Magnolia Mill

(Whiskey River Road, #6),

by Kelly Moore

Publication: January 28, 2021

magnolia mill About: She moved to Salt Lick Kentucky to a family she never knew. Now that she’s cured, she has a second chance at love. Will she take it or will she let fear chase him away?

Jane moved from Texas to Tennessee with her twin brother Noah to a family she had never met. She was overwhelmed with the warmth she received from each one of them. She was broken, and dying. They healed her physically but they couldn’t take away her inward scars. She fixed herself up, plastered on a smile, and won the hearts of the town. As mayor of Salt Lick, she had a new beginning to fulfill her dreams, fall in love. Her only problem was, she wasn’t ready to let go of her heart so easily.

Ethan York came home with his best friend, Clem Calhoun. He was a big city boy trying to manage his life on the ranch. He found his calling in life; to be cowboy. He also fell in love with Jane the first time he laid eyes on her. Neither one of them were ready to explore their emotions. Time passed and Ethan felt like he couldn’t breathe any longer with her in his life. His new job landed them working together on projects. The fire within him was ignited. Jane pushed him away. But Ethan proved to be one persistent man, like a dog with a bone.

She was trapped behind her secrets, not willing to share them. Will she ever be able to let go and fall in love, again?

Magnolia Mill is the sixth book in the Whiskey River Road, Western Romance Series. If you like quick-witted heroines, angsty relationships, and small-town settings, then you’ll adore Kelly Moore’s steamy saga.

My Review

Whiskey River Road fans, how excited are you for Jane and Ethan’s story??? I was chomping at the bit to read this one and it absolutely did not disappoint! When Jane and her twin brother Noah arrived at the ranch to meet their family, it didn’t take long for Jane to catch Ethan’s eye. But after recovering from a long-term illness and finally getting her life back, Jane had only one goal – to become Mayor of Salt Lick. Despite Ethan’s persistence and a whole lot of flirting, Jane keeps Ethan at an arm’s length. But when they are suddenly thrown together at work, Ethan plans to do whatever it takes to win Jane’s heart.

Let me begin by saying that I was honestly more excited about Ethan’s story rather than Jane’s. Yes, they go hand in hand, but I have been crazy about Ethan since the very first book in the series and have been patiently waiting for him to find his happily-ever-after. If you have read my reviews on other books in the series, you will know that Jane has had to grow on me. Her character is very complex and it’s taken several books for Kelly Moore to slowly start chipping away at all of her layers. And I must say that I finally fell in love with Jane! That rough exterior is still there, but now that I’ve seen the real her, I can do nothing but cheer her on.

Besides Jane and Ethan, there was plenty going on with the other characters, as usual. Margret and Wyatt are adjusting to life with Margret in a wheelchair and it produced several Kleenex-worthy moments. Bear and Nita are still coming to terms with Sandy being back in Missy’s life and this also produced some serious Kleenex-worthy moments. But on a lighter note, Ethan’s mom, Winfred, has left her rich new York life to come to live on the ranch and it’s nothing but perfection! Watching this high-society woman get to know the Calhouns and learn their lifestyle on the ranch is sometimes cringe-worthy and sometimes hilarious, but it is wonderful. I’m crossing my fingers for another book in this series just to see if Winfred and Chet’s friendship progresses into more!

Magnolia Mill is a beautiful, heartfelt, sexy, and hilarious addition to the Whiskey River Road series. Kelly Moore always writes such page-turners, regardless of the genre. However, Magnolia Mill is the embodiment of how skillful a writer she is. There is plenty of laughter blended with tears. There are suspenseful events that you never saw coming, which keeps you burning up the pages. And as always, there is the perfect amount of sexy and romantic scenes to keep you swooning from beginning to end. I have loved all of the books in this series, but this one especially spoke to my heart and I cannot recommend it enough.

*Just remember, if you haven’t yet read this series, you really need to start at the beginning to fully understand and enjoy!

**Thanks to Kelly Moore for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Pre-Order Magnolia Mill on Amazon!

Missed the start of this series? Check out my reviews for books 1-5!

