Heartbreak Town

Lucy Hatch #3

by Marsha Moyer

Lucy Hatch is a homegrown, red-dirt, East Texas girl, not at all suited for the fast life her husband was living in Nashville. Now she’s back in the small town of Mooney, working at Faye’s Flower Shop, and raising her young son with help from family and friends. Her life has finally stopped resembling a Hank Williams song . . . until she wakes up one morning to find a shiny white pickup parked in her yard. The worn-out cowboy boots sticking out the window tell her that the man sleeping inside is her Ash Farrell’s back in town.

Now Mooney’s favorite son is making promises, vowing to change, and wreaking havoc on the peace Lucy’s worked so hard to find. She wants to believe that her handsome husband is serious about straightening up, but can a charmer like Ash really change?

Marsha Moyer brings colorful storytelling, a wonderful sense of humor, and an undeniable Southern flavor to Heartbreak Town , a novel of small-town life, big-time success, and a once-in-a-lifetime love worth fighting for after all.

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance, Family Drama, Womens Fiction

390 pages, Paperback

First published June 26, 2007

About the author

Marsha Moyer was born in Austin and grew up in Bryan/College Station in central Texas. After graduating from Bryan High School, she attended the University of Texas at Austin, and for the next 25 years held a variety of jobs, including those of secretary to two animal scientists in the field of swine management, newsletter editor at the Texas A&M computing center, and assistant to the late chemist Karl Folkers, whose work in the field of coenzyme Q-10 research is world-renowned.

Marsha has written fiction since childhood, and in 1990 was awarded a three-month residency from the Syvenna Foundation for women writers in northeast Texas. Almost a decade later, the East Texas experience came full circle when she began the manuscript which would ultimately yield two novels, The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch and The Last of the Honky-tonk Angels. A portion of the original manuscript was chosen first-place winner in the mainstream division of the Austin Writers’ League manuscript competition in July 2000, and in May 2001, publisher William Morrow purchased, at auction, The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch (published in 2002) and its sequel, The Last of the Honky-tonk Angels (published in 2003). Sales to Random House Australia and Sony Magazines Japan followed.

In 2008 and 2008, Marsha published the third and fourth installments of the Lucy Hatch saga, Heartbreak Town and Return of the Stardust Cowgirl, with Three Rivers Press, an imprint of Crown Publishers.

As of January 2008, Marsha is a once again full-time employee of the State of Texas. She lives with her cat, Smudge, in Austin, where when not at work she enjoys napping, collecting vintage postcards, making beaded jewelry, and watching NASCAR. (Her driver is Tony Stewart.)

Reviews

[Marleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my birthday last month, a very good friend, who shares my passion for reading gave me books nr 3 and nr 4 in the Lucy Hatch stories, and I have to say: it's great to be back in Mooney!
I absolutely fell in love with the first book "The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch". The second book didn't disappoint either. It was as solid as the first.
It was wonderful to be reacquainted with all the characters: they are endearing, witty, caring and smart. We find Lucy & Ash six years down the road since they've been married, and their lives aren't exactly as peachy as we left them at the end of book 2. On a side note, I have to say I missed Bailey and Geneva in this story; oh, they are there, but I would have loved to read more of them.
What I like about these books is that they depict real people; who
at times get confused and lost, who carry scars from their childhood. Real people who get hurt because love is messy, or get disappointed in their dreams.
Although this 3rd book is less optimistic and showing a darker side of the characters, in this case, Ash specifically , I knew they would find their way to the light in the end. Also, I'm glad I can dive right into book 4, which I guess will give all the main characters maybe not a rosy & happy ending, but for certain the insightful & satisfying closure they deserve.
Like I read in another review somewhere, I have to agree: "This is NOT chick lit. This is not a silly story or a story that has no depth to it. This is Southern fiction at its best. Read all of them. In order. And have a wonderful time doing it. You'll never regret it."

[Anne OK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #3 brings trouble to the relationship between Ash and Lucy. Six years have passed and Lucy and Ash are married and living in Nashville. Ash has had some ups and downs in his musical career, along with a drinking problem. Lucy packs up the car and their young son, Jude, and returns to Mooney leaving Ash behind.

Back in Mooney, Lucy returns to work at the flower shop and raising Jude until 9 months later when she wakes up to find an unfamiliar brand new pick up sitting in her yard. After investigating, she find Ash asleep inside said truck. Ash has left Nashville behind and has hopes of putting his marriage back together and being a father to Jude.

This installment is by far the most emotionally draining. There are some real issues with which to deal and both Lucy and Ash are stubborn. This book explores more of each individual's personality and personal baggage. I can't wait to read the last book in this wonderfully entertaining series, "Return of the Stardust Cowgirl."

[Stasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just so-so. I get tired of wishy washy characters. It seemed a little over the top with the emotions and reactions of the characters to the conflicts they faced. Maybe I have enough conflict in my life that reading about someone who cannot make up her mind what she wants from her husband, slightly drove me batty. I finished it because my 4 year old great-niece picked out this cowboy book this summer at a book sale as her favorite book. I think that she thought it was a Skippy John Jones book because of the cover. She took it everywhere that she went all summer until she decided that I might like it. I plan to put it in a donation library. I do not think that I will read the sequels...

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know a lot of people gave this book a bad review, but I really enjoyed it. The ending wasn't easily wrapped up like I saw one reviewer say. Ash is a recovering alcoholic, and where he and Lucy left things was a very realistic place I thought. There were definite feelers out for the next story, and I'm looking forward to it, too. I love this series for its realistic characters and their lives. It's very possible you'll meet someone like Aunt Dove or Geneva in the grocery store line this afternoon. And the tragedy and romance in Lucy's life are all too real, as well. I enjoy a good fantasy romance as much as the next girl where the hero is wealthy, hot, and apparently has ample free time to spend weeks with his equally hot, wealthy, and flawless heroine. But in Ms. Moyer's world, you can almost convince yourself you've been to Mooney, and maybe that was Ash you saw playing in that smokey old beer hall last Friday night. This book was not as spicy as the first two, but a nice slice of Texas life.

[Karyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boy, I didn't see this coming -- being so in love (Book 2) and then heartbreak and splitting. I much prefer Lucy and Ash being together.

[Haley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. I really loved the first two books but this one had my frustrated and angry. I still liked the book and enjoyed some of the new additions to the cast of characters. I was really disgusted with Ash and his behavior. I’ve had to deal with addicts and while family and friends should be there to offer real help, the addict (Ash) has to make the decision to get real help, take responsibility for their action and apologize. I don’t think you can blame loved ones (Lucy) for taking a step back for their own safety and offering a little tuff love until the addict gets help. Hasn’t anyone heard of an intervention?! I really hated how people tried to put blame on Lucy and treated Ash like he could do no wrong. I don’t know....I didn’t hate this one but I’m really hoping book 4 doesn’t continue in this direction.

[Deena Wadsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. I am only on the first chapter and I am already enthralled. I can't wait to read more of her books.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story telling. I can feel the heat of the south despite me being a northerner. Entertaining and I will surely read more of this author's books.

[Ginger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know some readers struggled with the book after the two, but it was bound to happen when dealing with alcoholism (MMC) and fight or flight response from abandonment (FMC). Personally I love this one, life gets real and they will either make it or they won’t.

[Liisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third in the Lucy Hatch series by author Marsha Moyer and if you are thinking of plunging in and reading this (despite my 3-star rating although to be fair, I really wanted to give "Heartbreak Town" 3.5 stars), stop. Step away from the book and go to the beginning. This series must be read in order. Nothing bad will happen to you and the plot won't escape you if you ignore this advice, but every meandering path the characters have taken that lead them to the first page of book three, will be lost on you and the story will lose some of it's magic.

Despite the 3 star rating, I really did like this book (and the series so far)! What I liked most about it is how realistic and multi-dimensional the characters are and how realistic and gritty life is in small-town America. What I disliked most about it was how realistic the characters were and how how realistic and gritty were their problems. A double-edged sword.

It has been said before but it is worth repeating - Marsha Moyer doesn't write "chick lit" - those one-dimensional fluff pieces where boy meets girl, they fall in love, no hitches and it's all easy peasey. The talent she has for knowing human nature and then capturing it so exactly on paper is quite staggering.

For me, "Heartbreak Town" was too real and a little too sad, heartbreaking at times. And for that reason, I couldn't bring myself to love it. I did like it and have already started the fourth book and I hope she takes us to lighter places in the next tale.

[Sienna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to give 5 stars because I love Marsha Moyer, and I adore Lucy Hatch and Ash Farrell and rural East Texas, but in all honesty, I was disappointed in this 3rd installment of the series. I have actually been putting off reading it because I so loved the first two books. Of course, I had a great time revisiting Mooney and the Hatch family, but I was disappointed with the lack of magic. I devoured the whole book in one night, but may put off book 4. I felt like the writing was messy and all over the place - one second Lucy can't understand why Ash is back and the next they're naked and then they aren't speaking... I think Ms. Moyer tried to add a few too many things into the story without being able to follow through. I didn't understand the point of Denny's sudden appearance... I would have liked to read more about her life, but sadly she was gone as soon as she popped up. I also didn't like the ending - seems to be a general consensus - but did appreciate that the two lovebirds had made some progress toward some sort of reconciliation. By far, this is the least magical in the series, and I prefer to imagine two of my favorite literary characters in the way they were brought to life in the first two books of the series.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty interesting book. I really liked the fact that it was all about how much work it is to make love work - that its not all sunshine and roses like everyone wants it to be. The characters were very well developed, and extremely realistic (none of them said ridiculous or unbelievable things), and the fact that the book had a happy ending (one that required a fair amount of work to reach). And the other good part was that the "happy ending" doesn't imply that everything is perfect and they live happily ever after, but they both still have a lot of work to do to keep the relationship going strong. Overall, it was a good book. A nice break from the happy life-is-perfect love stories (but don't get me wrong, I like those too).

