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Small Town Charm

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From the New York Times bestselling author of Small Town Rumors comes a sweet Southern story of family, forgiveness, and true love.

Growing up, Cricket Lawson was never one of the popular girls. And that was just fine with her. If the Belles couldn’t deal with her curves or tell-it-like-is attitude, she didn’t want to be friends with them anyway. Now she’s perfectly content running her little bookshop and tending to her garden.

Then Bryce Walton comes to town. He’s sweet, friendly, and successful, and suddenly all the ladies in Bloom, Texas, are pulling out every ounce of Southern charm they have to win him over. But they’re shocked to discover the only one Bryce wants to spend time with is Cricket.

When one of the Belles reaches out to her for help, Cricket will have to decide whether the opportunity for true friendship means losing the man who’s quickly winning her heart.

89 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 13, 2021

293 people are currently reading
363 people want to read

About the author

Carolyn Brown

182 books4,130 followers
Hi! I'm twenty five years old and movie star gorgeous. The camera added thirty plus years and a few wrinkles. Can't trust those cameras or mirrors either. Along with bathroom scales they are notorious liars! Honestly, I am the mother of three fantastic grown children who've made me laugh and given me more story ideas than I could ever write. My husband, Charles, is my strongest supporter and my best friend. He's even willing to eat fast food and help with the laundry while I finish one more chapter! Life is good and I am blessed!

Reading has been a passion since I was five years old and figured out those were words on book pages. As soon as my chubby little fingers found they could put words on a Big Chief tablet with a fat pencil, I was on my way. Writing joined reading in my list of passions. I will read anything from the back of the Cheerio's box to Faulkner and love every bit of it. In addition to reading I enjoy cooking, my family and the ocean. I love the Florida beaches. Listening to the ocean waves puts my writing brain into high gear.

I love writing romance because it's about emotions and relationships. Human nature hasn't changed a bit since Eve coveted the fruit in the Garden of Eden. Settings change. Plots change. Names change. Times change. But love is love and men and women have been falling in and out of it forever. Romance is about emotions: love, hate, anger, laughter... all of it. If I can make you laugh until your sides ache or grab a tissue then I've touched your emotions and accomplished what every writer sets out to do.

I got serious about writing when my third child was born and had her days and nights mixed up. I had to stay up all night anyway and it was very quiet so I invested in a spiral back notebook and sharpened a few pencils. The story that emerged has never sold but it's brought in enough rejection slips to put the Redwood Forest on the endangered list. In 1997 Kensington bought two books for their Precious Gems line. Two years and six books later the line died with only four of those books seeing publication. But by then Avalon had bought a book and another, and another. Ten years later the list has grown to thirty nine. Last year Sourcebooks bought the Lucky Series which is in the bookstores now. They've also bought The Honky Tonk Series which will debut with I LOVE THIS BAR in June and will be followed by HELL, YEAH, MY GIVE A DAMN'S BUSTED, and HONKY TONK CHRISTMAS.

Folks ask me where I get my ideas. Three kids, fifteen grandchildren, two great grandchildren. Note: I was a very young grandmother! Life is a zoo around here when they all come home. In one Sunday afternoon there's enough ideas to keep me writing for years and years. Seriously, ideas pop up at the craziest times. When one sinks its roots into my mind, I have no choice but to write the story. And while I'm writing the characters peek over my shoulder and make sure I'm telling it right and not exaggerating too much. Pesky little devils, they are!

I have a wonderful agent, Erin Niumata, who continues to work magic and sell my work. I'm very lucky to have her and my editors who continue to believe in me.

Happy reading!

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5 stars
1,150 (52%)
4 stars
570 (26%)
3 stars
328 (15%)
2 stars
94 (4%)
1 star
32 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
Profile Image for Lori (on hiatus, life is crazy busy)).
452 reviews163 followers
January 7, 2022
This was a sweet small town novella. I loved all the unique characters and the fun gossiping elderly ladies that made me laugh. I needed a feel good story and this one hit the mark for me!
Profile Image for Chloe (Always Booked).
3,183 reviews122 followers
July 21, 2021
I read this short story as a part of the bind up with Second Chance at Sunflower Ranch. This is a super short story about a girl named Cricket who is a plus sized book store owner and gardener. A new pharmacist named Bryce comes into town and he has eyes for Cricket. In addition to this romance, there is a girl that was super rude to Cricket growing up who now needs a friend and there is some redemption in their friendship. I loved seeing their friendship grow and the former "Belle" grow up a little, but I though tit was pretty unrealistic. I'm a hard sell on short stories and this one is no different. If it was longer it would've been better but I liked our main character and thought this was charming, even if it was full of instalove and stuff that would never happen in real life.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this.
Profile Image for Loretta TheMoodyRedhead.
1,048 reviews4 followers
August 30, 2024
Small town ways:

"You know what they say,” Jennie Sue giggled right along with her. “There’s three ways of fast communication: telegraph, telephone, and tell-a-woman.”

