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Lucy Hatch #1
The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch
I was thirty-three years old when my husband walked out into a field one morning and never came back, and I went in one quick leap from wife to widow.
Lucy Hatch never expected more of life than to spend it on an East Texas farm with her silent and stoic husband, Mitchell. Now that the curtain has abruptly come down, she's back where it all started -- in tiny Mooney -- living in a rundown old house perched on the edge of nowhere, meaning to carry out her widowhood in the manner of her old maid Aunt Dove, in peaceful solitude.
But life, and the folks of Mooney, have other plans for Lucy. In hardly any time at all, she's mortified her entire family. And without even trying, she's caught the eye of the local handyman, Ash Farrell -- lifting eyebrows and setting tongues wagging. Everyone in town, it seems, thinks the guitar-playing, lady-loving Ash is the wrong choice of company for a brand new widow. All Lucy Hatch knows for sure is that she hasn't had much worth remembering in her first thirty-three years. This is her life, after all, and for the very first time, she intends to live it.
Marsha Moyer's exhilarating debut is a funny, poignant, and winsome tale about self-discovery and starting over at the beginning -- and of love popping up in the most unlikely place and time to transform a heart and nourish a soul. You're never going to forget Lucy Hatch.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
8 people are currently reading
837 people want to read
About the author
Marsha Moyer
7 books43 followersMarsha Moyer was born in Austin and grew up in Bryan/College Station in central Texas. After graduating from Bryan High School, she attended the University of Texas at Austin, and for the next 25 years held a variety of jobs, including those of secretary to two animal scientists in the field of swine management, newsletter editor at the Texas A&M computing center, and assistant to the late chemist Karl Folkers, whose work in the field of coenzyme Q-10 research is world-renowned.
Marsha has written fiction since childhood, and in 1990 was awarded a three-month residency from the Syvenna Foundation for women writers in northeast Texas. Almost a decade later, the East Texas experience came full circle when she began the manuscript which would ultimately yield two novels, The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch and The Last of the Honky-tonk Angels. A portion of the original manuscript was chosen first-place winner in the mainstream division of the Austin Writers’ League manuscript competition in July 2000, and in May 2001, publisher William Morrow purchased, at auction, The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch (published in 2002) and its sequel, The Last of the Honky-tonk Angels (published in 2003). Sales to Random House Australia and Sony Magazines Japan followed.
In 2008 and 2008, Marsha published the third and fourth installments of the Lucy Hatch saga, Heartbreak Town and Return of the Stardust Cowgirl, with Three Rivers Press, an imprint of Crown Publishers.
As of January 2008, Marsha is a once again full-time employee of the State of Texas. She lives with her cat, Smudge, in Austin, where when not at work she enjoys napping, collecting vintage postcards, making beaded jewelry, and watching NASCAR. (Her driver is Tony Stewart.)
Marsha has written fiction since childhood, and in 1990 was awarded a three-month residency from the Syvenna Foundation for women writers in northeast Texas. Almost a decade later, the East Texas experience came full circle when she began the manuscript which would ultimately yield two novels, The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch and The Last of the Honky-tonk Angels. A portion of the original manuscript was chosen first-place winner in the mainstream division of the Austin Writers’ League manuscript competition in July 2000, and in May 2001, publisher William Morrow purchased, at auction, The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch (published in 2002) and its sequel, The Last of the Honky-tonk Angels (published in 2003). Sales to Random House Australia and Sony Magazines Japan followed.
In 2008 and 2008, Marsha published the third and fourth installments of the Lucy Hatch saga, Heartbreak Town and Return of the Stardust Cowgirl, with Three Rivers Press, an imprint of Crown Publishers.
As of January 2008, Marsha is a once again full-time employee of the State of Texas. She lives with her cat, Smudge, in Austin, where when not at work she enjoys napping, collecting vintage postcards, making beaded jewelry, and watching NASCAR. (Her driver is Tony Stewart.)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews
June 24, 2015
I liked Lucy Hatch. Her life had not been easy and it reflected in her relationships. She had been content in a marriage without love and passion. She was insecure yet close-mouthed until her husband's death. Within days, her feelings gnarled, morphed and then ruptured. Luckily, the bendable Ash Ferrell had the energy to take Lucy's well-meant criticisms and endure the ebb and flow.
