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Carolina Magnolia #4
Carolina Girl
In Carolina Girl, gifted writer Patricia Rice gives readers a marvelous novel about two very different people who, against all odds, end up with a common goal: to spend their lives together. . . .
Born and raised on an island off the shores of South Carolina, Aurora Jenkins isn’t about to let her home’s rural beauty and delicate ecology fall victim to over-development. Her life takes an unexpected turn, though, when she meets Clay McCloud. No one has ever affected her so deeply. But their views on the island’s future don’t mesh, and Aurora will have to win him to her side if she is to have any chance of protecting her home . . . because she knows it’s already too late to protect her heart.
Clay McCloud was hiding out on the serene little island, enjoying some richly deserved down time. He wasn’t looking for a fight or trouble or even a knockout redhead—but that is exactly what he got with Aurora, a woman who is all contradiction: part business mogul and part goddess. Her beauty and the attraction he feels for her are undeniable. And though he has certain rules about women like Aurora, leave it to a bad boy like Clay to decide that rules are meant to be broken. . . .
Born and raised on an island off the shores of South Carolina, Aurora Jenkins isn’t about to let her home’s rural beauty and delicate ecology fall victim to over-development. Her life takes an unexpected turn, though, when she meets Clay McCloud. No one has ever affected her so deeply. But their views on the island’s future don’t mesh, and Aurora will have to win him to her side if she is to have any chance of protecting her home . . . because she knows it’s already too late to protect her heart.
Clay McCloud was hiding out on the serene little island, enjoying some richly deserved down time. He wasn’t looking for a fight or trouble or even a knockout redhead—but that is exactly what he got with Aurora, a woman who is all contradiction: part business mogul and part goddess. Her beauty and the attraction he feels for her are undeniable. And though he has certain rules about women like Aurora, leave it to a bad boy like Clay to decide that rules are meant to be broken. . . .
370 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
29 people are currently reading
132 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Rice
153 books514 followersWith several million books in print and New York Times and USA Today's bestseller lists under her belt, former CPA Patricia Rice writes emotionally-charged contemporary and historical romances which have won numerous awards, including the RT Book Reviews Reviewers Choice and Career Achievement Awards.
Her books have also been honored as Romance Writers of America RITA® finalists in the historical, regency and contemporary categories.
A firm believer in happily-ever-after for good reason, Patricia Rice is married to her high school sweetheart and has two children. A native of Kentucky and New York, a past resident of North Carolina and Missouri, she currently resides in Southern California, and now does accounting only for herself.
She also writes under the pen name Jamie Quaid
Her books have also been honored as Romance Writers of America RITA® finalists in the historical, regency and contemporary categories.
A firm believer in happily-ever-after for good reason, Patricia Rice is married to her high school sweetheart and has two children. A native of Kentucky and New York, a past resident of North Carolina and Missouri, she currently resides in Southern California, and now does accounting only for herself.
She also writes under the pen name Jamie Quaid
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 7, 2023
First read this book when I was in high school and decided to reread it. I love the descriptions, not too heavy but enough to paint a pretty picture. The characters where ok and the story was too. A lot of things going on but they all tie together at the end
June 24, 2016
Although this is the fourth book in The Carolina Magnolia series, it is the first I have read. Reading the synopsis of the first three, I realized there were appearances from the main characters of those stories in this one. However, Carolina Rebel can definitely be read as a standalone. Personally, I want to go back and read the first three so I can see how those couples got together (especially the two books with the McCloud brothers.
Aurora and Clay are a cute couple. She is strong willed but with hidden insecurities. He is jaded and socially awkward. When they come together they are a power couple who compliment each other. This story also contains a hint of mystery. I really enjoyed it and can't wait to read the others in the series.
*I received a copy of this book from eBook Discovery in exchange for my honest review.*
Aurora and Clay are a cute couple. She is strong willed but with hidden insecurities. He is jaded and socially awkward. When they come together they are a power couple who compliment each other. This story also contains a hint of mystery. I really enjoyed it and can't wait to read the others in the series.
