Bless Your Heart

Preto Village #1

by AshleyNicole

A Preto Village novel

Welcome to Preto Village, a beautiful black community where everybody knows your business and has no qualms about sharing it…

For Charadee, life up north had long become stale and stagnant. It was time for change and adventure. Buying a house in the tiny town of Preto seemed the thing to do. Change and adventure weren’t supposed to include a man, though.

Enter Dr. Keegan Francois... He’s Preto’s most eligible bachelor. Born and raised in the town, there are certain expectations on his shoulders that an outsider won’t fit in to. Will he conform to the expectations, or learn to live for his own desires?

Genres: Romance, African American Romance, Contemporary, Doctors

176 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 20, 2020

About the author

I'm just a girl in love with literature. My love affair with romance novels started with I was 13 and has flourished into an obsession. I've always been a writer. Even when I was a little girl, I always had a pen and a notebook poised to let something out. You Make Me Better is my first project that will be published and I am STOKED. My goal is to write stories surrounding positive black love, with a little humor tossed in.

Reviews

[Annette Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed meeting the people of Preto Village but, small town livin' ain't for me. If I had to put up with rude and nosey azz folks like Charadee every single day of the week, it would be a hard no for me. Preto Village is a small black community that does not take well to newcomers. With the exception of a few people, everyone took an immediate dislike to Charadee because, she dared to flirt with the town golden boy Dr. Keegan Francois. As with small town living, rumors (i.e. lies) started to fly making Charadee the victim of malicious gossip. You see, Keegan has been unofficially "promised" to Bethanie's petty azz so, the good ole townsfolk of Preto Village have gone out of their way to be anything but warm and welcoming to Charadee. The more and more Keegan's mama, Bethanie, and the rest of the townsfolk try to push Charadee and Keegan apart, the more serious their relationship becomes. This does not sit well with that messy azz mama of his and Ms. Margaret becomes even more vicious. Lawd, Keegan's mama was horrible. She just did not like Charadee for no reason at all other than she wanted him to be with Bethanie. But, that's okay because, Ms. Stephanie pulled up on Ms. Margaret to let her know she does not play about her child. Baby, she came all the way to Preto Village to give Ms. Margaret and Bethanie a Northern Christian read during Sunday service and neither one of them heffas had shyt to say. They dipped out of church real quick because, they didn't want that smoke with Ms. Stephanie. As always, AshleyNicole's signature humor was on full display. Mr. Ollie definitely stole the entire book. The way that man roasted Ms. Mae had me in tears! Bless Your Heart was a delightful read. This story was fun and extremely entertaining. This is definitely a book you want to read.

[Kameel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bless Your Heart

This was such a cute story….I love that Keegan wasn’t playing with his mother and didn’t care how she felt….Charadee had an impeccable way with words…the made a cute couple from the start of the story…BUT, Mr. Ollie & Ms. Mae stole the story for me.

[WellReadRuby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was sooo good and honestly I'm going to start saying Bless Your Heart to everyone who gets on my nerves!! lmao Also”Bless your locomotive heart!”

[LaShaun’s Literary Lounge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Packs my bags and moves, expeditiously, to Preto Village. I have found my people! A town filled with nothing but us, cantankerous old folks, and messy and petty Millennials?!!! Yes please! Oh, how I loved this book! And, Mr. Ollie was just the icing on the cake for this book. He was the real star. Bless Your Heart was a phenomenal read. I have never laughed so much while reading a book. If you have not read this series, I implore you to add to your TBR ASAP!

[LaToya Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bless Your Heart

This was a nice story based in a small town named Preto Village. Where everyone knows everyone’s business and they don’t take kindly to outsiders.
I really enjoyed Charadee’s character. I looked forward to her chapters. I loved how she was so unbothered by all the mess people were throwing her way. I can’t stand a mama’s boy so I almost didn’t like Keegan until that dinner with his mom and Bethanie. Mr. O was hilarious. He didn’t want anybody messing with his “bewdy hole”, honey 😂


This could have been 5 stars for me but I needed a little more build up on Keegan and Charadee’s romance. Their initial flirting and banter was cute but when a scene jumped to him randomly kissing her- I didn’t really buy it. I definitely wouldn’t have minded if this was a little longer.

