The Magnolia Chronicles

I was so interested in reading more about Magnolia. Gigi the girl from the Walsh series Necessary Restorations, The Cornerstone, and brief glimpses while she hangs out with Riley. We know she’s having man problems and maybe she’s not the best a reading signals from others. And perhaps a bit impulsive. I was ready to learn more about Gigi.

It’s kind of worse than I imagined. We open with Mom getting Magnolia on dating apps to “put herself out there.” It appears Magnolia has been having a trainwreck of a personal life for some time now. Then the hilarity ensues. So many peen pics, a guy picking his teeth with a knife, slamming down multiple cups of coffee, the messaging; I was laughing so hard I had tears running down my face. These instances do not include the interactions with Ash and Linden and their antics. Magnolia soldiers on through this minefield of dick pics and lewd advances. Until one is different.

Our story then gets on its path of Magnolia’s trainwreck of a love life becomes more of a traffic jam. Two men. Two very different personalities. Two men with two very different careers. Heard the old saying feast or famine? Our girl has entered the land of plenty. But more than that, we see Magnolia come into the area of becoming her best self. Her journey not only to her love is also a journey to her. Every time I think I have read the very best by Kate, she does something just a smidge different that makes me fall in love with her writing even more.

I am so happy we are not losing track of the Walshes. And we are blending in other characters from books. Love me some crossovers. I am highly anticipating more grumpy men and hopefully, manbricks (this word is officially a word in my Grammarly dictionary–as it should be).

Once again, Kate Canterbary has provided me with a can’t stop, won’t stop page turning glimpse into the world of romance and modern dating. Magnolia, good ole’ RGG, or Gigi, has spent a lot of time choosing the wrong guy and now she’s focused on looking for the right guy, but she was never expecting to find 2 contenders. Ben and Rob, both equally amazing and heart stopping have given Magnolia a run for her money as she fights to make the right choice and not break hearts in the process.

The Magnolia Chronicles (Adventures in Modern Dating) – Kate Canterbary

I’ve read a number of Kate Canterbary books in the past few months. There is a good reason behind this. Kate writes damn fine stories! Her stories have depth, they have craziness and they always have some kind of shenanigans.

Kate writes characters that you just want to spend time with! Of course they aren’t real people but hell, after you’ve read 1 or 2 or 6 you as the reader are pretty much convinced they are real. They have history, they have family, they have good times and bad times. They are like you and your friends and your family, Kate makes they human. Those are the best kinds of books to read. The human kind, the kind the reader can relate to.

If you have read any of The Walsh series you probably already know Magnolia. She is a landscape architect, owns her own business and has been doing well. According to her mother she needs to work on getting into a positive relationship and giving it a real shot this time. Well Magnolia has actually been in a number of relationships, none of them have really been good solid ones and certainly not ones that have been good for Magnolia, but you know, New Year’s is always the time for resolutions and Magnolia’s mother things signing up for a dating app and having her mother run through the possibilities is the right way to do this. Yes, insert your right here and yet Magnolia agrees!

Luckily, we are allowed to read right along with Magnolia on some of the conversations with the men from said app. Needless to say the first 7 are mostly throw away texts or you are laughing at some of these pick up lines. Do guys actually do this on dating apps??? Until Number #8 comes along. He’s smooth, he’s up front, he doesn’t want ties or forevers (ok we know Magnolia does) but he’s nice and he loves Magnolia’s smart ass come backs to his questions. He is the first one that Magnolia hasn’t blocked. So the conversations continue He remains Dating App Guy #8 until a few weeks into the texts and he offers her what every girls doesn’t want (yet secretly might just for you know research) a dick pic. She wants him to back up his claim…that he is a solid 9 inches! That’s when his name get’s changed to Mr. Nine!

Mr. Nine and Magnolia are going to be meeting for lunch, when fate happens or maybe not fate but a monkey wrench! There is someone working late hours (major into the night hours) on the house across the street. Magnolia marches across and reads the guy the riot act, he introduces himself, his name is Ben Brock and that is a significant meeting!

The very next day, Magnolia is meeting up with Mr. Nine, he arrives there is small talk, his name is Rob Russo and all is going well until a bunch of loud rowdy firemen walk into the shop and oh yes, Ben of the noisy renovation is one of them. Shake you heads because he comes over and goes all “man” trying to out male Rob (Mr. Nine) and Magnolia just isn’t use to having two of God’s gift to women kinda men vying over her nor was she use to being the entertainment at any restaurant.

