Magical Mistletoe

by Magnolia "Maggie" Rivers

New York City Judge Abigail Rutledge returns to her hometown of Shady Rivers to dispose of her deceased grandmother’s property. Having gotten cold feet about her upcoming marriage to Preston Abernathy, a NYC accountant, Abby decides to try her grandmother’s remedy for picking a husband – magical mistletoe. Problem is, Abby is afraid of heights and must climb a tree to reach the required mistletoe. It seems Spencer Cartwright, Sheriff of Shady Rivers, must guard the tree every year during the weeks leading up to the Shady Rivers’ Artisan Festival as the festival draws tourists from far and near and the ol’ wives’ tale of finding one’s true love, something Spence definitely doesn’t believe in, has women of all ages trying their luck at reaching the coveted mistletoe. The “Shady Rivers” series will introduce you to a small Southern town filled with quirky characters, Southern roots, and love around every corner.

160 pages, Paperback

Published February 14, 2018

Reviews

[T.K. Cassidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful read

Ms. Rivers has created a town that transports you right the quaint little village we all wish still existed. Her interaction of characters is completely believable... even Tiny, the bison. I’m looking forward to getting to know this cast of characters better in the next book!

[C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the town of Shady Rivers. The characters are very real

[Ginnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I thought it would be from the cover (it was a lot more explicit). If you've been looking for that quirky mix of heaving-bosom Harlequin and Mayberry, here it is. The sheriff spent more time thinking about sex than crime, though to be fair, in this little hamlet there's not a lot of crime going on (LOTS of sex, though). There are some mysteries that begin to develop, but they remain unresolved, as that will apparently entice you to purchase other volumes in the series. It was also difficult to believe that, as an administrative law judge, the female lead was able to pull up stakes and move back to her hometown at barely a moment's notice. Most court dockets are generally packed, and it would take a little while to get everything continued/moved. But then again, why wouldn't an accomplished career woman just abandon her world for some great sex. I know I would. But obviously I'm not an accomplished career woman, or I wouldn't have time to read such cheese. Speaking of cheese, I don't know whether this was intentional, but the characters spend a lot of time talking about and even purchasing this amazing cheesecake from Becky's Bakery, but no one eats it. Maybe that's another mystery for another book. Cheesecake consumption is overridden by sex, lady drama, and even a wandering buffalo that the sheriff is entirely unconcerned with. Shucks, even Andy Taylor kept space at the jail for Otis, if only for his own protection. Someone find this buffalo a pasture already. Four pages of dedications/thanks should have been a tip off. I've read books where the Forwards take less space. Lastly, though it certainly fit in with the book's homey setting, I did not appreciate the huckstering at the end where readers were encouraged to provide product placement opportunities for the author. If it is good, the work will engender those sorts of activities on its own. It certainly prompted me to write this review.

[Madeline Vaughn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall the story was cute. Town sounds adorable. Lots of grammatical errors but no fault of the author, those should have been caught during the editing process.

Looking forward to more from this author.