Return of the Stardust Cowgirl

December 3, 2007
The fourth installment in Moyer's marvelous Lucy Hatch series (after Heartbreak Town
) is as refreshing as an icy cold Coke on a hot afternoon in northeast Texas. The fortunes of cowgirl Lucy Hatch have been up and down since her husband, singer/songwriter Ash Farrell, lost his recording contract and hightailed it home to Mooney, Tex. (pop. 990), to reunite with Lucy and son Jude. Not that Lucy doesn't appreciate his renewed commitment (and his handyman abilities), but she knows he has plenty of problems, and his creative block isn't helping things, nor is the fact that Lucy's job at a flower shop is in peril. Also complicating matters is the whirlwind arrival of Lucy's pregnant stepdaughter, Denny Culpepper, a rising country star who caught her husband cheating on her. Lucy and Denny realize their lives are falling apart, and pulling together means accepting change and, sometimes, making hard decisions. Austinite Moyer captures smalltown Texas life with a sure touch, offering insights about how families survive.

February 1, 2008
In Moyers fourth Lucy Hatch book, Lucyis enjoying the slow pace in little Mooney, Texas, whereshe and her husband, Ash, have reconciled after leaving the limelight of Nashville and confronting his alcoholism. NowAshs daughter, Denny, returns and brings a whirlwind of worries. Her career as a country-music singer is taking off while her marriage is disintegrating. Everyone knows her husband is trouble, especially her dad, who recognizes all his own bad traits without the good in him. Denny just wants a place to lick her wounds, but life gets even more complicated once she takesa home pregnancy test. As Denny struggles, Ash faces a musical crisis and Lucy is about to lose her job at the flower shop, but through it all, family is there when you need it most, even if you have to work things out for yourself. Moyers latestis a gem with its complicated andendearing characters who deliverheartbreak and delight.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)