This book had me laughing right from the start when she started freaking out about her baby in the car. However, it was nowhere near as charming as the first book. I thought that while it is good and well that Bonnie managed to accomplish her museum undertaking and keep the factory plans, it was too dangerous to play with people's livelihoods willy nilly. Optimism is good and all but it was very careless of her to not even consider other people. She was kind of annoying in that respect in that she had a single-minded approach to history without consideration of others. While she succeeded in the end, one wrong move on her part would be catastrophically devastating on many other people. This made me unsympathetic to her even when Will launched the smear campaign towards her. The comedy stems from the small town life she is dipping into. Small town gossip circulates fast and she is at the center of it. First, she was the town mayor's love interest, which quickly fizzled after her sneaky underhanded ways. Second, she was a town destroyer. I don't fully buy into the romance after their rivalry. I could believe it at the start but there was just no way their relationship resolved its kinks between her well intentioned but selfish ways and his campaign against her. While it was written in, I didn't fully buy it. Story Brief: They meet at her burning car, they are attracted to each other, he helps her out with living accommodations, she is there to restore the music hall, they befriend each other, he finds out about her designating the hall a historic site, she did so without consulting the town, he is livid with her sneakiness, he lays into her telling her that the factory plans would have saved the town's economy and created jobs, she continues with her plans anyways, he writes an open letter to her sponsors, they back out, she works out the details, she is at the brink of a public relations disaster, she convinces the factory to sponsor the historic site while also continuing with the plans to create a factory there. 3.5 starsRhythm and Bluegrass is the second book in the Bluegrass Series with the background of Kentucky Commission of Tourism. Oddly enough, the events in this book takes place prior to the events in the first book, My Bluegrass Baby, however both books can be read as stand alones.The story begins with Bonnie arriving in Mud Creek, KY on a mission to retrieve a piece of blues and country music history. Upon her arrival, her car catches fire, but Will McBride is there for the rescue...and a little misunderstanding sets the tone at his attempt in saving her belongings from the raging inferno that was once her vehicle.Will was a surprise throughout the novel. I loved his backwoods, lovable, and confident personality. He clearly knows no boundaries and has a weakness for pretty girls. Sadly, he has a lot of built up resentment toward his family's musical legacy and wants to let it die and be forgotten, which just happens to be the opposite of what Bonnie wants; her goal is to preserve the McBride musical legacy. He and Bonnie go head to head over the McBride musical artifacts, leading to a few chuckles from this reader during their fallout and attraction to one another.Molly Harper's signature wit is evident throughout the novel, but this story also takes a more serious turn in some of the events regarding Will's town of Mud Creek, which is slowly dying. Jobs are near non-existent, and it is Will's place as Mayor to restore the income by bringing an underwear factory to town in the location of his family's music hall. Both Will and Bonnie experience growth and go through changes in this book, opening their minds to understand the other's viewpoint.A couple of the characters from the first book in the series pay a visit in this installment, and several secondary characters are introduced. I enjoyed the secondary characters just as much as the main characters due to their quirky and lovable, small town personas. The mood is very similar to the first book in the series minus the tour of Kentucky, but the characters and events are very different, capturing the friendly and innocent essence of a small, backwoods town far removed.Rhythm and Bluegrass is a very quick read at a tad more than 180 pages. Light and cheery, this is a great book for a rainy...or snowy day when you just want to laugh and keep warm in the embrace of lovable characters. Again, this is chick lit, but the steam is kicked up a bit when compared to the first installment in the series. I recommend this book when you want a fast and humorous book and need a break from more intense reading.
What do You think about Rhythm And Bluegrass (2013)?
I like harpers quirky characters and her happy tails. They are light hearted and fun.
—ckstarling
Sweet and charming, as always. Molly Harper has a gift.
—annaiscoolloveher
