Lucy Brewer is a young woman who returns home to Lake Sackett, Georgia after the death of her husband. She has decided to raise her young son in her hometown and transform the local meat shop into a bakery. Her best friend since childhood, Duffy McCready, is now divorced from his harpy of a wife. But what Lucy doesn't know if Duffy has been secretly in love with her for years... Could this return mean a second chance for Lucy?

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4.5 stars.

Gimme Some Sugar by Molly Harper is an endearing small town romance. Although this latest installment is the third full length novel in the Southern Eclectic series, it can be read as a standalone.

Lucy Bowman never thought she would return to Lake Sackett. But following the death of her husband, Wayne, she moves back home with four year old Sam. She is preparing to open a dessert shop but her strained relationship with her mother-in-law Evie is delaying her plans. Lucy is pleasantly surprised to reconnect with her best guy pal, Duffy McCready, but their relationship is surprisingly fraught with tension. Best friends growing up, they both had feelings for each other, but afraid of ruining their friendship, neither was willing to speak up. Finally willing to take a chance on a romantic entanglement, will Lucy and Duffy find their happily ever after?

The shine quickly wore off her marriage to Wayne, so Lucy is not the typical grieving widow. She is of course sad but Lucy is mainly concerned about helping Sam work through the loss of his dad. She is very happy about moving back to Lake Sackett but Wayne's family is a thorn in her side. Lucy is excited about her new venture, but she is frustrated by Evie's efforts to prevent her from opening her bakery. However, with the McCready family on her side, Lucy unexpectedly finds friendship, support and the possibility of love.

After Lucy left town, Duffy married his high school sweetheart, Lana, but they eventually divorced. Despite their divorce and Lana's unrepentant man chasing, Duffy has never quite broken free of his ex-wife. He is pretty laidback and such a sweetheart that he is a bit of a pushover. He works in the family owned business with his mom, Donna, and their relationship is a bit strained on occasion. Duffy does not want to push Lucy into a relationship but he also does not want the opportunity to date her slip away.

With their solid friendship as firm foundation for their burgeoning romance, Lucy and Duffy cautiously begin dating. In spite of a few concerns about becoming romantically involved, they easily settle into this new phase in their relationship. They encounter a few hiccups and bumps, but Lucy and Duffy handle these difficulties with ease. So it is all the more shocking when Lucy's unresolved issues threaten to derail their future together. Is Duffy willing to watch his chance for happiness fade away? Or will he fight for a future with Lucy and Sam?

Gimme Some Sugar is an amusing romance with a zany yet (mostly) lovable cast of characters. Lucy and Duffy are fully rounded characters who are quite appealing. Their relationship is enjoyable to watch unfold, but fears, doubts and outside interference threaten to tear them apart. Through snappy dialogue, offbeat antics and heartfelt interactions, Molly Harper brings this newest addition of the Southern Eclectic series vividly to life. Old and new fans are going to enjoy this latest visit with the somewhat eccentric but lovable McCready family and the rest of the residents in Lake Sackett. ( )

Exactly what you'd expect from a cute, fun, and charming novel set in the South. I read this after a stressful week and it as the perfect way to unwind. Light and fluffy in the best way, this was pure entertainment. ( )

The sixth book in the Southern Eclectic series made me happy and hungry with all its talk of bakery goodies. Seriously, people. If you have not taken my advice and read anything by Molly Harper by now, then I don’t know what else I can do to convince you to do so as soon as possible. ( )

Fun, sweet, and sassy book. I'm delighted to see Duffy get his own story. He has been there throughout the other books, the quintessential southern guy. Polite, helpful, supportive of his family, but also caught in a vicious cycle with his ex-wife. That cycle begins to change when Lucy moves back to town. Duffy and Lucy had been best friends all through school. He developed romantic feelings for her but was too afraid of messing up their friendship to do anything about it. Instead, he watched as she married his friend and moved away; then he made the mistake of marrying Lana. Even though they are divorced, Lana has kept Duffy on a string, reeling him in whenever she wants. I was as frustrated as his family was with the way he let it happen. But as soon as Lucy came back, Duffy began to pull away from Lana, creating all kinds of interesting situations.

Lucy knew early in her marriage that she had made a mistake, but pride wouldn't allow her to admit it. With the death of her husband, Lucy moved back home to Lake Sackett. She has plans to open her own bakery as a fresh start for herself and her son if only her in-laws leave her in peace. Running into Duffy again stirs up feelings she thought she'd buried long ago.

I thoroughly enjoyed the development of Duffy and Lucy's relationship. Their first meeting after her return was hilarious, as he catches her in the middle of an x-rated cake delivery. The sparks between them are still there. Duffy realizes quickly that he never stopped loving Lucy and is determined to win her back. Lucy is wary. She doesn't want to risk losing Duffy's friendship if something goes wrong, plus she already has so much on her plate that adding a romance feels like a bad idea. But as hard as she tries, Duffy's sweet, persistent attentions work their way past her walls. I loved the scenes of the two of them together as they get to know each other all over again. I especially liked their ability to be honest with each other and talk things out. There was a hilarious scene involving Lucy and Lana, as Lana gets up to her old tricks and Lucy calls her on it. It was also fun to see Duffy's family get in the act of pushing the two together. The boat scene was fantastic and typically Frankie. I ached for Duffy and Lucy when her insecurities caused her to pull away. Some advice from unexpected sources put both Duffy and Lucy back on the road to their happy ever after.

The secondary characters were great. Lucy's son Sam was adorable, not too sweet and not bratty. I loved the way he took to Duffy, and his scenes with the dog nearly stole the show. Lucy's mother- and sister-in-law were well done as the banes of her current life. Evie's attitude toward Lucy and her attempts to manipulate Lucy's life frustrated her to no end. It took a while, but Lucy finally reached her breaking point in a scene that made me cheer for her. Sister-in-law Melody was a self-righteous prig, and I liked seeing her get her comeuppance. I adored Lucy's assistant, Specs. His interview for the job was excellent and Lucy earned my respect with the way she handled it. As always, the McCready family was wonderful. They are always there for each other, even though their methods are sometimes questionable. There was a terrific scene near the end where nice-guy Duffy finally has enough from his female relations. ( )