Monday, June 14, 2021

Review & Giveaway - - Warm Nights in Magnolia Bay

Warm Nights in Magnolia Bay
by Babette De Jongh
Welcome to Magnolia Bay - Book 1
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: March 30, 2021
Reviewed by PJ
 
 


Abby Curtis lands on her Aunt Reva's doorstep at Bayside Barn with nowhere to go but up. Learning animal communication from her aunt while taking care of the motley assortment of rescue animals on the farm is an important part of Abby's healing process. She is eager to begin a new life on her own, but she isn't prepared for the magnetism between her and her handsome, stubborn and distracting new neighbor.

Quinn Lockhart snapped up the foreclosed estate next door determined to renovate and flip the beautiful bayou property. It's all part of a plan to make a financial comeback and reconnect with his estranged son. Definitely not part of the plan is the noisy petting zoo next door dragging down his property value. But getting rid of it becomes more difficult when he falls for the lovely and passionate Abby and bonds with an abandoned wolf dog who's mournfully waiting for his family to return. For humans and animals alike, it will take all the courage they can muster to learn to love again. But that's a journey worth taking—with a little help from their furry friends.

You'll fall in love right along with Abby as animals and humans alike find unexpected ways to connect, nurture each other, and thrive.


PJ's Thoughts:


What a charming story! My first visit to Babette De Jongh's Magnolia Bay was filled with laughter, heartache, tender affection, snappy banter, devious doings, and an abandoned dog who made me want to visit my local animal shelter and bring every single homeless animal home with me. 


Abby and Quinn were both a bit broken, having suffered heartache and betrayal before meeting in Magnolia Bay. I liked that they were flawed (she's a bit adrift, he's a bit unyielding). He's determined to make a new start, both with his teenage son and his business. She's struggling to heal from heartbreak and eager to not let her aunt down. Their enemies-to-lovers evolution was entertaining, realistic, and well paced and I loved how the animals helped them along their journey. I don't want to give too much away so I'll just say that Reva and her aunt both have the ability to communicate with animals and the thoughts projected by those animals were, for me, one of the highlights of the book. I've rescued more than a few dogs during my lifetime and to read Wolf's thoughts, in particular, hit me straight through the heart. All the feels!


Warm Nights in Magnolia Bay is a heartwarming, enjoyable read, perfect for lazy summer afternoons in a hammock or gentle summer evenings curled up with your favorite pet. Give this one a try - it has my enthusiastic recommendation - but be prepared to lose your heart in the process.


Book two in the Welcome to Magnolia Bay series, Magnolia Bay Memories, is scheduled to be published November 30, 2021. The hero (successful business consultant Adrian) and heroine (struggling widowed mother Heather) are introduced near the end of book one and already have me eagerly anticipating their story.  



Do you have pets? Do they cuddle up with you during reading time? Tell me about them.


One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, June 16 will receive a print copy of Warm Nights in Magnolia Bay.


*Must be 18

*U.S. only

*Void where prohibited



17 comments:

  1. Our cat likes to read my e-reader from my lap. He was rejected by 4 places before he found us: His original house, a shelter in Tucson that wanted to euthanize him, a college student who couldn't keep him affordably, then his Mom, our Hairdresser. Her hubby's 2 dogs hated the cat so she had to give him away. (The dogs had seniority rights!) We've had him for 3 years now: although he sheds a lot, he likes to share his fur with us.

    Susan in AZ

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  2. My dog who I obtained from Lap Dog Rescue is a delightful, special and warm hearted companion. 16 years old and 16 lbs. of love and devotion. He follows me from room to room and sits by my side all day long especially during the time we read together. He is wise and wonderful.

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  3. Living with a very smart but also a sensitive and amazing small dog gives me enjoyment. Bogie has sense and knows all. He is a small mix rescue dog whose small size belies his intelligence and ability to be there for me. Reading as much as I do does not bother him, in fact he has adjusted to my habits.

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  4. No fur babies. Hubby is allergic to fur and feathers. Our daughter jus got a cavapoo. When we come to visit, he won't have an asthma attack.

