Set in that very same town as its Harlequin Duets partner A Cradle for Caroline, A Hickey For Harriet is the story of a frumpy heroine who lives, not under the thumb of an evil stepmother, but under the slightly smothering love of two doting maiden aunts, who raised her and want only the best for her. Sports editor and former football hero Steve Ackerman – and coincidentally a long-time crush of Harriet’s – comes into her life just in time to help be her fairy godmother. He encourages her to fulfill a lifelong dream by trying out to be a professional cheerleader. But when she succeeds, will Steve be able to deal with the new and improved Harriet? Or will she leave him and his own abandoned dreams in the dust?

This was a light and enjoyable romance featuring very a very likable hero and heroine. The secondary characters are also interesting, which is a good thing, since they make a reappearance in the next story as well. The only quibble I had, story-wise, was that Harriet seemed to come to a lot of conclusions and realizations of lifelong dreams, while Steve just basically learned to be man enough for Harriet, without making an ass of himself. I would’ve liked to see a little more closure for his lifetime goals, as well.

Even so, Hickey For Harriet is a fun story with at least one awwww moment. If you can suspend your disbelief enough to believe in a town big enough to support a pro football team (complete with aforementioned professional cheerleading squad) but small enough to need just one high school, you should be all set!