Sweet Tea

Starred review from September 24, 2021

Huguley's first contemporary novel brings the setting and families from her "Home to Milford College" historical romances into the present. Althea "Tea" Dailey left Milford, GA, behind when she moved to New York to pursue a career as an intellectual property lawyer. When she finds out her grandmother is being filmed as part of a documentary on famous Southern cooks, she heads back to Milford to prevent her recipes from being stolen. Since her grandmother is well known for running the kitchen at Milford College, a historically Black college, Tea didn't expect the filmmaker, Jack Darwent, to be white or on such good terms with her grandmother. It was Jack's obsession with good food and Southern cooking that inspired him to document a vanishing generation of older Southern cooks. He and initially Tea butt heads over her grandmother, recipes, and Milford, but their arguments evolve into a mutual respect and attraction. But one mistake could cost Jack his future with Tea, and Tea has to decide if she truly wants the law career she'd planned on. Huguley's romance makes frequent reference to characters from the "Home to Milford College" series, including ancestors from The Preacher's Promise. Even so, it works well as a standalone and introduces new characters who will hopefully show up in future books. VERDICT Fans of Beverly Jenkins, Debbie Macomber, and Sharon Sala will devour this sweet small-town romance.

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