By Donald Then
NKyTribune literary editor
Well-defined characters, a polished plot line, artful dialogue, pleasant settings, surprising humor and an easy-to-read writing style are what you get when you read Sweet Harmony, a romance novel written by LuAnn McLane.
This appealing and self-contained tale is all about life, love, laughter, heartache, perseverance, and success—all neatly wrapped in a country music theme. The characters are real, their problems believable, their struggles plausible, and their solutions realistic.
Tolstoy it’s not; a good story it is.
Here’s the gist: Cat Carson, a lovely and sexy woman, is a country mega-star at a crossroads. An inner voice has been whispering that she should take her art to a more refined level. She happens to agree. She sells her home in fashionable Brentwood, Tennessee, and leaves a big-time Nashville record label behind. With the help of a good friend, she relocates to wholesome Cricket Creek, Kentucky, where life is real and mellow and an independent record label more empowering for the type of creative artist she yearns to become.
Let’s face it; sometimes we all need a change. Despite her success, Cat Carson wants new roads to travel and new songs to sing. Her split from the Nashville scene means she’s leaving a-kind-of-whimsical-country-music behind. She wants to write fresh lyrics and reach new levels in her life and future.
Of course, being a cozy romance, Cat Carson’s move to Cricket Creek also means a new love interest. That is personified in none other than Jeff Greenfield. He’s a local farm boy and country singer, with a smooth voice, charisma, and the right curves in his jeans and flannel shirts. Hey, every great romance has to have sparks and tingles. Finding a new self-image often means finding exciting and lasting love. I say let the electricity fly.
Cat and Jeff meet awkwardly, have differing musical values, but fate will not and cannot keep them apart. The real question is will they click on and off the stage in McLane’s heart-warming novel. That, my friends, is something you’ll have to determine for yourselves.
There are surprises and good times. The supporting cast is a wonderful group. Ups and downs are as much a part of Sweet Harmony as is McLane’s fictional Cricket Creek, Kentucky, the setting for this Signet series. Seven Cricket Creek novels are in the fold and number eight is scheduled for the spring.
For those who don’t know, McLane’s Cricket Creek is a fictional Kentucky river town (I’ll let you decide where), with its own baseball team, an independent record label, great shopping, and good-hearted people. There’s even an eatery called the Wine and Diner!
In my mind, it has the refreshing goodness one finds in Garrison Keillor’s Lake Wobegon. Like many of Keillor’s characters, McLane’s Cat Carson is endearing, humorous, and charitable. She is an independent woman who is not the least bit afraid to be feminine or take a risk. That is true with her music and with her life. Above all, she knows what she wants and is determined to get it. Her goodness shines through and so does Greenfield’s.
I can think of no better place for this fictional character to spread her wings than in the midst of the sweet harmony (play on words) that makes Cricket Creek an easy place to spend one’s life.
OK, right about now, some of you might be turning your noses up at the thought of reading a romance.
My recommendation is: Don’t!
Years ago, the late Ben Oakland and Oscar Hammerstein, wrote a song entitled I’ll take Romance. The opening verse goes like this: I’ll take romance, While my heart is young and eager to fly, I’ll give my heart a try, I’ll take romance. You should, too. LuAnn McLane is one of the best in the contemporary romance genre.
Writing any novel is a difficult proposition. McLane, who splits her time between Northern Kentucky and Florida, is a local novelist with flare and a fine literary career. For those who don’t remember she used to write for the Kenton County Recorder. All told she has written some 20 novels. You can learn more about her life and her books at www.luannmclane.com.
Donald Then, a novelist and experienced editor and journalist, is NKyTribune’s literary editor. He will review books written by local authors or those with a Northern Kentucky setting. Reach him at author@djamesthen.com Visit his website at
www.djamesthen.com