Hello everyone,
I am very happy to be able to share with you all today the official book series recap of author Sandy Malone’s “GEM OF THE GOLDEN ISLES” series. The series is a rom-com meets cozy mystery and small-town or island narrative, and follows Tally Davis, a woman beginning her new wedding planning business who returns to the Golden Isles to start fresh and makes some friends (and rivals) along the way. Check out my thoughts on each of these books and be sure to grab this series while you can. For Kindle Unlimited users, this series is available to download now!
ESCAPE TO JEKYLL ISLAND (BOOK ONE):
THE SYNOPSIS
Tally Davis is working as a wedding planner in the Caribbean when Hurricane Maria hits, so she evacuates Puerto Rico and goes home to Jekyll Island, Georgia, and launches her own company there. But not everybody is happy that Tally is back, and some people want to make sure she doesn’t stay.
THE REVIEW
This was an absolutely incredible and cozy romantic read. The Author does an incredible job of developing dynamic characters readers can instantly relate to. The rich imagery in the author’s writing style really brings out this island setting in the south and engages the reader by making the setting its own character, allowing the reader to feel fully immersed in the community. The protagonist finds herself becoming a part of.
What really stands out in the story, in the grand scheme of things, is the rich, dynamic character interactions and the relationships that develop. Tally is a fantastic protagonist readers can instantly root for, and the question of whether they want a relationship with a past flame who is now a state trooper will have readers on the edge of their seats as they feel the heat and sparks fly between them. The subtle infusion of mystery elements about those who do not want to see the protagonist succeed gives the story just enough edge to highlight the cozier romantic elements, drawing readers in and keeping them from putting it down.
RATING: 10/10
IN BLOOM ON JEKYLL (BOOK TWO):
THE SYNOPSIS
Her new wedding planning company has been in business for a year on Jekyll Island, and Tally Davis is ready to expand. But she’s struggling to keep brides and grooms (and their mothers) happy while having a love life at the same time. And a close call for her state trooper boyfriend puts things in perspective. Tally hires an assistant and recruits her bestie to move from Puerto Rico to help her open a flower shop. But Yaya isn’t the only person who follows Tally to Jekyll. A crazy former client with an unreasonable demand shows up, too. When Tally resists, the woman sets out to ruin her former wedding planner’s life. Will Tally be able to stop her before her new business goes up in flames?
THE REVIEW
Immediately I was struck by how relatable and heartfelt the connection between this cast of characters was. The uncertainty and stress that comes with starting and maintaining a business took center stage in this novel, and the way this impacted the characters and how their bond together helped navigate these murky waters was mesmerizing to read. The balance the author found in romantic comedy storytelling and dialogue with a drama filled, spicer mystery that develops as a jilted former client sets out to shoot down Tally’s business.
The witty dialogue and the powerful imagery that keeps readers fully immersed into this island setting made the story come to life on the page. The inclusion of the flower shop narrative and expanding Tally’s business was a great way to elevate the series and Tally’s evolution as a protagonist as well. The author manages to keep the story lighthearted while also engaging the reader with enough drama to keep the tension and atmospheric nature of the story elevated perfectly.
Rating: 10/10
TREASURE ON JEKYLL (BOOK THREE):
THE SYNOPSIS
Everything should be right in the world for wedding planner Tally Davis. She’s rebuilt her life in Georgia after Hurricane Maria ruined everything in a night on Vieques Island. Now, she’s a successful entrepreneur on Jekyll Island, and happily engaged to a hot state trooper. But not everybody Tally left behind in Puerto Rico is celebrating her success. Will she be able to leave the past behind her and build a new life, or will Viequenses justice follow her to Jekyll Island?
THE REVIEW
This was a powerful and engaging read. The author does a great job of keeping the same level of heart and humor in the character dialogue and narrative while also adding more personal storytelling to the narrative. The author utilizes powerful imagery to bring readers back to the protagonist’s stomping grounds in Vieques, while also creating an immersive experience that makes the reader feel like they are walking through Puerto Rico alongside the characters.
The heart of this story was in the personalization of the narrative to the protagonist. More so than in previous books, the author takes the time to explore both Tally’s past and present, with run-ins with her ex’s sister and the planning of her own wedding taking center stage in her own life and in the plot itself. The level of intirgue and romance this conjured in the book kept readers engaged and immersed into the world the author has brought to life on the page, making this one book that fans of this genre won’t want to miss.
