Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Small Town Sweetheart ~ Toni Aleo ~ New Release & Review


Small Town Sweetheart by Toni Aleo is available NOW!

Delaney Abbot has never wanted to live anywhere other than Spring Grove, Kentucky. She loves the town, the people, and the whiskey made right down the road at McElroy’s Distillery. If only she could find a man in her beloved small town worthy of all that love she has to give. The first thing Reed McElroy did when he finished high school was get the heck out of Spring Grove, Kentucky. He’s happy with his life as a veterinarian in the big city, and he would just as soon never step foot in his small town again. Delaney has had a crush on Reed since she was knee-high to a grasshopper, but he never looked at her the same way. Now that tragedy has dragged him back home kicking and screaming, Reed has no choice but to make peace with a past clouded by small-mindedness and judgment. He is forced to see his hometown through grown-up eyes, and everywhere he looks, he finds local sweetheart Delaney. It seems like everyone in Spring Grove loves her. So, why shouldn’t he?    
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About the Author:
My name is Toni Aleo and I’m a total dork.
I am a wife, mother of two and a bulldog, and also a hopeless romantic.
I am the biggest Shea Weber fan ever, and can be found during hockey season with my nose pressed against the Bridgestone Arena’s glass, watching my Nashville Predators play!
When my nose isn’t pressed against the glass, I enjoy going to my husband and son’s hockey games, my daughter’s dance competition, hanging with my best friends, taking pictures, scrapbooking, and reading the latest romance novel.
I have a slight Disney and Harry Potter obsession, I love things that sparkle, I love the color pink, I might have been a Disney Princess in a past life… probably Belle.
… and did I mention I love hockey?
Connect with Toni! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tonialeo1 Twitter: https://twitter.com/ToniAleo1 Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/toni_aleo/ Intagram: https://instagram.com/tonialeo1/ Bookbub: http://bit.ly/2yGqqR6 

Elizabeth's Review


My rating: 3 of 5 stars - Average Read


Review Copy Provided by Author


This is honestly a really hard review to write because I usually love anything Toni Aleo publishes and I loved the premise of this book. Unfortunately, for me, the execution fell a little flat.
The good:
The set up - I loved the idea of Delaney’s long time crush coming back to town and seeing what he was missing.
Reed’s emotional journey- I appreciated his growth as a character, becoming someone who could see past his blinders of the past
The cast- the secondary cast is a hoot!
The struggles:
Delaney- I’m sorry, but I really did struggle with the portrayal of the female lead. On one hand she’s described as a town laughing stock with anger issues, but she’s later described as the town sweetheart. This split personality seemed to follow her through the book and made it hard to connect with her.
The town- there are so many small town/small minded behaviors here that it’s hard to wrap my head around. Similar to my issue with Delaney, the town seemed to have dual personalities. One minute everything is prim and proper, the next everyone is openly discussing the fact that characters are being intimate with each other.
Reed/Delaney- from the way these two started out, it was hard to visualize the romantic relationship. I think it would have been helpful to see more of the friendship/relationship building vs how much they were together physically.
I know this makes it sound like I didn’t like the book at all, but that’s not true. I did like it and enjoy it, it just wasn’t the strong effort I have come to expect from Ms Aleo. It may be that this style/series just isn’t for me.

View all my reviews
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