His Small-Town Girl is a good fit for readers looking for a heartwarming story about finding safety, acceptance, and love in unexpected places.

Book Spotlight Posted on September 9, 2023: https://travelingwitht.com/2023/09/09/book-spotlight-womens-fiction/

Molly and Cord are a special couple - each filling a need in the other's life. This was a very sweet small-town romance.

“His Small Town Girl” by Lacy Williams

Green Gables Book Reviews thoughts:
A sweet, clean small town “the boy might be falling for the girl” book is sometimes all you need. "His Small town Girl" is the perfect choice!
Author Lacy Williams has a way of drawing you in quickly. Her writing style is perfect, taking you through the story, like a friend is telling you what happened. Loved this book! 5/5


Cord had to return to the place he never wanted to be again. The No Name Ranch, where Cord and his brother lived with their grandmother as kids, has nothing but bad memories for him. He had no way of knowing the poor condition his grandmother left the No Name in when she died until he got there. His goal is to fix it up, sell it, and forget about it. The faster he can get back to his life, the better. He wants to be away from this town and the memories as soon as possible.

Molly shows up when her truck breaks down in the No Name’s driveway. When she walks up to where Cord is working, all he wants is for her to leave. But, she can’t go anywhere with a truck that won’t run. Cord thinks he might see a faded bruise by this girl's jaw. Cord doesn’t know it, but Molly is in hiding. She’s afraid and needs somewhere to hide. But, Cord’s only focus is getting the No Name sold. Can Molly convince him to let her stay and if she does stay, will she be safe in the small town that drove Cord away?

I was given a copy of this book to read and review. Thank you!

I loved this quick small town romance read. Even though I tend to not be a fan of small town romances. But there was something about this one that made me love it.

Looking to put the traumas of his past behind him and get back out of Sutter's Hollow, Cord Coulter is not too pleased by the appearance of Molly English, even less so when he learns that someone put a help wanted poster up on his behalf. But no matter how hostile he is, Molly remains determined and positive, until the traumas of her recent past begin to be revealed.

But despite the threat that has Molly panicking and the past that has left Cord bitter, their presence in each other's lives are a godsend. This grumpy/sunshine pairing makes for such a sweet romance as they essentially save each other.

A highly enjoyable Contemporary Romance, this is the first in Lacy Williams' Sutter's Hollow series of small town, chaste romances.

This review refers to a temporary digital galley I voluntarily read through NetGalley, courtesy of the author/publisher. A positive review was not required and these are only my own, honest opinions.

Lacy Williams’s His Small-Town Girl isn’t a perfect romance, but it is true to the genre. And that was something I wanted to read after two lugubrious duds. Williams came from one of my favourite category lines, with favourite authors too, Harlequin’s “Love-Inspired” historicals (aka inspiehistrom). Since that line shut down, she has navigated to self-publishing and this series is, I would say, “kisses-only” contemporary, ne’er a soupçon of inspie content. But it still carries her ability to draw characters, write a fine line, and create a heart-tugging romance. There is something alive about Williams’s characters: they reach out to the reader and the reader cares about them. Even though overall His Small-Town Girl is an angsty read, the quick-fire, at times banterish exchanges between hero Cord Coulter and heroine Molly English lend a light, engaging touch. Angsty as heck is what these two are: Cord has returned to Sutter’s Hollow after years away in Houston to repair and sell his legacy, his grandmother’s run-down ranch. Orphaned with his baby brother, Cord suffered at the hands of his grandmother (and she’s never redeemed, which is a good thing in a contemporary that avoids the all-sunshine label in small-town Texas). As he tries to bring order into chaos, deal with an impending mortgage, and not lose his general contracting work back in the city, Molly English comes walking onto his ranch, sunshine to his grump, willing to do any labour to stay.

Despite her cheerfulness, ace-cooking skills, the cinnamon she adds to his coffee, and her mean ranching know-how, Molly’s life is shadowed by ugliness: a man she dated a few times became a stalker. Cord’s ranch, and soon Cord himself, are physical and emotional shelters. She repays with kindness, humour, hard work, and mad skills. While the bad guy who haunts Molly plays out his nasty and the bad memories that haunt Cord come home in so many ways, Williams never loses sight of the growing relationship between Molly and Cord, built on shared work, space, mutual attraction, genuine conversation, and delightful banter. Molly and Cord are also just plain likeable. They’re kind and caring, honest and true. And though there’s struggle and resistance on both their parts to admitting how they feel about the other, given the newness of their feelings and togetherness it’s understandable, they never hide how they feel, or pretend. They simply need to understand their feelings. Then Williams does something I’ve always loved in a romance, no matter the heat level, she depicts the importance of devotion as the basis of the HEA. Too many romances, like the recent much-lauded Rakess, treat devotion as something that is binding instead of freeing. Yes, the hero and heroine love the other, but personal autonomy is uppermost. Williams never loses sight that devotion comes easily with love. Maybe His Small-Town Girl‘s romantic suspense plot is clichéd and predictable, but Molly and Cord are loveable and their care for each other is restorative in a way that romance rarely is these days. With Miss Austen, we’d say His Small-Town Girl offers “real comfort,” Emma.

