Sugar On Top
Sugar, Georgia, Book #2
By Marina Adair
ISBN # 9781455528684
Author’s website: http://www.MarinaAdair.com
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jerjen
Review
Glory Mann has lived in Sugar, Georgia, with her grandmother, for most of her life. As a teenager, she made a mistake, getting involved with the football coach, who happened to be the brother of the current sheriff. The town has never let her forget that one mistake and Glory just wants to keep a low profile and get through life as quietly as possible. This is a pretty hard task to accomplish, since her grandmother enjoys being a troublemaker. When she takes the blame for her grandmother’s latest prank, she is thrown in jail by the sheriff who hates her. Her best friend, Brett, sends his brother, Cal, to post bail. Problem is, Glory has had a crush on Cal most of her life. Wearing her pajamas and duck boots when getting arrested, she wants to die of embarrassment when he shows up. But being the tough girl that she is, she does not let Cal know.
Cal McGraw does not know how he let his brother talk him into helping Glory. He does not need to be a rescuer of anyone else. He did that for his brothers, after their parents died, and he wants no part of being a hero. He has enough on his plate, between running his construction company, fighting with his ex-wife and trying to raise a fourteen year old daughter as a single parent. But he does go to Glory’s rescue and realizes that there is a spark of interest between them.
When Glory is sentenced to chair the upcoming Harvest Fest and the Miss Peach Pageant, Cal once again finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Somehow the judge not only sentenced Glory to chair the event, he states the Cal will be the co-chair. Just what he needs, being forced to spend more time with Glory. But Cal has never shirked his responsibility and he does not plan on starting now. So Glory and Cal find themselves spending more and more time together and each begins to enjoy that time more than they should. But Glory knows that she wants forever and will not settle for anything less. Cal knows that he has tried the marriage route and that only led to heartbreak and he does not plan on making that mistake again.
I love the characters in this book. Glory is a tough hardworking girl who has had to struggle for everything she has. She is working two jobs while going to nursing school to improve her life. She has stayed in Sugar to help her grandmother, even when it would have been easier for her to just leave. She has a heart of gold and would do anything for her family and friends. She is cute, funny and loyal. Cal is another hard worker who takes his responsibility for raising his daughter very seriously. She is his top priority and he will not let anything get in the way of raising her. I loved reading about the relationship between Cal and his daughter, Payton. It felt so realistic to me and I could picture in my mind the fights, arguments and teen rebellion. I could also picture the love of a father for his daughter, and that was pretty powerful.
This book reminded me a cozy book with some steam. The setting is a small town with all the small town gossiping and judging that happens. Everyone knows everyone’s business and no one is afraid to offer up an opinion on how someone should live their life. I love reading about these types of places and I would love to visit one in my lifetime.
This book is a love story but it is a lot more than that. It is a story of friendship and family and overcoming one’s past. It is also the story of going after what you want and realizing that everyone deserves a second chance. It is also the story of a father and the love he has for his daughter. There is humor and romance and drama and sweetness all blended together perfectly. This is the first book that I have read by this author and I really enjoyed it. I am looking forward to reading more of her books and spending more time in Sugar, Georgia.
