Going Down to Georgia-Ann DeFee

Going Down to Georgia
Ann DeFee
Harlequin American, Mar 2008, $4.99
ISBN: 9780373752065

Widow Grammy Liza Henderson runs around her hometown of Magnolia Bluffs, Georgia doing errands for her daughter Cassie. Liza loves her daughter, two preadolescent step-grandsons and likes her son-in-law who is half between her age and that of her only child. She detests running errands especially when she is stuck in traffic or involved in an accident that has her buried in a sea of green kudzu. She is running late on her key chore besides buying size six boys shoes and picking up former California police officer turned land developer Zack Maynard.

Zack is in town helping his brother, but is attracted to Liza from the moment they met; he is unaware of the family connection between them. However, he soon wears his former cop hat as someone has threatened Liza and several break-ins make the menace real. As he tries to keep her safe, Liza and Zack fall in love.

This is an entertaining regional romantic suspense that star likable lead protagonists and stereotypical eccentric southern support characters. Liza is a steel magnolia while Zack goes from California titanium to melted metal. Although the mystery of Liza’s missing spouse assumed dead is to simplistically resolved, which takes away from an overall fine plot, fans who appreciate GOING DOWN TO GEORGIA for a visit will want to read Ann DeFee’s fine contemporary.

Harriet Klausner