Once More with Feeling Series: The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch by Marsha Moyer

The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch Marsha Moyer Women's Fiction 2002 Rating: B

"Lucy Hatch's life turns upside down when her husband, Mitchell, is killed in a farming accident. Her marriage was far from perfect and far from happy, but it was secure and she had carved herself a place and called it comfortable. All of this unhappiness and discontent is revealed when Mitchell dies. When Lucy disintegrates, her family comes to her rescue and drags her home to Mooney, Texas. She rents a small house, and decides to emulate the calm, orderly life of her maiden Aunt Dove. Enter Ash Farrell - singer, handyman, and Mooney heartthrob.

Ash throws Lucy for a loop. She's fascinated and repelled by him. Ash is a groupie magnet, he's sexy as all get out and he has an infantile girlfriend. When Lucy's sister-in-law Geneva introduces them, the sparks fly and Ash begins to pursue Lucy in a way the townspeople of Mooney have never before witnessed. Yet Lucy is hesitant. The pressures of the town and her own reputation are heavy, and she feels she owes something to Mitchell, regardless of his death or their marital unhappiness. Will she be able to sort through her past to get to a future with Ash?

The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch was a textured, subtle, and beautifully written book. Lucy herself is an interesting, compelling character. If she is a tad stubborn and prickly, well, that's understandable given the circumstances. The chemistry between Lucy and Ash (Ash. Ash Farrell. Say it with me. Ash Farrell. Even the name is sexy.) is electric, lively, bright and shocking. They have some of the best flirtatious dialogue I've read in a while. I'm a huge sucker for a hero in pursuit, and I'll admit Ash had me in the palm of his hand from the very first scene he appeared in. The love scenes between them were also very well written and surprisingly hot.

The rest of the characters are well defined, and seem natural in speech and action. Particularly enjoyable was the relationship between Lucy and Geneva. Their girl talk and confidences were, at times, laugh-out-loud funny. Lucy's brother, Bailey, is also interesting. His bewildered-but-protective attitude towards his sister was endearing. The flavor of East Texas is strong in Moyer's writing, and the small town atmosphere she creates certainly contributes to the general quirkiness of the rest of Mooney's residents.

The book does have a few flaws. Moyer has a unique voice, and much of her prose is lovely, but at times her description relied a little too heavy on the simile. Also, the book has a sober beginning, a more lively middle, and a subdued ending. The HEA is bleaker than the middle would suggest. If Moyer had sustained the cheerful, flirty mood of the middle section better, this book would have been a B+ instead of a B.

Moyer also left a few threads untied. Ash is a sexy, sensitive, very giving sort of fella, but his difficult past is never fully plumbed. The fact that he has a child he never sees is the most disturbing part of his character. Perhaps Moyer drew him that way to make him more realistic and three-dimensional, but without further explanation, his behavior somewhat resembles dead-beat dad-dom. And his future is hinted at but left uncertain."

[Note from Rachel: I reviewed this book as a stand-alone, but some time after a second book came out and now there are three.  See the interview I did with Marsha Moyer for details.] 

Click here for the rest of the review. 

This book is out of print, but available cheap at half.com or at bookmooch.

tags: books  fiction  romance  all about romance