Coming Home (Whiskey River Road, #1)

A cowboy. An empty altar. Coming home is complicated.

What stopped me from walking down the aisle to the perfect man? My stupid rebel heart, that’s what.

I loved Boone Methany with everything I had, but I wanted more than just the ranch I grew up on and training horses for the rest of my life. Leaving him on our wedding day wasn’t something I planned on. Neither was coming back to my family ranch after seven years in the military just to eat a heaping helping of crow.

I thought I was prepared to see him again. What I wasn’t ready for, was him being engaged.

Coming home is about to get mighty complicated.

Stolen Hearts (Whiskey River Road, #2)

A thief and a single father don’t bode well. She’s snarky, and sexy which can only lead to two broken hearts.

It was a day like any other on the ranch.

Hard work and no play makes for a cranky cowboy. Needing a night out on the town left me sneaking in my father’s house like a teenage boy. That was my first mistake of the day.

The second was playing hero to a damsel in distress that turned out to be no damsel at all but a sexy, snarky woman who took me by surprise.

How you ask?

I’d been a ladies man. That is until I became a father. My rebel days were gone. A six-year-old sassy daughter changed all of that for me. I didn’t need the complicated messy kind of love stuff. My hands were full.

A mission into town to handle a family issue would make my life more muddled. The day I met the woman who would steal my heart.

A thief. A woman on the run. A woman with one too many secrets. A woman whom I had to save because if I didn’t, I feared she disappear and take two hearts with her. I wasn’t prepared for the danger she was in and the decision I’d have to make. She’d hate me for sure.

I definitely wasn’t prepared for her to leave.

Three Words (Whiskey River Road #3)

Wild at heart. One hot cowboy. A heap of trouble.

What stopped me from saying the three words Ian wanted to hear? My stubbornness that protected my heart, that’s what.

A handsome cowboy with a hot body and a sense of humor to boot, Ian Daughtry was everything a woman could ask for. He was downright pretty to look at. The day he left my world spun out of control. It changed me inside. I was no longer the sweet, innocent girl. Instead, I became the wild child desperate to feel anything but love.

Now he’s back, slipped into town unbeknownst to me. My family knew but didn’t want to tell me, afraid it would rip me apart.

I have a news flash for him. I don’t care how hot he is, he ain’t gettin’ me back. This woman has done fine on her own. But boy howdy… just seeing him he sent me in a tailspin. One that might get me in a heap of trouble.

Kentucky Rain (Whiskey River Road, #4)

A law-abiding man, breaking all the rules and dodging love. I’ll either run her off or give her my heart.

I threw in my hat, giving up my job as a lawyer to become the one thing I swore I never would…a cowboy. I’ve lived on my father’s ranch my entire life, but never learned how to be a rancher’s son. Instead, I was urged to become an attorney by my father, who doesn’t live by the letter of the law.

Now, I’m left picking up the pieces of my life, trying to figure out who I am, and what I want. Trouble is brewing for me, I can feel it in my bones, especially when my friends-with-benefits relationship with Margret starts to feel like something more than I have to give. She deserves a better man than me.

My plan is to keep her at arm’s length. Her plan is to pull me in closer

Wild Ride (Whiskey River Road, #5)

He’s a tough cowboy. She’s a wild ride and the daughter of his family’s enemy. Will they let passion win out, or will it tear them to pieces?

Noah was raised apart from his family. Now, he’s trying to fit in with the Calhouns. But fitting in isn’t always easy when you’ve been a loner. A roll in the hay with a gorgeous woman fits his lifestyle. Falling in love was never in his plans.

Molly Granger’s lived a hard, dedicated life to her father. A man she loathes but has pledged her loyalty to—at least by all appearances. Her only focus has been revenge, even at the cost of her own life. Her goal is thrown off-kilter the day she meets Noah in a bar.

The connection between Molly and Noah is raw and intense, but neither one wants to admit their attraction. A wedge forms between them when Noah finds out her father is enemy number one.

Trapped between desire and vengeance, will they find a middle ground?