astrid Rudloff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the seventh book of the red stiletto series. The books are standalones, but interwoven and should be read in order.
I really like the stories. But at times they are dragging on with the same thoughts over and over without anything relevant happening. And the insecurities are a bit dramatic.
Nonetheless I'm invested in the series and will continue.

[Kenz Lode · Rating 2 out of 5]

Penny and Naomi are my least favorites. They are so whiny and wishy washy all. The. Time!

Penny and Spencer have been together approximately 16 minutes and at the beginning of the book, she recounts that they had a spat and were making up. Just like normal adults. Then he’s like let’s go on a road trip to hang out with my daughters who don’t know me! And once they get there, he’s an absolute douche to her? They have another spat and Penny spirals because she is sure that their 20 minute relationship is over. Ok? This isn’t high school. Then blah blah she meets Abigail, which actually isn’t so bad except that she talks about caring about her and considering her a friend. After 36 hours of being there?

Y’all, these characters move so fast.

Next up we’ve got whiny baby Naomi. She’s now at least 6 months pregnant and pretending she’s not while living with Walker who is too dumb to notice? Seems legit. I like the sweet moments with Colton, but then I remember she has a whole ass man that she blatantly disregards. Speaking of blatant disregard, Walker disappears for a month or more and we just let it all go? K cool.

These women are odd and have no back bone.

There are other plot holes, but next, I’d like to address the redundancy of all these dang phrases. If I hear someone shoulders ONE MORE PURSE, I will scream. And why are we always chewing on our lips? Are there even any lips left to chew? Speaking of chewing, we also chew on lots of words. So much chewing. As a writer, there are literally millions of phrases or words to get your point across. Please try.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m honestly a little tired of the exact same verbiage in every one of these books. I can’t remember if I’ve ever had my hair tucked behind my ear by a guy but every single man has this move. Also…at least twice I’ve heard “is this where you kill me?” as a joke on a date.
Naomi…okay she is attracted to Colten (who is probably my favorite and least damaged of the male lead characters) but it’s almost as if she only chooses him because she confirms Walker was cheating on her and she doesn’t want to be alone. He deserves better.
Spencer sucks. He’s emotionally damaged and broken. As much as I dislike Penny she doesn’t deserve him constantly pushing her away and shutting her out.
I do love the cross over from the Sweet Tea & Southern Gentlemen series.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve really enjoyed reading the Red Stiletto Book Club series! Each book is cute, heartwarming, and easy to dive into. While the plots are definitely predictable, they still deliver a cozy, feel-good vibe that makes them a fun and comforting read. There’s no spice to speak of, but the sweetness and charm more than make up for it.

If you’re someone who enjoys stories about friendship, romance, and happy endings, this series is a great pick—definitely gave me Hallmark movie energy (in the best way). Perfect for when you’re not sure what to read next or you want something light that won’t completely pull you under. A great in-between-books kind of series.

[Karen Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book.Just finished reading A Magnolia Adventure, book 7 in the Red Stiletto Book Club. I loved Naomi and Colten's story. Penny and Spencer's story was a little heartbreaking. Penny finally finds love and Spencer felt the same way, but Spencer has many ghosts from the past. All of them end up on Harmony Island and that is where their stories take place. This book will have your heart reaching out to all 4 characters. The ending has you wanting to read the last book to see how everyone's life ends up. This was another great book by Anne-Marie.

[Naomi Kovach · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like Naomi has to learn to love herself before she can just jump into a new relationship immediately after leaving her previous one.
Penny and Spencer are stressing me out simply because I believe if they sat down and really communicated they could figure things out but the lack of honest communication from Spencer is causing this relationship to suffer.
I’m not sure what to expect from the next book but I am looking forward to meeting the sisters and seeing their side to learning more about their dad.

[JaTara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one annoyed me. Why do women not tell the father’s they are pregnant? It’s his child too and so unfair to not share. Why do women not listen to the man when he says he wants or needs something? This is why men are not vulnerable with us. They tell us and we disrespect it. Penny was wrong, plain and simple. Naomi was wrong, plain and simple. I will read the final book and hopefully things are rectified. The book was great and the writing was great. I am just not happy with the characters. They were believable because women do this in real life.

[Christine Georgiou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Small town story - not very consistent or believable to be honest. Naomi is 6 months pregnant by now, she hadn't told her live in boyfriend and he hasn't noticed????

Penny was portrayed as a hard nut, driven, committed and no nonsense. She's a sad old lonely weak woman in this book, nothing like her original character. Also, where did Penny go to live when she returned from Harmony Island as she was previously living with Spencer.

There seems to be a lot if loose ends with this book.

[Alicia Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yay! A happy ending for Naomi! However getting there is long and difficult as a reader lol.
Penny and Spencer end up in the same island town as Naomi after tracking down his daughters but that doesn’t go well for anyone….
This is not the end of penny’s story either …. Starting to wish these books were longer.

[Kristen Tarr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoa! What a story! This one’s going to toss you around and keep you guessing.

Will Penny be what Spenser needs to move forward from his past or will the past break them? All the feels and all the questions!

Naomi is faced with a tough choice…stay the same or make a change? Will she push to make the right one or will she hide in fear?

[MLG · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t not really enjoy this book. I felt like it was kind of boring. This book continues penny and Naomi story. I didn’t like their story in the last book and didn’t care too much in this one. Naomi is whiny and depend on a man way too much. Penny is a better character, but I didn’t really care too much for Spencer who is her love interest. In the end, they both get a happily ever after.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but I found the ending extremely unsatisfactory. The author simply drops the story, requiring a reading of the next book to reach an ending. The previous book in this series was the same way. I could tolerate a story that seemed to be starting and was likely to continue in the next book, but leaving me hanging on a story that seemed about to end was very frustrating.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was not as good as the others have been. The story of Naomi & Walker & Colton seemed to drag on & on. It ended as I hoped, but took forever to get there. And why is Penny hanging on to Spencer? He seems like a jerk. We really don’t get to know him well and what I read of him he isn’t worth her time. On to the next book. Hopefully Penny will give up on Spencer.

[Bianca salazar · Rating 3 out of 5]

A magnolia adventure is about two women stuck in two different situations with love. Having to choose what to do can lead them into a position they didn’t think to come across. Love can be lost and found in a heart beat.

[Rina ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book! Seeing Naomi finally stand up for herself was awesome. I loved her and Colten together! But poor Penny, she had the best intentions. I hope things will work out for the best. She deserves to be happy too!

[Joy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't tell if I liked it or not because I spent the entirety of the book being frustrated out of my mind. There was too much stress and heartbreak and not nearly enough happy ending. Let's be honest, the happy ending is why we read books like this.

[Elizabeth Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was alright. The situation the characters found themselves in was interesting. For some reason, the pace was too slow for me. I just wanted everyone to be together and to figure out their crap already. ha ha. it ended good enough.

[david jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review

Predictable but oh so charming. A fun read and as all the others, you don’t want it to end. You won’t be disappointed.

[Judy Hardwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm loving these little stories of friends finding their purpose [and a bit of love too.]

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

this series has a chokehold on me LOL

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book came out of order in my Libby holds. It was good and I could follow along. Didn’t like as much as the earlier Magnolia books. It had more innuendo that I really didn’t care for. 3 stars

[Amii Caines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awww so many heart stopping moments.
I’m so sad it’s coming to an end but I guess it has to happen 😩

I’m so invested in the characters and their journey’s 😍

[PollyAnna Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awwww! It's about time Naomi realized who was a jerk and who she truly loved!! I can't wait to meet Baby Naomi!

(See previous comments for previous books in the series. )

[Tammy Stewart]

Audio