Bitsy's Bait and BBQ

January 29, 2007
Flighty Katy Dodson's dreaminess gets her in over her head (again) in this light romance. Against her younger but more mature sister Emma's better judgment, Katy uses her divorce settlement to buy off the Internet, sight-unseen, an Ozarks B&B, thinking it will be the perfect place to raise her five-year-old son, Josh. But when the three arrive in Warbler Lake, they find what they thought was a quaint inn is actually a bait shop and barbecue restaurant. Neither Katy, Emma nor Josh know a brisket from a big-mouth bass, but they stick it out; colorful locals dutifully patronize the establishment (and hope the food improves) while providing narrative fodder. Back in St. Louis, Katy's ex-mother-in-law, Gwen, suddenly sees in her grandson the opportunity to do what she failed to do with her son, Sean: raise a fitting heir for her burger chain mini-empire. Gwen bullies Sean-who's still pining for his ex-wife-into seeking custody of Josh, and soon Gwen and Sean end up in Warbler Lake. Though the characters are thin and the plot uninspired, Morsi (The Cotton Queen) has fun with the locale and manages the sort of ending fans should appreciate.

January 29, 2007
Flighty Katy Dodson's dreaminess gets her in over her head (again) in this light romance. Against her younger but more mature sister Emma's better judgment, Katy uses her divorce settlement to buy off the Internet, sight-unseen, an Ozarks B&B, thinking it will be the perfect place to raise her five-year-old son, Josh. But when the three arrive in Warbler Lake, they find what they thought was a quaint inn is actually a bait shop and barbecue restaurant. Neither Katy, Emma nor Josh know a brisket from a big-mouth bass, but they stick it out; colorful locals dutifully patronize the establishment (and hope the food improves) while providing narrative fodder. Back in St. Louis, Katy's ex-mother-in-law, Gwen, suddenly sees in her grandson the opportunity to do what she failed to do with her son, Sean: raise a fitting heir for her burger chain mini-empire. Gwen bullies Sean-who's still pining for his ex-wife-into seeking custody of Josh, and soon Gwen and Sean end up in Warbler Lake. Though the characters are thin and the plot uninspired, Morsi (The Cotton Queen) has fun with the locale and manages the sort of ending fans should appreciate.

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2007
Emma and her younger sister, Katy, are virtually on their own in the world, so Emma acts as the ballast against the storms that surround flighty Katy's life. Katy never means any harm, but her divorce sends her and her young son back to live with Emma. Realizing how much Emma has sacrificed for her, Katy uses her settlement money to purchase a bed-and-breakfast in the Ozarks. At first it looks like Katy has done it again; the bed-and-breakfast she bought sight unseen turns out to be a bait and barbeque business in the nearly forgotten small town of Warbler Lake. But slowly, Katy and Emma become a part of the quirky community even as Katy's toxic mother-in-law and ne'er-do-well ex-husband scheme to take her son away from her. Morsi has created an amusing story that absolutely entertains while exploring the importance of community, forgiveness, and redemption.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)