My Long Tall Texas Heartthrob

We revisit Cedar Dell and its citizens as this story is a sequel to the above title where we read Nick Sutherland's story. We get to know the man portrayed as Cedar Dell's hotshot, wealthy philanthropic lawyer. The story begins with Tess, a talent manager responsible for many famous faces when she is called by her always-in-trouble sister, Chloe whose "emergencies" aren't always what they seem (i.e. trivial). However, this time Chloe's sister is living in a hellhole of a "house", has criminals chasing after her and threatening her life, her boyfriend has disappeared, she's broke and pregnant to boot. Tess rushes to her sister's side as usual and is horrified to discover Chloe's emergency is too real after all. After the initial shock of finding Chloe pregnant, she is quick to act and solve Chloe's problems for her, starting with moving her sister to a better place to live. However, Chloe stubbornly refuses to leave the "house" which is owned by her boyfriend, Snake's mother. She meets Nick Sutherland who has been a good friend to her sister Chloe and together they collude to help Chloe. This romance is busy with little dramas (mostly from Chloe) but we see the real man behind Nick. He is running from emotional wounds of his own while Tess struggles with her responsibilities to her sister and her relationship with Nick (she has no intention of living in Cedar Dell- where will this relationship go?) We visit Max and Kate from "My Big Tex Heartbreak" since Nick and Max have become friends after their initial minor competition for Kate. The two have a friendly rivalry going and Nick steals one of Max's maneuvers to remove the another man from Tess's presence after they have a fight. She is close friends with Jake Muldoon, who is a famous sitcom/movie? star and brings him in after their argument, arousing Nick's jealousy. Personally, it was good too see some "fair" competition going as Jake Muldoon has the same "glamourous" appeal that Nick has but on a greater scale. However, Jake's and Tess's relationship is platonic. Just like Max arranged for Nick to be called away on a trip so that he could woo Kate back, Nick now does the same to Jake. Aside from the romance, there are other issues involved. The plot revolves around solving Chloe's problems. She receives diapproval from the old women "Widows" in the town. She is depressed over her boyfriend, Snake's disappearance. She is very emotionally fraught and has been threatened by goons demanding money which she finds that Snake has hidden, which looks very suspicious. She seeks comfort (platonically) with Snake's best friend, who happens to be in love with her. This romance is a good one to read - it has some humour, and it is certainly a "busy" book. However, some of the dramas are ridiculous and Chloe is portrayed as a very silly, frivoulous "girl" in a woman's body. The ending was a little pathetic with Chloe's "men" both in jail and still pleading their love for her.

Twelve years ago, Tess Anderson took the bus to Los Angeles and found employment as a receptionist at Harrison & Associates. Through hard work and skills, she has become a highly regarded talent manager. Tess loves her job and her lifestyle.Tess' sister Chloe calls with her latest emergency, which is usually not much more than a hangnail. However, this time Chloe is over eight months pregnant, cannot travel, and the father, Snake the motorcycle mechanic, is gone. Chloe pleads with Tess to help her. Though upset that her sibling never mentioned her pregnancy, Tess drops everything to catch the first available flight to Cedar Dell, Texas.Nostalgic buff and philanthropic dream maker, Nick Sutherland is in Cedar Dell on a renovation project. When Tess yells at him for evicting her sister from that dump of a trailer, he envisions Ginger Rogers. However, he snaps out of his reverie saying Chloe and the babies need a better place to live. Tess agrees, but Chloe prefers to wait there for Snake to return. As Tess and Nick begin dancing to a loving tune, Chloe has twins, but irresponsibly leaves them with Tess while she searches for Snake.When Astaire and Rogers (make that Nick and Tess) are the center of the ball the story line is a terrific fairy tale romance. However, the twists that the vain Chloe causes are inane and though add tension to the relationship between the lead couple, these antics serve as an unnecessary diversion. "Fred and Ginger" have enough on their plate to make a fabulous romance without Chloe's worthless spins. Still the lead duet makes this a dance worth attending.Harriet Klausner