Stella’s mama never should’ve put Stella on the church prayer list. With Stella’s twenty-seventh birthday coming up fast, Nancy desperately wants to see her daughter married and giving her grandbabies. Petitioning heaven seems like a surefire way to get it done. But in Cadillac, Texas, where the gossip’s hotter than the city’s famous jalapeño peppers, it isn’t long before all hell breaks loose.… loose.
Heather, the bossy leader of the church’s Prayer Angels, thinks a summer ball will get Stella and the town’s other single gals paired off. But nobody can tell redheaded spitfire Stella what to do—not her mama, not Heather, and not even the sexy beau Stella’s been seeing in secret. Together, Stella, her best friends Charlotte and Piper, and the loyal customers of the Yellow Rose Beauty Shop hatch a good old-fashioned scheme to sabotage the ball. But will it wreck Stella’s relationship with her mama forever? And what will the church folk think when Stella reveals the identity of her mystery man?
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There has to be more stories in Cadillac Texas. I so enjoyed this story and series. Loved the characters and the plot of this book. I can’t remember when a book series made me laugh out loud. Looking forward to reading more from this author.
The Yellow Rose Beauty Shop is the 3rd book in the Cadillac, Texas series. I love all of Author Carolyn Brown’s novels and did not realize this was a series until I was almost finished with the book. With that being said, this amazing novel could be read as a standalone. Nancy Baker wants grandchildren so bad that she adds her daughter, Stella’s name to the church prayer list, in hopes of finding her a husband. She is not prepared for the big storm she has created. The leader of the Prayer group, Heather, has big plans to begin a marriage ministry. Will Nancy’s prayers be answered or will her actions cause more problems? Will Stella give in and give Nancy what she wants or will she have a couple of surprises of her own? Author Carolyn Brown has such a way with her writing that makes you feel part of the story yourself. She writes her novels with such passion and creativity so that each emotion can be felt! I always look forward to joining, Author Carolyn Brown, on another glorious journey within the pages of her next novel!
Fun book. I loved going back to Cadillac, Texas, with its friends, family, and fun. The story opens as Nancy attends a meeting of the “Prayer Angels” at church. She’s frustrated with her daughter Stella’s apparent indifference to finding a husband, which had delayed Nancy’s chances of being a grandmother. Desperate, she asks to put Stella on the prayer list, not realizing that she is about to create a firestorm. Heather, the head of the Prayer Angels, and niece to self-proclaimed town matriarch Violet, has a bit of a grudge against Stella. She takes the opportunity to both get back at Stella and to make a name for herself in the town hierarchy by planning a husband-finding ball.
Stella is furious at her mother for getting her into this situation, and with Heather for using her to promote her own plans, and she isn’t going to take it lying down. Stella already has her man but has reasons for keeping the relationship under wraps for a little while longer. Even her best friends, Piper and Charlotte, don’t know about him. But with their help, and that of the eighty-year-old, red-headed spitfire, Agnes, they plan to make sure that it is an event that will never be forgotten.
I love Cadillac and the depth of love and friendship found at the heart of the relationships there. The main focus of this book is Stella, the red-haired, wise-cracking hairdresser with a slightly tarnished reputation. Her relationship with her mother has been a bit strained, with Nancy’s constant pressure to find a man. It takes a severe hit when Nancy goes a step too far and puts Stella’s name on the prayer list. Stella spends a good part of the book working on forgiving her mother for opening this can of worms. I liked the honesty of feelings here, as Stella admits that while she loves her mom, it’s going to take a while to get past the anger. I ached for Stella because she was so worried that her reputation, combined with this new trouble, would be too much for her man to take. I loved the viewpoint that he took, his bone-deep support of her, and his willingness to do whatever it took to make her happy. Their scenes together were sweet and hot, and it was easy to see that they belonged together though I would like to have seen more of how they got together to start with.
I loved Stella’s relationships with her two friends, Piper and Charlotte. They’ve been friends for a long time and can be very frank with each other. It was interesting to see the two weigh in on Stella’s rift with her mom, and how each comes at it from her own maternal relationship. I loved their unwavering support for each other, from their having Stella’s back during the whole prayer fiasco, to Piper’s problems with her ex, and keeping Charlotte on an even keel as her wedding to Boone gets nearer. Stella felt guilty for keeping her secret even from them, and it was hilarious to see the number of times they nearly stumbled over the truth. There were some terrific scenes as their support enabled Piper to stand up to her jerk of an ex, and put him in his place. He got what was coming to him, and I cheered right along with the patrons of the beauty shop. Charlotte’s fears as her wedding day grew nearer were real, and I was especially moved by the way that Stella’s mother Nancy, was able to help her overcome them.
But the main focus of the story was the Yellow Rose Barbecue Ball and the shenanigans that led up to it. Heather is one of those women that, when she gets the bit between her teeth, is impossible to stop. It didn’t take long for Nancy to regret the impulse to put Stella on the prayer list once Heather started coming up with her ideas. Stella knew there was no way to stop it; her only thought was to find a way to minimize the damage. But once Agnes got involved, the defense took on a life of its own. It was great fun to see Agnes, Stella, and the others put their plans into motion. The anticipation built as I watched Agnes mastermind the perfect way to sabotage Heather’s plans without damaging the reputations of her friends. I couldn’t wait for the revelation of Stella’s secret, and I must say that it was everything that I expected from a Carolyn Brown book.
I thoroughly enjoyed the scenes between Stella and her secret man. The chemistry between them was hot. I loved his support of her during the process and his willingness to give up their secret to save her embarrassment. For all of her brashness and bluntness, Stella was also a bit insecure because of her past. I loved her worry over how her past could affect her man’s job, and her insistence that keeping their secret until things were secure. There were some adorable scenes between them as they found ways to be together. There were also some hilarious scenes as the frustrations of being apart come home to roost and people would unknowingly interfere with their assignations. They had to do some quick thinking to keep their secret as long as they did.
This was a very entertaining wind-up to the Cadillac Texas trilogy. I’m kind of hoping that she will decide to make it a saga. Best if you read them in order, BLUE RIBBON JALAPENO SOCIETY JUBILEE , A HEAP OF TEXAS TROUBLE , and THE YELLOW ROSE BEAUTY SHOP. The only thing I found a bit tiresome was the preachy tone. I don’t think so many people in one place are that religious outside of a cult. Other than that they were very entertaining. Perhaps it is just a Texas thing.
A quick can’t put down book.