TEST
Well, I have fallen in love with another man from Penny Reid’s Green Valley and I did not expect it to be Jackson James – small town deputy sheriff whose previous appearances in the Winston Brothers and Solving for Pie series did not leave me feeling all that bubbly. In fact, I thought of him as kinda annoying and entitled. I was wrong!
Five years ago, Jackson had a one-night-stand with movie star Raquel Ezra at a wedding in Green Valley. They agreed to have just one night together and never see each other again. (This one fabulous night is detailed in Just Folking Around – a free prequel to Totally Folked) Both Jackson and Raquel (Rae to her friends) have moved on, but they still think of each other often. Just when Jackson is thinking of getting serious with his delightful girlfriend Charlotte, Rae shows up in Green Valley again.
She’s flown to Green Valley to escape her life – her fans, the press, her agents, and all the people she supports who are supposed to support her back… but aren’t. She’s a mess; she’s not sure if she wants to keep making movies and not sure what else she can do. She shows up at her friend (and fellow movie star) Sienna’s house and Sienna welcomes her with open arms. Rae hopes that some down time in a small Tennessee town will help her figure things out. And she hopes to run into Jackson.
When Rae and Jackson see each other again sparks fly. But Jackson wants forever, which he hopes he can get with Charlotte, and he remembers Rae’s rule – one night only. He may be attracted to Rae but he wants more than he thinks she’s offering. Rae just wants Jackson – she’s attracted to him in every way. When the two of them kiss (don’t worry – it’s after Jackson is a free man again) and are caught on camera, Jackson and Rae have to do some quick thinking, with the help of Sienna, her husband Jethro, and her brother-in-law Cletus, to get themselves out of the snowballing scandal. And they have to decide what that kiss means for their future.
Penny Reid fans, you are in for another delightful treat of a couple. Rae may be a movie star but she is down-to-earth and wonderfully awkward; her inner musings had me snorting. She has been travelling fast on a ship she’s forgotten she’s the captain of, and she is searching for some control in her life. Jackson has been on a mission to change his life for the last few years. Formerly the town playboy, he’s been trying to clean up his image. But Jackson is lost too. He has a sweet, tender, vulnerable side that makes him so relatable and real:
Instinct kicked in, and I breathed out, separating myself from where I was, who I was with, and the cluttered chaos of my mind. Relax, I told myself. Slow it down. Go somewhere else.
I suspected any kid who has been bullied in school, any boy who was small and scrawny for his age, anyone who felt awkward and ugly growing up, learns how to do this without trying.
I told myself to slow it down. Slow my mind down and pretend I was an observer, a bystander not in the thick of the action. I didn’t have to feel scared or shitty about myself if I didn’t wish to. I could simply pretend.
Oh Jackson! Fans, you may think you know him but Ms. Reid shows us the real Jackson and he is terrific. All the pieces you thought you knew about him fall perfectly into place in a different puzzle.
Along with a first-rate romance, Totally Folked also gives us a creative, sweet story. Ms. Reid does the perfect job putting the reader right into Rae’s and Jackson’s minds and taking us along for the romantic ride. This story has less drama than some of the more recent Penny Reid books and I appreciated the gentler nature of this romance. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of action and loads of steam, but the story is focused more on Jackson and Rae and their development as individuals and as a couple than on an exciting side story.
There is also the usual fun cast of characters. Sienna and Jethro have substantial parts in the tale and Cletus is up to his usual hilarity. Totally Folked is the first book (except the free prequel) in the Good Folk: Modern Folktales series and it could be read as a stand-alone although I would suggest starting with the Winston Brothers series instead. Most of the characters in Totally Folked were introduced earlier in the Penny Reid universe and knowing the background to the characters and life in Green Valley will definitely enhance your reading experience.
But I applaud any way you want to read it. Totally Folked is a swoony, tender, hot romance that I highly recommend. I’m off to read it again!
Buy it at: Amazon or your local independent retailer
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Grade: A
Book Type: Contemporary Romance
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 25/07/21
Publication Date: 07/2021
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.
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Sorry to be a killjoy, but it’s a C+ (or 2.5 stars) from me. In a word: boring. I had to do some skimming during the latter half of the book in order to finish it.
The thing is, this book started off fairly promising–I was looking forward to seeing a story about Jackson, plus he and Rae are from two different worlds, so I figured that should be an interesting dynamic.
But the story soon devolved into–well, nothing much happening. And here are some other observations:
also came over as manufactured rather than organic. These are not teen-agers; I didn’t buy that this even came up, sorry.
So, yeah, I’ve enjoyed a few of the many Penny Reid books I’ve read (Love Hacked and Beauty and the Mustache probably being my favorites), but not this one.
I really loved this book and your review. It was an A for me as well.
