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    The Sweet Smell of Magnolias and Memories
    The Sweet Smell of Magnolias and Memories
    The Sweet Smell of Magnolias and Memories
    Audiobook7 hours

    The Sweet Smell of Magnolias and Memories

    Written by Celeste Fletcher McHale

    Narrated by Nan Kelley

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A Southern novel full of friendships and finding love.

    “There’s no time,” Colin said. “You have to go. Find me, call me . . .”

    Jacey and Colin shared the three most intense days of their lives together, waiting for help as Mississippi floodwaters surrounded them. Jacey knew Colin was the love of her life—until her rescue boat went under water, along with Colin’s last name and pieces of Jacey’s memory.

    The last thing she remembered was being submerged in water. Again.

    As Jacey walks down the aisle as the maid of honor in her friend’s wedding a year later, the last person she expects to see is Colin. The biggest surprise, though, is that the man of her dreams is not wearing jeans and flip-flops as he did when he held her through those long nights of the flood. He’s the preacher.

    As Jacey’s memories come flooding back, it’s almost more than she can take. The fate of the young family trapped with them haunts her. The unwavering honesty—and support—of her best friend Georgia forces her to take a fresh look at herself.

    She’s spent her life afraid of love. But a flood is opening Jacey’s heart in the most unexpected ways.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherThomas Nelson
    Release dateMay 23, 2017
    ISBN9780718095369
    The Sweet Smell of Magnolias and Memories
    Author

    Celeste Fletcher McHale

    Celeste Fletcher McHale lives on her family farm in Central Louisiana where she enjoys raising a variety of animals. Her hobbies include writing, football, baseball, and spending much time with her grandchildren. Website: fletchermchale.wordpress.com Facebook: FletcherMcHale Twitter: @FletcherMcHale  

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    Reviews for The Sweet Smell of Magnolias and Memories

    4.5/5

    20 ratings5 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I will give this a solid 3.5 because the premise was good. But some of the story line was predictable and the best friend was nothing short of infuriating. The author did keep me engaged though, so there's that. I would read/listen to other novels by this author. Not my favorite, but certainly not terrible.
    • 5/5
      After reading the author's first book I was so excited when this book became available. I remember how beautiful she writes with emotions so strong you can feel it deep in your soul. I loved the description of the flood and how the characters were hopeful for a rescue boat to save them. The author goes into great detail about how devastating the flood was and how destructive it became as families lost their belongings and loved ones. I really related to this story a lot. I know first hand what flooding can do. The water became so high on our land that I was afraid we would lose everything. We did lose a lot of equipment from the tool shed, our garden was destroyed and I could see snakes swimming in the waters. As I read about Jacey and Colin clinging to life on the roof , I knew exactly how they felt. It was very emotional to read about the mother and children that were with them in that fateful day. Will the family survive? The author captured the extreme danger with compassion and rich emotions that she does so well.Jacey was such a wonderful character and I loved the hope she had in finding those children that were with her that day. She is overwhelmed when she finally remembers what happened that day. It must have been so difficult to relive that day over and over again. I liked how the author surrounded her with a wonderful friend called Georgia . I loved her spunk and her willingness to help her friend heal emotionally and physically. Will Jacey be able to find out what happened to that family on the roof with her that day? I am most surprised how much I related to Colin. I know Jacey was a bit surprised at his new calling in life, but it seemed to fit him well. What I liked about his character was the deep scars he had from growing up with a father who wasn't around and checked out emotionally when he was there. The wounds were deep for Colin and I loved how the author explored the dynamics of a family revealing secrets , asking for forgiveness and letting go of the past. Overall the story was good and I loved the struggles each character had with their past. The author did take a bit of liberty in some areas about certain topics that readers may not care for. I will leave that up to each reader as my opinion and beliefs may differ from other. The great thing about this book is that it explores how important friendships are and that sometimes we think wrong of someone simply by misunderstanding their intentions. "Our circumstances cloud our true feelings sometimes. " I received a copy of this book from The Fiction Guild. The review is my own opinion.
    • 4/5
      I absolutely loved this book. A man and a woman find something (love?) during three days spent on a roof after a flood. For Jacey and Colin, that was a year ago and they haven't seen each other since despite their promises to get in touch after everything was normal again.The story of what happened during that year to each of them was emotional, sad and perplexing for at least one of the couple. The other one left in a coma with amnesia, but they remembered they had the other's number. Which unfortunately got lost in the shuffle.The story continues on placing this couple together and apart and then over again. There are other plots going on also. Such as what happened to the mother and her three boys that were also on the roof.A great love story between all of the characters who just happened to be on that roof for three days together during the flood with storms, thunder and lightning. A story that I thoroughly enjoyed and would most certainly recommend.Thanks to Thomas Nelson-Fiction and Net Galley for approving and allowing me to read and review this book.
    • 5/5
      Jacey had no idea what was in store for her. But it was something big.Jacey and Colin has spent three very intense days surviving a Mississippi flood. But they HAD survived. Yet Jacey went down in the water. When she came back up, she couldn't remember the last name of the man who had not only saved her physically, but for whom she was also in love with.When chance steps in, Jacey is a bridesmaid at her friends wedding. And who should be the minister who preside over the nuptials, none other than Colin.A mixture of emotions runs amok.Jacey feels stirrings she's never felt before.And God has plans that neither of the two would have dreamed up alone.I absolutely adored this wonderful romantic novel! One minute crying. The next laughing. And the next nodding my head saying to myself, "Yep, I've been there and done that!"McHale tells a great story, and one you won't want to miss!I give this book Five Stars.A big Thumbs Up!And my Personal Recommendation.
    • 4/5
      This is a fantastic book by Celeste Fletcher McHale about love and family and friendship. It's full of fantastic characters who will make you laugh and very possibly cause you to shed a few tears. I loved it and thank netgalley for a copy to read and review.Jacey is a writer who was working on a story and made a bad decision to drive through a flooded area in the road during a downpour. Her car ended up in the river and she barely survived by spending three days on a roof with a mother and her four children and Colin. She and Colin formed an immediate bond and agreed to get in touch with each other after being rescued but after a year, they still haven't found each other. Jacey is struggling with PTSD as a result of almost dying in the flood and doesn't remember some important parts of the rescue. When she does find Colin again, it causes her to remember the rest of what happened and she is devastated by her memories. Colin is fighting his own demons with his problems with his parents. Can they both overcome the problems in their lives and end up together? This is quite a story with lots of ups and downs and several big surprises.I loved the characters of Jacey and Colin and the fact that they were very real in their struggles to live their lives. One of my favorite characters in this book was Jacey's best friend, Georgia, who always had a snarky remark for every situation and tried to appear very happy to the world even though she too was hiding a lot of pain. Read this book - you are going to love it.