Virtual Book Review Tour and Giveaway: Dancing Naked in Dixie by Lauren Clark

(Full length, contemporary women's fiction with romantic elements, self-published)

This review is done in conjunction with the author's virtual tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. Lauren will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter on the tour, so comment today AND follow the tour (if you click on the tour banner above, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops) -- the more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win a GC!


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?


Frequently funny, occasionally touching but always entertaining, Dancing Naked in Dixie is a keeper for your bookshelf. 

Julia is a writer for a national travel magazine, and her life is a complete disaster.  Her last review from her trip to Italy was a washout. Her new boss, who just happens to be her father, gives Julia an ultimatum. Go to Eufaula, a town in Alabama, do a write up on this town, or you no longer have a job.

Julia is totally disorganized and has no way or desire to change. However, she has to do this job, if she wants to keep working at the magazine. She doesn’t really have a life, and doesn’t know what she would do if one was offered to her.

Then she arrives in Eufaula, and the people that she meets are so totally different than the New Yorkers that she is accustomed to that at first she is totally unable to function.

I found myself grinning at first, and then I started giggling as she tried her hardest to pretend that she was enjoying herself in this Southern town. She was so straitlaced, I found myself laughing again. I loved this book. It is so accurately southern and the people were incredibily open and friendly that gradually she began to look around her and liked what she saw.

I enjoyed reading her thoughts, and it seemed as though I could actually see the town and the people through her eyes. This was fascinating to me, and very funny. At first I thought there were too many descriptive sentences, but as I read, I realized that these were necessary and deepened my enjoyment of the story.

The book became more involved as time passed and there were unexpected twists and turns, but the ending is more than satisfactory. Julia discovers her true self, and also her fathers.  She also finds a bit of romance with Shug, which made my heart happy (and made me hope for a sequel so I could find out where their relationship leads).

I really enjoyed reading this story and was delighted with the ending.

4.5 / 5 Flowers

Lauren Clark writes contemporary novels set in the Deep South; stories sprinkled with sunshine, suspense, and secrets.

A former TV news anchor, Lauren adores flavored coffee, local book stores, and anywhere she can stick her toes in the sand. Her big loves are her family, paying it forward, and true-blue friends.

http://www.laurenclarkbooks.com/ http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5280308.Lauren_Clark
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