Heaven, Texas by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

This is definitely a nineties romance with a heroine who is too sweet to live and a hero who is so overly masculine that he might die from testosterone poisoning. But it also has a sweet story of the hero's mother (in her fifties) finding new love after she's been widowed for four years. And Gracie Snow does show some signs of being a strong heroine; Bobby Tom is just a jerk.

Gracie Snow is trying to expand her horizons. She's leaving working in a nursing home and teaching Sunday school for the bright lights of Hollywood. Her first task? To get former football player Bobby Tom from Chicago to Texas where he's supposed to be starring in a movie.

Bobby Tom knows he's hot stuff. He's tall, handsome, and rich. He can get any woman he wants. But he doesn't particularly like this short, plain woman who is trying to make him do something he doesn't particularly want to do. Yes, he signed a contract but so what? They can take the delays out of his paycheck. Is he avoiding his hometown where he actually requested the filming take place? Yes. His hometown is threatened with losing the biggest employer and they are trying to bring tourism to the town by creating a shrine out of his childhood home. And it's just all too much. But annoying Gracie Snow is making the trip at least a little bit better.  By the time they make it to Texas, he's willing to pay her salary in order to keep her around.

Four stars

This book came out April 1st, 1995

Follows It Had to Be You

Followed by Nobody's Baby but Mine

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own