Restless Heart

February 14, 2011
Destiny Hart is a young country singer with a passion to succeed. But before she hits the big-time, she's stuck serving other hopefuls sweet ice tea before they take the stage at Back in the Saddle, a Nashville institution. Her family back home thinks she's already made it—and Destiny's not about to correct their misconceptions (having had a little something to do with their formation). But when she finally impresses a recording executive, the singer who's a little "rough around the edges" can finally tell her daddy that she's a star. Success is never simple, however, and a run-in with her high school crush, Seth, sparks a flame that neither of them expected. Seth loves small town life and the new couple struggle to keep their relationship on track as Destiny's star continues to rise. If it all sounds familiar that's because it is. Readers will immediately recognize the character types on display in Judd's debut—the small town stud, the eager young performer, the conservative dad—but the singer/writer wisely sticks to what she knows and makes it all enjoyable. Her novel is as clear, easy, and familiar as a country song about heartbreak, dogs, and dirt. And, like a handsome drifter at a Tennessee truck stop, it won't stick around for long.

January 1, 2011

Judd's first novel about the travails of a singer-songwriter torn between Nashville success and the pull of home.

Destiny Hart could never duck a dare, so when her high-school friends trick her into entering the Kentucky Idol talent competition shortly after graduation, no one expects her to win, leastwise Destiny herself. To the chagrin of her domineering father John, a retired Air Force colonel, she forgoes college to make it big in Nashville. Since running away from Wilmot, her small Kentucky hometown, the closest she's come to a music career is waitressing at the Saddle Bar & Grill, the Nashville equivalent of Schwab's Pharmacy, where country-music hopefuls come to be discovered. She's understudying the bar's current headliner, Mandy, a bleached blonde who's as stubbornly healthy as she is tone-deaf. When high-school heartthrob Seth comes to visit, Destiny realizes that the attraction between them can no longer be ignored. But she's bent on pursuing her dream of stardom wherever it takes her, and Seth is house-hunting in Wilmot and wants only to settle down and coach high-school baseball. Destiny's big break finally comes, and in no time she has a record deal, a manager and a posse of publicists. Her song "Restless Heart" is chosen as the theme for a country music variant of The Bachelor reality show, and megastar Tammy Turner wants Destiny to open for her at Tammy's new amphitheatre. But trouble at home is brewing. John and mom Sara are at odds over everything from Destiny's career path to Sara's midlife rebellion against military wifehood. Their other daughter Grace has fled the family turmoil to live with Destiny and carve out her own Nashville future. Can homebody Seth adjust to Destiny's life on the road? Will Wilmot woes shortstop Destiny's fast grounder to fame?

The answers are all too predictable, and readers hoping for a fresh, insider's look at the country-music scene—or for celebrity dish—will be disappointed.

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