[Rashawnda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Keegan Francois is the town doctor and has been living life on his overbearing mothers terms. He’s closed off and wants to be left alone when he’s not on the clock. All that changes when Ms Charadee Tate “a northerner” moves into their small town and shakes shxt up!

Mkay Cha•Ra•Dee and Dr. Fine I mean Fran 🤣!! Show me next what the pelvic bone is connected to! 😩🤧 This was such a good story!! OMG!! What an interesting bunch of people in little ole Preto Village! My good sis had some tough skin dealing with these messy folks!

Ms. Mae and Mr. Ollie had me weakkkkkk!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I loved this story so much and can’t wait to see what Zach and Maali coming with!

[Ebony · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so cute!!!

Chiiiile the Preto village gossipers was driving me crazy. They needed some business of their own.

The humor was great and it was overall a good ol wholesome love book!

[Telia Teanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

So funny and cute!

I started this book late last night because I was stressed and tired last night. I needed to get lost in something. And chile when I say that I got lost, I GOT LOST! I was tired as heck last night but I couldn’t put it down, I stayed up until 3 am reading it even though I hate to get up at 6 to go to work.

I have a real fascination with small towns and this romance book was just everything that I needed and more! It was a nice length, kept me reading and funny as hell. I love Keegan and Charadee so much.

I was a little disappointed with the end, but that’s because it seemed to end abruptly but that’s okay. It was still good. It could also use another round of editing, but the mistakes didn’t deter me from continuing to read it.

Great read, I can’t wait to read more of her Ashley’s work.

[Dédé · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be Blessed

Bless Your Heart (Preto Village) by AshelyNicole is about romance author Charadee Tate and physician Dr. Keegan Francois. I love this small town romance with Black people. Charadee moves to Preto Village and the town ain’t to fond of outsiders. Keegan is the cream of the crop in town and the people do not want their best “stock” to go an outsider. As the town tries to push Keegan and Charadee apart they become closer. This is a sweet book, their dates around town are simple but romantic. This book also has AshleyNicole’s signature humour, Ms. Mae and Ollie are a mess! I highly recommend this read!

[Toya Davis-Stokley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious! Haven't laughed out loud like that in a long time! Small town living for an outsider is no joke! I loved how laid back and nonchalant Charadee was about it all. She felt it was all pure entertainment. Keegan, the hot resident doctor, and most eligible bachelor, committed the ultimate sin, by falling for the outsider. Oh lawd, start the prayer line! 😃 These two had such an easy vibe, and playful banter that made their journey exciting. The locals would not make it easy for them, however, they pushed through the drama to find common ground. This story was all around fun, and kept me laughing. Especially at Mr. Ollie. 😃 Great read! 👍👍👍

[Whit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laugh out loud good!

First, Mr. Ollie and his sister, Miss Mae are hilarious! However, that trifling Bethanie and Keegan's overbearing mother, need to sit down somewhere and shut up!

When Charadee's mother, (gangster, lol!!), showed up in church to warn the town about messing with her daughter, those two cowards couldn't run out of there fast enough.

Awesome story!

[Sheena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr Olie was definitely the star of the show. Like I mentioned before, I need a friend like Charadee. Sis is so unbothered that the cruelty of this world has nothing on her. She was definitely the missing piece Keegan needed in that little town with its entitled people. A sweet read about a really cute couple.

[Antoinette (_literaryaura_) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bless Your Heart, a small-town romance. Preto Village, an all-black community were everyone knows your name and your business. Also, most of the women in the community were not very accepting of newcomers.

Keegan the town doctor who escaped this small-town community when leaving for college had plans to never return. However, his plans changed when his father transitioned. Keegan ended up staying to help his mom through the rough time and because every time he talked about leaving, she came down with some type of illness. Que the spoiled, manipulative and crazy mother.