Cricket’s recipe for good catfish bait:

“Are those fettuccine noodles?” Anna Grace asked. “But what’s the smell?”
“A little cinnamon, some nutmeg, and ginger whipped up in a flour mixture and made into balls, then the noodles are wrapped around them so that when they get into the water, the pasta kind of comes undone and wiggles like live worms,” Cricket answered.

There’s never a question as to whether Carolyn Brown’s books are good or not. As always, excellent. This was an excellent story/novella. Most, if not all, of Brown’s books take place in small towns in Texas. There’s always a mean person or three that have black hearts and take pleasure in other people’s misfortunes. These people live to bring darkness into other’s lives. However, there’s something good about that and that is there is also always a person or three that do not take kindly to the meanies and have no problem telling the meanies to knock off the attitude, or else. They put the meanies in their place!

There’s also always a love story, but nothing juicy like all sexual. It’s always innocent and the characters always stand church and say grace. It’s good clean sweetness. If I’m feeling a bit down, I pick up one of Brown’s books and almost instantly I’m taken to a nice peaceful world. Wonderful! I feel so good right not that I’m going to read another Brown book. How about… “Small Town Rumors”. I just read that Cricket is in it which is a character from this review. Cool!
Profile Image for Jennifer Ritter.
1,145 reviews31 followers
August 2, 2021
Small Town Charm, a novella, is a special treat from author Carolyn Brown. Straight talking, curvy Cricket Lawson is content running her small town bookstore and tending her large garden. The local snobs, called the Belles, have snubbed and humiliated her for as long as she can recall, but she wouldn’t trade her real life for their 2 dimensional facades for anything.

When pharmacist Bryce Walton purchases the drug store next door to her bookstore, things are about to change. On his first day at the drug store Cricket is too busy to go next door for her usual limeade, so when he appears at her farm that evening to buy some her produce she is a bit taken aback. Not only does he help her pick veggies but he also stays for an impromptu dinner. During this time she warns him of the rumors that Laura Lee Cramer plans to marry off her daughter, Anna Grace, to the new pharmacist.

Cricket is quite surprised when Anna Grace comes to her and pours her heart out about her unhappiness being under her parents thumbs and how she longs to be able to marry her longtime boyfriend, Tommy Bluestone. Although Anna Grace has been awful to Cricket in the past, Cricket forgives her and takes her in as a very unusual housemate, store worker, and student in learning how to be a self sufficient woman.

This is a sweet story of forgiveness and growth and life in a very small town. I did enjoy this book and I do recommend it for those who like this genre.
Profile Image for Karen Hackett.
1,057 reviews11 followers
August 15, 2021
SMALL TOWN CHARM by Carolyn Brown is a novella but I read it as a bonus story in SECOND CHANCE AT SUNFLOWER RANCH. Cricket Lawson was never accepted by popular Belles who couldn’t deal with her curves or tell-it-like-is attitude. And that was just fine with her. She is perfectly content running her little bookshop and tending to her garden. Then Bryce Walton comes to town. He’s sweet, friendly, and successful, and suddenly all the ladies in Bloom, Texas, are pulling out every ounce of their Southern charm to win him over, but they are shocked to discover that the woman Bryce wants is Cricket. When one of the Belles reaches out to her for help, Cricket will have to decide whether the opportunity for true friendship means losing the man who’s quickly winning her heart. SMALL TOWN CHARM is a funny and enchanting tale about Cricket, a refreshing small town country girl with a sassy attitude and comfortable in her own skin. She is an inspirational that curvy women can love themselves as they are and find true love. Carolyn Brown is a gifted writer of feel-good stories that bring out the best of her characters to love.
Profile Image for Moira.
1,262 reviews12 followers
July 18, 2021
Quick and cute short story about a small southern town and the characters that reside there. As with any small town, everyone knows what you're doing and with whom.

