Book Review: Dancing Naked in Dixie

by: Lauren Clark

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:
Travel writer Julia Sullivan lives life in fast-forward. She jet sets to Europe and the Caribbean with barely a moment to blink or sleep. But too many mishaps and missed deadlines have Julia on the verge of being fired.

With a stern warning, and unemployment looming, she's offered one last chance to rescue her career. Julia embarks on an unlikely journey to the ‘Heart of Dixie’—Eufaula, Alabama—home to magnificent mansions, sweet tea, and the annual Pilgrimage.

Julia arrives, soon charmed by the lovely city and her handsome host, but her stay is marred by a shocking discovery. Can Julia's story save her career, Eufaula, and the annual Pilgrimage?

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Before we have any misunderstandings, I did enjoy this story...for the most part. Julia did start getting on my nerves when she had accident after accident and whatever man happened to be around jumped in to take care of her.

The other issue that popped up were the numerous inconsistencies. I was honestly surprised to see the number of early readers she thanked. They really should have let her know about them. Take the boyfriend, for example. Early in the book she goes into how he hates traveling, really hates it and so they work out well because she is so exhausted from the traveling she does all the time so it doesn't bother her they never go anywhere. Then later on Julia thinks about how he took her to New Orleans for her birthday and on a sky diving trip...you see where I'm going here?

But around that, I did enjoy the story. Julia made great friends down south, even though she never wanted to go there. She learned more about her estranged father than she ever thought possible. And she met a man, although romance was not at the center of this story. She has a boyfriend nearly all the way through it, and I respect that Julia knew she wasn't a very good girlfriend.

Julia isn't a stagnant character either. She goes through a lot of changes, and likes who she is more at the end than at the beginning. I like her more too, although I didn't think she was that rude at the beginning.