Just adorable! This book could not have been sweeter. I enjoyed the love story and all of the ups and downs Regina faced. In a pickle has that sweet small town stars hollow vibe which I'm a total sucker for! I personally loved all of the puns and pickle references. Doing some research on Goodreads it looks like Cindy Dorminy has written a couple other books in this small town setting and knowing that they will have a happy ending I'll definitely be checking them out!

As a former Pickle Queen, Regina has a chance to win fifty thousand dollars if she participates in a three-day photo scavenger hunt, but she must compete with her former Pickle King, Clint. He’s the guy who ripped her heart out when he left to play professional baseball and never looked back....
Enemies to lovers and second chance romance? Yes, please!
Admit it, nothing is better than a second chance romance. Now add a town full of well-meaning busybodies, a sassy heroine, and the guy who left her behind to find fame and fortune on the baseball diamond.
Cindy Dorminy really grabbed my heart from the very first page and never let it go!
She had my emotions all over the place.

The blurb sounded amazing. I can be a total sucker for the classic, silly Hallmark rom-com, and the synopsis sounded like one of those movies turned into a book. A lot of the quintessential Hallmark movie tropes were present: picturesque small town? Check. Good looking, charming male lead? Check. Outspoken, cool female lead? Check. A fun/sweet reason to get them together? Check.

All of the necessary ingredients were there, but along the way, something went wrong. The execution wasn't good. For starters, the story opened up mentioning a whole bunch of characters with absolutely no elaboration on who everyone was. Strike one.

Then there was the let down of what the scavenger hunt competition actually entailed. This town was celebrating its 5Oth YEAR ANNIVERSARY of the so called Pickle Festival (FIVE. ZERO), which meant 50 Pickle Kings and 50 Pickle Queens, and only 5 couples signed on to compete? That's 1 out of 10. It felt so lame and small scale, and sad since it made me think no one in that supposedly tightly knit town cared enough to participate in the festivities. Maybe it would have been better as a 10th or 25th year anniversary celebration. On top of that, the scavenger hunt was so simple and uninspired. I mean, this was the whole reason Regina and Clint were together. It would have been the perfect set up for them to do something daring, outrageous, adventurous. Something fun, unexpected and unusual. But it turns out they spent a few hours over 3 days snapping pics of mundane and boring stuff. No competition whatsoever. That whole thing was a huge disappointment for me. It meant the whole set up was entirely pointless. Strike two.

And the final nail in the coffin? The pacing and flow of the story were not very good at all. Clint and Regina were so wishy-washy. And this was supposed to be a second chance (after a nasty break up) romance, which typically means there's a mandatory period of animosity before the couple starts warming again to each other. But not in this book! Regina's hostility went poof record-breaking quick. They got too friendly, too fast, which threw the whole thing out of whack. The relationship progression was all wrong and the story, all over the place. Strike three, you're out.

Then, there was the fact that everyone kept sneering at each other, even when, context-wise it made no sense whatsoever (I actually had to look up the meaning because I legit started questioning if I was mistaken on what the word meant). And how Clint's 3-year-old twin nephews acted and behave like they were, at least, double that age.

The thing when you're badly predisposed towards a book, is that inevitably you start nitpicking and getting annoyed over small, silly things. And sadly that's what happened here. I wanted to love this book so bad, and was really looking forward to it, but sadly it didn't work out for me which makes it doubly disappointing.

In a Pickle started out well. I liked both Clint and Regina and some of the scenes were really funny. But at some point the book seemed to want to be a slapstick sitcom with situations rising conveniently for laughs or for, well, convenience.

Both Clint and Regina became caricatures rather than evolving into fully realized characters. And, certainly not to sound sexist, but the numerous descriptions of Clint blushing, crying, whimpering, knees buckling just didn't work for my idea of a hotshot baseball player. Also, anyone who knows anyone who's a nurse knows they don't have time to pace back and forth in an ER regardless of whether they have any serious patients or not.