Married at nineteen but widowed by the age 33, Lucy was a down-to-earth but honest 'quick study'. Her daddy left the family when she was ten, never to be seen again. With two brothers and a dysfunctional mother, her Aunt Dove saved the day by rescuing the family and giving the kids purpose.
I appreciated why Lucy married Mitchell, the quiet and somber farmer. I also understood her actions after his unexpected death. Her life up to that point had rolled along like a tumbleweed. She was neither happy nor sad, simply content in letting her existence continue, away from dying towns and rushed city-life.
After her husband passed away, she was convinced by family members to return to her hometown of Mooney, Texas. Within five weeks, she did the unexpected: she was driving a van for a floral delivery business. It angered her mother and became fodder for the town's gossips. To make matters worse, Ash Ferrell, Mooney, Texas's most sought-after bachelor, tipped the scales and started to pursue Lucy.
This is why I love reading romances. The sharp witticisms. The flippant acquiescing. By no means, was Lucy perfect and neither was Ash. But I loved the complications and grittiness that gave this story its edginess and tension. By the end, I found delightful snippets of time woven with refreshing characters. I appreciated Ms. Moyer allowing me to visit her imaginary corner of the world.
Married at nineteen but widowed by the age 33, Lucy was a down-to-earth but honest 'quick study'. Her daddy left the family when she was ten, never to be seen again. With two brothers and a dysfunctional mother, her Aunt Dove saved the day by rescuing the family and giving the kids purpose.
I appreciated why Lucy married Mitchell, the quiet and somber farmer. I also understood her actions after his unexpected death. Her life up to that point had rolled along like a tumbleweed. She was neither happy nor sad, simply content in letting her existence continue, away from dying towns and rushed city-life.
After her husband passed away, she was convinced by family members to return to her hometown of Mooney, Texas. Within five weeks, she did the unexpected: she was driving a van for a floral delivery business. It angered her mother and became fodder for the town's gossips. To make matters worse, Ash Ferrell, Mooney, Texas's most sought-after bachelor, tipped the scales and started to pursue Lucy.
This is why I love reading romances. The sharp witticisms. The flippant acquiescing. By no means, was Lucy perfect and neither was Ash. But I loved the complications and grittiness that gave this story its edginess and tension. By the end, I found delightful snippets of time woven with refreshing characters. I appreciated Ms. Moyer allowing me to visit her imaginary corner of the world.
May 2, 2014
3.5 STARS
A 33 year old woman widowed after her husband dies in a farming accident. She feels loss but relief as well. 14 years with someone should leave remnants of a life together but Lucy Hatch can barely remember what he smells like.
A woman who lost herself to a life filled with disappointing expectations. A man that was more concerned with the season's crops than with his wife. A relationship fortified by familiarity rather than love or passion.
Lucy wants to live again, make up for the loss of self while married to Mitchell. But fate has other ideas in mind, namely Ash Farrell, the town lady killer and resident heartthrob. When he sees Lucy his whole world changes. He singularly focuses on getting her, keeping her. She resists at first but who wouldn't? But can her family and the town of Mooney see past her recent widowhood? Can she?
This was a very well written and beautiful story of finding the second chances in life that should have been the first. A love so strong and so powerful that it can't be denied. But Lucy has to work through her own sense of guilt over feeling relief when her husband passed. Ash sees her for who she is and boy, did he work to get her attention! Serenading her, coming to her through a vicious and deadly storm just to see her, the man was INCREDIBLE. He's the best part of this whole book. I was blown away by his unwavering focus, his patience to wait for a woman he felt was worth the world waiting for. There was a very memorable secondary cast that helped carve out this great story, the writing was often lyrical and affecting, the romance was sweet and surprisingly steamy.
This is a first in a series but doesn't end on a cliffhanger. There were threads left open to be resolved in the other books, but not in direct reference to the beautiful relationship between Lucy and Ash. I got to thank Jill for reading this, or I would never have seen it on my feed!
