Sleigh Belles

By Beth Albright

Join the Sassy Belles this holiday season–it's Christmas, Southern–style!

With her hair perfectly coiffed, nails freshly manicured and a heavy trail of perfume wafting behind her, local news reporter Dallas Dubois is sure she's about to kick her career–and maybe her love life–into high gear. The director of the Tuscaloosa children's Christmas play has fallen ill, and Dallas is ordered by her station manager to take the reins. Everyone is shocked–especially Cal Hollingsworth, who still remembers her as the Ice Queen from high school.

If nothing else, Dallas has never met a challenge that a little lip gloss and a Chanel knockoff couldn't fix. But she has no idea how to relate to these kids, and their brutal honesty is giving her pause. Things are made even more complicated by the butterflies she gets whenever Cal is near….

But when long–lost family members reenter her life, Dallas's icy veneer begins to melt. And with Cal by her side, she soon realises that it's what's under all the hair spray that counts.

Sexy Southern fun…with a hint of magnolia!

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Australia
• Release date: Oct 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781743645307

Beth Albright

Beth Albright is a Tuscaloosa native, former Days of Our Lives actress, and former radio and TV talk show host. She is a graduate of the University of Alabama School of Journalism. She is also a screenwriter, voice-over artist and mother. She is married to her college sweetheart, Ted. A perpetually homesick Southern Belle and a major Alabama Crimson Tide fan, she splits her time between San Francisco and, of course, Tuscaloosa.

Reviews for Sleigh Belles

[monicalynn-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another great addition to the series. This one is more about Dallas Dubois the reporter who everyone feels is more of an enemy. Dallas finds herself and her family in this one and it turns out wonderfully. With a Christmas Play and Dallas who "Hates Children", The love of her life who doesn't know she has always loved him, and ex step sister offering to be there who wouldn't have been there before. It all comes together. In a fun filled Christmas time tale in Tuscaloosa.

[writerbeverly · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I really wanted to like this book. Loved the cover, some of my dearest friends and family are sassy Southern belles, one specifically hails from Alabama. But I HATED reporter Dallas Dubois, and the longer I read, the more cartoonishly obnoxious and unlikable she became...

The book opens with Dallas lamenting another flare-up. Anybody else's brain shooting straight to herpes with this? Then it clarifies it's describing Dallas's attraction to Cal Hollingsworth.

We're in Dallas's point of view: "Whatever emotions and secrets brewed behind her crystal-blue eyes, she was determined no one would find out. With long legs up to here and her busty cleavage usually visible down to there, Dallas looked like a centerfold." What character who is not a total narcissistic freak describes HERSELF like this?

In a romance, it should be the hero telling us how hot and delectable the heroine is - and vice versa. Mind you, Cal, the hero, does describe Dallas later on as "gorgeous hair, bright blue eyes and curves that should be illegal in most states, Dallas was basically a fantasy on legs. Not he was all that bad himself..." and then goes on to describe himself as being called gorgeous "but it never really seemed to sink in." Oh, REALLY? *roll eyes*

Later, after having a hissy fit over a volunteer job she's taken on, Dallas demands of a woman who is basically her peer "Fine, please tell that production assistant person I need some Diet Dr. Pepper. I'm already exhausted after that scene out there." She continues to rant, then it says, "Her stomach was in knots, but she was careful not to let anyone see that." Dallas, sweetheart, firstly, after throwing these tantrums, you have revealed all. Secondly, the LAST thing you need to worry about is someone worrying your stomach is in knots.

We get jealous and envious sniping about her stepsister, who always beat her at beauty pageants, and the mean ol' clique that never included her. We don't get that Dallas has a heart, just ambition, envy, and prolly a set of extremely powerful bras.

Then she's crying silently in a bathroom stall - it SAYS she's crying silently, but she's ALSO flushing the toilet over and over to "cover the sounds of her anguish in case anyone walking by could hear her." Now, if she was crying as quietly as she could, but was afraid someone could hear her, I could buy that. DON'T tell me she's crying silently then.

Possibly, in the next pages, Dallas experiences a come-to-Jesus moment and a personality transplant, but I couldn't hang out with this toxic person and her "not a braggard" "flare-up" long enough to find out. I think if this all speaks your language, you may love it, but for me, I got about 10% in and realized MY stomach was in knots about reading any further.