Charming Grace — Deborah Smith

Grace Bagshaw Vance's life has always been an extraordinary mix of the tragic and whimsical. Among the wealthy Bagshaws of Dahlonega, Georgia-a mountain town honeycombed with romantic pioneer gold mines but built on solid tradition-Grace, thirty-four, is a beautiful, wisecracking misfit, summed up fondly by friends and family: "She's crazy, bless her heart." An ex-beauty queen and former host of a popular morning show on Atlanta TV, she now spends her days grieving for her husband, Harp, a GBI agent whose heroic death in the line of duty has made him a national hero. Harp and Grace's poor-boy/rich-girl childhood friendship is the stuff of Dahlonega legend, and Grace fiercely guards the poignant history that brought her and Harp together.

Now Harp and Grace's painfully private life is about to be turned into a public spectacle, thanks to the biggest action-movie superstar in the world: Stone Senterra. Known best for starring in blockbuster films such as Viper Platoon and Death Squad Patrol, the good-hearted but clueless movie star sees the Harp Vance story as his ticket to a respectable career as a director, in the same vein as his nemesis, Mel Gibson-but only if Stone can keep his outrageous action-movie instincts under control (doubtful!).

When Stone and his media circus invade the peaceful environs of Dahlonega to begin filming Hero, Grace sets out to sabotage the film through any means necessary. The only obstacle she can't overcome is Boone Noleene, Stone's wry and unflappable bodyguard, who quickly earns Grace's affectionate respect-and just as quickly, her passion. Boone, an ex-con with a brother still in prison back in his native Louisiana, has a personal story just as painful and compelling as Grace's, and has just as much to lose. Boone soon has his own dilemma-doing the job entrusted to him by Stone or falling in love with Grace while she wrecks Stone's cherished film project.

In a "bless your heart" world where intimate secrets can become just another TV show and fame is often mistaken for success, Boone and Grace struggle with the real-life consequences of love, desire, loyalty, respect, and family devotion.