A 33 year old woman widowed after her husband dies in a farming accident. She feels loss but relief as well. 14 years with someone should leave remnants of a life together but Lucy Hatch can barely remember what he smells like.
A woman who lost herself to a life filled with disappointing expectations. A man that was more concerned with the season's crops than with his wife. A relationship fortified by familiarity rather than love or passion.
Lucy wants to live again, make up for the loss of self while married to Mitchell. But fate has other ideas in mind, namely Ash Farrell, the town lady killer and resident heartthrob. When he sees Lucy his whole world changes. He singularly focuses on getting her, keeping her. She resists at first but who wouldn't? But can her family and the town of Mooney see past her recent widowhood? Can she?
This was a very well written and beautiful story of finding the second chances in life that should have been the first. A love so strong and so powerful that it can't be denied. But Lucy has to work through her own sense of guilt over feeling relief when her husband passed. Ash sees her for who she is and boy, did he work to get her attention! Serenading her, coming to her through a vicious and deadly storm just to see her, the man was INCREDIBLE. He's the best part of this whole book. I was blown away by his unwavering focus, his patience to wait for a woman he felt was worth the world waiting for. There was a very memorable secondary cast that helped carve out this great story, the writing was often lyrical and affecting, the romance was sweet and surprisingly steamy.
This is a first in a series but doesn't end on a cliffhanger. There were threads left open to be resolved in the other books, but not in direct reference to the beautiful relationship between Lucy and Ash. I got to thank Jill for reading this, or I would never have seen it on my feed!
April 23, 2013
How in the hell do I go about describing this story and my reaction to it?
I'm going to have to resort to analogies. Bear with me, I'm still stunned stupid.
If Scout (To Kill a Mockingbird) had married right out of high school and out of a conviction that it would be her one shot, she would narrate the story of her rebirth in widowhood with as much wry grace as Lucy Hatch, the narrator and female lead in this wonderful, romantic novel. (And if you dislike first-person narrative romances, this is in a different class entirely.)
If memoirist Mary Karr (Liar's Poker) had tried to come to terms with a dead husband she shouldn't have married in the first place no matter how steady, honorable and earnest he'd been, she might possibly have sounded as guilty, truthful, skeptical, and very funny and confused as Lucy Hatch does, while picking up the pieces after her husband's untimely death on their East Texas farm.
That's just for starters. The author has a glorious command of language: lyrical descriptive passages capture the beauty of the spare landscape, the vicissitudes of weather and emotions, and the worn house Lucy Hatch makes home to begin to define her life as a widow at 33; each character contributes a distinct, often funny, voice that rings true to the story, to families, to small towns and to Texas; and she enables her narrator, Lucy, to acknowledge with delicacy and impact in turn the numbness of loss, the thrilling terror of attraction and its uncertainties, the ambivalence of dependence on another; and finally, Ms. Moyer did it all with such authenticity, it felt like a life being lived, all of it unfolding, as in life and as it must, inconveniently.
Then there's the guy who stares at her from his beat-up, white pick-up truck soon after she returns to her hometown. Ash Farrell. He works with his hands. He's drop-your-panties gorgeous and a survivor of less-than-auspicious beginnings himself. And he can sing, damn it. His single-minded pursuit of Lucy and infinite patience would have irked me as annoyingly unrealistic, if not for all the realities of Lucy's situation that weighed on me for her sake. He waited because she was worth the waiting. He persisted because she'd lost her footing in life, and he knows a bit about this himself. And he loved her before he made love to her, knowing she wasn't certain she deserved to find joy in the arms of another man so soon. But he was willing to ride through the storms to find out what she's decided.
One final analogy, sorry. Lucy says the smell of Ash Farrell's neck was instantly familiar, unforgettable and somehow perfectly right. So was this story.
I loved it and I hope you find a copy to read for yourself.
I'm going to have to resort to analogies. Bear with me, I'm still stunned stupid.
If Scout (To Kill a Mockingbird) had married right out of high school and out of a conviction that it would be her one shot, she would narrate the story of her rebirth in widowhood with as much wry grace as Lucy Hatch, the narrator and female lead in this wonderful, romantic novel. (And if you dislike first-person narrative romances, this is in a different class entirely.)