Possible spoiler:




By the ending, I'd grown tired of the lack of communication and wanted to bang their heads together and it was also at this time I wondered why a preemie baby was being handed off like a football rather than in an incubator when everyone was so worried.

While I looked forward to reading this novel, in the end, it just didn't work for me.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m becoming a fan of this author book. This was good. Really enjoyed this story. I will read more. Go read This now

This is a Southern Small Town Romance. I read "In a Jam" by Cindy Dorminy right before this one, and I was wondering if this is a book series. I can say that all the characters in the first "In a Jam" is in this book with a few more characters. I love that they worked some of the super funny parts of the first book in this book like the bed. You should read "In a Jam" before reading this book because so much feeds off that book. I love the small town feel of this book, and I love all the Southern saying that is used in this book. This book makes me remember my childhood, and what it was like living in a Southern Small Town. I remembering telling my friend I bet I if poo here everyone including my Grandmother would know before I got home, and this book bring that feeling to light. I love this book so much. The characters in this book was so great. I hope another book comes out in this book series. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Red Adept Publishing) or author (Cindy Dorminy) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

This is a sweet story about second chances at love. Regina, hometown girl, nurse at the local hospital and finally getting ahead in her life. She has a "Ken" doll boyfriend that could soon be her husband. Clint is the washed-up head case pro baseball player that needs to get his act together if he wants to continue playing ball. His agent tells him he needs good press. What better way than to go back to his small hometown and participate in the Pickle Festival. But there's a catch. He will have to see Regina again and he isn't sure if that will be a good thing. He has a secret he has been keeping from her and she won't be happy. He reconnects with friends and family and actually has fun participating in the scavenger hunt with Regina. It is almost like old times, but is it really?
A perfect summer read that is light and happy.

Really enjoyed this book! This author is new to me, but I have now downloaded some of her other books because I really like her style of writing. This book had everything I wanted....humor, romance, and an overall heartwarming story. I can't wait to dig in to another Cindy Dorminy book. I highly recommend this book!

I liked this book a lot - but it wasn't true love for me. This is a second chance romance - and a second chance for Clint to find home. Clint and Regina got married in college so that Clint could have affordable housing. His baseball scholarship didn't cover room and board - and there was no way Clint could afford that. (Although - really - with a baseball career ahead of him - I would have thought he'd take out student loans? But maybe with no parents to co-sign that was an issue? I don't know). ANYWAY, when Clint got drafted into Major League Baseball after his junior year, he left his hometown and Regina in the dust. He didn't even say goodbye to Regina, just served her with divorce papers.

Money and the MLB lifestyle quickly went to Clint's head. Things haven't gone 100% well for him and he hasn't been home since. Regina's heart was broken - but she returned to her hometown, worked as a nurse and has dated and generally moved on. Now she is on the verge of marrying a living Ken doll. When Clint finds out - it coincides with his career circling the toilet. He also realizes he never filed the divorce papers - so he and Regina aren't really divorced. He returns to their hometown to tell her about it and see if he can find a way to rehab is public image.

I think we can all agree that Clint and Regina should not have gotten married when they did - they were definitely too young. But - I think the heartbreak was coming no matter what. I think Clint maybe knew himself well enough to know he wasn't going to stay true to Regina (he was right). I think the divorce was harder for Regina than just a breakup because of the faith and life commitment that marriage entails.

I liked watching Clint find his way back to his family and friends as the prodigal son of Smithville. I also thought he and Regina were really sweet together. So here's where the problem came around for me...<spoiler>I did not like the ending. It felt so rushed and lacked closure for me. There is no doubt that Clint made the right call to come back home and end his professional career - but I think I needed more than just a return to town to solidify things with him and Regina. Clint definitely showed growth - but I am not sure Regina did. She was not over her anger - and clearly (and reasonably) had trust issues with Clint. I guess - I saw the ending as definitely a happy for now - not a HEA. </spoiler>

I recommend this for fans of small town romance - its also on the cleaner side of romance - so if that tickles your pickle ;) then this is a great read for you.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

In A Pickle is a delightful novel full of southern charm, friendly neighbors, and family. The story of Regina and Clint's funny and sweet adventures as Pickle Festival contestants will keep you turning pages. Thanks to author Cindy Dorminy, publisher Red Adept Publishing, LLC, and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for a honest review.