Charadee, a romance author moves to Preto because she's bored and looking for a change. She gets a deal she can't refuse on the Pail house located in Preto Village. It doesn't take long for Charadee to land in the crosshairs of the women of Preto. An innocent and necessary visit to the town doctor gets their tongues wagging immediately. Can Charadee and Keegan survive Preto's small-town charm? Better yet, can their relationship?

I can't leave out Mr. Ollie with all his sage advice and witty humor. He pretty much makes the book and had me rotfl 😂😂😂 during his parts in the book.

[Jahda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read but this is exactly why I would never live in a small town just terrible all up in everyone business. Charadee And Keegan banter was cute. I enjoy Charadee reading them for filth everytime. Mr. Ollie made me cry laughing.

[Kimberley (pennedbykdb) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy Small Town Drama!!

This is my first Ashley Nicole book and I am happy to say it will not be my last.

When Charadee moves to the small town of Preto Village and sets her eyes on the town’s most eligible bachelor, she had no idea that she was calling down fire and brimstone on herself from the small-town’s gossiping mamas.

But despite the gossiping and the confrontations, Charadee remained unbothered and made her mission to bag the good doctor and bag him she did.

Bless Your Heart was filled with drama, laughter, and a lot of good times. Keegan and Charadee we're great together. The town was a whole mess though but I loved how Charadee did not mess around and she gave as good as got! Sis was not about to let them old ninnies and jealous women play in her face. Nobody was safe, not even Keegan’s mama, bless her heart! 🤣🤣

I can't wait to get back to Preto Village, cause the mess is good!!

[Tisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

short and sweet

Having read this series in a scrambled order, I have to say- I love that even knowing the outcome before beginning. It never took away from the book. I think that’s a testament to the author’s writing.

I enjoyed each couple equally. Being that Keegan’s mom and Maali’s mom were in kahoots between two books, I seemed their story was just a continuation of each others. Whereas Dion’s gave a new angle to the Preto village.

I loved Charadee!! Especially with the way she handled, Kee’s mishandling of her. That was some good communication and self- awareness. I love to see black women depicted like that.

Again, I love this authors work!! So far she’s 3/3 for me.

[Sassha Reads❤️❤️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not That Northern Christian Ministry😂😂

This book was soooooooo good. It's sad that Keegan wasn't living his life to the fullest and was merely just existing until Charadee moved to Preto because his mother Ms. Margaret was trying to use manipulation to control his life and trying to get him to marry Bethanie who was just a thotty. I'm glad that Maali was a good friend to Charadee and didn't treat her like an outsider like most of the women in Preto. I liked that Mr. Ollie gave Keegan a reality check and told him to go get his woman back. I cried laughing so hard when Mrs. Stephanie stood up in the church and told Ms. Margaret and Bethanie that she wanted to share some of her Northern Christian Ministry with them after church and we quickly saw that Ms. Margaret was all bark and no bite running off with her tail tucked in between her legs. I hope Rusty, Charadee's best friend, put roots down in Preto too. I first thought that Rusty and Maali were going to hook up but I kind of feel like Zacharias and Maali are going to eventually end up together. I wanted Charadee to get pregnant so bad. I can't wait to see what happens next in Preto.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

 "Bless Your Heart: A Preto Village Novel" was the second book that I’ve read by AshleyNicole and I was not disappointed. Growing up in a small town myself , I can definitely attest to the fact that everybody knows everybody’s business. That is definitely the case here when Charadee (which is not pronounced like Charity), moves to Preto Village. Her welcome to the small Black community is anything but welcoming. Keegan is the town’s doctor and also just happens to be the town's most eligible bachelor and…well, read and find out.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were well developed and the setting was perfect. I loved getting both Charadee’s and Keegan’s  perspective. Keegan's mom and Bethanie were definitely doing the most. This book had some hilarious, laugh out loud moments. Mr. Ollie did not play around with the jokes, lol. There were some grammatical mistakes but nothing that really took away from the storyline itself. Overall, this was a fun, romantic read that I finished in no time. I can’t wait to visit Preto Village again with future installments of this series.

