Let me save you the trouble of reading this book--it's a tired plot that's not reworked in an interesting fashion and apparently "The Trouble With Lacy Brown" is that her last name is not Matlock--as in Clint Matlock's wife. In between their meeting and their getting together you're subject to 250 some pages of "I don't trust women because they tend to run off when the going gets tough" and "I want to run a business, I'm not in the market for a husband." ( )

Lacy Brown and her friend Sheri move from Dallas to Mule Hollow, Texas, to open a beauty salon. This little town isn't a random choice. The older ladies of Mule Hollow placed advertisements looking for women to move there and help revive their dying town by becoming potential brides for the men. The town is sadly reduced after the collapse of the oil industry locally cost them a large part of their former population, and nearly all the young families and unattached young women.

Lacy doesn't plan to be one of the brides. She's on a mission--a mission from God--to help the women who will come to find the right matches among the cowboys who currently have no one to marry.

This is a Christian romance. That can mean a lot of things. In this case, Lacy is, on the one hand, the kind of southern, Evangelist, talking openly about it, Christian that is very distant from my own New England, Catholic and Episcopalian, reserved sort of Christian. In my culture, you don't talk that openly about sincere religious belief, not because it's not important, but precisely because it is. It's for guiding your moral choices and judgments, and your relationship with God is a private matter, not for putting in the shop window, on public display. Lacy Brown is from a really different culture, where people who don't talk often and enthusiastically about their faith--about something that in my culture is deeply private--you are presumed not to have it.

With all that said, Clopton convincingly portrays Lacy as a woman whose faith differs from mine mainly in these cultural aspects, not in its essential substance or sincerity. And that's even as a good bit of her outward behavior is, in my culture, a marker of shallow and insincere claims of faith. I feel a connection to Lacy in the matter where her outward behavior is most alien to me.

That's good writing.

Lacy is smart, capable, tough. She genuinely likes other people, and is not judgmental about people whose view of life is different from her own. She's clear-headed about knowing what values she does need a potential spouse to share with her. She has an enthusiasm for life that's captivating, and a commitment to keep trying to be a better person, and a natural and genuine impulse to help others in ways that will really make them better off.

Her plan to help Mule Hollow seems outwardly a bit nutty and impulsive, and she in fact goes about it in a thoughtful and intelligent way.

And of course, she's barely reached the town when she meets Clint Matlock, and clashes spectacularly with him on the main street in town, in front of everyone.

They're in some ways very different people, and in other ways have important things in common. They're both a bit damaged by abandonment by a parent--Clint by his mother, Lacy by her father. Each has something to learn from the other.

I really like both of them, and it's fun seeing their relationship develop. Overall, this book is a lot of fun, and satisfying.

Recommended.

I bought this audiobook. ( )

This is a fun, clean romance. When the town of Mule Hollow is all but deserted, some of the town's women run an ad for Wives Wanted hoping to find matches for all the cowboys. With the women that were bound to come, Lacy decided this would be the perfect town for her and her friend to open a salon. Lacy feels God wants her there to improve the town, making it a place women would want to live in. She also believes He wants her to settle there. Lacy wasn't looking for love so when she runs into handsome cowboy, Clint, sparks fly - but not the good kind of sparks. At first, anyway.

I enjoyed this story. The plot was hilarious! A Wives Wanted ad - what a hoot! Lacy was insanely funny. The goofy things she did left me chuckling. All she wanted to do was help the town get back on its feet. But most of the men looked at her crazy rejuvenating ideas with doubt. They were pleasantly surprised when they saw the results were good. Clint and Lacy got off on the wrong foot so they didn't like each other much. Over time their feelings changed so that they each were on the other's mind all the time.

If you like funny Christian romances, you will like this book. ( )

I like to read 'Love Inspired" books every now and then because they are quick and easy and generally have a good story line to them. This is the first book in the "Mule Hollow Matchmakers" series and I like the way it is starting off.

Lacy Brown believes the town of Mule Hollow is where the Lord is calling her. The reason she feels called there is kind of cute and humorous. She is going to help the town from dying out by opening a hair salon. You see the town of Mule Hollow has put out an ad for 'women wanted' for all the cowboys in town with no mates. Lacy is there to spruce up the town and the women as they arrive in Mule Hollow. She is a little spitfire who is always on the go. When she literally runs into Clint Matlock she is not prepared for the sparks that fly.

Yes, you know exactly how this is going to end, but it sure is fun reading and watching how it all takes place! Now I am on to another story in the Mule Hollow saga. ( )

This is the first Mule Hollow novel. I read the twentyth novel and than went and bought the first and second.
I really enjoyed these books and look forward to the next one.
Lacy arrives into the town of Mule Hollow in a pink convertable with her friend Sheri. She saw the advertisement of wifes wanted and felt this was where she was needed. So she came to open a salon and help the town to grow.
The first day she got in a wreck with Clint the local rancher and got into a arguement right on main street. Lacy and Clint clashed and kept getting in each others way.
Lacy wants to help others find their match but is not going to get married for along time.
She paints her building bright pink and soon talks the town into painting bright colors and fixing the town up.
Clint keeps getting his cattle stolen and can't stop thinking about Lacy and rescuing her from trouble.
No sex scenes or swearing some scriptures and talking about helping others. Look forward to reading more about Mule Hollow. ( )