Magnolia by Kristi Cook + $25 Giveaway!

Magnolia
by Kristi Cook
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: August 5th 2014


Synopsis:

In Magnolia Branch, Mississippi, the Cafferty and Marsden families are southern royalty. Neighbors since the Civil War, the families have shared vacations, holidays, backyard barbecues, and the overwhelming desire to unite their two clans by marriage. So when a baby boy and girl were born to the families at the same time, the perfect opportunity seemed to have finally arrived.

Jemma Cafferty and Ryder Marsden have no intention of giving in to their parents' wishes. They're only seventeen, for goodness' sake, not to mention that one little problem: They hate each other! Jemma can't stand Ryder's nauseating golden-boy persona, and Ryder would like nothing better than to pretend stubborn Jemma doesn't exist.

But when a violent storm ravages Magnolia Branch, it unearths Jemma's and Ryder's true feelings for each other as the two discover that the line between love and hate may be thin enough to risk crossing over.

I honestly think my favorite part of this book was the deep south setting in Mississippi, the ingrained customs, the violent storm and the swampy river.  Those were the things that made this book feel alive and textured to me.  I've never been to Mississippi but I'd like to.  Well, I'd like to go when there weren't hurricanes threatening!

Jemma and Ryder have grown up together.  They know each other well but misunderstanding still takes over in a delicate time for them and neither one knows how to move past that.  Since then it's been a mostly hate relationship fed mostly by Jemma who doesn't know how to communicate at all.  Instead of confronting the situation and asking Ryder directly about it, she takes on the hate role and plays it to perfection.  For years.

I'm not sure I'm an outright fan of Jemma but I do love her mad shooting abilities.  

I am a firm fan of Ryder though.  

The classic struggle of expectation verses desire is present for both Jemma and Ryder in this book.  Not just for their relationship but for college decisions as well.  Their parents have expectations for them.  Jemma and Ryder both have different desires for themselves though and fight against the carefully laid plans their parents set out.

This was an enjoyable book, a classic type of YA romance with the typical conflict and desire.  It was easy reading that didn't require much from me or my brain.  :)

The ending was good.  I'm a fan of resolution and happily ever after's.

There was swearing, including the F word, which I did not like at all.  I am a firm believer that strong language should not be included in YA books.  I know I may be in a minority on with this view but there it is.  The swearing was too much for me and I didn't like it.

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As a child, Kristi Cook took her nose out of a book only long enough to take a ballet class (or five) each week. Not much has changed since then, except she's added motherhood to the mix and enjoys penning her own novels as much as reading everybody else's. A transplanted southern gal, Kristi lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters.

That's the official version-here are some other fun facts:

~ As an undergrad, I majored in History and minored in English at the University of Southern Mississippi. While at Southern Miss, I was a member of Phi Mu sorority, and I was a Dixie Darling. And yep, Brett Favre was our quarterback at the time!

~ I studied American History in grad school at Columbia University. I *love* history, especially the Civil War era (U.S.) and Regency- and Edwardian-era British history.

~ My all-time favorite book *and* movie is GONE WITH THE WIND. My favorite literary characters are Rhett Butler, Atticus Finch, and Mr. Darcy. I kind of want to add Peeta Mellark to that list!

~Weirdly enough (or maybe not so weirdly?) I'm also a big fan of STAR TREK (the original series). I never can remember if I'm supposed to call myself a "Trekkie" or a "Trekker," though!

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