A Little Less Talk and A Lot More Action

LUANN MCLANE

I picked this book up at a library book sale because the title and cover caught my attention, proving that sometimes those things really do matter.

Macy works in a beauty salon in a small country town with her best friend, who just got married and is headed off on her honeymoon. Macy has been crushing on Jamie Lee’s brother, Luke, since forever, and during all the wedding planning they’ve been thrown together a bit as maid of honor and best man, making her almost feel like part of a couple. But now that the wedding is over, a feeling of let down settles in.

Luke is a hometown hero, previously as the star of the high school football team, and now as a coach. After getting his heart broken, he’s come back to Hootertown (yes, that really is where they live!), but he’s being courted by some big schools and a new job is just on the horizon, which will take him away again.

While looking through inventory at the beauty shop the day after the wedding, mainly just to be somewhere besides her apartment, Macy is surprised by a country star popping in with a hair emergency. Next thing she knows, she’s on a tour bus headed to Nashville, fixing the star’s hair. And then all sorts of adventures follow as Macy embarks on a new life. Which Taylor, the very down to earth and likable singer, manages to drag Luke into, telling Macy she can thank her later.

This is the kind of book I love. A contemporary romance, with lots of humor and lots of heart. While Luke is your standard hunky cowboy hero, Macy isn’t a stick thin fashionista. She’s curvy and self conscious about her looks, comparing herself to the girls Luke could have if he wanted. She knows he looks at her as a sister, and she debates with herself constantly about whether to pounce on him and make him notice her, or avoid him.

All of the secondary characters, which in addition to the singer include her two backup singers/songwriting partners, her bodyguard, and a television chef, are a little quirky. I laughed out loud more than once. And I’m eager to find the rest of the author’s books and read everything she’s written.

(I purchased this book at a library book sale.)