From Publishers Weekly
Smith's beguiling brand of Southern contemporary romance (Sweet Hush, etc.) takes a satirical turn in her ninth novel. When Schwarzeneggeresque action star Stone Senterra arrives in Dahlonega, Ga., the only thing standing in the way of his making a film about real-life local hero Harper Vance is Vance's exâ€"beauty queen widow armed with a truckload of gravel, a potted orchid named "Dancer" and a will of steel. Charming Grace stops at nothing to ensure that her husband's memory does not become fodder for yet another bad movie. Having defied her wealthy father to befriend and then marry the backwoods bad boy turned GBI (Georgia Bureau of Investigation) agent, she is more than ready to face down Hollywood. What she isn't prepared for are the feelings aroused by Senterra's troubleshooting bodyguard, Cajun-born ex-con Boone Noleene, like Vance a gallant-hearted tough guy and like Senterra abandoned by his father at an early age. The novel alternates points of view: first we hear from the rebel belle, then from the brash bodyguard. The battling duo are backed up by a larger-than-life cast of secondary characters, including Senterra's baby sister co-star, Diamond, voted sexiest movie babe by Gun and Knife magazine, and Senterra's son the computer geek, who falls for Grace's black niece from Detroit. Smith blends Southern charm and Hollywood brass, kicking up the satire with Stone's script notes, full of cliches, paranoia and celluloid-deep emotion. Her unflagging energy, forgiving spirit and mischievous imagination compel the reader to delight with her in the frailty of heroes on-screen and off, proving that Smith is one romance novelist who just keeps getting better. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From AudioFile
Readers William Dufris and Moira Driscoll share performing duties in this story of a widow's attempt to halt the production of a movie about her hero husband. Dufris and Driscoll alternate narrative passages. Driscoll offers convincing portrayals of the 35-year-old widow and her grandmother, both Georgia belles; a 20-something niece from Detroit; and a silicone-enriched, abrasive stunt-woman from New Jersey. Dufris's cast includes the Louisiana protagonist, his convict brother, a New Jersey film hunk, and the hunk's son. All of them sound real enough to convince the listener that the narrating cast contains many actors. This audio production raises an average story to a level far higher than that of the printed book. R.P.L. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
*Starred Review* Grace Bagshaw Vance will do whatever it takes to stop Stone Senterra. One of Hollywood's most popular action/adventure stars, Senterra wants to direct a film based on the life of Grace's late husband, Harp, a Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent who was killed stopping the Turn-Key Bomber. Grace, however, is certain Senterra's brand of mindless, testosterone-drenched movies will disgrace Harp's memory. Armed with a shotgun and a load of gravel, Grace concocts a plan to put a halt to the production only to find herself up against Boone Noleene, Senterra's intensely loyal bodyguard. While they first seem to be on opposite sides, both Grace and Boone soon find they have quite a bit in common, something that worries Grace since the more she finds herself getting to know Boone, the more it seems she is letting go of her beloved Harp. Writing with an easy charm and sassy wit, Smith deftly fashions a splendid story of love and honor. Blessed with an abundance of delightfully eccentric characters and a plot that gracefully moves between past and present, this is a romance to treasure. John Charles
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Hollywood meets the small-town South when an action-movie star comes to a quirky Georgia community to film the true-life (and death) story of a heroic local lawman. The dead hero's widow, Grace, launches an inventive, often comic crusade to stop the filming of her late husband's very private story. She soon wins love and assistance from the movie star's personal bodyguard, a good-hearted ex-con with sad memories of his own. The movie star's nerdy son develops a crush on the heroine's shy niece, and Grace's colorful, cantankerous grandmother falls for a mysterious man from her (and her family's) past. When heart-tugging secrets come tumbling out, hero, heroine, and movie star are all surprised . . . and changed forever. Deb Smith's latest is another winner—touching on themes of love, loss, faith, and survival while keeping readers laughing from one page to the next.

Author Biography: Deborah Smith has written eight other contemporary novels, including A Place to Call Home, On Bear Mountain, The Stone Flower Garden, and Sweet Hush. She is married and lives in the mountains of north Georgia.

FROM THE CRITICS

The Washington Post

Hollywood is no match for Grace's clan of outspoken, eccentric women. With pleasure the reader encounters enraged ex-beauty queens, gallant ex-convicts, unconventional grandmothers and assorted relatives as they weigh in on Grace's inability to stop mourning her husband's death and live the life she has left. When this generous book throws its arms open to assemble a family with Boone and Grace at its center, the reader rejoices. Romance is about the future, and everyone gets a new one in this big-hearted Southern tale. — Pamela Regis

Publishers Weekly

Smith's beguiling brand of Southern contemporary romance (Sweet Hush, etc.) takes a satirical turn in her ninth novel. When Schwarzeneggeresque action star Stone Senterra arrives in Dahlonega, Ga., the only thing standing in the way of his making a film about real-life local hero Harper Vance is Vance's ex-beauty queen widow armed with a truckload of gravel, a potted orchid named "Dancer" and a will of steel. Charming Grace stops at nothing to ensure that her husband's memory does not become fodder for yet another bad movie. Having defied her wealthy father to befriend and then marry the backwoods bad boy turned GBI (Georgia Bureau of Investigation) agent, she is more than ready to face down Hollywood. What she isn't prepared for are the feelings aroused by Senterra's troubleshooting bodyguard, Cajun-born ex-con Boone Noleene, like Vance a gallant-hearted tough guy and like Senterra abandoned by his father at an early age. The novel alternates points of view: first we hear from the rebel belle, then from the brash bodyguard. The battling duo are backed up by a larger-than-life cast of secondary characters, including Senterra's baby sister co-star, Diamond, voted sexiest movie babe by Gun and Knife magazine, and Senterra's son the computer geek, who falls for Grace's black niece from Detroit. Smith blends Southern charm and Hollywood brass, kicking up the satire with Stone's script notes, full of clich s, paranoia and celluloid-deep emotion. Her unflagging energy, forgiving spirit and mischievous imagination compel the reader to delight with her in the frailty of heroes on-screen and off, proving that Smith is one romance novelist who just keeps getting better. (Feb.) Forecast: Smith's spirited blend of humor and romance should bump her up another notch on bestseller lists. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Smith continues the format of her previous works (Sweet Hush, On Bear Mountain): a small town in Georgia, the daughter of an established old-line family whose first love ended tragically, a conflict that brings with it a new love interest. Stallone-esque actor and director Stone Santerra is determined to make a larger-than-life movie about Harp Vance, a backwoods boy who grew up to be a heroic Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent, gunned down on a case. Stone brings his film crew to Grace Bagshaw Vance's yard. Stone's entourage includes his tough-as-nails sister, an actress, and his bodyguard, a Cajun ex-con. All the men's voices are read by William Dufris, and all the women's parts are performed by Moira Driscoll. Adjusting to hearing two voices takes a couple of tracks, but it does help keep the roles straight. However, neither actor handles the Southern accents (especially Cajun) very well. Purchase where demand warrants.-Nann Blaine Hilyard, Zion-Benton P.L., IL Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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