The Baby's Christmas Blessing

 

MEGHANN WHISTLER

Stats for my copy: Kindle ARC, Love Inspired, 9/27/22.

How acquired: Hidden Gems ARC Program

First line: Chloe Richardson gazed down at the baby in her arms.

(Goodreads synopsis below.)

My thoughts: This is my first time reading Ms. Whistler, and I enjoyed this sweet Love Inspired story. I’m a little partial to single fathers, and here we have Steve, who is actually a single uncle but that’s just as good. His sister died of a stroke while in labor, and Steve has custody of her baby. Chloe has recently broken up with a guy who was cheating on her, and after the Christmas holidays she will be moving to Boston where she’ll be starting a student teaching placement, the last step in finally getting her teaching degree.

But to back up a little, Steve and Chloe first met at a summer camp, when she was fifteen and he was seventeen. On the last night of camp, they shared an amazing kiss by a bonfire, and then Steve left, and Chloe never heard from him again. Now their paths have inadvertently crossed, as Steve needs a nanny for little Aiden, and Chloe applied for the job through his aunt Mabel, not knowing she’d actually be working for Steve.

Steve and Chloe are both great characters, each with their own particular baggage. Eventually Chloe learns why Steve dropped completely out of her life, and his backstory is just heartbreaking. He’s struggling financially between having just started a new business, then losing his sister, paying her funeral costs, and taking on Aiden. He’s determined to give his nephew the best life he can, and the childhood that his own father cheated him out of. I loved how earnest and sincere he was and how protective of Aiden, plus looking out for Mabel, who has debilitating arthritis.

The supporting characters are a bit eccentric, at least Mabel is, as well as Irene, another senior citizen who owns a candy shop and just happens to be Chloe’s roommate. Both of the elderly ladies were fun to read about. Chloe’s best friend has a daughter who is five, and she was cute, though her dialogue was a little tiresome as she talked like she was a bit younger, for instance: “We putted up our Chwistmas twee!”. I mean I guess some five-year-olds talk that way? My four-year-old granddaughter does not.

I read the entire book in two days, which I’m not able to do very often, but it was an easy and fun read, that also made me smile a few times. There is a theme of friendship running throughout, as Steve and Chloe begin to realize they want more than friendship, but are both afraid to be in a romantic relationship due to past issues. Watching them laugh and enjoy each other’s company, and then get scared and bicker, and then come back around to the easy friendship, was an enjoyable journey, and of course the resolution at then end was very satisfying.

*I received a free copy of this book from through the Hidden Gems ARC Program and have voluntarily reviewed it*

Goodreads Synopsis: A second chance at love... with a newborn as matchmaker!

Nothing will be merry about Steve Weston’s Christmas if he doesn’t find a nanny for his newborn nephew fast. But the best choice is Chloe Richardson, the woman he pushed away years ago. He has a second chance at making the season’s joy last for a lifetime—unless he allows old wounds to separate them once more…

Caught in the Middle (Amhearst Mystery, Book 1; (Love Inspired Suspense)

 

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS INFORMATION THAT MAY BE CONSIDERED SPOILERS.

GAYLE ROPER

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, Love Inspired Suspense, 2007.

How acquired: Bought.

First line: “It was a dark and sleety night,” I muttered as I slid behind the wheel and slammed the car door, grateful to have reached protection without drowning.

(Goodreads synopsis below.)

My thoughts: I was thrown off just a little as soon as I started this book because it’s written in first person POV, which I don’t think I’ve come across before in a Love Inspired. Not that I’m complaining. Merry is very likable and self-deprecating. Something else I’m not used to seeing in a Love Inspired. There was quite a bit of humor. Not laugh out loud, or even chuckle humor, but witty, bantering humor.

Merry is a journalist for the local paper, writing up mundane stories about Board of Education meetings and the like. After finding a dead body in the trunk of her car, Merry finds herself at the center of a murder investigation, and the killer seems to have turned his focus to her. Giving her the opportunity to write the biggest story of her life.

