HOT FOR PREACHER

A rising country singer falls for a minister when her van breaks down in a tiny southern town.

Dixie Pearl has dreams of country superstardom, but they haven’t come true yet. Her dad, a one-hit wonder whose country Christmas song made it big 20 years ago, is pushing her to work on an album with him, but she wants to succeed on her own. Doing things independently is Dixie’s style, even if it means living in her van and dealing with the struggles that come along with rheumatoid arthritis. When her van finally breaks down in Wickham Hollow, Tennessee, population 403, she’s at the mercy of the townspeople. An Episcopalian minister, Jack Carter, offers to let her stay in the rectory. Dixie’s down on her luck enough to accept his offer for help, and soon she finds herself musically inspired by the bearded, lumberjack-reminiscent minister, posting songs like “Hot for Preacher” on social media. Their relationship seems like a bad idea for a few reasons—including Jack’s job and also the fact that Dixie plans on hightailing it out of town as soon as her van is fixed—but they can’t help falling for each other. Dixie helps the church choir in a sort of country version of Sister Act, while Jack helps Dixie learn to accept support when she’s having an arthritis flare up. While Dixie feels like a real enough character, with her sassy attitude and intense work ethic, Jack is never quite believable. He encounters very little opposition for openly hooking up with a woman who’s staying in the rectory—some congregants complain and he has a couple of stern talks with the bishop, but he’s never in any real danger of losing his job or even suffering any reputation damage. Marsh doesn’t seriously engage with Jack’s faith, so any obstacles between Jack and Dixie seem easily surmountable.

A steamy small-town romance that strains credulity.