Lacy Williams’s His Small-Town Girl is self-published. It was released in May and may be found at your preferred vendors. I received an e-galley, via Netgalley.

This was a decent read. It was light and quick to read. The characters were likable and the overall plot was good. I recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

I was rooting for Molly and Cord. They both had trauma that they was affecting their present and future. I love that this heroine was very useful on the ranch and was not afraid to get her hands dirty. The hero was a wounded man who couldn't help but take care of people. I love how protective Cord was with Molly. It will be interesting to see the development of the relationship and how the other friendships will be restore in the next book.

I received this book from NetGalley and the opinion expressed are entirely my own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and I am voluntarily reviewing it.

I read the second book of this series first "Secondhand Cowboy" and fell in love with the characters. I knew I had to go back and read this one. The only negative for me (and it did detract from the story a little but not in a way to reduce a star), was reading about Noah and the accident that caused his blindness.) The cause of the blindness is different in each of these stories. In this story, it was a result of faulty fireworks. In the "Secondhand Cowboy," it is the result of a loss of control of a pick-up then hitting a tree. I hope the third story doesn't have a different scenario for the blindness.

Anyway Molly appears at No-Name Ranch. Cord inherited the ranch from his aunt. She is looking for a job. She has a stalker, a broken down truck and no money. Cord needs to fix-up the ranch and sell quickly so he can get back to Houston and get away from the memories of the ranch and Sutton's Hollow.

This story is an excellent one. The plot is intriguing enough to keep me reading and turning the pages to see what will happen next. It is also written in my favorite dual POV format. This really helps me to connect and understand the characters so much better.

This is a sweet, clean romance with a touch of mystery and intrigue. I highly recommend this story to any one of any age. This book can be read as a stand-alone but I would read the second story "Secondhand Cowboy" as well.

Cute book. I’m sure everyone can guess how this ends. It’s a good way to spend a pool day. A fast read to pass the time.

A sweet and wholesome romance that touched my heart. I recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through Net Galley. I was not required to write a positive review. All of the opinions expressed are my own.

The start of another fun series. Three men are now back in town, and gain romances once they overcome their issues. This one is Cord and Molly's story. Small town Texas, with all typical issues. Still though, I liked the characters and it is a quick read. Great summer read if you want a clean romance. Highly recommend.

Ugh. Another day...another book that took me way too long to read. This 150 page book felt like it was 350 pages long and took me three nights to read.

Molly and Cord are two people with a barn-full of issues. Molly has fled Austin, Texas in an attempt to get away from a dangerous stalker. She gets a couple hours away when her car stalls out in the drive of No-Name Ranch. The owner reluctantly lets her spend the night. When she then proves to be handy around the falling-down ranch, he reluctantly lets her stay.

Cord left Sutter Hollow under a cloud of scandal ten years ago and vowed to never return. But when his cruel grandmother dies he’s forced to return to the ranch. His plan is to make repairs and sell it as soon as possible. A traumatized woman showing up on his land upends his plans, especially when they fall in love.

There was an abundance of telling vs showing in this book. Once glance at Molly and Cord automatically knows “something bad has happened to her.” It takes Molly a couple more days to realize Cord “is haunted by his past.” So much of this story was told through internal monologue instead of through storytelling.

One thing that makes me bonkers in a book is when there are “secrets” about a character and the author spends the whole book hinting about the secrets, waiting and waiting to give the big reveal! It was even more frustrating here because the heroine had secrets - that the reader knew but the hero did not (YAY - I like this), but then there’s a big mystery about the hero’s past that is referred to frequently but the reader has no idea what HIS big secret is… Why treat the two characters so differently?

The other issue I had with this story is that a lot of the background was only cursorily explained. We know Cord’s grandmother treated him badly, but not why. We get only a brief description of the big event that sent Cord running from the town - and even worse, I think it was done that way on purpose to set up the next book in the series. Sadly, not enough detail was given about any of the characters and thus no interest was piqued for reading any more from this series.

This book should have been long enough to give this story a fair shake. Much to my dismay, not much worked out for me...starting with a book cover that is completely incongruous to the type of story we’re given, and ending with a story that leaves me with more questions than were answered.

* thank you to NetGalley and Lacy Williams Books LLC for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Ms. Williams’ engaging story about two people running from their troubled past captured my attention and my heart from Chapter One.

Cord has returned to his home town to settle the estate of the mean-spirited grandmother who raised him and his brother after their parents were killed in an accident. His grandmother’s rigid no nonsense attitude toward the boys made for a miserable childhood. Cord just wants to get the ranch fixed up enough to sell it and get back to his life in the city.

Enter Molly. She is running from an abusive boyfriend. She offers to help Cord with whatever needs to be done on the ranch. She needs a place where she can feel safe. She is desperate enough that she won’t take no for an answer.