When her boss sends her to interview a local artist, she chafes at the thought. “A personality puff piece was the last thing I wanted to do now.” However, that interview introduces her to Curt, “a man in his early thirties who exuded energy, whose mass of curly dark hair was a far cry from the sparse gray I had anticipated.” Now, at this point you’re probably thinking Curt is the hero of the story and at the end he and Merry will have an HEA. It is a category romance after all. But no. Don’t get me wrong, he is the hero, as far as I’m concerned anyway, but by book’s end, while they’re squabbling like an old married couple, there is nary a kiss in sight, and certainly no declarations of love. Apparently their relationship will play out over the course of the series. Another thing I’m not used to in a Love Inspired!

The mystery was intriguing, with a couple of red herrings, and an on-the-edge-of-your seat chase through a steel factory. My only issue with the story was that when Merry realizes who is trying to kill her, it was quite obvious to me also, even though she doesn’t say his name. Then when he shows up immediately after, she only refers to him as the gunman, and doesn’t reveal his identity until the police close in on him. Which I understand as a narrative choice to keep the reader guessing, but I can’t imagine any reader not having already figured it out at the same she did.

But the fact remains, this is a delightful, amusing, suspenseful and engaging read, and I can’t wait join Merry in her next adventure.

Synopsis from Goodreads: Amhearst, Pennsylvania was just the kind of place for new beginnings for brokenhearted reporter Merry Kramer. But she soon discovered that danger lurked behind the lilac tree when a dead body turned up in her car!

The trouble didn’t end there—gunshots, attacks, and a handsome new friend who might not be what he seemed. Surrounded by suspects, Merry would have to use all her investigative skills to keep from becoming front-page news—as the killer’s next victim.

Running for Cover (Heroes for Hire, Book 1; Love Inspired Suspense)

 

SHIRLEE MCCOY

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, Love Inspired Suspense, 2010.

How acquired: Via Book Mooch.

First line: Pain.

(Goodreads synopsis below)

My thoughts: In 2013 I read UNDERCOVER BODYGUARD, the sixth book in this series, and in 2014 I read NAVY SEAL RESCUER. I must have liked them, since I added the series to my list of series in progress, and hunted down and collected copies of the first five books, plus books eight and nine. So after finally getting around to starting at the beginning with book one, I looked up the two I’d read, only to discover that not only did I not write any type of review on either book, but I didn’t even add them to my Goodreads shelf. Maybe I wasn’t really using Goodreads a lot yet, even though I’ve been a member since 2008.

That being said, I loved this first book. Page one throws us right into the action, as Morgan wakes up on her kitchen floor, in serious pain and lying in her own blood, while two men are tearing apart her gallery downstairs. Meanwhile, Jackson is in town for a wedding, looking for a last minute wedding gift, which brings him knocking on the gallery door and right into the action, and subsequently appointing himself Morgan’s personal bodyguard, against her wishes.

Morgan’s backstory was heartbreaking, abandoned by her mother as a child, never feeling like she really belonged with her adoptive family. Divorced from a cheating husband, who then murdered his business partner and went to prison. Now there are men after her, demanding a disk that belonged to her ex, of which she knows absolutely nothing. Jackson has his own baggage, blaming himself for his sister’s death two years ago, believing that he should have been able to save her from her abusive husband.

Jackson was such a great character. A private investigator, and former police officer. He sticks to Morgan like glue, even buying a last minute plane ticket and flying across the country with her, without a suitcase or anything, determined to protect her and keep her safe. When she gripes at him and tells him she doesn’t need him, she can take care of herself, he just smiles and follows along behind her.

Fast paced, with plenty of suspense, some edge of your seat moments, and of course the requisite happy ending. I would have liked to immediately start the second book, but alas, I still have boxes of books in my garage that haven’t been unpacked since I moved, and no idea which box it is in, so it’ll have to wait a bit. But I’m eager to continue the series.