*I received a copy of this book from eBook Discovery in exchange for my honest review.*
February 20, 2020
Clay McCloud meets Aurora Jenkins, white trailer trash on the island where his brother Jared lives with his wife and children. Although there is theoretically no class system in the USA, this book does a good job of showing otherwise and making one rethink how one sees one's own origins. Changing the perspective to people who have grown up looked down upon really helps in this regard. How would being treated as sub-par all your life affect your ability to function? It was quite enlightening and a good argument not to judge before getting to know. It might change your world view! The romance portion was good, the characters believable, although it is helpful to know computer geeks personally to understand Clay, and the suspense not so intrusive that the reader does not enjoy the rest. I was not too happy with being dependent on a bottle cap, however, for a successful outcome!
December 12, 2021
Aurora meers to Clay and her life from the then changes
Aurora wants to help her family and her home from being over developed
Aurora is all about family and Commitment and Clay is totally opposite of that
This book is just an old-fashioned love story
Aurora wants to help her family and her home from being over developed
Aurora is all about family and Commitment and Clay is totally opposite of that
This book is just an old-fashioned love story
Read
June 2, 2024Got this at a little free library… a little too ridiculous of a romance for me 😂
February 4, 2013
4 STARS
Carolina Girl is the third book in the Carolina/McCloud Brothers.
In the McCloud brothers they all had money and then lost it in different ways. This book ties up the loose ends in the
previous books. Some sex scenes.
It has some great characters, some old favorites and some new ones. Has drama,danger and heroes. Shows how much family can do and share each other burdens and trials.
Clay is hiding out at the beach house this book. He was betrayed by his fiance and business partner. He does not plan to let anyone else take his work. He is going to control everything. Right now he is being a beach bum. Also he is tinkering with the clock tower he plans to get it working.
Clay watches a Loggerhead turtle come onto the beach and lay her eggs. He wants to protect them after that. He also wants to protect his brother and sister-in-law land from being overrun.
Aurora is back home after being fired. She is also helping her family both her sister and father were hurt in a accident. She has sold everything she can to help pay the bills. All she has is her expensive car.
Someone wants to buy the land thier family has had for generations. If one person sells to the state it will force the land to be auctioned off. some will make money the rest won't even have a home if that happens. She wants some changes but not the swamp gone
and condos built.
I liked how the story ends even if I guessed some of the story.
I bought on amazon.
Discription below taken off Goodreads.
An ambitious MBA with a genius for opening her mouth when she shouldn't, Aurora Jenkins wants nothing more than to fix her accident-prone family so she can leave the suffocating rural culture of her hometown and run back to the big city where she belongs.
Considered an eccentric hermit with no more ambition than to repair the courthouse clock, Clay McCloud has withdrawn to his brother's South Carolina island home to rethink his wasted corporate life. After giving up his million-dollar lifestyle to pay back the investors devastated by his treacherous, MBA wielding ex-fiancée, all he wants is to be left alone. The last thing he wants is another woman with an MBA and strong opinions.
A real estate scam that threatens the island and both their families, and a million dollar bottle cap that can save only one of them, forces these two brilliantly stubborn people to recognize what's really important as they fight for the island, their families, and the chance to love and live again.
Carolina Girl is the third book in the Carolina/McCloud Brothers.
In the McCloud brothers they all had money and then lost it in different ways. This book ties up the loose ends in the
previous books. Some sex scenes.
It has some great characters, some old favorites and some new ones. Has drama,danger and heroes. Shows how much family can do and share each other burdens and trials.
Clay is hiding out at the beach house this book. He was betrayed by his fiance and business partner. He does not plan to let anyone else take his work. He is going to control everything. Right now he is being a beach bum. Also he is tinkering with the clock tower he plans to get it working.
Clay watches a Loggerhead turtle come onto the beach and lay her eggs. He wants to protect them after that. He also wants to protect his brother and sister-in-law land from being overrun.