If memoirist Mary Karr (Liar's Poker) had tried to come to terms with a dead husband she shouldn't have married in the first place no matter how steady, honorable and earnest he'd been, she might possibly have sounded as guilty, truthful, skeptical, and very funny and confused as Lucy Hatch does, while picking up the pieces after her husband's untimely death on their East Texas farm.
That's just for starters. The author has a glorious command of language: lyrical descriptive passages capture the beauty of the spare landscape, the vicissitudes of weather and emotions, and the worn house Lucy Hatch makes home to begin to define her life as a widow at 33; each character contributes a distinct, often funny, voice that rings true to the story, to families, to small towns and to Texas; and she enables her narrator, Lucy, to acknowledge with delicacy and impact in turn the numbness of loss, the thrilling terror of attraction and its uncertainties, the ambivalence of dependence on another; and finally, Ms. Moyer did it all with such authenticity, it felt like a life being lived, all of it unfolding, as in life and as it must, inconveniently.
Then there's the guy who stares at her from his beat-up, white pick-up truck soon after she returns to her hometown. Ash Farrell. He works with his hands. He's drop-your-panties gorgeous and a survivor of less-than-auspicious beginnings himself. And he can sing, damn it. His single-minded pursuit of Lucy and infinite patience would have irked me as annoyingly unrealistic, if not for all the realities of Lucy's situation that weighed on me for her sake. He waited because she was worth the waiting. He persisted because she'd lost her footing in life, and he knows a bit about this himself. And he loved her before he made love to her, knowing she wasn't certain she deserved to find joy in the arms of another man so soon. But he was willing to ride through the storms to find out what she's decided.
One final analogy, sorry. Lucy says the smell of Ash Farrell's neck was instantly familiar, unforgettable and somehow perfectly right. So was this story.
I loved it and I hope you find a copy to read for yourself.
February 8, 2010
'The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch' by Marsha Moyer isn't your typical girl meets boy story. It's more ... girl meets (boring) boy, girl and (boring) boy marry, girl becomes an amoeba, boy dies and then the real story starts. Re-discovery. Home-coming. Forbidden love.
Although it could be characterised as a romance, 'The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch' has more bite and backbone than some of the fluff you can find on a bookshelf. The characters are multi-faceted, easy to love and relate to; and the range and depth of emotions experienced aren’t cliché.
I’m really glad that Marsha Moyer has turned this tale of Lucy Hatch into a four-part series because once you start reading, you want to see how the story turns out ... not just at the end of this book but for many adventures to come!
Although it could be characterised as a romance, 'The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch' has more bite and backbone than some of the fluff you can find on a bookshelf. The characters are multi-faceted, easy to love and relate to; and the range and depth of emotions experienced aren’t cliché.
I’m really glad that Marsha Moyer has turned this tale of Lucy Hatch into a four-part series because once you start reading, you want to see how the story turns out ... not just at the end of this book but for many adventures to come!
August 7, 2024
I first read this book when it was first published in 2002. Purchased at Borders with no real expectations. I loved it then and I love it now. With the exception of a few things it ages like fine wine. I went on to read the entire series (four books in all). I had a book hangover after each one and a nasty hangover when it was finished. Ash Farrell remains my favorite, flawed MMC. A few years later Lucy Hatch was me. Marsha Moyer didn't publish again after the series and that's a shame.
June 16, 2016
Oh, where to start in telling you why I loved this book so much!? I'm very drawn to the writing style of Marsha Moyer, for one. It feels like having a dear friend and that friend is talking to you. In this case it's Lucy Hatch telling me how her life has come to this point in time where she finds herself (a widow) and has no other choice than to move on with her life; and that's where the story starts. I felt a connection, a familiar and welcoming connection to this book, to the characters, from page 1.
Lucy Hatch's character feels so genuine, so normal, and that makes her journey to self discovery even more compelling and realistic.
All the people around her, her brother Bailey, her sister in law Geneva, her Aunt Dove are all amazing and good and decent, and flawed, but above all they feel so normal & real, well that's most heart-warming.