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  5. Sonny was abandoned by a guy doing work in a near by neighborhood. His picture showed up on the website Nextdoor. The owner was shamed into coming to get him. Two weeks later, same dog, different picture. He was dumped from a moving vehicle, caught in a fence all night and not until the next day did anyone rescue him. I had recently lost my 2 rescued Boxer girls.....I simply could not see ever getting another dog....but if I did, it would be medium sized (smaller than a Boxer)- female - and short haired.

    I could not face the idea that this dog was going to be mistreated again.

    So, I made sure the guy was willing to get rid of him (not a problem). Sonny is a Pekingese (toy breed), male, and a very hairy dog. It cost an arm and a leg to get him all the things he needed from the vet (nothing is free in life). He has been here for 3 years now. It was hard for me to realize he is an actual dog. I have lived with Boxers, Pointers, and Cocker Spaniels. All are athletic dogs. Sonny is similar to an inanimate object. He is perfect for me.

    A good portion of the pets I have lived with have been rescued animals....and in my family that is the way it has been and should be. My son drove from Arizona to California to
    get a girl who was going to be terminated. The same son and my daughter- in - law drove
    from Arizona to Lubbock Texas to get a dog who had been in a shelter for 5 years.

    My daughter has 2 dogs who were in abusive places. So, yes, a story about rescued animals would be perfect for me.

    Thanks for the lovely review.

    Hope everyone is well and safe and happy.

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  6. I love books with animals. My dog follows me everywhere. Sits in my lap or next to my hip when I'm reading. If he feels ignored he just pats my leg and looks up at me. He is a big attention seeking mutt. Love him so much.

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  7. I have a 2 yr. old pit bull named Miss Daisy. She loves to sit in your lap while you read! This sounds like a really good book, I love anything with animals in it. I'd love to win a copy of this one.

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  8. I have two cats! One cuddles with me while I read. The other one is really stand offish even though I have had her ten years!

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  9. Yes we have a dog we got from the pound 6 years ago he's part whippet and part Jack Russel and can go up the stairs way faster than I can LOL. This sounds good and a new Author for me.
    Great review thank you
    Penney

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  10. My pup Teddy, an 8-pound yorkie-mix, cuddles with me all the time. He has to be touching a part of me whenever I am sitting down. It's almost like he's reading my book/kindle with me.

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  11. I haven't had a pet in many years. Back when we had our cat, Reba, she would curl up with me as I read. It was so soothing for me and somehow having that warm entity next to me made me to brave enough to read some rather frightening thrillers. I can't always manage those when I am alone in the house anymore.

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  12. My kind of book in so many ways. W are living in a victorian farm house that we had to gut and renovate while living in it. 25+ years later we are still working on it. Time to redo things we did originally. As for animals we have been animal people our entire lives. I studied education with a focus on outdoor science and my husband studied wild life management and forestry (but the draft had him going to the Air Force as a career). We have been the neighbor to call for getting creatures out of homes or nursing animals everywhere we have lived. We fostered litters of puppies and singles for the local shelter for several years. We have had a wide variety of pets, most of them rescues. We have had 10 rescue dogs, 4 rescue cats, a dozen rescue peacocks, and one rescue ball python. We are down to one dog now, a sweet pit who was severely beaten and thrown in a ditch as a puppy. She was added to out other three dogs at the time. One beagle and our lab lived to be 17 and our terrier mix to 15. The others all made to over 10, which is how old Lucinda is now. This past week our sone dropped off a lavender rooster and a hen from the campsite where he is working. The rooster is beautiful but aggressive. It was attacking the dogs at the campsite. He has gone after my husband every time he has go into the chicken coop area. Today he brought over 7 hens that had been at his house but since he is living at the campsite , can't take care of conveniently. All our children have acquired the animal lover gene. The daughter who lives down the road from us has a mini farm. Her numbers are down now, but she has had emus, goats, pigs, calves, horses ducks, chickens, rabbits, turkeys, but is down to llamas and sheep now. All our children have cats and/or dogs. Ours have been lived house pets that are spoiled, loved, and even lap dogs - especially the 65 pound lab. As you can see, I can totally relate to the characters in this book.

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  13. no pets, just boys. They no longer cuddle--too old.

    denise

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  14. I have no pets. Thanks for the review.

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  15. I don't have any pets now, since our dog passed away.

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  16. I've got 2 cats. They're 11 year old litter mates whose mom deserted them in our yard. They are both big time cuddle bugs.

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