Synopsis from Goodreads: Morgan Alexandria moved to Virginia to escape her past...but her past isn't ready to let her go. Thanks to her ex-husband's shady dealings, someone's after her, and if it weren't for Jackson Sharo, she might already be dead. Can Morgan trust Jackson? Maybe not. The former big-city cop is practically a stranger. But trying to handle everything on her own just leads to new disasters. And without Jackson's help, she could find herself running right into a trap....

The Amish Newcomer

 

PATRICE LEWIS

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, Love Inspired, 8/29/20.

How acquired: Fresh Fiction Box Not to Miss subscription

First line: Leah Porte clutched her suitcase and climbed out of the dusty Subaru in front of a white farmhouse several miles outside the tiny hamlet of Pikeville, Ohio.

(For Goodreads synopsis, scroll down.)

My thoughts: I’ve only read a handful of Amish themed romances, all Love Inspired I believe, and I find that I don’t really remember any of them particularly well. I don’t think the subject has ever especially appealed to me, but I do enjoy the Love Inspired line so when one would fall into my hands I didn’t mind reading it. That being said, I went into this book not really knowing what to expect, other than a fish out of water story, which does appeal to me. The heroine is placed into witness protection after witnessing a murder, and finds herself moving into the home of an Amish family.

Well, it was much more than I expected, and I feel I have a deeper understanding of the Amish after reading this.

“...One of the problems we experience is outsiders tend to romanticize our way of life. We’re seen as throwbacks to a happier time when people lived in harmony with each other, with Gott, with the earth...”

I can’t imagine not having electricity, a washing machine, TV. For Leah, it’s not easy in the beginning. She was a high profile television journalist, and suddenly she’s learning how to make homemade laundry detergent and cheese, how to garden, to cook, to skim milk. The work and the chores are never ending. But her hosts have a completely different attitude about the constant busyness.

It is a romance book, and there is a handsome man who is taken with Leah. She’s quite surprised when one of her hosts tells her he is courting her, when she’s only known him a very short time and of course, she isn’t Amish so the only way they could be together would be for her to convert or him to leave the Amish community. I won’t tell you which one happens, though I suspect you already know.

I picked this book up because I wanted something light to counter my recent reads, a steamy series about former military men and their women. I got much more than I bargained for. A character study about a woman rediscovering faith while confronting an uncertain future and the possibility of never being able to return to her former life. I still would not want to live an Amish life, but I have a greater respect for the Amish people.

Goodreads synopsis: Television journalist Leah Porte never imagined her career would end with her witnessing a murder. Now she’s temporarily living among the Amish in witness protection. Instead of feeling alone and adrift, Leah is warmly welcomed by the close-knit community—and Amish bachelor Isaac Sommer. But caught between two very different worlds, choosing love would mean leaving her Englisch life behind forever…

His Hometown Girl (The McKaslin Clan, Series 1, Book 1); Love Inspired No. 180

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS INFORMATION THAT MAY BE CONSIDERED SPOILERS.

JILLIAN HART

Synopsis from Goodreads: Small-town mechanic Zachary Drake had no illusions about his longtime friendship with winsome, wholesome Karen McKaslin -- even after she called off her wedding to the local pastor. Zach simply intended to lend a grease-stained hand and a sympathetic ear to a pal in need, and keep his secret longing to himself...

Having narrowly escaped a loveless marriage, Karen was counting her blessings. Now she could transform herself into a woman worthy of being loved for all eternity. She never dreamed Mr. Right was waiting for her on the wrong side of the tracks, praying she'd see in his eyes what he didn't dare say...

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, Steeple Hill Books, 2002.

How acquired: Bought.

My thoughts:  Despite the fact that I list Jillian Hart as one of my favorite category romance authors, her books are usually hit or miss for me. Of the McKaslin Clan series, I've read two previously, BLIND-DATE BRIDE, which I could barely finish, and SWEET BLESSINGS, which is one of my all time top ten favorite books – and the reason I keep reading her. (Seriously, for a wonderful character study of a broken man, you need to read it.) So when I realized this book was the first McKaslin Clan book, I dove in, and am happy to report that it was a hit.