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, not the greatest. Yes, it's another page in the story. Yes, it's interesting to see what has happened to them all this time later. But the timeline gets sketchy at times; they make it seem as though years have passed, but then maybe just weeks; and it's not clear how the time is passing even within the story. It took a long time to "get going" past the day-to-day as well, and while that's interesting, it was hard to maintain that interest. Not that great but definitely a good step; I wouldn't want to read the series without it, but at the same time I probably would have handled the info differently.

[Tamra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Several years ago I read the first two books starring Lucy Hatch. I admit to being a sucker for books set in small town Texas, and country music is another love of mine, so it is no surprise that stories involving those elements, with a romance thrown in for good measure, would be favorites of mine.

Heartbreak Town follows Lucy Hatch back to her hometown as she attempts to rebuild her life after leaving her country singer husband in Nashville. I love the humor and the family relationships, and the love story that shows that there is often still a lot of work to be done after happily ever after.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable book . . . entirely predictable . . . I'd suggest it for a beach or airplane ride!

edited to add: I didn't realize this was a sequel to another book, The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch

There's also a follow up book, Return of the Stardust Cowgirl: A Lucy Hatch Novel.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was disappointing compared to previous book. It wavered with diving into Lucy's actions that caused her marriage breakdown, but never really explored that. I also had a hard time identifying because my pride would get in the way - Lucy just welcomed Ash back after 8 months! It was the right move for the marriage, but I don't know if I could have done it :)

I also would have liked to see some exploration of Denny's marrying a man just like her dad, but maybe that's the next book?

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these books. I read the first two when they came out, and only recently realized that she'd written two more. I'm next on the list for the fourth one at the library. She is such a good writer that she makes me want to live in a small town in Texas, where my family lives and where everyone else knows me. And I have NEVER been a small-town girl.

[Melody Loomis · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading the first two books in the series, I have to say that I was a little disappointed with this book. Heartbreak Town is an apt title. I just hated to see Lucy and Ash apart. But I didn't hate the book completely. You know it all turns out okay in the end. Poor Ash just let the fame go to his head and let the drinking control him.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relyn gave me this book and I have started it ~ enjoying taking up with an old friend ~ Lucy Hatch, can't wait to see what she'll do in this book!

It wasn't as hard to put this book down and walk away as it was with The Second Coming of LH. Characters still interesting ~ just not as much. Still, I plan on reading her next sequel in this saga.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bummer...what a sad change from the two previous books in this series. I found myself having to push myself to finish, as I feel like I have invested a lot into this series, but at the end, I was still very let down. I'm hoping that the next book, coming out at the end of this month, will make up for this one!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch, the first of the series, but really did not enjoy the second in the series The Last of the Honky Tonk Angels. This book brought the story back to the relationship between Lucy and Ash and I enjoyed it nearly as much as the first. I read it at the right time in life, too.

[Dee Schwinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an ok book. This deals with small town life. There is the problem of alcoholism. Just regular people being affected by the ups and downs of life. I felt like I learned more about Lucy than I did Ash but maybe that was the way the author wanted to work this. You have generational issues ...just a lot of life issues.

[Karen Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this sequel to The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch but the ending was just so-so. It didn't really end, but didn't leave me wanting more either. I did though like the rest of the journey.

[Angie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was extremely disappointed in this book. I loved the other two and was soooo excited to read this one. I quickly got sick of the bickering between Lucy and Ash. The ending was the worst! Very corny and I wanted to throw the book down and stomp on it!

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the most original story, but the characters are at least interesting and relatively complex. The pacing is good, and the evocation of life in a small town is pretty effective. And at least the ending wasn't completely predictable, which was a nice surprise.

[Suzze Tiernan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the genre I normally read, but I got hooked into the characters in the first book of the series.

[Holly (2 Kids and Tired) · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok. Not bad, not great. An entertaining read. Classic small town situations and thinking. I don't not recommend it!

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was my least fave of the series, but it was still definitely worth reading!

[juanmonique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Number 3 in the Lucy & Ash story... I liked #1 & 2 better.

[Megantyll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third in the series