He’s sexy. He’s southern. And he won’t stop showing up at my door half naked. Meet Elijah Jackson, my hot new neighbor…From the outside looking in? I’ve got it all. Prestigious job. Pretty house. And a perfect boyfriend who just proposed with the perfect ring.I should feel ecstatic—but instead, I feel suffocated. So I break up with my boyfriend, hop in my car, and head south.Charleston, South … south.
Charleston, South Carolina: home to stunning architecture, sultry accents, and—oh yeah—my perpetually shirtless neighbor, Elijah Jackson.
As if his abs for days and inked up deliciousness aren’t enticing enough, he also encourages me to chase down my dreams. And the chemistry between us? Hotter than the kitchen at Eli’s restaurant.
But I still have a life a thousand miles away. One I’ve worked really hard to build. And I don’t know if I can just leave it all behind.
I have to choose. A choice Eli doesn’t make any easier by inviting me out to his cabin for a long weekend. Just the two of us. And one bed. I swear to God this southerner is out to charm the panties right off me. Just this once, I might let him…
SOUTHERN CHARMER is a slow burn, standalone romance with no cheating. It’s the first book in the CHARLESTON HEAT series, set in Charleston, South Carolina.
The books in the Charleston Heat series are interconnected standalone romances, and can be read in any order.
SOUTHERN CHARMER: Eli and Olivia’s story
SOUTHERN PLAYER: Luke and Gracie’s story
SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN: Greyson and Julia’s story
SOUTHERN HEARTBREAKER: Ford and Eva’s story
more
Jessica Peterson gets better with every book. I fell in love with her writing style and her characters. Each time she brings a character to life I know I will instantly connect to the story and the people. Eli and Olivia were no different for me.
Olivia moves to Charleston to find herself. To someone looking at her life, Olivia has everything. But does she? She isn’t happy with her life and needs to explore if she is making the right choice for her. The absolute best choice she makes is heading to Charleston. Eli is Olivia’s neighbor and from the first meeting, I fell instantly in love with this southern boy. He is kind and patient and waits for Olivia even though he knows from the start he wants her.
Olivia is a little lost and finds herself through the story. Ms. Peterson does such a great job with her as a character and I could really feel her struggles. Eli is the perfect man, until he isn’t. I fell in love with everything about him, but just like any real person, life isn’t perfect and you have to face your demons before they destroy you. Ms. Peterson does a great job with the slow burn between these two and then the fireworks that erupt between them. I was completely hooked on this story and can’t wait for the next in the series.
I can’t say enough good things about this book by Jessica Peterson. She does a wonderful job of describing Charleston – I almost feel like I could go there and walk the same streets she has described in the book. Just the right amount of everything in this romance – humor, angst, sweet romance and steamy love scenes (Can Jessica Peterson ever do love scenes!!!!) – she brings Eli and Olivia to life. If you’re a foodie – wow! – the descriptions are decadent and I can almost taste them myself. I loved the realness of both characters, their quirks, their flaws. I could really relate to Olivia’s dilemma of doing what she loves vs doing what is safe and easy. Eli helped her bring out that side of herself; he was already doing what he loved, but at the same time, he had to come to terms with the reality of learning to recover from failure. Southern Charmer is one of my very favorite reads this year and I can’t wait to read more from this series.
Gosh, but I loved this book!
We can always count on Jessica Peterson to provide a sexy, swoon-worthy hero with an accent to die for—this time, it’s Chef Eli from South Carolina bringing that heat. Our heroine Olivia is a yankee college professor with the “perfect” life. They’re combustible from the start. Their chemistry is crazy-hot, but even more engaging is the way in which their lives mirror each other: both at turning points, both reassessing what it is they really want, and both discovering that missing piece they never knew they were lacking.