So dear reader, this is where the party really starts in the story. We get to spend the summer with Magnolia, Ben, Rob, some Walsh wives and of course Walsh men! How can this story go wrong.

The Magnolia Chronicles will make you laugh, shake your head, mutter under your breath and you will shed tears in some spots but in the end if you root for the right guy you just might get invited to a wedding.

This book was super cute!! I loved reading about Gigi’s dating stories. I loved when stories focus on the bad as well as the good and the dates showed just that! I love a good love triangle, and even though she didn’t end up with who I wanted I still loved this book. If you’re looking for a great romantic comedy choose this book!

I will try not to spoil anything for the readers, but I am confident enough to say that you can read this book, you can not be disappointed. I do not see what is not likable.
I discovered Kate Canterbary’s Walsh series last December and fell in love with the books and the characters. It is not surprising then that I was impatiently waiting for the Magnolia Chronicles which is a spin-off but can be read as a standalone.
It is a little different from The Walsh series, which is one of the things I relish with Kate Canterbary. With each of her books, it feels good to find the same atmosphere, how she treats her characters, but it is also different each time. You do not have this sensation to read the same thing again and again.
This time the entire story is written with Magnolia’s POV. I have to admit that first, I had to get used to it, as one thing that I loved in the Walsh series was that both female and male characters were treated equally and had strong personalities. Nevertheless, I quickly got into the book and forgot about it.
For those who have read The Walsh series, the story starts long after Magnolia’s dog had been kidnapped and released by the Walsh brothers. Magnolia is now thriving professionally but has not found love yet.
In the first part, she tries online dating which yields colorful messages with the dating app. Then the main male characters enter her life, and at the same time, the author surprised me again. Even if I am dying to, I will not say anything more as I do not want to spoil the story.
I had so many questions all along with my reading and just could not put down the book. At some point, I was very close to going directly to find the answer, but to my surprise, I was able I resisted telling myself that Kate would not want that. She had bothered holding the suspense; I could not take that from her.
Kate Canterbary has this talent to be able to describe emotions perfectly, always with the right words. It’s never too long or too short. She always finds the ideal balance. Her characters are not flawless, just humans struggling with their feelings and emotions.
The only sad thing is what am I going to read now until the next Kate Canterbary book?

Gigi power!
This is all about Magnolia, and her journey to self-awareness. The men are ALMOST secondary to her story. Seeing Magnolia come into her own was a beautiful thing. Loved it!

This story has been highly anticipated for me, and I was not disappointed. Which is why Kate is one of my favourite authors.
Magnolia has appeared in so many other books I was praying Kate would give her a book with her insight and to see her own character grow.
Magnolia has not had the best dating life lately, one day at the spa with her mother and that’s all about to change, And it turns out to be a brilliant adventure to go on full of many ups and downs.
I love her strong independent character, this book will explain a lot to Kates fans that have read the Walsh Series but this book is a standalone and a perfect place to start if you haven’t already.
This book is filled with moments of hilarious laughter to you hoping for Magnolia to find her happy ever after.

I’ve been an enormous fan of Kate Canterbary’s since she blessed this romance reader with her first novel. Kate writes what I like to call smart-girl smut. Beyond being simply well-written, her novels are thoughtful, thought-provoking, intelligently humorous stories within a steamy romance. They’re always exceptional, original, with layers of emotion and interesting side characters who elevate the whole of the story to a truly special reading experience. If you’re not already reading Kate Canterbary’s work, you simply must. She pens the kind of not-to-be-missed love stories that every romantic fiction reader needs in their lives.

Fans of Canterbary’s Walsh Family series will definitely recall Gigi, an important side character in that series. The Magnolia Chronicles: Adventures in Modern Dating is her story, and although it’s not necessary to read any of the Walsh series books to enjoy this standalone, you’re truly missing out on a one-of-a-kind series of fabulous contemporary romances if you haven’t. If you can’t start a binge-read of that series immediately, I’d implore you to find a way to do it anyway, or at the very least, get it on your to-be-read list.