[Q. Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Small town love

I am excited about this small town series. I can tell the people of this town it is going to be quite entertaining. Mrs. Mae and Mr. Ollie are hilarious. I really feel like Mr. Ollie could be a stand-up comedian, I laughed so hard at a few things he said. I will be looking forward to him in the next book.

Keegan and Charadee had too much backlash just trying to start a romance. His mother was the main culprit she really wanted him with Bethanie. He had to finally set her straight and follow his heart. I am glad he did because he and Charadee make a cute couple. She is a romance author and he is the town doctor.

I love these small-town love series that are always heartwarming. I am looking forward to the next book and wonder who the next couple is. I am guessing it may be Rusty and Maali but I am not 100% sure.

Download, relax and enjoy you will find this quite entertaining.

[Chefgirlardee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This was a really good novel. I found myself cracking up at the funny jokes and dialogue. Charadee was that unbothered queen that I aspire to be. Nothing bothered her even when blatant lies were spread she still kept her cool. Keegan was the fine doctor that every woman in the town wanted but Charadee was the only person that caught his eye. The Bethanie vs. Charadee moments were probably my favorite. Mr. Ollie & Ms. Mae were absolutely hilarious! As messy as Preto Village is I would love to visit it. I really loved how Keegan and Charadee got closer while they explored nature together. A really good story! Also, I'm looking forward to Zach and Maali's story too! The topics covered in this story were: overbearing/meddling parents, love, friendship, new beginnings, gossip, jealousy, rivals, nature, healthcare, and so much more.

[Crystal Luckey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to live in Preto Village...

Charadee has just relocated to Preto Village an old town in Tennessee that are not to fond of outsiders. When Charadee has to the clinic she meets the gorgeous, single town doctor Keegan and by time she is home, everyone thinks she is a drug addict. Keegan is upset with and try to apologize, but Charadee isn't worried. Liking each other Charadee and Keegan fall fast, but the town people, make it hard. Tired of the town, Charadee gives up and Keegan thinks he lost her forever. I loved this intro into the small town and Charadee and Keegan was fun to watch and see there love grow. AshleyNicole is such a bomb author and I swear anything she writes I'm reading. Read this series, it's so good...

['The Book Queen' · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blessed and Mighty Favoured!

Charadee is my new Girl-crush Boo. She and Dr. McTasty made a beautiful couple. A nice Father's Day treat... The story was about a hilarious look at small town living, and the fall-out when a pretty lady comes to town and steals the heart of the town's hottie doctor and most eligible bachelor. The story was adorable, enjoyable, humorous, and a quick retreat from any semblance of sadness. You will love this trip to Preto to visit those countryfiednosey idiots, bless their hearts... Five fingers up y'all!!!!

[DeWanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed meeting the people of southern small town Preto Village. The natural beauty is a hidden treasure. Loved the connection that Dr. Fran and Charadee over their initial interaction. CHAPTER TEN WAS COMIC VIEW COMEDY CENTRAL PLATINUM🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Oh how I loved how Mr. Ollie was no nonsense and spoke his whole entire mind without question.

This book will not disappoint and a very welcomed pleasant read! Kudos Ms. AshleyN, ready for the next one.

[Aline Monteiro-Bovell · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not for me.
I think there is a lot that goes into building chemistry between characters in a book. To me this book was missing something. I read the words that were supposed to make me believe that the two love interests were into each other but I didn’t believe it. I didn’t feel the “magic”, the romance was a bit off.
It was funny, I laughed a little bit. But that was it. To me it needed more work, it needed more “seasoning” ( I cant explain it).

[Djamilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

These people are terrible. I wouldn't have lasted ONE day in this small town. I also really didn't like the sl*t shaming from all parties and the disrespect. The humor saved this book for me.

[Alvina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be With Me

Hilarious. I loved getting to know Charadee and Keegan. That little town of Preto was no match for Charadee or her mom or grandma, but her mom was ready to show em'😏.

I loved Keegan's loyalty to his community. He was where he needed to be to fulfill what he needed to, and that led to his forever, which was newcomer Charadee. I was a bit upset that he let guilt almost make him loose her, yet he was a smart man and knew he needed her to continue to make his life complete.