Aurora is back home after being fired. She is also helping her family both her sister and father were hurt in a accident. She has sold everything she can to help pay the bills. All she has is her expensive car.
Someone wants to buy the land thier family has had for generations. If one person sells to the state it will force the land to be auctioned off. some will make money the rest won't even have a home if that happens. She wants some changes but not the swamp gone
and condos built.
I liked how the story ends even if I guessed some of the story.
I bought on amazon.
Discription below taken off Goodreads.
An ambitious MBA with a genius for opening her mouth when she shouldn't, Aurora Jenkins wants nothing more than to fix her accident-prone family so she can leave the suffocating rural culture of her hometown and run back to the big city where she belongs.
Considered an eccentric hermit with no more ambition than to repair the courthouse clock, Clay McCloud has withdrawn to his brother's South Carolina island home to rethink his wasted corporate life. After giving up his million-dollar lifestyle to pay back the investors devastated by his treacherous, MBA wielding ex-fiancée, all he wants is to be left alone. The last thing he wants is another woman with an MBA and strong opinions.
A real estate scam that threatens the island and both their families, and a million dollar bottle cap that can save only one of them, forces these two brilliantly stubborn people to recognize what's really important as they fight for the island, their families, and the chance to love and live again.
June 13, 2016
This is the second book in the Caroline Magnolia series that I have read and I thought it was great. It is full of flawed, funny, and wonderful characters. The supporting characters were as deep and well-written as the main characters of Aurora and Clay. There should be at least one character that you can relate to on a real-life basis with their past or present issues. I loved how Patricia Rice threw in a combination of environmental and eminent domain type of situations.
The story moved along at a crisp pace, so you never felt like it was dragging and the story had enough surprises and suspense along the way to keep things fresh. I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be buying the rest of the books in the series. Easy to recommend if you like romance with a bit of suspense built in.
I received a copy of this book from eBook Discovery in exchange for an honest review.
The story moved along at a crisp pace, so you never felt like it was dragging and the story had enough surprises and suspense along the way to keep things fresh. I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be buying the rest of the books in the series. Easy to recommend if you like romance with a bit of suspense built in.
I received a copy of this book from eBook Discovery in exchange for an honest review.
October 30, 2016
Saying I 'read' this book is probably an exaggeration. I put it away after the first chapter.
I was having problems sleeping, and the current book I am reading, about the Rwandan genocide, was not really helping get me to sleep. So I picked up the next book in the pile; probably I got it from a garage sale.
OMG, this is NOT my cup of tea. It was quite amusing, but not something I want to spend my time on. A quote from halfway through the first chapter: "He'd donned a plaid cotton shirt to cover his bare chest, but with the sleeves ripped off, it didn't do much to disguise his ripped biceps."
(The next book in the pile, Breakfast at Midnight, contains short stories about people exiled to Siberia during WWII. Perhaps not much better than the Rwanda book, but the not-very-good, but quaint translation from Latvian makes it not as dark. At least not yet.)
I was having problems sleeping, and the current book I am reading, about the Rwandan genocide, was not really helping get me to sleep. So I picked up the next book in the pile; probably I got it from a garage sale.
OMG, this is NOT my cup of tea. It was quite amusing, but not something I want to spend my time on. A quote from halfway through the first chapter: "He'd donned a plaid cotton shirt to cover his bare chest, but with the sleeves ripped off, it didn't do much to disguise his ripped biceps."
(The next book in the pile, Breakfast at Midnight, contains short stories about people exiled to Siberia during WWII. Perhaps not much better than the Rwanda book, but the not-very-good, but quaint translation from Latvian makes it not as dark. At least not yet.)
June 15, 2016
I received this book from eBook Discovery in exchange for an honest review.
This is the fourth book in the series but the first that I have read (it won't be the last).
The descriptions of the setting brought the area to life, in particular I was fascinated by the turtles nesting in the sand.
The plot ticked along nicely with plenty of shenanigans and skulduggery from those with a vested interest in developing the area, thus destroying a wildlife habitat and making people homeless.
