Song for a Cowboy

A new member of the King family of country music superstars steps into the romantic spotlight in Summers’s charming second Kings of Country romance (after Jace). Good-hearted and always eager to please, singer Emmy Lou King agrees to serve on the American Football League’s Drug Free Like Me charity—which brings her back into contact with her former flame, football star Brock Watson. The two have had no contact for the past six years, but Brock still follows the Kings’ music, and Emmy Lou can recite his stats. A photo shoot recreating their high school homecoming dance poses reignites their feelings, but Brock’s brash new teammate, struggling ex-wife, and ailing father present obstacles to their happy ever after. Meanwhile, Emmy Lou contends with family issues of her own, navigating her emotionally subservient relationship with her domineering and manipulative mother. Though the characters’ motivations occasionally seem forced and some of the more dramatic moments feel unearned, Summers’s original lyrics for the King family’s songs shine, and a cute scene in which Emmy Lou and Brock rescue a kitten who’s found its way onto a football field mid-game will melt hearts. Series readers are sure to be satisfied. [em]Agent: Pamela Hopkins, Hopkins Literary. (Jan.) [/em]