Rating: 10/10
IN THE SHADOWS ON JEKYLL (BOOK FOUR):
THE SYNOPSIS
Tally Davis is a victim of her own success. Her wedding and flower businesses on Jekyll Island are going gangbusters when she’s doubly-blessed with motherhood. But she can’t keep so many balls in the air for her clients without more help.
The only solution is to hire and train more staff to help manage her brides and grooms. But Tally doesn’t have the same kind of time to train and get to know the new staff the way that she did with Kayla. And as her team grows, so do her problems.
Not everyone is who they appear to be when she hired them – some just wanted unfettered access to Jekyll Island. Tally’s starting to think she has a black cloud following her. Will her state trooper husband be able to save the day again?
THE REVIEW
This was a refreshing new entry in the series. The author briliantly expands not only the business that Tally started but her personal life as well, introducing motherhood into the mix. The juxtapositon that the chaaos of running a business has on Tally’s life with the chaos that being a mother has brought to her world is wild to see come to lfie on the page, and the powerful imagery that this conjures allows the narrative to come to life brililantly.
The family element of Tally’s story was a breath of fresh air as the narrative showcased how Tally’s family helped in the early years of her life as a mother, while the way the secondary characters took on more of a prescence in this book and allowed the business side of Tally’ story to grow was incredible. The way that the narrative kept readers guessing on which of these secondary characters tally can trust added a bit of mystery that allows the story to develop and keep readers fully immersed.
Rating: 10/10
CHRISTMAS ON JEKYLL (BOOK FIVE):
THE SYNOPSIS
Wedding planner Tally Davis believes that the holidays on Jekyll Island are just a little more special than Christmas anywhere else. That’s why her company doesn’t plan weddings from a week before Christmas until after New Year’s. But she can’t say no when her Aunt Etah, the woman who raised her, asks Tally to have her team put together a special holiday fundraising event for the Jekyll Island Art Association, where she works as a front desk volunteer.
As if juggling her toddler twins and a slate of wedding clients booked two years in advance wasn’t enough, Tally also has three new interns recruited by her account executives, Kelsi and Kayla, who require a lot more supervision than anybody imagined.
And that’s why nobody realized the mess that Aunt Etah was getting herself into when she asked the daughter of a legendary local painter if she could display her late father’s artwork at special event. Bill and Mittie Hendrix founded the art scene in the Golden Isles more than 70 years ago, but his family’s archive of his work has never been shown. At least, not until Etah Davis talked them into it.
Will doing a good deed for charity backfire on the Jekyll Weddings team when things go sideways right before the big event? Will Tally’s foxy state trooper husband be able to rescue them in time, or will this be the last event that she plans on beautiful Jekyll Island?
THE REVIEW
This was another engaging and compelling entry in the series. The author does a wonderful job of layering the narrative between holiday experiences with Tally and her family and friends and the stresses of a holiday event. The exploration of the art scene on Jekyll Island and the history behind the illusive artist that the event is centered around was a great additional cozy mystery to keep the reader invested as the story progresses.
Yet at the heart of this story was Tally as a protagonst and the family she’s made. Now a mother of two toddlers and the chaos that comes from both raising children, being a wife, and running a successful business while facing a crisis during the holidays added more depth to Tally’s evolution as a protagonist and her connection with her husband, as well as her Aunt were great emotional and heartfelt scenes that readers will resonate with, as well as the humor and wit that their diolague brings to life.
Rating: 10/10
FINAL VERDICT
The author has done a fabulous job of bringing to life a vast and yet cozy setting of Jekyll Island to keep readers engaged with the unique community that Tally has built around herself. The budding romances, lasting friendships, cozy mysteries and even heated rivalries that come to life throughout these books will linger in reader’s minds as the story progresses and the unique story device of centering around a growing wedding planning business made this a compelling series to get immersed in. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
About the Author
Sandy Malone is best known for starring in TLC’s reality TV show “Wedding Island” and writing hundreds of wedding advice columns that were published in BRIDES, WeddingWire, and HuffPost. She wrote a DIY wedding planning book in 2016 that was traditionally published, and she released her new fiction series – Gem of the Golden Isles – in April 2024. She has also ghostwritten books for well-known reality TV stars (including a Real Housewife). Most recently, she was editor of The Police Tribune.
Sandy got her journalism degree at The Ohio State University and was a reporter and editor for major news publications before she returned to her hometown of Washington, DC, for a career in public relations and government affairs. She began planning destination weddings professionally after her own was nearly a disaster, and ended up planning more than 500 weddings in the Caribbean in 11 years with her retired SWAT-commander husband.
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