I loved the characters, especially Zach, and I loved the continual banter between Zach and Karen, which Ms. Hart does very well. When the book opens Karen has broken off an engagement to Jay when she realizes he isn't marrying her out of love. Her parents are upset and disappointed, her mother, who is pushing her to get back together with Jay. I almost wished there had been more about Karen and Jay and what led up to her realizing she couldn't marry him, and more conflict between Karen and her parents over that broken engagement, just to add more depth. Zach's mother was a drunk who spent all her time in bars while Zach took care of his younger siblings and often went hungry, and when she showed up on his doorstep, I expected a predictable subplot about Zach, who is filled with hate for his mother, coming to terms with her alcohol addiction and learning to forgive her. So I was quite surprised when he gave her some money and put her on a bus out of town, telling her not to come back. And I was glad that story arc carried out the way it did, which to me was very realistic.

My only issue with the story, and it's a minor one but it's also a pet peeve of mine, is that Zach winked way too often. At one point he winked at Karen three times in two pages. And then on the next page Gramma winked. But after that either the winking dropped off, or I was too caught up in the story to note it.

A sweet story about two people from the same small town but with very different backgrounds, coming to terms with what they want in a partner and more importantly, realizing that they deserve to be with the one they love regardless of backgrounds or what anyone else in town thinks. I laughed out loud several times, and I cried a couple of times. 

An Accidental Family (Accidental Blessings, Book 3)

LOREE LOUGH

Synopsis from Goodreads: To Love Or Not To Love Again

That's the question stirring Texan widower Lamont London's heart. His longtime neighbor Nadine Greene still turns heads—especially his. But after enduring an abusive marriage, Nadine's gun-shy when it comes to relationships. And Lamont has some unresolved feelings to overcome about his late wife. It isn't until Nadine's ranch house burns to the ground and Lamont offers refuge to her and her son's family in his empty mansion that she opens her heart. Can they find a sweet second chance at love, and make two families into one?

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, published by Love Inspired Books, 2011.

How acquired: Bought.

First line: Lamont had never felt more alone in his life.

My thoughts: I don't know why, but this one just didn't appeal to me nearly as much as the first two books in this trilogy. I had a little trouble staying interested in it. The plot just didn't hold my attention and I couldn't seem to connect with the characters, even though I liked them both in the previous books and was looking forward to their story.

I guess they just can't all be winners.

Christmas Countdown (Lost, Inc., Book 2; Love Inspired Suspense No. 320)

VICKI HINZE

Synopsis from back of book: A simple trip home for the holidays is all former FBI profiler Maggie Mason wants. But a serial killer has other plans. Trapped in a deadly game of cat and mouse, Maggie finds an ally in Lost, Inc. with private investigator Dr. Ian Crane. The handsome widower is reluctant to love again, and the last thing Maggie wants is to put Ian in the line of fire, too. Love could cost them everything...unless they can find their way to each other in time for Christmas.

First line: Something wasn't right.

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, published by Love Inspired Books, 2012; I think I acquired this book through my subscription with Harlequin Reader Service.

My thoughts: That first line pretty much summed up my feelings about this book. I struggled to get into the story. I couldn't understand how this woman could have been running and hiding from this serial killer for so long, why every time she moved to a new place, rented a house, he soon found her and she had to run again. I kept thinking why does she keep getting a new phone when she knows he's gonna eventually trace it? Of course, it was then revealed that she wasn't just hiding from him, but also hunting him, and trying to keep him distracted looking for her so he won't go after her friends and family or any new victims.

While trying to stay a step ahead of this serial killer, there is also a stalker on the loose. I think this storyline was actually a continuation from a previous book in the series (which I have not read), where a stalker was threatening Maggie's brother's girlfriend, but had in the end been arrested and was now in jail. He's referred to as Mr. Blue Shoes, because he wore blue shoes, a key piece of evidence in his arrest. Except now it's apparently occurred to someone to have the man arrested try on those blue shoes, and guess what? They don't fit. So he's obviously not the stalker. In the wake of O.J. and "if the gloves don't fit, you must acquit", I find it hard to believe that the size of the suspect's feet and the size of the shoes would not have been compared during his trial before he could be found guilty. And then, an officer commented to Maggie that the suspect had been calling his victim (who was his ex-girlfriend) every day, trying to convince her he was innocent. This man is in jail and he's allowed to call his victim? Every day? Would that really happen?