I don’t want to spoil a single thing about this story. So I’m just going to say that it was uproariously and, at times, outrageously funny, and I found myself laughing audibly throughout this book. This author’s fantastic sense of humor is an addictive blend of dry wit, New England grit and sarcasm swirled with a bit of realism, circumstance and/or relatability. The banter alone is worth the price of the book—spot-on, perfectly timed and expertly executed, it didn’t matter who Magnolia was bantering with, it a furiously funny back-and-forth exchange akin to a sporting event.

Canterbary takes readers through the trials and tribulations of Magnolia’s year-long dating immersion experiment with the kind of detail that made me want to put my Kindle down—momentarily, of course—seek out my husband and thank him for marrying me all those years ago. I didn’t actually do this, but a couple dozen times while reading this book, I really wanted to. That’s the thing about this story, it’s so relatable, even to old married folk like me. This book didn’t simply entertain and amuse me, I was engulfed in it for an entire day, taking up all of my time and attention, and I was glad for it. Delicious in every sense of the word, The Magnolia Chronicles captivated me as it played out in my mind like an Oscar-nominated romantic comedy does on the big screen.

I was completely lost in Magnolia’s chronicles. Totally engaged, completely absorbed and all in, I was utterly charmed from cover-to-cover as I tried to restrain myself because I didn’t want to merely devour this book, I wanted the chance to revel in Magnolia’s experiences. Refreshing, clever, heartwarming and sexy, this story made my heart—and my head—happy on every single level. I can’t recommend this book—this author—highly enough. Another outstanding story from the brilliant Kate Canterbary, The Magnolia Chronicles: Adventures in Modern Dating gets five smooches from me!
~Danielle Palumbo, Red Cheeks Reads

Magnolia in Full Bloom!
Magnolia is a character that has intrigued me from the first glimpse we were given in Necessary Restorations. I wasn’t quite sure who she was, but I had a feeling neither did she. I am so thankful that Ms. Canterbary finally gave GiGi her story. It was raw, insightful, and real. The Magnolia Chronicles solidified my belief that love is an action word. Love is about the energy we put in and the energy that flows back to or through us. The story is filled with humor, heat, high jinks, and heart. This book is the epitome of a love story.

I identified with Magnolia in profound ways. We have all made mistakes that lead us to doubt ourselves in certain situations and GiGi is no exception. However, she has made great strides to trust and stand up for herself. Her girl gang a.k.a. the Walsh ladies, have helped her in this effort. Along with Riley, who has always seen the “real GiGi”. I loved the interaction between these friends. It was joyful and empowering.

The Magnolia Chronicles is not just a story about romantic love. It is also about the most important form of love, self love. And once you find that, the rest is just icing on your cake. #TeamGigi ##magnoliainbloom

Kate Canterbary is easily one of today’s most talented authors. Her storytelling is so captivating and intricately detailed that I always know I’ll be getting a high quality read. With The Magnolia Chronicles, she departs from her usual writing style (growly, bitey boys and super sexy scenes) and instead gives readers a rare treat. Canterbary uses a fade-to-black technique that allows our sexy imaginations to run wild and I really enjoyed that aspect. Normally I’m not much of a fan but this method worked perfectly in this book and kept the focus of the story where it needed to be….not so much on the physical but instead on the emotional and psychological aspects of dating. This story is witty, smart, fun and chock-full of entertaining characters that will engage you from the first page.

Magnolia is the most authentic character I’ve read lately—she’s just like every other woman out there in the world. She’s real, she’s flawed, she’s okay with that and she owns it! At the same time, she’s looking for someone who will love her and support her in a way that says “you matter to me”. Her dating adventures are hilarious and Canterbary delivers many of these in a unique way throughout the book. When Magnolia least expects it, she meets two men and from there the story takes off. These two men are like night and day but each has qualities that are completely endearing. I found myself falling for each one right along with Magnolia. What I loved was how each brought out something different in our heroine, strengthening her character throughout the story. Magnolia was dynamic from the start but ultimately she blossomed as she learned valuable and empowering lessons from her men.

Magnolia draws support from a tight-knit group of friends that Canterbary fans will recognize and rejoice over. The ease of their banter and friendship is real and natural and Canterbary will leave you longing to be a part of this unique and fun group of women. Magnolia’s family is a hoot and I’m dying to get more of her brothers Landon and Ash! Here’s hoping our favorite author takes that under consideration!

If you’re looking for a fun, feel-good, entertaining read, look no further than The Magnolia Chronicles. This 5-star read will surely satisfy and entertain.