Cord and Molly are two wounded souls who have only been able to depend on themselves. They find it hard to trust anyone. Neither can give up control of any part of their lives to another person. When they trusted someone else in the past, it didn’t end well.

I recommend His Small Town Girl to readers who enjoy a clean small town romance.

I received an ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This story is about Molly and Cord, who find themselves drawn to each other, albeit reluctantly, in a small town called Sutter’s Hollow. She is running away from something and he is fighting to have to face the past, both are vulnerable and wary of letting the other get too close.

Molly’s car breaks down leaving her with little option but to stay in the small town, but she is low on funds and needs somewhere to stay. Responding to an advert asking for ranch hands, she turns up at the No Name ranch where she meets Cord, who clearly does not want her around.

He reluctantly agrees to help her, by giving her a bed for the night and taking her into town to get the parts needed to fix her car and makes it clear that he expects them to leave. However, whilst at the garage she has a panic attack, he recognises the signs and can’t walk away from her. He finds himself wanting to know more about Molly and being charmed by her easy friendly manner, even though she is scared of something.

He is careful not to scare her and gradually he gains her trust, but is he prepared to trust her in return? Cord has his own demons that need facing and he has been running from them for a long time, the No Name ranch is a place where he never felt worthy and waste. An incident with his friends when he was younger has further enforced this feeling. Gradually Molly manages to warm his heart and he finds that he will do anything to protect his small-town girl.

I will be honest the front cover of this book made me think it was going to be a bit sickly sweet, but the description made me decide to give it a go and I am really glad that I did. It offers more than your usual boy meets girl circumstances, with both of them facing real issues. These issues are handled well, in that they do not bring this book down but add a further layer of depth to the characters. It also carried through the book in such a way that you wanted to read on.

I really enjoyed this book and have since found out that this is part of a series of three books, with the next book being published in June of this year, something to keep an eye out for.

Molly is hiding from a menacing stalker. Cord is hiding from his miserable past. When she applies for a job at his ranch, a job he didn’t advertise, their lives connect and when danger strikes, Cord reverts to his role of always taken care of people. Both characters are damaged, but together they have a chance.

I’ve read the author’s short stories, but this is the first novel of hers I’ve read. I was sure there would be a HEA, but I couldn’t help but be worried about their individual struggles to live a normal life. There are two sequels in the series and I look forward to reading them both.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read, enjoy and review this book.

This is a sweet romance right out of a hallmark movie. Its a perfect break from a book hangover and its a quick read. The characters are relatable and you find yourself captivated by their past and what the future will hold while taking on a rebuilding project. If you're looking for a good wholesome romance I highly recommend this read.

Cord is back in Sutter’s Hollow settling his late Grandmothers estate. The No Name ranch is where Cord grew up after losing his parents, and his childhood is full of unpleasant memories. He cannot wait to fix up the ranch and put it up for sale leaving Sutter’s Hollow for good.

Molly arrives at the ranch clutching an ad supposedly placed by Cord looking for a ranch hand. She is lost, afraid, and running from her past. She cannot go back to her old life and she fears for her safety. Hopefully, this will be her safe haven.

Cord meets Molly and immediately wants her gone. He does not need the complications of a ranch hand and a woman who looks afraid of her own shadow. He has enough on his plate, and she is the last thing he needs… or maybe she is just what he needs.

Cord takes Molly back to town with the intention of leaving her and her troubles far behind him, but after an incident and the look of fear in Molly’s eyes, he can’t help but take her under his wing and vows to protect her at all costs. Can these two lost souls find their way back to love and life together?

I absolutely loved this story by Lacy Williams. As soon as you meet Cord and Molly you automatically feel a connection with their characters, as they were so beautifully written. I also appreciated that it took the two main characters awhile to learn to trust each other and learn that they were not alone in this world. Both brought something into the story line and the plot was very true to real life. The book was brilliantly written, and I am so glad that there will be more books in this series. A huge thank you to Lacy Williams and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book to read and review. It is at the top of my favourite books for this year.

4 STARS
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹-𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗚𝗶𝗿𝗹 is such a sweet and delightful romance. I really enjoyed getting to know our MC’s Cord & Molly in this first book in the Sutter’s Hollow series.

I really enjoyed how Williams developed her characters. They were both so troubled by their pasts, but the way they were written also showed that these characters were capable of so much love and growth. Very well done characters.

This book definitely shows Williams writing chops. This book is short, quick read, but was so well written that you don’t feel as if it was rushed or missing anything. The plot was very good and had a bit of a romantic suspense vibe which I enjoy! It had the perfect HEA ending that we all love and want in our romances, but it had that edge of mystery and ‘WHATS GONNA HAPPEN!’ to it as well which made it such a fun read.

Overall I highly enjoyed this story, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a quick feel-good romance read. I will definitely be looking for and picking up the other stories in this series.

Much thanks to the author Lacy Williams for providing an eARC via NetGalley in exchange only for my thoughts and review.