I never connected with any of the characters, and when I put the book down and picked it up later I didn't always remember exactly what had happened in the previous pages. Fortunately, as with most of these Love Inspired books, it was a quick read, and it did have a sweet and satisfying HEA in the end.

Her Valentine Sheriff (Serendipity Sweethearts, Book 2; Love Inspired Large Print #833)

DEB KASTNER

Synopsis: Rugged and tough deputy sheriff Eli Bishop isn't scared of anything. Except dogs. When he’s assigned a K-9 partner, he thinks things can't get any worse. Then he learns who'll be training him. Local vet Mary Travis is sweet as sugar...but she's also Eli's ex-fiancee's sister. Revealing his humiliating phobia to her is not an option. Neither is developing feelings for Mary – who's built her career around the dogs Eli fears. When a terrible storm hits their town, Mary and Eli must find the courage to work together and save lives – and fall in love.

First line: Serendipity, Texas, had gone to the dogs.

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, published by Love Inspired Books, releases in January 2014; 215 pages; purchased through Harlequin Reader Service subscription.

My thoughts: The Serendipity police force is getting it's first K-9 officer, and Eli Bishop is horrified to learn that he has been chosen to partner with the dog. A frightening encounter with a wild dog when he was very young left him with physical and emotional scars, and the thought of being around a dog still scares him. But he isn’t about to turn down a promotion, not to mention allow himself to become the butt of his fellow officers' jokes and teasing. He's still smarting from the jokes and teasing that followed his ex-fiancee jilting him, and he's not pleased that her sister will be training him. But he keeps his misgivings to himself and stoically accepts the new position.

Mary Bishop is excited about starting a K-9 training program, and if her first pupil and his partner do well, she hopes to get contracts from other local police forces. She's nervous about working with Eli, whom she had a crush on in high school, and she's still angry at her sister for the way she walked out on Eli and their engagement to be with another man.

Eli doesn’t tell Mary about his dog phobia, leaving her to ponder and wonder why he's so reserved and resistant to interacting with Bullet. She needs Eli and Bullet to become a cohesive unit in order to get the new training program off the ground. I'm fascinated by police dogs (well, by any dogs!), and Deb Kastner appears to have done some research into what makes them tick, and I enjoyed this brief glimpse into how the canine officers – and their human partners – are trained. And Eli's first training session with Mary and Bullet had me laughing page after page.

Mary quickly realizes her teenage crush on Eli is still going strong, but she doesn't think he would ever possibly be interested in someone like her. In fact, she spends a majority of the book convinced that he's fallen for her friend Alexis, and determined to be happy for them. Meanwhile, Alexis and Samantha, the other member of the Little Chicks, as the three girls are known around town, plot and scheme to get Mary and Eli together.

The storm scenes were descriptive and realistic, and I got a little tense but very immersed in the story. Thinking back, this is the first book I've read that featured any tornadic activity since my own city was devastated by a tornado back in May, and Mary and Eli heading out with their dogs for Search and Rescue made me emotional. But not in a bad way – with the happy ending it was also cathartic.

Overall an enjoyable and engaging read. I gather from Harlequin’s website that this is the second book in the “Serendipity Sweetheart” series, the first book having been Samantha's story, THE SOLDIER'S SWEETHEART, which thanks to my excessive subscriptions to Harlequin's Reader Service I already have in my massive TBR pile. But scrolling through synopses of Ms. Kastner's other books it looks like many of them are set in the same little town, such as MEETING Mr. RIGHT, which is the fourth book in the “Email Order Brides” series and is about Eli's sister, and which I'm pleased to realize is also in my TBR pile, along two more of her books. So, you know, just what I need. Another bunch of books to move to my “to be read next” bookcase, which is almost overflowing as it is. 

