He’s a Hollywood hunk.She has half a working face.What could possibly go wrong?Beaches of TrumanvilleBook 1Mia Beach has spent her life being overlooked.And she’s just fine with that.It’s far better than being seen and found lacking.Especially with her recent diagnosis of Bell’s Palsy.So when a Hollywood hunk shows up, she decides to keep her distance.Eli Whitaker has different plans.He’s … she decides to keep her distance.
Eli Whitaker has different plans.
He’s fascinated by the girl with the eye-patch, and her faith in a Savior he’s just coming to know.
Paparazzi, family indifference, and a stunning revelation from Eli’s not-so-distant past may derail his chances at an Happily Ever After TV movie career before it begins – and convince Mia they don’t have a future.
Because Mia knows… Small Town Girls Don’t Marry Hollywood Hunks.
Except for when they do.
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Another winning series start from Carol Moncado. Keep them coming!
I love all of Carols books. Small Town Girls don’t Marry Hollywood Hunks is the first book in the new series Beaches of Trumanville. Eli Whitaker is the Hollywood hunk in town to scout out the town for an up coming movie. Mia Beach, small town girl used to being overlooked by everyone including her parents and recently diagnosed with Bells Palsy. They meet at church. Eli recently gave his heart and life to God. They kind of get thrown together through circumstances. He needs someone to show him around, she kind of gets it so to say dumped on her.
This story will touch your heart how God could two people from completely different worlds and do his work in their hearts and lives. There’s so much in this story I won’t give away. I love seeing old friends from previous stories weaved in. I see glimpses of things from Carols readers group Facebook posts, ah ha moments or things she’s talked about or places she’s been.
I highly recommend this book. It will touch your heart. I look forward to the next book with the next Beach sister and also seeing more of Mia and Eli’s story weaved in. Read, enjoy and be blessed. Carol all your faithful readers appreciate what you do and we do pray for you. Blessings!
This book is the first book in the The Beaches of Trumanville series. Ms. Moncado provides readers a closer look at a few of the characters in her previous books. This book focuses on Mia Beach. Mia is the middle child and has always felt like she is overlooked by others including her family. At the beginning of the book, she had just been diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy and does not want any attention drawn to herself. Eli Whitaker is a popular movie star who is just wanting to try to have a more normal life. He is drawn to Trumanville and the Beach family (but especially Mia). His life undergoes a major change that will change his plans and outlook on life. This book gives a glimpse into this family and the start of this series. This book examines starting over and following your heart. I look forward to reading the next book in the series! I have thoroughly enjoyed all of Ms. Moncado’s books. I highly recommend this book! You will not be disappointed!
***I was given a free electronic copy of this book from the author for an honest review. This is my honest opinion. Even though I received this copy free, I have purchased her books before.
It’s a new series by one of my all time favorite authors. With visits from friends from other series – one of my all time favorite things, I don’t lose track of them.
It starts out with Mia having Bell’s Palsy, a condition I have had several friends suffer from. I love the attitude that has her matching her eye patch to her clothing. Yet she is vulnerable enough to be insecure. Meeting Eli and having family members throw her at him was a bit hard on her, yet she is perfect for him.
This is one of those books that gets better the more you read it. I loved how the author managed to fit so much character depth and development within such a short book. Cannot wait for the rest of the series!
I’ve read this twice now. The first time through I was busy and should have waited but just COULDN’T wait because, hello, new Carol Moncado book! And I liked it. It wasn’t my favorite but it was good. Having read everything this author has written I went back and read it again with a little more time. I’m so glad I did. Such a lovely story with characters from previous books showing up. I love the Carol Moncado universe…it makes me happy to visit. Happily she’s prolific so I visit often. Highly recommend for some peaceful escape.
This was such a sweet read! The preview for this story at the end of Love on Parade drew me in and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it! I fell in love with Eli and Mia’s story instantly. Carol is a master story teller and I like how she depicts how God weaves things together in ways we can not see for our good. That is definitely the case for Eli as he finds himself in the exact right place at the right time during a life changing event. You should pick this book up and see if Small Town Girls (really) Don’t Marry Hollywood Hunks. If you like sweet, clean romances, I know you will love it.
Note: I was given an advanced reader copy in return for my honest review.
I’m so happy to have rad the first book in Carol Moncado’s new series The Beaches of Trumanville. It’s a departure from her latest royal books but still includes familiar characters we know!
This book hit me in such a way that a book hasn’t hit me lately. I felt for the female lead character and could really relate to the situations and feelings she had.
