It was a generic story. However, I find that Hyacinth's dislike for Robbie came out of nowhere. There is no backstory that leads up to her dislike of him. Although, I really like her name. It's very different. Robbie's character is the same for all of rom-com, he's very likable and humorous; which makes the reader love him. His humor breaks down the wall of the leading lady. As I stated, it's very generic.

Courtney Patterson narrating is good. She tried hard to do an Scottish accent and came close. However, I thought it would have been better for two people to read this story. It would make the distinction of each character better to listen to.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a sucker for Scottish men, especially in audiobooks!

I loved the budding relationship between the fly by the seat of his pants Scottish hockey player, Robbie McTavish, and the planner/spreadsheet/list maker Hyacinth Dawson. The banter between the two is on point and made for a very enjoyable listen!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advance copy. This is my honest voluntary review!

What drew me to this book was the beautiful dress on the cover, but what sold it to me was the fact that it is about a pro hockey player. Hockey romance are my favourite niche trope. I didn't realize that this was the second book in a series. When I started reading it I was a little lost because they were talking about a bunch of characters like I should know them. When I went to look it up sure enough it is part of a series, and I really don't like to read series out of order. I want to read this book, but I will read the first one in the series first and then come back to this one. I will say what I did listen to the narrator did a great job with the accent which is definitely hit or miss with a lot of narrators!

The book is set in a small town with a pro hockey team. True Sew is a wedding dress shop where the 2 main charaters have met. The owner of the shop hired the pro hockey player to play piano at a fall show where he would just play what he wanted and not what she wanted. He was walking past the shop and saw the woman helping a bride in choosing a dress but the dress the bride had on didn't flatter her body. He walked in where the owner of the shop thought that he was just picking up the things he had left. Instead, he helped the bride find a better dress all the while the owner was running around after him to get him out of the shop. One of the bridesmaids recorded the interaction. Friends of the 2 main charaters invited each of their friends to their parent's house. The friends then decide to leave to get married the next day leaving the 2 main charaters to get home on their own. Meanwhile, the video was posted on the internet and went viral. This makes the store owner think she is going to lose her shop but does it?

I enjoyed this book with its different plot and for the main charaters to have an interesting push and pull between them. I enjoyed that the shop owner learned that she didn't have to have everything her way. Sometimes things come to you when do not expect them.

Smooth as Silk

Hyacinth does not deserve Robbie

First and foremost Hyacinth is a complete pain in the ass letting her past hurts invade everything in her current life. Way to be so self-sabotaging. I get that it’s her character flaw and she grows from it but man. It can be tough to read.

Listen I like being prepared and sticking to plans but lord almighty this woman is ridiculous and listening to her makes me want to slap her.

Then there’s Robbie doing everything to help her and she still can’t see what a great guy he is as he’s literally bending over backwards to do everything to make her happy.

Hyacinth is way too dramatic!!

Overall the book is cute but I struggled a lot with Hyacinths character. I loved Robbie though.

So I really wanted to love this book. Robbie was great.... love me a Scotsman. He was fun and charming and definitely swoon worthy. Can I just say that he was a saint to put up with Hyacinth. She ruined this book for me. She was an extremely dislikeable character. . She was stuck up, self centered, and whiney. No chemistry leaped off the pages for me between these two. The plot line was cute and fun but this couple just didn't do it for me.

Hyacinth has big plans. She owns a bridal shop in her small town. But, she wants to expand into wedding dress design. So, she must get on the show Dressed in White. She needs a famous celebrity to help worm her way onto the show. When Robbie McTavish, NHL player, walks into her shop with an ice cream cone and ruins a dress, she is livid. She doesn’t make the best impression, but then again, neither does Robbie. So, needless to say, the budding romance does not get off to the best of starts.

Being the southern girl I am…I am shocked that I have missed this team of authors. They nailed the southern culture and charm. When they talked about the egg bowl and McCarty pottery, I knew they were the real deal!

