Hot for Preacher

A delightful take on the grumpy/sunshine trope, this cute rom-com from bestseller Marsh (The Code for Love) finds jaded aspiring country singer Dixie Pearl breaking down in the tiny hamlet of Wickham Hollow, Tenn. She’s spent more than eight years touring dive bars and living out of her ancient van, which has finally given up the ghost. Gorgeous, cheerful local preacher Jack Carter (“like if a lumberjack and a rescue golden retriever had a baby”) comes to her rescue, offering his guest room while Dixie plans her next move. Jack’s moved by Dixie’s predicament because his family lived out of their car for a time when he was growing up, the memories of which still give him panic attacks. The pair’s chemistry is undeniable, and though Jack is interested in a relationship, he agrees to Dixie’s proposal of a no-strings-attached one-night stand. Afterward, Dixie dashes off a frustrated, self-deprecating song about how she’s not the kind of girl to settle down with a preacher and posts it on social media—where it instantly goes viral, leaving Dixie anxious about what Jack will think when he sees it. Marsh’s plotting is taut and her prose is often laugh-out-loud funny, with comedy partly coming in the form of Jack’s judgemental chinchilla, Georgia Peach. It’s a joy. (Feb.)