Straight up chick lit romance and not Harper's best. Lots of very worn tropes get page time in this little romance about a woman fighting for the job she was promised when a new and, of course, gorgeous interloper comes into the picture.

I love Harper's work in general; it's funny, sweet, snarky, and often unpredictable, but this (admittedly early) work of hers just fell flat. It wasn't bad, it was just very formulaic.

Amanda Ronconi did a wonderful job, as usual. ( )

My Bluegrass Baby
Bluegrass, Book 1

I Picked Up This Book Because: I’m a fan of the author

The Characters:

Sadie Hutchins:
Joshua Vaughn:

The Story:

An enemies to lovers tale that took quite some time to grow on me. Sadie and Josh are fine characters but I never really felt a connection to them. I did eventually get fully on board with this couple. I especially enjoyed the scene with them locked in the supply closet.

Overall nothing wowed me about this story but it wasn’t the worst way to spend a few hours. I won’t be continuing the series due to availability and lack of interest.

The Random Thoughts:

3 Stars ( )

This book was laugh out loud funny. I loved it! ( )

Fans who only have experience reading Ms. Harper’s paranormal series may be slightly disconcerted by the idea of a Molly Harper novel without werewolves, vampires, ghosts, or witches. Thankfully, it does not matter whether Ms. Harper writes about things that go bump in the night or a workplace competition. To ignore this new, decidedly ordinary, i.e. non-supernatural, series is to miss out on the classic Harper banter, sparks, and heat. Her words still sparkle with wit and charm, her characters are strong and memorable, and her love of all things Kentucky continues to shine throughout the narrative.

Amanda Ronconi proves herself to more than capable of handling Ms. Harper’s non-paranormal romance. She still maintains the original wit of Ms. Harper’s words while maintaining a level of earnestness that is missing from her vampire or werewolf series. The accents are less exaggerated; the sarcasm is just a wee bit toned down to better fit an ordinary work environment. Still, Ms. Harper’s words out of Ms. Ronconi’s mouth are always fun to experience, and the combination of Ms. Harper and Ms. Ronconi is the perfect antidote to the everyday stressors of life. ( )

I love Molly Harper. I have read most of her stuff, both her contemporary and her vampire books.

This book seemed to be more of a love song for Kentucky encased in a low-key love story.

The protags in this book both work for the division of the Kentucky state government that promotes tourism, and this is used to share the tourist highpoints of the state.

There is lots of humor in the book, very broad humor. The love story was a bit stilted and rushed. There was no real arc of the relationship. There was a bad guy and he was apparently needed to get the two protags together in such a way as to cause friction from the beginning. But he was a weak, throw-away character.

All in all, a short pleasant read that just meanders, makes you laugh a time or two, makes you Google some locations in Kentucky to see if they are real or not. I am glad I read it, but I forgot it almost immediately. ( )