Something else ~really~ fun about Southern Charmer is the glimpses we get inside the life of an indie-published romance author as Olivia tries this new profession on for size. Familiar tropes, issues, and lingo feel like an affectionate love letter to the genre, its authors and readers. Oh, and would that more of the men in our lives loved reading romance as much as Eli does!
Can’t wait to go back to Charleston, which Ms. Peterson brings to sultry delicious life, for the next in this series.
All the feels reading this one! Olivia and Eli feel like friends of mine from the beginning. Olivia takes a “time out” from her life to try to find herself and lands in a charming southern town. Eli is every girls dream….sexy, can cook, passionate and has a southern drawl that is swoon-worthy. I loved their story and hated for it to end. It was just exactly the book I was looking for! My first Jessica Peterson book but not my last….can’t wait to read Luke and Gracie’s story!
Southern Charmer was absolute perfection and had the BEST characters- a swoony romance-reading chef hero, and a strong smart female professor/writer needing to escape her life for a bit. I just can’t gush enough about the dialog and chemistry between Eli and Olivia- I always enjoy a slow burn, and this one certainly paid off. One of my favorite parts of the book (it was so meta!) was seeing the journey Olivia took as she wrote her first romance novel, My Enemy the Earl. Historical romance is not my usual genre- but I would love to read Olivia’s book about Gunnar and Cate! Southern Charmer was a fabulous start to the Charleston Heat series and I am looking forward to reading Luke’s story!
Lush
What a vivid story this was for me! Lush, sensual, decadent. The sights, sounds and smells of Charleston came alive with every key stroke from Jessica Peterson. I fell in love with the city, as well as with Eli and Olivia. There wasn’t one thing that I didn’t love about this book. The author’s love affair with this city, and this couple, shines through her words in a true labor of love. This book was a pleasure to read!
Olivia has always been a people pleaser. She loves teaching, but she’s feeling suffocated when her on-paper-perfect boyfriends proposed. She’s smart, sexy, passionate, and trying to find herself while taking a much-needed breather in picturesque Charleston. Eli is a well-known chef who stays true to his passion and palate regardless of the critics. He’s stubborn, sexy, charming, and struggling to make his new restaurant work.
Eli and Olivia are both facing potential changes and hard decisions. Olivia thought she would focus on writing, but Eli is a tempting neighbor between their chemistry, his passion, and how he feeds her. They quickly become great friends who encourage and challenge each other. Eli is so different and shows her another way of life. The tension and anticipation build as Olivia has to decide which life she wants. Southern Charmer is a sultry slow burn. Jessica Peterson creates plenty of tension and conflict while delivering heat, romance, and change.
Southern Charmer transported me to Charleston and now it’s a bucket list place for me to visit!! Jessica Peterson painted a picture of the town, the attractions, and the food so much that I felt completely immersed in the setting.
Olivia has just decided to implode her life when she shows up at her friend’s house in Charleston. She’s been chasing a job and a relationship that she’s not entirely sure she wants and when her perfect boyfriend proposes, it all becomes clear: she doesn’t want this. So she takes a brief reprieve; go to Charleston for a while, write a romance novel, and when she gets all of that nonsense out of her system, she can get back to her real life. Eli is a successful chef but when he meets Olivia, his life is less than perfect. The friendship they build while he feeds her and she writes chapters for him to read was so heartwarming and wonderful.
These two are absolutely perfect for each other. They complement each other, they build each other up, and they prop each other up when they need it. Olivia and Eli’s relationship is beautiful. This is an awesome start to this series and I can’t wait to see what comes next!!
*This is my voluntary review of an advanced reader copy*
I really enjoyed this one. I loved the southern charm of the book. I mean can Eli get anymore dreamy. He’s a chef with tats that likes to read. Sign me up! All the characters were great in Charleston. Olivia feels suffocated even though she’s got the perfect job, life, and boyfriend. She’s on a mission in Charleston to see what she’s meant with her life. It was great to see her blossom in Charleston, to be the true her. Plus have someone appreciate and support her like she needs. The chemistry and connection between Eli and Olivia was perfect in my opinion. I can’t wait for the second book in the series.
