MY BLUEGRASS BABY by Molly Harper Have you ever had a job stolen out from under you?

MY BLUEGRASS BABY

by Molly Harper

Pocket Star, December 2012 (on or around 12/18)
eBook, 250 pages
ISBN-10: 1476706050
ISBN-13: 9781476706054
About $1.99
Provided by publisher for review purposes. No remuneration was exchanged and except as noted all opinions are my own.

Description
A brand-new novel in an original eBook series from popular romance author Molly Harper! When Sadie & Josh compete for the same Kentucky Tourism Commission job, sparks fly—turns out Kentucky really is for lovers.

Sadie Hutchins loves her job at the Kentucky Tourism Commission. Not only could her co-workers double as the cast of Parks & Recreation, but she loves finding the unusual sites, hidden gems, and just-plain-odd tourist attractions of her home state. She’s a shoo-in for the director’s job when her boss retires at the end of the year…until hotshot Josh Vaughn shows up to challenge her for the position.

Josh is all sophisticated polish while Sadie’s country comfort, and the two have very different ideas of what makes a good campaign. So when their boss pits them against each other in a winner-takes-all contest, they’re both willing to fight dirty if it means getting what they want. But it turns out, what Josh and Sadie want could be each other—and Josh’s kisses are the best Kentucky attraction Sadie’s found yet!  ( Simon and Schuster )

Straight out, let me say I have loved anything by Molly Harper that I have ever read. Her books, for me are like a trip to Hawaii, if you don't have a good time it's not Hawaii at fault. This is of course based on one trip to Hawaii where I realized that if I wasn't enjoying perfect weather and great food that it was my problem.

Really, Molly's books just make me feel good. They're romantic with a little sexy time but nothing that makes me blush (although given what I often read that may not be a good measure). This book is no exception.  I felt keenly for Sadie, by all rights a job that should have been hers gets pulled right out from under her.  Blessed with a sweet candy crust over a snarky candy interior, she has a hard time keeping a good face on the situation. You know that snark is going to sneak out just like a laugh in the wrong circumstance.

This was a great short novella which I read over the course of a Sunday morning.  I found it infinitely more interesting than the Sunday newspaper.

I loved the setting -- seriously, making a state job a fun and creative workplace is not easy. Having been a government worker, I can tell you creativity with little gratitude was the order of the day; fun it was not, and there was never a drop of romance in the air. That Molly can manage to create fun and romance in that environment is a testament to her skill as a story teller.  And, Kentucky is obviously on my list of places to go as this was the first of two books I read this week in which Kentucky figured prominently.  Molly's  characters are fun, unique, and varied. She has always, in my experience, given a happy ending with the villain getting his just desserts. In this case I admit I wondered which way the story would go. Sadie is smart, pretty and snarky with the sensibilities of a practical joker who always feels really bad about having played the joke.  The secretary, Kelsey is straight out of Mad Men.  Josh is really too nice but manages to hide it for a while.

I am not going to pretend this is some kind of serious piece of "literature." Thanks goodness for that! This was fun, uplifting, and shucks, it made me happier at the end than I was at the beginning. 

I highly recommend anything Molly has written and this one is a short must read if you like snarky women, and earnest young men. This is straight romance, no supernatural elements.

Perfect as holiday tension relief.

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