Romance

Secrets of the Tulip Sisters is just a nice book. The characters are all believable. The settings and situations are all believable. The story did what it was supposed to do and that is just be a nice romantic story with a very happy ending. The book received four stars in this review. ( )

Honestly this just wasn't good. There are ever changing romantic partners, stupid secrets being kept from people, and honestly the chemistry between the entire cast of characters was non-existent. Then Mallery tries to include a plot about the evil mother who abandoned her children that didn't work at all. I am wondering if I should stop reading her hoping to find the magic I did in the "Blackberry Island" series.

"Secrets of the Tulip Sisters" has Kelly Murphy at a crossroads in her romantic life. Her long time boyfriend that she felt meh about broke up with her. And now a man that she used to have a crush on is pushing for them to have a friends (well not that) with benefits situation cause apparently neither of them have heard of masturbation. Seriously the entire plot point between Kelly and Griffith was something that I read like a bad 80s romantic comedy. Shit, maybe early 2000s, I feel like I watched a movie called Friends with Benefits and now I feel slightly horrified. On top of this, Kelly's younger sister Olivia (who she is slightly estranged from) has returned home. Olivia is running from some things she hasn't told her sister of father. She thinks returning back home to where her ex now lives may lead to something more. Instead, Olivia finds herself in a, hey we just met, let's have sex situation with someone.

Look, I love romance novels, but this whole book was flat out nonsense. The two sisters romantic partners were bland and beige. I also hated, hated that apparently Kelly never apparently had an orgasm and we were forced as readers to read as Griffith talked to her about her g spot. I lost the will to live. And no, it's not because I don't think those are conversations that lovers should have with each other. It was because it didn't feel realistic and oh, it wasn't hot! I was bored. Kelly and Olivia both needed therapists and to tell their father what a shit person he was by never standing up to their terrible mother.

And speaking of their father, his romance was weird and not sexy at all. He was a joke and a half and his love interest being into him was not believable.

When Kelly and Olivia's mother returned, I was hoping for some actual conversations to take place, but nothing doing. Either they hid form her, had nasty comments, and their mother deflected and acted like an asshole. I don't know what was going on. I found myself frustrated the whole time I read this.

The writing was meh, maybe if we just followed one of them it would have worked better. Mallery trying to juggle three love stories didn't work in this one. No one had priority and there was too much going on.

The flow was bad. I should have DNFed, but kept punishing myself. I saw a lot of people shelved this one as a DNF or posted a review they couldn't finish it. This needed edited heavily. We either needed to focus on the estranged sisters becoming closer trope, or the evil mother one. And if you are doing evil mother, don't make her a Disney cartoon character. Well shoot, maybe, Cinderella's stepmother still scares the shit out of me.



The setting of the book could have worked. Kelly and her father are running their family tulip farm. Too bad we don't focus on that more. Instead we focus more on Griffith's business into building tiny houses which honestly says more about this character than I could actually write.

The ending slaps everything together for a rushed HEA for all couples. ( )

4.5 stars.

With a cast of complex characters, a storyline with plenty of depth and just a hint of sizzle, Secrets of the Tulip Sisters by Susan Mallery is a beautiful novel of healing, new beginnings and love.

Kelly Murphy is a no nonsense young woman who works on the family tulip farm with her dad. She is estranged from her younger sister Olivia and their mother. Recently out of a long term relationship, she is a little surprised by how easily she has recovered from their break up. Kelly is a little nonplussed when she begins running into her high school crush Griffith Burnett everywhere she goes in their small town. She does not know what to think when he suggests they begin seeing each other but she decides she can easily handle a no pressure relationship. However, Kelly's world is quickly turned upside down when Olivia shows up without warning.

Olivia is at a bit of a crossroads so her boss suggests she take some time off, she decides it is the perfect time to pay a visit to her childhood home. Sent away to boarding school after their parents' divorce, she has made peace with her father but she and Kelly slowly drifted apart over the years. At loose ends since she has no interest in the family business, Olivia volunteers to head a fundraiser for a local business and she is pleasantly surprised by the business owners' receptive response to some of her suggestions to help them bring in more customers. In between getting reacquainted with Kelly and her work on the fundraiser, she finds the time to embark on a no strings fling with a local hottie.

Just as Olivia, Kelly and their father Jeff are becoming comfortable with the changes in their lives, someone from the past unexpectedly shows up and puts everyone on edge. Jeff goes out of his way to be fair but is he doing the right thing for everyone involved? Olivia and Kelly's fragile bond is quickly tested and Kelly is not certain she can trust her sister. Olivia is more certain than ever she is ready for a change, but she is in an awkward position as she tries to figure out what she wants to do next. Kelly is not exactly at ease with certain elements of her burgeoning relationship with Griffith and a situation involving her dad puts her at odds with the one person she trusted without reservation. With so much uncertainty surrounding them, what will the future hold for Kelly and Olivia?

Secrets of the Tulip Sisters is an absolutely charming novel that is heartfelt and engaging. With a couple of notable exceptions, the wonderfully developed cast of characters undergo a great deal of growth as they face new challenges and repair their fractured relationships. The storyline is engrossing with believable issues for the various characters to overcome. The romances are incredibly sweet with just the right amount of steam and it is an absolute joy watching the couples open themselves to the possibility of love. A delightful small town story that old and new fans of Susan Mallery are sure to enjoy. ( )

I've read many of Susan Mallery's books and I always enjoy them but this one I found asked too much from me to accept and not feel weirded out a bit. I won't go into any detail so as not to spoil the story for anyone else. I'm not a prude about where anyone should find love or when in your life but lines get crossed I think when she tried to cram too many circumstances into one book. I also would have loved a few more tulip facts. ( )