The bookstore owner, Crickett, has lived here her whole life. Not part of the popular "Belle's" she's focused on her shop, home, family, and her garden.

Bryce is the new pharmacist in town who's instantly drawn to Cricket. They have so much in common and become instant friends. They enjoy the simple life of gardening, down home cooking, fishing, and taking after drive after dinner for ice cream and to look at the stars.

A great beach read!
Profile Image for Satinstitcher.
17 reviews
August 1, 2021
Carolyn Brown gas done it again!

I didn’t think she could get so much story in a short story. I couldn’t put it down. I loved sassy Cricket I the first story. She is the person I would love to meet if I were to.move to a small town. Carolyn Brown has entertained me for many years that I get the feeling she is a little part of all her heroines.
Cricket is a person even though cautious at first jumps right in lifts others just as Mrs Brown does for me every time I open her next story.
My she empower every reader she has proven with every story that we can be anything and everything!
Profile Image for Linda.
1,638 reviews
September 7, 2021
I would have given this book more stars but it was a novella and it would have made a great longer story. Cricket Lawson owned the used book store and truly loved her life working at the store and in her garden where she sold fresh vegetables to her neighbors. When Bryce Walton moved into town and bought the drug store, Cricket was the first person he looked up because he had been raised on a farm and loved the smell of newly plowed dirt. Unfortunately one of the mothers of a single lady set her sights on Bryce as a suitable son in law but he was not interested. This is a cute short story about love and money and which is stronger.
Profile Image for Janey Glidden.
104 reviews1 follower
July 17, 2021
Quick read

I enjoy all of Carolyn Brown's books and this one was no exception. My only complaint is it is only 82 pages of known the story could be longer. New pharmacist moves to town and and sends gossip lines blazing. The president of the Sweetwater Belles club whom think she is above everyone else set her eye as a potential groom for her daughter but daughter is not interested a bit. A town woman that owns the secondhand book store and sells vegetables meets the pharmacist and they quickly fall in love. Easy and delightful story, just wish it was longer.
Profile Image for Karla Cogley.
34 reviews1 follower
August 5, 2021
A little disappointed

Don't get me wrong. Loved the story and characters. T portrayed small town life and gossip. What I was disappointed with was I did not realize it was a short novella. When I pick up a Carolyn Brown story, I look forward to hours of enjoyable reading. This novella left me so saddened that it was over so quickly. I will remember to check the length of my future reads.
Profile Image for Melody.
706 reviews12 followers
July 22, 2021
SAPPY SWEET

A pretty cheesy type story, but so sweet. Two who were as different as night and day became good friends. A new person in town finds out quickly which ones of the “town folk” are the ones worth spending time with. The story is short, which is good. It’s easy to figure out the ending long before you get there and makes a fun, happy, quick summer read.
6 reviews
July 27, 2021
Enjoyed, But Wish It Was Longer

I'm glad that Cricket got her story and it also included an update on Jennie Sue and her family. But, selfishly I wish that it could have been a Whole Book instead of an 89 page Novella! Hopefully Carolyn Brown will find another reason to bring us back to Bloom, Texas and it's hilarious and Loving Characters!
Profile Image for Magdalena.
559 reviews1 follower
August 11, 2023
I read two really heavy books and was heading for a third one but needed a palate cleanser. This novella was perfect for that. It was short and sweet and very easy to read. A little cheesy so lost a star for that. I don’t know that I’d read a full size version of this even though it reminded me of Dove Pond series which I really liked.
Profile Image for Melanie Schaafsma.
19 reviews
September 21, 2023
Southern Charm meets Country

The only thing I disliked is that the book was too short. The characters could have been fleshed out more. I liked the honesty and the balanced way Cricket thought. She wasn't a perfect angel. But she could take people as they are and show mercy and forgiveness. Nice love stories - really two!
Profile Image for Lady M..
1,384 reviews11 followers
July 9, 2021
Thus book was shorter, lighter and fun and really sweet. I enjoyed it, and have already downloaded the first book in that series to catch up. I love how down to earth cricket was, and Anna grace was a trip. For being so short it was well developed with all the characters
18 reviews
July 14, 2021
Too short,too sweet

What happened? No tantrums, no suspense, no story. Very disappointed. Doesn’t seem like a Carolyn Brown story at all. There should have been fireworks in the bookstore involving Anna Grace’s mom & Cricket at least.
Profile Image for Marsha.
594 reviews4 followers
July 14, 2021
A little disappointing, but I think it's the first novella I've read from Carolyn Brown. I have enjoyed MANY of her full-length books, with more room for character development and for the love to grow between the characters. I think I'll stick with the longer books for now.
327 reviews4 followers
July 15, 2021
Enjoyed reading

Enjoyed reading about Chrissy, she meets Bryce the new owner of the pharmacy and Chrissy starts with doing a favor for him. Love the small town how everyone knows what is going on, and willing to help others.
15 reviews
July 16, 2021
Sweet cozy fiction

This is a sweet book, with a story of how to turn a past prickly past relationship around to a great, close friendship. It’s main theme is a story of how two people came together in love. A nice short, happy read.
141 reviews1 follower
July 16, 2021
Small Town Charm is delightful

I enjoyed this book immensely. The characters were developed in detail and I wanted to see what happened next. I also enjoyed the description s of Bloom, Texas. I always enjoy Carolyn Brown s books
I highly recommend it.

97 reviews
July 17, 2021
Small Time Charm

A small reading time just right for laying out poolside or on a blanket creekside waiting for the fish to bite. It is filled with positive vibes and good advice. A sweet enjoyable read with no ugly words-a real plus.
256 reviews1 follower
July 17, 2021
Charming

What a lovely story, well I knew it would being it i..s a book by an all time favourite author. I have never read anything by Carolyn Brown that wasn't enjoyable. I could happily live in any of the locations and I'd love to meet her characters even the cranky ones
Profile Image for JoAnne.
3,155 reviews32 followers
July 27, 2021
Read my review on Romancejunkies.com by clicking the link below.
This was a bonus novella in Second Chance at Sunflower Ranch (Ryan Family #1).
It is also posted in full.

https://romancejunkies.com/reviews/se...

The bonus novella, SMALL TOWN CHARM, held my interest from the first page to the last. I loved the characters and the small town of Bloom, Texas. This is both Cricket and Anna Grace’s story. While never friends growing up—since they come from different sides of the tracks—as adults, Anna Grace needs Cricket’s friendship and her help. Will Cricket turn the other cheek when Anna Grace asks for her help? (Anna Grace turns her back on her society parents in favor of that true love, and her society friends are soon nowhere to be found.) Cricket unexpectedly finds love, and both women bloom. The story’s lovely friendships and down-home activities enrich the tale and really make it stand out. And the town gossip and bets placed on different town happenings are a hoot! Well worth the read, especially with several happily ever afters.
51 reviews1 follower
July 30, 2021
Next Small Town Wedding

So happy to read about Cricket falling in love & making a new friend! Glad to be updated on Rick & Jennie Sue. I always enjoy reading a series. The 4th could Small Town Families.
166 reviews1 follower
September 12, 2021
A sweet love story

Two enemies become best friends. One of them was previously the town snob but the other came to her rescue when she encouraged her friend to rely on her own resources. Both of the girls found their true loves.
Profile Image for Kylie.
22 reviews4 followers
September 15, 2021
Like reading a Hallmark movie. It’s very plainly written so super easy to read which is perfect for something to relax with over the weekend. This is not my usual genre but I really enjoyed a little mini escape into this sweet little town.
37 reviews1 follower
September 27, 2021
A Southern Charming Story

A real nice and sweet story of love, friendships and surprises. There was no evil drama, no holding your breath and waiting for the shoe to drop. It was refreshing to read a simple story of love and life.
104 reviews
October 17, 2021
A no brainer

I was a little disappointed in this offering from Carolyn Brown. It was a little too predictable and I felt like it was a rush from beginning to end. The characters could have been developed a little more.
728 reviews
December 12, 2021
This was part of Second Chance at Sunflower Ranch. It was a quick read about a girl that was always put down by a certain group of girls but in the end she gets a new friend from that group and the guy.
Profile Image for Mandy Traub.
16 reviews1 follower
May 23, 2022
What did I just read? This is hands down the worst book I've ever read. It was disjointed, repetitive, and insanely unbelievable. There were random, unimportant details that added nothing to the story. There was also zero conflict. Zero. It honestly read like it was written by a 14 year-old.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews

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