Oh, and what to say about Ash Farrell?! Like Lucy says in the book about his voice when she hears him singing for the first time in the Round-Up: '...it was richer than I remembered, seasoned, I guessed, by eighteen years of living, until it had achieved a depth, a layered and polished sheen, like a good piece of wood, well cared for". And that's only her impressions about his VOICE, but it's telling!
A Tim McGraw's song comes to mind "I May Be A Real Bad Boy, But Baby I'm a REAL GOOD MAN": well that's so totally Ash! I want one of those Ash Farrells all to myself too ;-)!! teeheehee
Lucy Hatch's character feels so genuine, so normal, and that makes her journey to self discovery even more compelling and realistic.
All the people around her, her brother Bailey, her sister in law Geneva, her Aunt Dove are all amazing and good and decent, and flawed, but above all they feel so normal & real, well that's most heart-warming.
Oh, and what to say about Ash Farrell?! Like Lucy says in the book about his voice when she hears him singing for the first time in the Round-Up: '...it was richer than I remembered, seasoned, I guessed, by eighteen years of living, until it had achieved a depth, a layered and polished sheen, like a good piece of wood, well cared for". And that's only her impressions about his VOICE, but it's telling!
A Tim McGraw's song comes to mind "I May Be A Real Bad Boy, But Baby I'm a REAL GOOD MAN": well that's so totally Ash! I want one of those Ash Farrells all to myself too ;-)!! teeheehee
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 16, 2008
I love Lucy. And I am knee-deep in love with Ash Farrell. For six bucks- bought at a bargain store on the basis of cover and title alone- I found my go-to book, my ultimate security blanket of a book, and one of my all-time favorites. Not at all bad for six bucks. I have read it a dozen times and the story and characters never fail me, with their love, humor and realness. It's the book that I take with me whenever I travel- that little piece of happiness that I can tuck into my bag or under my arm so that whenever I am homesick or lonely or just blue I can pull it out and flip to any page and smile with the feeling of coming home.
Lucy Hatch is a little bit of a hero of mine and I just picture her there, sitting on the porch of that brokendown little house in the middle of nowhere, Texas, in a cotton nightgown with black knee-high mud-caked rubber boots and a wild tousle of red hair, watching a white truck driving up the dusty road, and I feel like I can kick the world's ass, if need be. Everyone needs a book that can perk them up like this one does for me.
Plus, when I find myself in a moment of confusion, all I have to do now is think What would Aunt Dove do?. At the very least, it makes me grin.
Lucy Hatch is a little bit of a hero of mine and I just picture her there, sitting on the porch of that brokendown little house in the middle of nowhere, Texas, in a cotton nightgown with black knee-high mud-caked rubber boots and a wild tousle of red hair, watching a white truck driving up the dusty road, and I feel like I can kick the world's ass, if need be. Everyone needs a book that can perk them up like this one does for me.
Plus, when I find myself in a moment of confusion, all I have to do now is think What would Aunt Dove do?. At the very least, it makes me grin.
February 8, 2017
What? Another favorite book I never reviewed. Oh my. This one was published in 2002, long before my GoodReads days. Anyway...
I have loved this book for a long, long time. I challenge any reader to not fall in love, at least a little bit, with both Bailey and Ash. I'll be impressed if you aren't just a little bit jealous of of Lucy, too. This book makes me want to move to a tiny Texas town and go dancing every weekend at an old dance hall that smells of booze and sweat. Marsha Moyer captures the feel of the place so well that you can almost believe you'll find an Ash of your own if you do just that.
I loved this book just as much this reading as I did the first time I read it, sometime in 2002 or '03. As Moyer came out with sequels, I loved this book less and less. In fact, in spite of the wonderful titles, the sequels kept me away from one of my favorite love stories for years and years. My advice? Read this one - twice - and skip the rest.
I have loved this book for a long, long time. I challenge any reader to not fall in love, at least a little bit, with both Bailey and Ash. I'll be impressed if you aren't just a little bit jealous of of Lucy, too. This book makes me want to move to a tiny Texas town and go dancing every weekend at an old dance hall that smells of booze and sweat. Marsha Moyer captures the feel of the place so well that you can almost believe you'll find an Ash of your own if you do just that.
I loved this book just as much this reading as I did the first time I read it, sometime in 2002 or '03. As Moyer came out with sequels, I loved this book less and less. In fact, in spite of the wonderful titles, the sequels kept me away from one of my favorite love stories for years and years. My advice? Read this one - twice - and skip the rest.
August 26, 2012
While I'm not a big reader of contemporary fiction or first person narratives, Marsha Moyer has made a believer of me with THE SECOND COMING OF LUCY HATCH.
Lucy is sympathetic and believable as she struggles with the grief and guilt of finding new love after the loss of her husband.
I really like the honky tonk signing hero, Ash, although he seems ALMOST too good to be true in suddenly changing his philandering ways after setting his sights on Lucy. But I guess that's what makes for a great romance - when someone wants to be "better" to win another's love, but it would not have been believable had the author not shared Ash's own painful past.
Having lived a short while in central Texas, the backdrop and secondary characters were extremely vivid - the Texas heat, the unpredictable storms, the swaggers and twangs of the characters- all things that make Texas unique.
I really enjoyed this and thank Jill for the recommendation.
Lucy is sympathetic and believable as she struggles with the grief and guilt of finding new love after the loss of her husband.
I really like the honky tonk signing hero, Ash, although he seems ALMOST too good to be true in suddenly changing his philandering ways after setting his sights on Lucy. But I guess that's what makes for a great romance - when someone wants to be "better" to win another's love, but it would not have been believable had the author not shared Ash's own painful past.
Having lived a short while in central Texas, the backdrop and secondary characters were extremely vivid - the Texas heat, the unpredictable storms, the swaggers and twangs of the characters- all things that make Texas unique.
I really enjoyed this and thank Jill for the recommendation.
March 9, 2011
While I'm not a big reader of contemporary fiction or first person narratives, Marsha Moyer has made a believer of me with THE SECOND COMING OF LUCY HATCH.
Lucy is sympathetic and believable as she struggles with the grief and guilt of finding new love after the loss of her husband.
I really like the honky tonk signing hero, Ash, although he seems ALMOST too good to be true in suddenly changing his philandering ways after setting his sights on Lucy. But I guess that's what makes for a great romance - when someone wants to be "better" to win another's love, but it would not have been believable had the author not shared Ash's own painful past.
Having lived a short while in central Texas, the backdrop and secondary characters were extremely vivid - the Texas heat, the unpredictable storms, the swaggers and twangs of the characters- all things that make Texas unique.
I really enjoyed this and thank Jill for the recommendation.
Lucy is sympathetic and believable as she struggles with the grief and guilt of finding new love after the loss of her husband.
I really like the honky tonk signing hero, Ash, although he seems ALMOST too good to be true in suddenly changing his philandering ways after setting his sights on Lucy. But I guess that's what makes for a great romance - when someone wants to be "better" to win another's love, but it would not have been believable had the author not shared Ash's own painful past.
Having lived a short while in central Texas, the backdrop and secondary characters were extremely vivid - the Texas heat, the unpredictable storms, the swaggers and twangs of the characters- all things that make Texas unique.
I really enjoyed this and thank Jill for the recommendation.
June 29, 2013
This is going to seem totally fussy, but so be it. if you are going to add a puppy to the storyline to show us how sweet and wonderful the main characters are, the characters should actually take care of the puppy. I'm actually supposed to like this character who leaves a puppy unattended in her yard all day when she goes to work? And then she leaves the same puppy out on its own through a storm that causes flooding throughout the entire state? Then we find the male lead character has done the same thing with his adult dog-i.e. left it out to run free while he is out of town for 5 days?
Truthfully, I kept reading to see when or if either of these idiots would realize they needed to take care of their pets.
Truthfully, I kept reading to see when or if either of these idiots would realize they needed to take care of their pets.
December 6, 2011
To be quite honest, I had no idea what to expect when I picked this book up to read. From the blurb on the back of the book, it sounded like something I might enjoy and came with the promise of romance. It was that and so much more. I loved the characters, both lead and secondary. It was a joy watching Lucy's "second coming." Ash was such a wonderful hero and a heartthrob too! Told in first person which isn't very often my favorite, this author wrote a beautiful and heart stealing story with such depth and emotion that found its way into my heart and a place on my keeper shelf. I'm really looking forward to the next installment in the Lucy Hatch Series.