****Coming June 9, 2020****

Thanks to Red Adept Publishing, LLC and Netgalley, I was chosen as an early reviewer.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book alternates between Regina, a nurse who gets engaged to man without getting her father’s permission and Clint a professional baseball player who is a hot head and can’t stay out of jail from bar fights. Both get themselves “in a pickle”hence the name of the book. Regina and Clint used to be Pickle Queen and King when they were in high school. Their small town is bringing back all the couples for a competition. Whomever wins, gets to split $50,000. Will this competition help them each get out of their own pickle or will their life continue to spiral out of control getting themselves more into a pickle? This book will have you turning the pages to find out and laughing out-loud along the way. A light fun read that should be added to your TBR list.

A hilarious and fluffy read sure to melt your heart and your kindle. I enjoyed the characters. I felt like i was watching a movie with this book. Perfect for anyone looking for something sweet and romantic

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. This is my second book I have read from this author and I loved it so much! I was gifted the first book in this series, so I was very excited to receive book 2. I just loved this book. It is such a sweet and funny story.. I highly recommend to everyone if they are looking for a light hearted romance read. All the characters I fell in love with. Also the cover is super cute also.

Set in an adorable, Southern small town, this book is full of heart, humour and romance. The main characters find a way to get past the hero’s youthful mistakes and rebuild their relationship through participating in a hilarious scavenger hunt. Along the way there are lots of misunderstandings and funny moments that captivate the reader. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

In a Pickle was a cute read. I really liked the small town setting & the characters but I did feel the author jumped around some & I'd have to reread a section to figure out who was talking.

Some of the situations seemed a bit out of touch with how a woman would "normally" react but overall it was a feel good read with a HEA

Okay, so this book has two sides, a positive one and a negative one.
Let's start with the positive:
The good stuff didn't start for me until i passed half of the book, by then the characters just grow in your head, you become hooked to know how their story would end, and also there were some good fluffy moments, not gonna lie.
Now, the negative:
The reactions to some events were nonsensical at all, they were acting like teenagers most of the time, especially Regina, and knowing that they were married before and for them to be this... Weird, it was a little bit creepy.
But, overall, i enjoyed it, just not too much.
*Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review*

I really liked Regina. I liked that she was a nurse. I thought Regan needed a new man. She is over Clint. I liked the interactions. Very quick pace

Thank you NetGalley, Cindy Dorminy and Red Adept Publishing, LLC for the digital copy of In a Pickle.
This is my personal review.
A book that is set in a small town with wonderful people, a Pickle Festival, Clint and Regina who fell in love as teens and a chance as adults to reconnect to win a prize of $50,000 participating in a three-day photo scavenger hunt. This is a combination that makes for a great small town romance story.
This is a great story that will leave you smiling.

What a fun read! I'd previously read "In a Jam" and wanted more of that southern, small town quirkiness -- this book delivered! It's a story about second chances - after her new boyfriend proposes, Regina is surprised when her "ex-husband" shows back up in town. Clint, a pro ball player, needs to redeem his reputation and what is more wholesome than returning to his hometown. As a former Pickle King and Queen, they team up for a festival scavenger hunt that leads to all kinds of fun and revelations!

It's just a cute story - lots of fun to read, the characters are so likeable, I love the townfolks - it's a quick, easy, feel good read! I'm hoping the series continues - I'd like to spend more time with these characters! Especially Dr. Mel and Mitch.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a temporary digital ARC in return for my review.