This is a charming romance with all the twists and turns. The fights, the joys and the funny quips are not to be missed! Add in these wonderful characters and the lovely southern town and you have a novel everyone will want to enjoy! NAILED IT!

The narrator, Courtney Patterson, did a wonderful job. Now, I was a bit worried at the beginning. Robbie is Scottish. But, she handled his accent like a pro, in my opinion. I have not heard too many Scottish accents in my day, but Courtney seems to have mastered it!

Need a good southern romance…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

I didn't realize this was the second book in the series, but it really can be read as a standalone just fine. Robbie and Hyacinth have a very cute romance. There really is no spice in the book, but I found that I didn't miss that aspect at all!

Hyacinth is a strong character, and I found her to be off putting at times. I think that is why this is only a 3 star for me. I really related to Hyacinth, she is flawed, she has baggage, but she was a little dense and unbending at times. I really struggled with if I liked her or not. I felt like she was a real character, but then I also felt like maybe she didn't deserve Robbie? I did feel bad for Robbie and his efforts during most of the book.

Robbie was a great character. I am a strong fan of the dark broody male, but he was none of those and I loved him all the same. Scottish and an athlete with a smooshy side... yes I will take all of that any day!

The narration was great, the novel moved well, but it just lacked something for me to make it a 4 or 5 star. It was cute, can't decide if I'll read anymore of the series...

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the listen!

I requested this book before realizing it was the second in the series. I gave It a try but I couldn’t stay invested. I’m sure this will be a great book for some especially if you have read the first in the series.

This was a fun story! I really enjoyed the narration and the story overall. If you like an enemies to lovers story then you will enjoy this one!

Book 2 in the Good Southern Women series

I did not like the first book, Sweet as Pie, at all. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was part (probably most) of the problem. There were also a lot of "thoughts" that were thought by the main characters in the middle of dialogue that made it hard to follow the conversation for a minute.

So, I was nervous to read Smooth as Silk. If it had been the same narrator, I would have DNFed it. But, thankfully, it was not. (This audiobook is narrated by Courtney Patterson, who does a good job.) So I decided to give it a shot.

I was pleasantly surprised. It was so much better than than Sweet as Pie. Robbie is very sweet and he was a fun character to read. Hyacinth was not exactly super likeable, but her story made sense and she had growth. Maybe I got used to it, but I also felt like this book was less about the hockey team. That was a bonus.

Overall, a sweet romance. Nothing to blow you away, but I got lost in it for a few hours.

I received an audio copy in exchange for an honest review. (I borrowed Sweet as Pie from my library via Hoopla since this book is part of a series.)

Everyone says that opposites attract, but do they really? Hyacinth is driven. She has her life mapped out and don’t even think about getting in her way for she will eviscerate you with just one look, verbal barb. She doesn’t suffer fools and if you’re not in agreement with her way, you’re a fool. She will stop at nothing to get what she wants, even hurting the feelings of those who want to help and she doesn’t give a moments thought. It is the only way she learned to survive after her upbringing and yet isn’t an excuse, reason or even remotely acceptable. No one matters except her. She runs her bridal shop with military precision even if not always to her benefit. We meet Robbie, her total opposite. He is a free spirited, go with the flow, happy go lucky famous professional player who for some crazy reason wants to get to know her better. Much better! He’s definitely a bit of a wild card, but his intentions though at times overzealous, are all well intentioned. She thwarts him until she realizes that to reach her dream she needs him. Then the games begin. She starts out quite unlikable it takes a while for her to lighten up and join the human race. Lots of back and forth and humor along the way to the eventual HEA. And Im not giving anything away. Its a romance for goodness sakes! Of course there’s a happy ending and this one is adorable!

