Hooked is humorous, feel-good Americana – sort of a cross between a Susan Elizabeth Philips novel and The Music Man. The characters are very likable. They “meet cute” at the beginning, and their happy end is spectacular. The middle of the book is not quite as compelling, but it’s not bad either.

Matthew Gage is a stunt reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle. His career took off when he posed nude for the Ladies Cultured Artist Society, then told the public that their interest in naked men was hardly cultural. Since that time he’s been traveling the country undercover, exposing corruption wherever he goes. Then he gets a line on a possible scandal in small town America – the annual fly fishing contest in Harmony, Montana may have been rigged. Matthew travels to Harmony and poses as Vernon Wilberforce, carpet sweeper salesman and recreational fly fisherman. He figures he’ll pose as a contestant while he searches for possible corruption.

What he doesn’t count on is meeting Meg Brooks. He meets her in his hotel room (to find out how she gets there you’ll have to read the book – trust me, you’ll be in stitches), and he’s very annoyed that he has to introduce himself as Vernon Wilberforce because the name “conjures up bedroom disappointment in a big way.” In order to keep up appearances, Matthew also uses stupid slang like “I’ll be jiggered” and “Criminy sakes alive.” Matthew and Meg are both attracted to each other, and after their first meeting they spend more time together. Matthew doesn’t really know how to fly fish, and Meg is an expert, so she gives him some pointers. Then Matthew finds out that the alleged cheater in last year’s contest was Meg’s brother, and he plans to try to get the real story from her.

But Matthew’s growing attraction for Meg complicates matters. Suddenly he feels guilty about writing the fly fishing expose, because he doesn’t want to hurt Meg. He also gets sick of hearing her call him “Mr. Wilberforce.” Meanwhile, Meg has a personal conflict of her own. She’s been trying to act more ladylike in order to get a husband, but her true personality is much more hoydenish. Both Meg and Matthew need to decide who they really are, and what is important to them, before they can be together.

If you crave books with lots of humor, then you will probably enjoy this one. Both Meg and Matthew keep landing themselves in situations that are embarrassing – and funny. Meg has a continual problem with her petticoats, and Matthew has a great scene in which he really has to pitch carpet sweepers, even though he knows nothing about them. Indeed, these humorous situations make both main characters truly endearing. You can’t help rooting for them, especially the accident-prone Meg.

The turn of the century setting is well-crafted and enjoyable, with lots of little details that add to the authenticity. Author Holm depicts a time that is kinder and gentler in some ways, but also has a bit of a modern edge. If you’re craving a good old-fashioned Americana story, this really fits the bill.

I didn’t exactly have any substantive problems with the book, but the middle is somewhat slower then the rest, with less humor than the beginning and end. It was never dull in any way (I wouldn’t call it a “sagging” middle) but it wasn’t quite “A” level either. But don’t let that keep you away from this book, which is quite a good read. And while it’s second in a series, you don’t need to have read Harmony first, although you may enjoy Hooked so much that you’ll be prompted to pick it up afterwards. Good quality Americana humor like this is hard to come by.