Narrated by Amanda Ronconi
Harper/Ronconi is truly an author/narrator dream team, as evidenced by their sixteen book collaborations at Audible. Harper has two main genres on audiobook, which include her vampire/undead series including Jane Jameson, Naked Werewolf, and Half Moon Hollow, and her chick-lit/romance like the Bluegrass series. The Bluegrass series features a truly unique backstory – the protagonists are all employees of the Kentucky Tourism Commission, so the plots are a sort of blend of small town and road trip as they travel the state. Rhythm and Bluegrass is Book 2.
Bonnie Turkle arrives in Mud Creek, her next assignment, with a bang – as her car erupts in fire. She’s going to be late for her meeting with Mud Creek’s mayor! Her mission is to salvage anything of value in the old Music Hall, which the town is trying to sell to a new factory that will bring much needed jobs to the community. When she finds what looks to be the original lyrics of an old hit love song, “Lurlene, Lurlene”, she’s determined to find a way to save the quonset hut and make it a tourist attraction.
She wasn’t counting on the town’s mayor, Will McBride – whose family had owned the Hall – to be both hot and her worst rival. Will is only interested in doing what he can to save the town, and bringing a ComfyCheeks factory – makers of men’s underwear – will bring more jobs and economic stability to Mud Creek than reviving McBride’s Music Hall. He thwarts Bonnie at every turn, including contacting the local media and her employer, to keep negotiations with ComfyCheeks going.
In Molly Harper’s writing, this setup is a 5+ hour laugh-a-thon, where you come to love the various Mud Creek characters, including Mayor Will, while still rooting for Bonnie to get her museum and her mayor. It’s written, as are her other books, in the heroine’s POV, first person, as Bonnie muddles her way through living in a new place and going up against the town’s first family. And Amanda Ronconi delivers 110% – she’s got a great, homey, comfy Kentucky accent for each character, including Will, who Harper describes as and writes as “thickly accented”. While I wouldn’t call it understated – which is normally how I prefer regional accents – I think she totally nailed it here, as she did in the first book, My Bluegrass Baby. Her storytelling is magnificent, with perfect pacing and comic delivery. Yay for Audible – this one is a hit and well worth a credit!
Melinda
Narration: A
Book Content: B+
Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in
Violence: None
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Audible Studios