Oh my holy stars!!! Elijah Jackson!!!! What can I say about Eli……I staked my claim to him because he is just perfect!!!
Okay, okay, I’ll say a bit more….Southern Charmer was just that, a true Southern Gentleman. Eli is the charmer and Olivia the Northern Yank. “Watching” these two form a relationship and then that inevitable bond was pure perfection.
Ms. Peterson has worked her magic yet again with a story of two perfect strangers who meet and it seems like kismet….throw in self-doubt, anxiety and a little hiccup…..Southern Charmer is a must read!!!
I’m anxious for Luke and Gracie’s story…….
** spoiler alert ** Wow I want an Eli all of my own!!! A southern gentleman who’s a chef to top it off!!! Olivia is one Lucky lady to leave what people think is a perfect life and a perfect man only to move next door to the real true perfect man! I love how slowly Eli went to pursue Olivia then bam no holds bar and they became the perfect couple. But like any couple it has ups and downs. Which to me made the relationship only stronger when they were able to truly connect for good. It was well written and loved the storyline… i especially loved the sassiness of Olivia. I am looking forward to Luke’s story next!! Great read
Oh, I love these two.
Eli…Olivia…and Charleston is it’s own character, as well. It’s rare to fall in love with a city that you’ve never had a chance to visit!
The sights, sounds, people.
Eli is a chef, and all around good people. Olivia is running away from her life, and figuring out what she wants to be when she grows up…so to speak. Is the life she made the life she wants, or the one that is expected of her?
These two meet, and blossom…and fall apart again.
I have to tell you. I AM SO GLAD she called him on his STUFF. Too many women, real and fictional, would have said OK, baby, whatever works for you.
NOPE! She called him on it, and said – this doesn’t work for me. Not like this.
I dislike reviews with spoilers…but you NEED to go read this.
Jessica Peterson definitely whipped up one heck of a delicious and sexy story with Southern Charmer!! Once I started, I could not put the story down. I absolutely fell in love with the hot and sexy, tattooed chef who does yoga and reads romance novels. Elijah Jackson is just one heck of a dreamy man. And Olivia…..I adore her. Finally doing something for herself, taking the time to find out who she is again without all the pressures that have been placed upon her. Seriously, going to Charleston couldn’t have turned out any better for her. Meeting Eli, seeing how free and open he was, made her stop and think about what she truly wanted out of life. What would truly make her happy. In Eli, she found someone who wholly supported her dreams and wanted to help make them a reality.
I just loved this story so much!! It made me smile and feel good throughout the entire story. Can’t wait for the next book in the series as I just enjoy this world of characters that the author has created.
Not long ago I read a book set in Charleston, written by a well known author, and was disappointed that she never made the charm, quaintness and vitality of the city come alive. She might get some tips from this author, because Peterson is spot on with her vivid descriptions of sights, sounds, smells and the vibe of the city, which made the setting unfold in living color in my mind. Peterson has definitely taken her writing to the next level, and the authentic, life-like portrayal of this city and its culture is just one small way. I’ve read all of her Flings With Kings series and enjoyed them, but the early copy I read of this book blew me away!
Take a buttoned up, always proper, living her life for others Yankee girl and drop her in the path of a laid back, cigar smoking, shirtless, successful southern chef. Then throw in some guinea fowl, a dog named Billy, reality show references, and a couple of existential crises and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a terrific read. I loved everything about this book. The setting, the storyline, the secondary characters and, of course, Eli and Olivia. They each absconded with my heart in their own way.