An Accidental Hero & An Accidental Mom

LOREE LOUGH

Synopsis:

AN ACCIDENTAL HERO: Struggling Actress Cammi Carlisle is leading a life of bad luck. When fate throws her and Reid Alexander together, though, things start to look up. Still, Reid harbors a terrible secret that the pregnant Cammi may not be able to forgive...

AN ACCIDENTAL MOM: Any glimpse of Max Sheridan, her long-lost love, has always made Lily London sparkle. Then Max, now a widower, returns to Amarillo with his young son. Max doesn't think the girl he left behind can handle a ready-made family – it's up to Lily to prove him wrong.

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, published by Love Inspired Books, 2011; 508 pages; bought at Wal-Mart.

My thoughts: I've only read one previous book by Loree Lough, OUT OF THE SHADOWS, in 2009, before starting this blog. In my journal entry on BookCrossing I wrote:

I finished this last night and got teary eyed a couple of times reading. Not because of the main characters love for one another, or for the hero finding his way back to God, but because of the sub-plot involving a little girl with a heart condition. All in all a pretty standard romance book that really hooked me towards the end.

So when I saw this omnibus some time later at Wal-Mart and recognized the author's name I decided on impulse to buy it. Plus the cover caught my eye with the horses. But then Love Inspired books almost always have beautiful eye-catching covers!

In AN ACCIDENTAL HERO, Cammi is coming home to Amarillo after a brief marriage to a Hollywood stuntman left her a pregnant widow. She is dreading facing her father, who disapproved of her moving to California to try to be an actress, and who does not know she married while she was away.

Reid returned home to Amarillo fairly recently himself. Recovering from a rodeo injury, he came back to the ranch he grew up on when he learned that the man who took him in and raised him as a young boy has ALS.

As Cammi drives into town, she runs a red light and crashes into Reid's truck. What a way to meet someone!

Cammi and Reid have a connection to each other, though neither realizes it at the time. When Reid inadvertently learns who Cammi's father is, he is convinced that once Lamont London tells Cammi who Reid is she will want nothing to do with him. It's kind of hard to go into the plot details any further without giving away too much.

Cammi and Reid are both pretty angst filled and wrapped up in their problematic lives. Both have lost faith, which is a major theme of the story, a little more so than I normally care of, but it also suited the story and the characters withoutu being hit you over the head. I loved Reid. He was often cranky, which, while not necessarily appealing in real life, I do love a cranky hero on paper.

AN ACCIDENTAL MOM picks up several months later, giving us the story of Lily London, Cammi's younger sister. Lily had a huge crush on Max back when she was twelve and he was eighteen. But he married and moved away to Chicago, where he became a successful CPA. Now a widower, he's back in town with his four year old son, Nate, to help run his mother's diner while she recovers from a broken leg.

Lily is sweet enough, but it was hard to believe (for me anyway) that after twelve years she is still pining for Max. She's never married, and didn't appear to have ever even had a real boyfriend. As soon as she sees Max again she is pretty much head over heels again, even though she thinks he never really noticed her back in the day. Well, that's because at eighteen he knew he was too old for her, and being a good guy even then, he did what he thought was right and got out of the way of temptation.

Max and Lily are both appealing characters, but I didn't connect with them as well as with Cammi and (especially) Reid. Max has much more angst than Lily, going back and forth in his head about his feelings for her, and whether or not he should stay in Amarillo or go back to his life in Chicago. When Lily visits him in Chicago, he acted very stupid and naive and I was quite irritated with him. Nate very much wants his father to find a new wife and a mother for him, and he takes an instant liking to Lily. He was a cute kid but thankfully not over the top precocious. 

Loree Lough's writing flows smoothly, and she's good with a turn of phrase. One of my favorite lines from the first book:

"Her sigh filtered through the wires, kissing his eardrum.” (pg 50)

I already have the third book in my TBR pile, AN ACCIDENTAL FAMILY, about Cammi and Lily's father, and anticipate enjoying it.

A Love Worth Waiting For (Love Inspired #203)

JILLIAN HART

Back cover copy: Jaded jet-setter Noah Ashton arrived in Montana with the sole purpose of making sure his beloved grandmother was not marrying a man out to steal her fortune. However, when he experienced a life-threatening crisis, the last person he expected to lean on was Julie Renton, the granddaughter of his grandmother's suitor. The small-town schoolteacher not only staunchly defended her grandfather's honor, but also opened this world-weary tycoon's eyes to the Lord's most precious blessings.

A handsome and chivalrous Noah was everything Julie had ever dreamed of in a man. But even while she lavished him with sweet solace to see him through the hardships ahead, she sensed he had the power to shatter her fragile heart. It took a miracle from above to convince Julie she'd finally found a love worth fighting for.

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, published by Steeple Hill Books, 2003; 250 pages. I don't remember where I got it.

My thoughts: Enjoyable albeit standard Love Inspired fare. The characters are all likable, the banter between the hero and heroine is often amusing, and the ending is satisfactory.

The Christmas Child (Redemption River #4; Love Inspired #661)

LINDA GOODNIGHT

Synopsis: In Redemption, Oklahoma, a young boy is found huddled in a Dumpster, clutching a Christmas book. Scared and refusing to speak, he captures undercover agent Kade McKendrick's guarded heart. Kade brings the child home until he can track down his family - and his story. All Kade has is a name, Davey, and the boy's trust of sweet, pretty teacher Sophie Bartholomew. With her kindness and faith, Sophie helps both the boy and the battle-scarred cop to smile again. And as they uncover the mystery of a very special child, a family is formed - just in time for Christmas.

First line: In twenty years of Dumpster diving, Popbottle Jones had found his share of surprises in other people's trash.

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, published by Steeple Hill, 2011; 217 pages.

My thoughts: Linda Goodnight is one of the two authors who first got me hooked on the Love Inspired line of books (the other being Jillian Hart). Her stories are heartwarming, the settings charming (love the town of Redemption), and the characters well drawn out and easy to connect with.

Kade, staying temporarily with his aunt in Redemption, is the ultimate wounded warrior, an undercover cop who's faith has been shaken by the human horrors he has witnessed on the job in Chicago. Sophie is an optimistic and upbeat teacher who loves Christmas and winter and snow and pretty much everything that comes along. Including a lost little boy and a lost man, both of whom she longs to take care of. One is eager to accept her love, one is not.

As Kade throws himself wholeheartedly into the search for Davey's family and for answers to how and why the little boy ended up alone in a dumpster, cold and hungry and unable to talk, he also finds himself doing some soul searching about his own life and whether he really wants to go back to Chicago after the holidays. Kade is a wonderful hero who I was a little in love with from the first chapter. The banter between Kade and Sophie was amusing and I smiled a lot while reading this book.

Home To Crossroads Ranch (Love Inspired No. 485)

LINDA GOODNIGHT

Synopsis: Finally, Rainy Jernagen has the child-filled home she's always wanted! Okay, so she still hasn't found Mr. Right, but the foster kids she's taken in fill her heart almost completely. Then handyman/rancher Nate Del Rio comes knocking, and Rainy starts to wonder if she really can have it all. There's only one problem: Nate doesn't want kids. At all. And nothing Rainy says will change his mind. Of course, she's not going to let that stop her. Not when she has a houseful of adorable allies to raid Nate's ranch and win his heart – whether he likes it or not.

First line: Nate Del Rio heard screams the minute he stepped out of his Super Crew Cab and started up the flower-lined sidewalk leading to Rainy Jernagen's house.

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, published by Steeple Hill Books, 2009. I don't remember where I got it – I have a zillion Love Inspired books that came from book sales, my sister, and directly through Harlequin Reader Services subscriptions.

My thoughts: When talking about Love Inspired romances, I always name Linda Goodnight as one of my favorite authors (along with Jillian Hart). But looking back over my reading logs today, I realized that this book is only the third book I've read by her (the other two being Finding Her Way Home and Missionary Daddy). Obviously I really enjoyed them, but if I hadn't already discovered her, this book would make me an instant fan.

                                    

Rainy is a sweet and likable heroine, a school teacher who is fostering a sibling group of three, plus another little girl. She's always wanted a houseful of kids and after not finding a Christian man and falling in love and having kids with him, she's turned to being a foster parent instead, putting romance on the back burner. She's not adverse to being married someday, but isn't willing to settle for just any man either.

Enter Nate Del Rio. He's certainly not looking for a wife, and he doesn't want to have any kids, ever. Which was a baffling attitude, because he's really good with the kids and they take to him very quickly. There's a tragedy in his past that is often alluded to, and it doesn't take long to sort of figure out the gist of it, though he details and circumstances are still quiet a surprise when he finally tells Rainy about it.

Great characters, including the children. Some snappy dialogue that made me laugh out loud at times. A very enjoyable book.

*SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER* Do not read further if you don't wish to be spoiled:

Being a foster parent can be heartbreaking at times, and some of the storyline dealing with that left a sour taste in my mouth. I work in the adoption field and I'm familiar with my state's DHS and the push for reunification. The little girl who is not part of the sibling girl ends up being placed back into her mother's custody, and I would have really liked more resolution to that storyline, i.e., reassurance that her mother really had turned her life around and that reunification really was the best step for that child. Because in real life it doesn't always work out that way.

Some other Linda Goodnight books currently in my TBR pile:

  

Rich Man, Poor Bride; The Christmas Child; A Time To Heal

    

His Prince's Secret Son; The Wedding Garden

At His Command

(Love Inspired #460; Homecoming Heroes #3)

BRENDA COULTER

First line: Texas attorney Jake Hopkins was severely allergic to two things: peanuts and a sweet young army nurse named Madeline Bright.

That  first line reeled me in. It told me the heroine was going to be a young, dewey eyed, probably sunshiney girl, loved and adored by everyone she meets. Not my favorite kind of heroine (probably because I'm an old, weary eyed, well, you get the point). But it also told me we would get the story from both the heroine and the hero's point of view, which I'm a big fan of. And it told me there would be plenty of amusing lines and humor infused in the story, which I'm also a big fan of.

Jake and his best friend, Noah, who was Maddie's older brother, were in the army together, flying Apache helicopters. They were shot down by insurgents, and Noah was killed. Jake was severly injured, and still suffers pain in his leg, and has to use a cane to help him walk. He also blames himself for Noah's death. Not because they were shot down, but because of decisions he made immediately after. He suffers from flashbacks and nightmares, but he stoically keeps his feelings bottled inside and refuses to talk to anyone about what happened.

Maddie adored Jake from the first time he came home with Noah, when she was in the first grade, and they were Cadets at West Point. She grew up and pursued her dream of becoming a nurse, then, after hearing Jake express admiration for doctors and nurses who served at army combat hospitals overseas, she joined the army. She wanted to be a hero. But she soon realized serving as a combat nurse just wasn't for her, and now she's in Priarie Springs, working as a nurse in the maternity ward.

Maddie very much wants to talk with Jake about Noah, and about what he's been through, and she worries about him and prays for him. Jake lost his faith in God after the accident, and he is determined to fight his feelings for Maddie, convinced that he would not be good for her and would end up hurting her. And that if she knew the truth behind Noah's death, she might never forgive him. So he continually puts her off, and she doggedly continues to advance on him. If she can't have him romantically, she still wants to be his friend.

I'm not a very religious person myself, and I'll admit to you now that I was pretty far into this book before it hit me that the title was a reference to God, not just a military reference. I've never read anything by Brenda Coulter before now, but I enjoyed her breezy style while addressing a serious topic, and her humor. I particularly liked this passage:

"You both turned up your noses because I put beans in it. And you like beans."

"Not in chili. No self-respecting Texan does." He couldn't believe she didn't know that. She might have been raised in Alabama, but that was no excuse. Not when she'd been married to a Texan - a retired rodeo cowboy, no less - for almost as long as Jake had been alive. Was Leland  Ridge aware that his wife was going around putting beans in chili?

(I purchased this book at a library book sale in March 2011.)