The characters were quirky and fun, especially both sets of family members. Clay and Aurora epitomised the cliche "opposites attract" and the sparks between them could have started a fire!
I thoroughly enjoyed it.
This is the fourth book in the series but the first that I have read (it won't be the last).
The descriptions of the setting brought the area to life, in particular I was fascinated by the turtles nesting in the sand.
The plot ticked along nicely with plenty of shenanigans and skulduggery from those with a vested interest in developing the area, thus destroying a wildlife habitat and making people homeless.
The characters were quirky and fun, especially both sets of family members. Clay and Aurora epitomised the cliche "opposites attract" and the sparks between them could have started a fire!
I thoroughly enjoyed it.
July 7, 2016
I received a copy of this book from eBook Discovery in exchange for my honest review.
This author has a way of drawing in a reader that you don't know that it happened until you're telling yourself "one more chapter" and cringing at the time.
You can sense the chemistry between Rora and Clay from the beginning, but you have to get through their attempts at fighting it and themselves for a while. I liked the slow development of attraction and admiration between Rora and Clay. You really get more of a sense of what makes each of them tick before they get together. This book was really well written and a nice slow burn!
This author has a way of drawing in a reader that you don't know that it happened until you're telling yourself "one more chapter" and cringing at the time.
You can sense the chemistry between Rora and Clay from the beginning, but you have to get through their attempts at fighting it and themselves for a while. I liked the slow development of attraction and admiration between Rora and Clay. You really get more of a sense of what makes each of them tick before they get together. This book was really well written and a nice slow burn!
September 18, 2013
Aurora Jenkins returned home to help her father and sister who were recovering from injuries suffered in a car accident. Aurora and Clay McCloud were engaged by the state to help discover the ownership of swampland purportedly so that a state park could be built. When It became apparent that development of the property was the actual intended use of the swamp, Aurora and Clay joined forces to fight the developers so that the land could be preserved in its natural state. A delightful story with engaging characters.
July 18, 2015
I have loved the Carolina Magnolia series (previously printed under the McCloud series name). This is the last book in the series and was my least favorite. It is a decent read and ties up things with the characters you have come to love in the McCloud family. Unfortunately it is a slow start, but if you persevere the story redeems itself. Having said that, the book is still worth reading - especially if you are missing her contemporary books and you have not read it before.
June 18, 2016
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Wonderful story about two people on separate sides of a hometown issue who find that by working together they can get what is best for all involved. Clay is a loner geek with a shy, awkward nice guy inside. Aurora will do anything for her family, including putting all her trust into Clay. This is a very well written, engaging story.
June 28, 2016
This is the 1st book in this series that I've read but it definitely works as a standalone. Loved the Lowcountry setting and the turtles. I liked the sexual tension between the main characters instead of them jumping into bed immediately. The supporting characters were very entertaining. Will definitely go back and read the earlier books in this series. All in all a good read.
I received this book from eBook Discovery in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book from eBook Discovery in exchange for an honest review.
February 5, 2011
Romance is not a typical genre for me, but it's hard to read anything really dense while sitting in a kiosk at Wal-mart, so I've been picking lighter reads lately. Truth is it was a nice escape from work, and I finished it up on my morning off. It's fun to lighten up once in a while! The plot line wasn't totally believable, but it was fun and engaging.
July 26, 2009
I loved this book. but this is not the same book as california girl so idk who will see this review but this is my review for carolina girl.
Clay and Rory are two amazing characters and this definately focuses on love and buisness at the same time i definetly recoment it.
Clay and Rory are two amazing characters and this definately focuses on love and buisness at the same time i definetly recoment it.
May 10, 2013
I usually give a book 100 pages but this one didn't get that far. The sexual tension mixed in with the story line was just too much. I can understand attraction but geez louise I wanted to say 'GET A ROOM' and get on with the story line.
December 26, 2014
Book 3 by Patricia Rice.
June 25, 2016
A sweet Southern romance with a touch of environmental consciousness thrown in.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews