Bitsy's Bait & BBQ

Flighty Katy Dodson's dreaminess gets her in over her head (again) in this light romance. Against her younger but more mature sister Emma's better judgment, Katy uses her divorce settlement to buy off the Internet, sight-unseen, an Ozarks B&B, thinking it will be the perfect place to raise her five-year-old son, Josh. But when the three arrive in Warbler Lake, they find what they thought was a quaint inn is actually a bait shop and barbecue restaurant. Neither Katy, Emma nor Josh know a brisket from a big-mouth bass, but they stick it out; colorful locals dutifully patronize the establishment (and hope the food improves) while providing narrative fodder. Back in St. Louis, Katy's ex-mother-in-law, Gwen, suddenly sees in her grandson the opportunity to do what she failed to do with her son, Sean: raise a fitting heir for her burger chain mini-empire. Gwen bullies Sean-who's still pining for his ex-wife-into seeking custody of Josh, and soon Gwen and Sean end up in Warbler Lake. Though the characters are thin and the plot uninspired, Morsi (The Cotton Queen) has fun with the locale and manages the sort of ending fans should appreciate.