Perfectly Charming: a great read for a pick me up

Perfectly Charming is the second book in Liz Talley’s Morning Glory series. Jess Culpepper is desperate to move on from her divorce. When the chance to get out of Morning Glory for a while comes up, she takes it. She takes a temporary nursing job in Pensacola, Florida, And thanks to the bequest of her late friend, Lacy, she rents a condo right on the beach. Little does she know she is in for the surprise of a lifetime. Living a few doors down from her is Ryan Reyes, her old high school chemistry lab partner. Once known as “The Brain,” Ryan has worked hard to be more than the shy nerd. Walking away from a brilliant science career, he now runs a charter fishing business and spends his time catching up on the debauchery he missed. He is thrown for a loop when the girl of his teenage fantasies enters his life. At first, their relationship starts as old friends catching up but soon turns into an attraction neither can deny. Their no-strings-attached fling becomes complicated when they return to Morning Glory for a friend’s wedding and they are forced to confront the painful past. Can they find their happily ever after? Or will old wounds keep them apart? 

After reading a previous book that was deep and depressing, I needed a light, fun pick-me-up and Perfectly Charming delivered. It is a very sweet story filled with sexy fun and heartfelt moments between friends and lovers. There were a lot of sighs, smiles and laughs. I loved Jess’s vulnerability and hesitation moving forward from her divorce. She doesn’t trust herself to feel again and is determined not to get hurt again. She decides a good, fun fling is what she needs and she decides that Ryan is good for that. I also loved Ryan who I identified with as the shy nerd. While I wasn’t bullied as he was, I was known as the brain among my classmates and was looked to for the answers. I understood and related to his desire to be more than “the smart guy.” Their inevitable conflict was believable and the resolution was sweet. I loved Jess’s friends, Rosemary and Eden, and their tough love as they help Jess realize her fling has become more than that. I’m loving the Morning Glory series and can’t wait to dive into book 3. I loved Perfectly Charming and recommend it as well as Charmingly Yours, which I recommend reading first. 

Perfectly Charming is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook. 

Book 1, Charmingly Yours, is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook.