The Secret to a Southern Wedding by Synithia Williams

Welcome Back, Booklovers! If Synithia Williams has a new book out I'm gonna read it. As a lover of her Jackson Fall series and Heart & Soul series when I heard about the Peachtree Cove series I was ready. And I was able to read The Secret to a Southern Wedding early thanks to Harlequin. 

Imani is an OBGYN currently living in Tampa, Florida. She's recently been named doctor of the year at the hospital she works for. But as she's discovered the doctor of the year position despite getting her a seat on the hospital board is really just a way for the hospital to appear to be more diverse after some backlash. As much as Imani wants to make a difference she's having trouble making her voice be heard and that's leaving her feeling frustrated. 

She receives a text from her mother announcing a wedding to a man she's only officially been dating for a month and immediately rushes back to her hometown to stop that wedding. Back in Peachtree Cove, Georgia she meets the sexiest man at a diner but later discovers he's Cyril Dash, the son of the man her mother plans to marry. While Cyril at first thought his father was moving too fast, he decided to support him because after all they've been through over the past few years he really wants his father to have some peace and happiness. He and his father moved to Peachtree to rebuild their lives and he's enjoyed having a fresh start.

Between Imani's frustration over waking up to a strange man cooking in his tiny robe every morning and her mother's total personality transplant; she also has a lot ill will towards her hometown and believes it's still the small-minded place she grew up in. But the town has been changing the last few years. Her best friend Tracy, has taken over an inn downtown, Cyril's bar is one of the go-to spots to hang and sip craft beer, and new restaurants and cafes have recently opened.

Readers who like small town romance will enjoy this. It's funny and engaging.  And one thing Synithia Williams does well is write grown people (30+) with depth. The characters feel real and have just the right balance of drama while still keeping the romance sweet and engaging. There's also a side cast of characters whose lives we get a glimpse into and you can already see the threads of future stories.