July 28, 2009
I would really like to give this book 3 1/2 stars. It was a book I could put down and not a page turner.
Lucy Hatch is a lost soul looking to find her inner self. Her struggle to find her peace with God, her mother and her late husband is a roller coaster ride. I enjoyed her journey and the interesting characters she met along the way.
This is the first in a series of 4 books...I will try and read the others too. I don't want to miss what happens next...I read the blurbs!
TNBBC 2009 Summer Challenge - 30.2 Part 1 - In Honor of Lucille Ball's birthday.
Pages - 291
Lucy Hatch is a lost soul looking to find her inner self. Her struggle to find her peace with God, her mother and her late husband is a roller coaster ride. I enjoyed her journey and the interesting characters she met along the way.
This is the first in a series of 4 books...I will try and read the others too. I don't want to miss what happens next...I read the blurbs!
TNBBC 2009 Summer Challenge - 30.2 Part 1 - In Honor of Lucille Ball's birthday.
Pages - 291
August 7, 2008
I love stories where the hero becomes a better version of him or herself. In this story not only did the main character develop into a more interesting person, so did the people around her. So I loved it. It has been several days now and I am still missing the characters and wondering what they are doing now. I haven't done this with a book since Love Walked In.
June 30, 2024
This book ranks at the top of my all-time favorites because of the writing style. It's a good story - very touching - but it's the stlye that really got to me. Ms. Moyer paints beautiful, memorable word pictures. Unfortunately the next two books in the series don't measure up.
February 25, 2009
Not very good.
March 31, 2009
I had to read this for book clug. The boyfriend's name was Ash and he has a huge belt buckle. Need I say more? Yuck.
December 15, 2011
Started off decent but felt a little like a Harlequin romance by the end. :-/
June 29, 2012
A little slow to start but picks up quickly and when it does, Yowza! Give me a fan!
January 4, 2024
Lucy Hatch has a boring life. Her husband, Mitchell, is a farmer first and a reluctant husband. After his tragic death under a tractor, Lucy goes home to her family: her mother, who lost her autonomy and gained steadfast religion after her husband walked away; her two brothers, Kit and Bailey; her sisters-in-law, Connie and Geneva; and her dear aunt Dove, who lives alone and unperturbed after helping raise her niece and nephews. Bailey and Dove are her constants, still there for her unfailingly, even after being away for the majority of her 14-year marriage. Dove helps her find a place of her own, Bailey and Geneva pull her back into the social gatherings of her hometown, and before you know it, she has an undeniable pull toward the "bad guy" singing in the local bar twice a week, Ash. He feels the same way and Lucy discovers passion for the first time. Blah, blah, blah.
Definitely a good read, slow but enjoyable.
Main themes: grief and second chances
Setting: Texas
Genre: Romance, General Fiction
Best line is Geneva's: "I think you finally found out why God gave men tongues.... well, you didn't think it was for conversation, did you?"
I'll end up reading the sequels, which generally says I liked the book pretty well, or I would never seek out more books to buy, as I have enough on my list.
Definitely a good read, slow but enjoyable.
Main themes: grief and second chances
Setting: Texas
Genre: Romance, General Fiction
Best line is Geneva's: "I think you finally found out why God gave men tongues.... well, you didn't think it was for conversation, did you?"
I'll end up reading the sequels, which generally says I liked the book pretty well, or I would never seek out more books to buy, as I have enough on my list.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2021
Ok...there’s so much to be said about this book. So buckle up.
First, the basics. I gave this 3 Stars but I may talk myself up to 4 Stars if I can get over an annoying bit toward the end. If you like contemporary romance with some slightly graphic sex scenes tacked on for fun, you should read this book. ☺️
Second, this book has been sitting on my TBR shelf for 5-6 years. And yes, you read that correctly. 5-6 YEARS. I bought it along with several other books at a thrift store for next to nothing and the poor little pile of thrift store books keeps getting ignored. So I’m determined to start reading one a month until the stack is gone.
