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Magnolia
384 pages
A sultry, old-school Southern romance where a desperate marriage of convenience slowly ignites into all-consuming passion.
What it feels like
Stepping into this novel feels like being wrapped in the heavy, fragrant heat of a Southern summer. It is an unapologetically old-school historical romance that leans into the delicious angst of a marriage of convenience, where unrequited yearning slowly gives way to fierce, undeniable passion. The prose is lush and traditional, painting a vivid backdrop of turn-of-the-century Atlanta high society, complete with swirling scandals and rigid social expectations. The pacing remains steady, allowing the emotional tension between the desperate bride and her elusive husband to simmer before boiling over. Readers who delight in sweeping, melodramatic love stories filled with swoony declarations, sultry atmospheres, and the satisfying triumph of a hard-won happily-ever-after will find themselves completely swept away.
- Mood
- sultry
- nostalgic
- scandal-laced
- yearning
- Tone
- earnest
- romantic
- melodramatic
- swoony
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- marriage of convenience · unrequited love · social scandal · awakening desire
- The writing
- Lush and traditional, leaning heavily on sensory descriptions of the Southern setting and intense emotional declarations.
- The arc
- Moves from desperate yearning and vulnerability to passionate, hard-won mutual devotion.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave old-school, sweeping historical romances with angsty marriages of convenience and sultry Southern backdrops.
Content notes
- grief
- period-typical sexism
About the book
A love as sweet and seductive as the magnolias and peachtrees of Georgia
Atlanta in 1900 was a city of contrasts: a bustling place where commerce and high society flourished amid the languid rhythms of the sultry South. Claire Lang loved her life there, but one man's presence unsettled her very soul. John Hawthorn's dark eyes and lean, handsome face captivated Claire more than she wanted to admit. And when tragedy struck, Claire found herself desperate enough to marry him--a man who didn't love her... a man she loved passionately.
As the fragrant scent of the magnolia wafted on warm breezes, Claire aroused fierce, unexpected desires in her elusive husband. And once she had tasted his kisses and savored his lovemaking, she dared to fight for him as a sizzling scandal threatened to engulf them and the love she began to believe could be theirs...
Description from Open Library.
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