I’m really anxious to read more in the series and to see what she had in store for the others!
Eli Whitaker is in Trumanville looking to get the lay of the land before his new movie starts filming. Mia is singing with a pink patch over her eye and only half her face working. After being invited to Mama Beach’s house and Mia being highly suggested as his tour guide, they develop a tentative friendship. Fast paced story with Eli, Mia and Kimmie being the most prominent, but aside from Brittany we also see some familiar royal names, Mama and Papa Beach, Mia’s siblings (Lani, Madi, Sean, Gray) and her parents and familiar names from Serenity Landing. This story will pull at heart strings and have you hoping for the best possible scenario for Eli and Kimmie.
It has happened before, and it has happened again. The latest book by Carol Moncado has become my favorite. STGDMHH has characters I fell in love with. They were imperfect people, in imperfect situations, who rose to the challenges before them. They took what they were given and handled it with grace. Ms. Moncado has a way of digging into her characters and finding their heart and soul. She paints it on the page in a way that makes it easy to see yourself in the characters, and see a potential for change in yourself as you watch them change and grow. I eagerly await each of her new books. I know that she will find a fresh new way to mine familiar situations for nuggets of inspiration. And I have yet to be disappointed.
4.5 stars
I really enjoyed this story.
Though Eli was a Hollywood star and had lived an immoral life, he was a new creature in Christ and his life and lifestyle changed. I liked his humility and especially the way he fell so hard for Mia.
Mia was very insecure and for good reason. She wasn’t just overlooked as the middle child of five, she was treated very differently by her parents. While the accomplishments of her siblings were lauded, hers were ignored. She still was full of kindness and I admired her.
There was much more an emphasis on the spiritual aspects of this book than more recent ones by the author, which I was very glad to see.
If you enjoy small-town romance with a hint of Hollywood, I encourage you to give this one a read.
I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.
This was a fun read and great start to a new series centered around Trumanville. Mia feels neglected (with good reason) and never imagines that Eli would truly see her as worthy of him. They grow together from what could be a difficult circumstance and we get to meet the other members of the family. Can’t wait for book 2!
Eli is in Trumansville to look at the area where he might be filming a movie. He meets Mia. As they get to know each other, Eli knows she is the one for him. But Mia is the middle child of 5 and she feels unnoticed. Then a baby is dropped off with Eli, changing his whole life.
Loved the emotion that builds through this story. You can feel the emotions of the characters. This is a great HEA, another great book by Carol Moncado. Great how the Gospel is woven through the story.
I received a copy of Small Town Girls Don’t Marry Hollywood Hunks from the publisher. But the thoughts are all my own.
Loved this book!! Such a great story! And characters! Can’t wait to get to know this family even better and read the rest in the series! I was given a free copy of the book for my review but the thoughts are all mine!
Oh, what fun this new series is by Carol Moncado! I picked up this book and started reading and in no time, I was close to being finished. It was delightful and had many fun parts. There were also parts that touched my heart.
I truly loved all the characters and could relate to some of their issues. However, I’ve never had Bell’s Palsy or been a celebrity, but I could relate to the feelings of not being good enough. Mia was a middle child and so am I. Eli struggled with doing the right thing and I often do too. Most of all, the one character I really liked was Mama Beach. I’d really love to have someone in my life like that. A person who was there, ALWAYS ready to give you a hug whenever you need it.
It was fun to see some of the characters from Carol Moncado’s other books making an appearance in this one too. It’s like we know these people and they are all old friends.
Carol Moncado has a wonderful way of telling stories that will touch your heart and stay with you. They are the ones, you as a reader, can relate to. I know every time I pick up a book written by Carol Moncado I will be entertained. This book was exactly that!
I highly recommend picking up this book.
I was given this book by the publisher which did not influence my review in any way, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is the first in a new series by Carol Moncado, although there is a novella, Love on Parade, that introduces some of the characters. You might want to start with that one, but you don’t have to. If you’ve read other Moncado books, you’ll meet a number of familiar characters in this one.
I enjoyed the trademark Moncado plot twists, and some new twists on “old” tropes that she uses. There are plot threads left hanging, so you know they’ll be resolved in future books.
So this is another enjoyable read by Moncado. Her characters are always believable, and they get involved in interesting relationships. They learn and grow together and become stronger people, giving the reader good examples. I also appreciate how Moncado works in things like dealing with disabilities, dysfunctional families, and other challenges of life.