Third, the first 3/4 of this book was damn good. And then, it took this maudlin turn that annoyed me. This is why I went with a 3 Star rating instead of a 4. But, I may still change my mind.
And, lastly, I’m so glad I picked this book as the first from the thrift store pile. This really inspires me to keep going!!
First, the basics. I gave this 3 Stars but I may talk myself up to 4 Stars if I can get over an annoying bit toward the end. If you like contemporary romance with some slightly graphic sex scenes tacked on for fun, you should read this book. ☺️
Second, this book has been sitting on my TBR shelf for 5-6 years. And yes, you read that correctly. 5-6 YEARS. I bought it along with several other books at a thrift store for next to nothing and the poor little pile of thrift store books keeps getting ignored. So I’m determined to start reading one a month until the stack is gone.
Third, the first 3/4 of this book was damn good. And then, it took this maudlin turn that annoyed me. This is why I went with a 3 Star rating instead of a 4. But, I may still change my mind.
And, lastly, I’m so glad I picked this book as the first from the thrift store pile. This really inspires me to keep going!!
October 18, 2021
Found this book at a thrift store and decided to give it a go…. Started out really well, hard to put down, and then just became unbelievable. I found myself repeating, ‘oh brother.’ Sex filled 1/3 of the story and gaggy storyline finished it off.
And what about her new puppy? Why add a dog if it is ignored through the rest of the story? And to leave a puppy outside to shiver during a crazy monsoon-type storm is flat out cruel. From that moment on, I couldn’t like Lucy.
I’ve got to stop reading books like this!
And what about her new puppy? Why add a dog if it is ignored through the rest of the story? And to leave a puppy outside to shiver during a crazy monsoon-type storm is flat out cruel. From that moment on, I couldn’t like Lucy.
I’ve got to stop reading books like this!
October 15, 2020
A southern thirty-something woman suddenly becomes a widow after fourteen years of marriage. Her whole life on the farm changes and she moves back to the small town where she grew up and tongues start wagging when she is seen spending time with the town’s resident womanizing bar singer. This was a fun read, very southern, but is a story about starting over and opening up to discover true happiness.
May 19, 2021
This should’ve have been an easier book to read. Lucy suffers the loss of her husbands tragic death. She retreats to her hometown and is mostly embraced by her family. She almost immediately falls into love and bed with Ash a local musician. The issue I have with the book is that none of the loose ends are tied up. Yes, Lucy and Ash seemingly end up together but there are so many questions I have unresolved about the farm, her infertility, his music, his craftsmanship and so on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2018
I loved it. Being young in Texas I was “There” right in the book to the end. Can’t wait to get the second in the series. Marsha Moyer created in the pages, deep deep feelings and deep emotions of the characters in the human condition...light and dark and metamorphosis. I loved the scenery and back drops, and all the real detail too.
September 10, 2023
I really enjoyed this. I seem to have developed a fondness for Texas women authors and their small town tales full of fun and quirky characters. This is a more modern day take, but reminds of the books I’ve enjoyed by Jane Roberts Wood. Glad to see it’s a series and maybe someday I’ll find the next book.
October 23, 2024
I read this because it was a prequel to The Last of the HonkeyTonk Angels which I really liked. So, I wanted to read the background of the other story. It was not as engaging, maybe because I knew what was going to happen as well as how Lucy felt about her dead husband and Ash. I struggled through it though.
October 24, 2025
Lucy Hatch tries to live up to her mother's religious views most of her life. She marries a man she hardy knows and moves to his farm. Life is as good as you make it but, Lucy wonders if there is more. This is a book about family relationships, love, friendship, small communities and getting to know yourself.
September 4, 2018
I thought it was quite cliche’ and poorly edited. I almost couldn’t read it - for example, we learn on page 9 that Lucy’s wrist is in a cast. On page 19 she is running her wrists under ice cold water. I kept waiting for some unexpected event or some depth.
November 10, 2020
I liked this book, but the main character, Lucy, just beats herself up too much. She keeps blaming herself for her husband's death, even though she had nothing to do with it. Then she blames herself for not morning him enough, when they didn't even love each other.
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