May 27, 2002
Humor and irony add a welcome tang to Carmichael's sweet romance. After movie superstar Jackson Stone's 13-year-old daughter, Cherie, runs off with a much older rock star, turning her private life into tabloid fodder, Jackson whisks her away to the Arizona hills. There Jackson sprains his ankle hiking and is rescued by feisty Rachel Marsh, the proprietor of the Lazy M Ranch. Captivated by the beautiful cattle rancher, Jackson decides her ranch may be the perfect place to hide out from invasive reporters and prepare for his next role. Rachel, widow and mother of 11-year-old Sam, welcomes paying guests, but her welcome doesn't extend to sexy Jackson Stone, his Hollywood baggage and his difficult, Morticia-like daughter—until he offers to work as a ranch hand and pay her very well for her troubles. The city slicker's incompetence and fear of horses as well as the boisterous relationship between Cherie and Sam offer laugh-out-loud entertainment. At the same time, Sam's clever dog, Chesty, provides canine color, and Cherie's New Age movie-star mother adds astral complications. In the midst of the novel's many twists and turns, Carmichael (Diamond in the Ruff) loses track of her secondary characters at times, but her colorful protagonists make this lighthearted romance worth the cover price. (June 4)Forecast:An eye-catching cover with bold, neon-pink lettering will keep readers from passing up this sexy summer title.
May 15, 2002
What's a father to do when his ex-wife loses track of their daughter, and said daughter is obsessed with looking Goth and running away to Las Vegas with a rock star? When you're Jackson Stone, hunky movie star, you grab your sulky daughter from the rock star's clutches, put her aboard your state-of-the-art RV, and head to the mountains of Arizona. While dragging his daughter on a hiking trip, Jackson falls off a log and hurts his ankle. Lucky for him, help is close at hand. Rachel Marsh supplements the income on her working ranch by taking in guests eager to experience the West. Jackson views Rachel's ranch as a means to shelter his daughter from the press for a while and a way to add some true grit to his next movie role. Jackson enjoys ruffling Rachel's feathers as he endears himself to her guests. Warm and funny, this newest Carmichael book is a winner.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)