I am surprised by how much I liked this audiobook. I did not read the first in the series or this author previously. This book stands well on its own.
I try to read everything I can find with a bridal salon as part of the setting or storyline. I worked in bridal as a student in the 80s. This is one of the best (if not the best) portrayals of bridal retail I have seen in fiction.
The characters are likeable. I actually liked the male lead better than the female main character. He was written as the type of man every woman wants to date and eventually marry. Not sure how realistic he is, but he was fun to read about.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this book, its a Southern Belle meets kilt wearing Scottish Hockey star romance. The writing, the pacing, the setting were all good and individually the characters were great but I think this was a case of an author creating two characters and working so hard to fit them together... sadly they just never fit and worse they were pretty awful to each other in the way they jumped to conclusions, assumed the worst of each other and said some really hurtful and unnecessary things. I think had the big breakup come at the halfway point and they worked to a resolution at the end, learning to trust and respect each other it might have been good but it all wrapped up very tidy at the 90ish% point and I just cringed imagining the not so happily ever after

I would rate this book a 3/5. It was entertaining and there were parts that I really enjoyed. The tension between the 2 characters was palpable and it was an easy read/listen. However this was kind of a run of the mill book. Nothing really stood out from other romance reads. All In all I liked it and will want to read the next book in the series.

I've found a new narrator to add to my list of favorites! I rarely think a female narrator can do a great job of a male voice, but Courtney Patterson rocked it and the Scottish accent! If you love audiobooks, this one was fantastic. Not only for the awesome narration but also for the story itself.

I loved both main characters. They were as opposite as you could get and still complimented each other. It did take a lot of hurdles for Courtney to believe it, but when she did, I admired her humbleness.

Robbie was the life of the party and he had so much charm. I could see why Courtney with her Type A personality struggling with his carefree one, but you really do see how much she needed that in her life. Plus he was so sweet and protective, you'd be crazy not to love him.

This was a fun audiobook listen!

I loved the characters (especially Robbie) and the story.
The narration was the absolute best part of this; Courtney Patterson crushed it!
I will definitely be seeking out more she narrates.
There is not really any spicy bits here, but the story is super sweet.
Highly recommend listening to this!
Much love to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for my DRC.

I couldn’t get interested in this one. I requested it before realizing it was the second in a series but I attempted the first one and couldn’t get into it either! I didn’t enjoy the main character and didn’t feel invested. I gave up at about 25%. I’m sure this will be a favorite for some but it just wasn’t for me.

This is such a lovely book filled with conflicts, tension, attraction, and love. I absolutely love the characters of Hyacinth and Robbie. The chemistry between them is palatable and you cannot stop yourself from cheering for them. The book gets bonus points for Robbie, the sexy gallant Scottish hockey player… I have this thing for Scottish men. This is the second book in the Good Southern Women Series. The book can be read as a stand-alone, but I recommend you also read Sweet As Pie. It is also a fantastic sexy romance. I am looking forward to reading the third book.

The narration was perfect for this romance novel. I love how the narrator was able to vary her voice to create nuance and differentiate the characters.

Smooth as Silk
by Alicia Hunter Pace
Narrated by Courtney Patterson

Rating: 4.2 Stars/5 stars

I'll admit, I didn't love the main characters Hyacinth and Robbie right away. This book took a little time for me to really get into, though once I did, it was a cute, easy listen. Hyacinth is a bridal boutique owner and Robbie is a pro hockey player who plays for the local team. Their best friends are practically married, so they're kind of thrown together. Though their initial meeting isn't sparks and fireworks, as with most romances, they eventually fall for each other.

I loved Ms. Patterson's narration. I thought she did a great job bringing the characters to life and I thought she did a wonderful job with the various character tones and Robbie's accent. Ms. Pace has crafted a delightful world to lose yourself in. Hyacinth and Robbie's relationship evolved throughout this unique tale and I felt the ups and downs in my heart by the end of the story. I'll definitely listen to or read more of her work in the future when I want an easy escape from reality for a bit!

Thanks so much to the author, #NetGalley, and #DreamscapeMedia for the opportunity to listen and review this delightful ARC!