Eli and Olivia both have a lot of soul searching to do as they seek to find their authentic selves while dealing with their growing feelings for each other. Their path to forever is rutted and strewn with rocks and brush, but I enjoyed every dip and bump and snap of twigs. Olivia’s character as a budding romance novelist gives fascinating insight into the writing process, and Eli’s skill as a chef turns food preparation into an act of love and meals into an event of the heart that feeds the soul. Their story is poignant and heartfelt, and humorous and hot. Their chemistry was so intense I’m pretty sure I saw steam coming out of my Kindle at one point. But it’s the bravery of self-discovery, the characters’ vulnerability, and the heartfelt emotion of their story that really makes this book. Don’t miss this fantastic, evocative, satisfying read, and your chance to fall in love with Eli and Olivia.
LOVE THIS BOOK! So I admit, Jessica is pretty much a one-click author, her writing style and sense of humor just gel so well with my own, but I’d have totally gotten this book based on the blurb alone. Once again she transported me, this time to Charleston. I’ve never been there, and its been years since I have been even close to there, but through her writing I was transported. Sights and sounds (and smells) really bring this location alive in my mind. I loved Olivia’s journey, I knew just where she was coming from as a former people pleaser myself, so I dug into the story on that level, not to mention my years in Culinary school and in the restaurant industry had me feeling a strong connection to Elijah too. My mouth watered for more than one reason while reading this, Elijah sounded delicious lol. There were a few cute little inside references for fans of the romance writers world that totally had me saying ‘Oh, I see what she did there!’ It was really just a sweet, hot journey of two people finding out what they wanted and what they needed and how to get both together and it was a great start to the series! I can’t wait for Luke and Grace’s book and I really hope we get to hear more about Luke’s Lady Dagger lol.
This is the fourth book by Jessica Peterson I have read and each time I get one of her books, I just know I m going to get sucked into the story and the lives of her characters. Southern Charmer was no different. There is so much heat, so much tension, and so much heartache leading up to Eli and Olivia realizing they were made for each other that I didn’t want to put the book down! It’s got the right amount of sass, charm, heat, and emotion without being over the top. Having grown up in the South, I absolutely LOVED that Jessica incorporated a lot of Southern style cooking within the pages of the book. The hero being a very sexy chef didn’t hurt!
If you love steamy reads with characters who are so real they seem to jump off the page, you need to pick up your own copy of Southern Charmer today!
This was a great, well written read. I love the descriptions, the amount of detail it made me feel like I was there and makes me want to visit Charleston. Olivia and Eli were great together, they had fantastic chemistry and I love how their friendship evolved. The slow burn of their romance was perfectly delivered. I can’t wait for book 2!
I’m pretty sure this is my favorite Jessica Peterson book to date. I love Southern men. I love love love books that are set in the South. Throw in some friends to lovers and, hello, all the food porn, and Count. Me. All. In. This story grabbed me from the first page and kept me completely invested throughout the book. Full of heart, heat, and believable characters, this was the perfect introduction to a new series and I cannot wait for more!
4.5 “Feed Me” Stars!!!
I don’t think I ever got so hungry while reading before this book! I love how this book made you feel the whole Charleston vibe (site, sound and smells), making me want to go back and visit right now. Jessica played up the Southern hospitality that is so easy to fall in love with and leaves you wanting more…
The slow burn that was promised was delivered perfectly, I love the evolution of Eli and Olivia’s friendship. This one just makes you feel good as you read it, even through the more difficult times, and that it what made it feel genuine to me. I feel so proud of Olivia, how she took charge of her life, made important life altering changes for HERSELF. And there is so much I can say about that sexy chef that READS romance ~ absolute perfection!
This was the first book from Jessica that I have read and I am looking forward to more in this series!!!
5 star rating
When I first received this book I saw the title and thought it would be a cowboy/ rancher type novel so I was pleasantly surprised when it wasnt. The dynamic between Olivia and Eli friends to lovers isn’t normally my thing but this was a great story the flow of it kept you going. You wanted to see how their relationship would grow if it would blossom. Both characters’s had great strength and flaws which they bounced off each other to give the other what they were lacking. Great read.