Jackson was an interesting character to get to know better as we have only seen him and his actions from the Winstons’ (and a few others) point of view.
I truly enjoyed how Penny Reid wove in a lot of little details from before and fleshed them out, including how Jackson was seen as “small minded” and a “pest” who “harassed” the Winston brothers when it was Duane, Jethro or Cletus’s point of view earlier. In point of fact, Jackson was in the right in most cases as Jethro stole hundreds of vehicles and Duane was always speeding. It wasn’t just childish resentment on Jackson’s part when Duane and Jessica got together, it was genuine fear Duane’s speeding could lead to lead to a fatal accident like the many he had to witness as part of his work.
There is even a line in the book where he thinks about how his past as a good time, lady pleaser earned him a reputation as a fun time but not as someone you would take as a wedding date (which I took as an oblique reference to the time Jenn broke her date with him to Jethro and Sienna’s wedding to go with Cletus).
I adored his initial encounter with Raquel and wanted to scream in frustration when she talked herself out of staying longer or saying goodbye to him. I loved all the details included about his life including his extreme patience, his allergies, how he thought of himself as a “b minus” person and his relationship with his father. I’ve known several people who have described themselves as being successful not because they catch on as quickly as others but because they put the man hours in -and his distrust of things that come “easy” made sense given his past.
I thought there was just enough use of past characters as well. No one extraneous was thrown in or took over the story. I did get a little thrill at hearing Cletus tell Jethro in front of Jackson that Jackson was his “best friend”. Jethro’ s slow thawing to Jackson also seemed real to me, as well as the generally kind hearts of the Winstons. (I hope if I am ever in a tricky spot Cletus is around to help sort things out).
I am very happy that Penny Reid hasn’t decided to leave Green Valley and that this is the first in a new series. I will eagerly await the next book!
Intrigued by this one – will be reading it soon!
I haven’t read this one yet and I’m excited to so I skipped much of the review to prevent spoiling anything for myself.
I am not surprised because I felt like Penny Reid has been re-shaping Jackson over the Winston brother series from the obnoxious guy who lied to Dwayne to the man Cletus finally decided didn’t deserve Armadillo leprosy, lol.
I think redemption is a huge theme in her books and Jethro Winstons years of work to atone for his behavior as a young man is a great example. Seeing that Jackson was more obnoxious and petty than actually dangerous and had great parents and was a responsible law person, I can see how he would turn into a great hero of his own book.
I’m very excited to read this one and come back and enjoy your review in full!
Come back and let us know what you think!
Evelyn, I completely agree with your review. Like you, I wondered at making Jackson the hero of a book as he was not portrayed in a good light in the Winston Brothers series. However, I loved how Ms. Reid showed us a different perspective. Jackson was gentlemanly and sweet with Rae in the prologue while still remaining sexy. Then being privy to his thoughts later in the book helped me see how much he had worked to develop his character. He was really the ideal hero – handsome, strong, good at his work, and interested in settling down and having a family. I liked Rae as well – she was endearing and funny. I think one of the strong points of the book was that miscommunication between hero and heroine didn’t last overly long. Each of them had scenes with friends where they discussed relationship issues. The bottom line message from their friends was encouragement to talk to each other and they did! I also liked how the book showed the value of friend support systems. Rae actively worked to develop hers whereas Jackson had to open himself up to one that was already there, which lead to the very amusing intervention with Cletus and Jethro. All in all, it was an excellent book and I am VERY intrigued by the snippet of book #2.
I love your points about the friendships. And the mature way both leads handled miscommunication. At no point was I frustrated with either and that’s unusual! Thanks for your insightful comments.
I am also intrigued by the snippet of the next book. Hank really comes across as a flawed guy so I am all set to see how he gets whipped into shape by take charge Charlotte!
I confess there is a secondary character mentioned in a few earlier books whose name I can’t remember but always thought was due for her own book. The young woman whose mother became ill and she became responsible for her so she gave up her life to support her and splits her work between hostessing at a restaurant and stripping at the Pink Pony. Maybe her story will be told in an upcoming book.
I’m not sure I have ever read a romance where the hero was the owner of a strip club! I don’t remember the secondary character you mention but it has been a while since I read the Winston Brothers series. Maybe she will be in the next book!
I noticed that the character I was thinking of (Hannah Townsen)- her mother Beverly has a spin-off book set in Green Valley written by another author L.B. Dunbar. It’s one of the “smartypants” romance books called “Love In Deed”.
I haven’t read it but I think I have it borrowed from K.U. So I will check it out at some point. I think it will be interesting to see how another author’s voice works with Penny Reid’s very specific world and characters.
I am hoping that Penny Reid picks up Hannah’s story in one of her future books because she has been mentioned a lot in passing in many of the Winston Brothers books.