The Cherry Cola Book Club– I first heard of this book thanks to Andrea at Great Thoughts– Kensington Publishing was being super kind and furnished her some giveaway copies during a #gr8books chat about another Kensington book, The Affair by Collete Freedman.

Anyway- from the moment I saw this bright, fun, and cheery cover- I knew I wanted it. But then to read the description, well that just made me have to have it! As time goes by, though, I found myself still not having it simply because I had many others books to read. This turned out to be fortunate, though, because after checking Lemuria Books website- I realized I could buy and get my book signed (book signings make me VERY happy!)

So, I waited. And then I went to the book signing- and from the name Ashton Lee- I was expecting to see a cute girl reading and signing books. I couldn’t have been more wrong, and yet I was delighted because Robert Kuehnle (pen name Ashton Lee) was charming, funny and theatrical. Of course- with Robert being from the South – theatrical was practically his birthright!

As I sat around and let other people get their books signed, I overheard Robert tell another person “Make all the people think the fun characters are them and the negative characters make them think they are not them!” This was in regard to a question of was his characters based on people he knew. The book signing, was fairly well-attended- 10-12 people where there and Robert had a stack of books to sign!

The reading was quite good as well. I love a good reading and Robert delivered! The Cherry Cola Book Club, based of small-town Mississippi, has the feel of a small Southern town down pat. Ashton Lee nails the surroundings, the language, the feel of small town Mississippi. But, after all, growing up in Natchez and now residing in Oxford- he not only knows the feel of a Southern town- he is a Southern town. As he read, he put feelings into the parts, into the reading. In the small reading area section of Lemuria, people sat and watched Ashton as he read- all of us smiling and laughing at parts because while we did not know each other- we could all relate to the story, as most of us had a tie to a small Southern town.

While I have not read The Cherry Cola Book Club (yet!), I’m happy to know that there is a sequel in the works- The Reading Room: Cherry Cola Book Club (release date March/April 2014). Will there be more books in the Cherry Cola series? Time will tell!