Charadee was having NONE of the gossip and nasty attitudes that the Preto community was dishing out. Especially Ms. Margaret, Keegan's mom, and Bethanie, the young woman whom wanted Keegan to a fault. Charadee served kindness, and didn't let anything anyone had to say hurt her. I loved her no nonsense way of being. Loved her best friend, Rusty, and how close she got to Maali, the self proclaimed Preto outcast. Charadee was a dynamic writer and a very cool person. I loved that she stood up for herself.

That Mr. Ollie and Ms. Mae were a whole mess. Beyond hilarious 😂😂😂.

This was a great intro into Preto Village and I hope there's so much more to come. I hope that there's a story for Rusty, Maali, and updates on Keegan and Charadee.

Great read. Highly recommend.

[Milan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25/5⭐️3/5🥵
- I've been meaning to read this series because Ive heard great things. It did not disappoint. I don't really read much small town romance but this was good!

- Charadee is a romance writer from Connecticut and she finds herself in Preto a scandalous little village. She's the unwelcome northern and she literally doesn't give a damn! She is so completely unbothered by Preto village bs! I aspire to be that unbothered chile. Anyway she is actually hilarious. She is quirky but not in an overkill way but in an actual funny way. Really enjoyed her shaking things up in that judgmental ass town. Then its the good doctor Keegan who is hot commodity in Preto. Keegan is extremely hardworking and a gentleman truly. He was a good mmc but nothing too special.

- Y'all this book was hilarious like violently laughing at 12am trying to catch my breath funny! If for no other reason read it for a good laugh. I also loved how Keegan initially stood up for Charadee as the newcomer. I wish he kept that energy throughout the whole book but with a mama like his he didn't stand a chance. Bless his heart chile😂😭😭. It was short and sweet though no epilogue just an apology , a kiss and viola the end. Still enjoyed it though.

- Definitely recommend for a good laugh!

[H (sosheescapes) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somebody said this was one of their favorite series of the year so I bumped it up on my TBR. Though I enjoyed the read, it didn't stand out to me. The story felt choppy and incomplete at the end. There were a few typos here and there but nothing too major that it took away from the story.

This was the basic new girl in a small town story. Although the story kept me laughing, the romance left much to be desired. I felt alot happened off page. There was flirting then sex and hiking. Charadee and Key primarily conversed about thing related to the town, never too personal. I missed that!

I enjoyed Charadee. She was very confident in herself and didn't let the town get to here. I empathized with Keegan feeling obligated to be near his mom but it was definitely time for him to set some boundaries. Mr. Ollie was the best side character.

I don't think I'm interested in reading the rest of the series at this time.

[Somu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a terrible read. Got back some punctuation mistakes and sometimes I had to reread paragraphs to understand what was going on. Overall if you’re into small town hijinks this can be a fun read. I’m finding that small towns might not be my top pick in terms of settings and behaviors. A lot of the things that happened felt hard to believe for me but I’ve never lived in a small town so that could be me speaking from a lack of experience. The romance was okay, I felt like their first kiss happened randomly out of nowhere then suddenly they’re together then suddenly they break up from a predictable guilt thing that made no sense to me. Overall wasn’t a bad read and I am somewhat curious about other stories being told in this small town now that I’ve been introduced to the towns dynamics. So I might pick up the next book in the series out of curiosity.

[Kesha T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of The Most Hilarious…..

I absolutely loved loved loved this book! It was hi👏🏿la👏🏿ir👏🏿our!! I really enjoyed Charadee and Keegan’s story, but it was the people around them that made their love story great! Some trifling and bless their little hearts wouldn’t know what “loving your neighbor as yourself” looked like if it but then in the face, while others were supportive and were in the “I know how to mind my own business” lane. Finally, though there are those like Mr O, who refused to let anybody look at his “dewdy hole” who absolutely made life tolerable with his hilarious antics.

If you want to read a great love story that will test all of your emotions while hilariously entertaining you are his book will definitely fit the bill. Loved it!