Series:
Heroes Come Home (Book 5)
Luke's toughest fight yet is for his family
In the special forces, Luke Brown trained for the harshest of war
situations; pity there's no training for being a husband and father.
After two years away, he wasn't expecting his wife to welcome him
open-armed, but he wasn't anticipating divorce papers either.
When she sees him standing on her doorstep in his immaculate uniform,
Olivia longs to feel her handsome husband's strong arms around her. But
raising their son has been tough, and watching little Charlie fall in
love with a dad who might leave again is terrifying.
Luke doesn't want to walk away again-and he's determined to win back his wife and child!
Very good book that also deals with some tough issues. Luke has been gone for two years without any contact with his wife and son. Now he's back and he wants to get to know his son and reconnect with his wife. He knows he screwed up by leaving again when he had promised he wouldn't but now he wants to make it up to her. Olivia doesn't want to risk her heart again and she really wants to protect Charlie from the pain of having his dad walk away from them again.
I liked both Olivia and Luke. I could see where she was coming from, with her fear of Luke leaving them again. They had fallen in love quickly and then married when she got pregnant. They hadn't done a very good job of communicating with each other about expectations and what would happen in their futures. When Charlie was born it added a lot of stress that neither of them dealt well with. Olivia found herself constantly picking fights with Luke to the point where he escaped into his work and then accepted orders to deploy just to get away. This left her alone to raise Charlie with no support at home to give her any relief. This built on her resentment and hurt which was only increased by the lack of contact from him while he was gone. I liked the fact that she didn't try to keep him away from Charlie when he returned and that she tried to make things easier for him that way. She tried to protect herself from falling for him again but soon realized that she had never stopped loving him. She did start doing a better job of listening to him and came to realize that their problems were not all his fault. She did backslide at the end by refusing to listen to him when he wanted to talk about his future but did finally hear him out.
Luke had lost his parents when he was young and ended up in foster care. He hadn't planned on ever having children because he didn't want to risk causing the same kind of problem for another child. He never expected to fall in love with Olivia and then end up as a father anyway. Having not had any example of how to be a good father he didn't know how to deal with all the problems of a fussy infant and a stressed out mama, so he ran. He knew what he was dealing with in the army and it felt like family to him. When he ended up in Special Forces he really felt like he was making a difference and he allowed himself to push his real family into the background thinking they were better off without him. Then came the day when he realized how important they were. When he went back he didn't know how to make amends to Olivia. I loved seeing how hard he worked at it and how determined he was to make it work this time. His biggest issue was that he had to learn to talk to her about his feelings. He was awkward about it at first but the more he did it the easier it became. He still wasn't great at it which contributed to their problem at the end of the book but motivated him to find a way to make a future that would work for both of them. I also loved seeing how good he was with Charlie once he got over his fear of doing something wrong.
Series:
Matchmaking Mamas (Book 9)
THE GAME OF LOVE -- IT HAS ITS RISKS. AND ITS REWARDS...
In one corner we have Jared Winterset, who's "not" in the market for a
wife. He knows too well how few marriages succeed-and Jared hates
failure. So he'll keep it light.
In the other corner there's Elizabeth Stephens, a self-sufficient
violinist. She's lonely sometimes, but playing her music is more
rewarding-and safer-than playing the field.
Then a certain someone calls in the Mamas, and-"ding "-Jared and
Elizabeth are thrown together, planning a thirty-fifth wedding
anniversary party. Soon the two are enjoying themselves "way" too much.
"It won't last, " thinks Elizabeth. "It's fun, that's all, " thinks
Jared. But they're about to learn that in a real love match, "both"
players can win...
Good book. I really liked both Jared and Elizabeth. Elizabeth is a violinist who is very involved in her music. She is the oldest child of a single father who lost her mother when Elizabeth was only four. Because she saw how devastated he was at her mother's death, she has refused to allow herself to get emotionally close to anyone. Her father worries that she will be alone for the rest of her life and mentions his worry to one of his patients who just happens to be one of the Matchmaking Mamas. She steps in and engineers a meeting between Elizabeth and Jared, one of her clients for her catering business. Jared has seen how wonderful his parents' marriage is, but believes that it is a very rare occurrence so he doesn't let himself get invested in any relationship. He is bowled over by Elizabeth when he meets her. It isn't just her beauty that draws him but he enjoys her sense of humor also. As they spend time together working on his parents' anniversary party their feelings grow deeper although neither one will admit to it. I loved the way that each of them had a quiet sense of humor that allowed them to tease one another. I could see them just building on each other's quips. I also loved Jared's way of treating Elizabeth as if she were so important even from the beginning. Jared admitted his feelings to himself and was determined to Make Elizabeth see that they belonged together. She on the other hand was so afraid of being hurt by what might happen that she couldn't open herself up to the possibilities. I loved the ending and how romantic it was.
Series:
Daughters of Power: The Capital (Book 2)
A Scandal Waiting to Happen
After her last politically minded suitor left her heartbroken and
pregnant, Rowena has sworn off the Capitol Hill dating pool. But even
she isn't immune to Colin Middlebury's British charms, and his skills
extend beyond the political arena.
As a diplomat, Colin has dealt with a lot of demands, but none like
Senator Tate's warning to stay away from his beautiful daughter. Colin
needs the senator's support, but resistance is futile where Rowena is
concerned. What harm could there be in getting to know her a little
better? International relations are about to become quite...intimate.
Good book. Rowena has gotten her life together after being something of a wild child. She is running a child care center on her father's estate and caring for her special needs son. I liked the way she was so intent on the care of her son. I also liked the fact that she had a troubled past and had overcome her addictions to become a better person. She had long since tired of the way men tried to use her to get to her father so she doesn't date any more. When she is introduced to Colin there is an immediate attraction between them but she knows better than to give in to it. Colin is in the US to work on a treaty regarding internet security. He is immediately drawn to Rowena but is warned off by her father. He finds, however, that he just can't stay away from her. I really liked the way he continued his pursuit of Rowena even though they had to be careful. I also loved how good he was with her son. There was an immediate connection there, even though Colin had no idea if he would be any good with children. He hadn't had a good relationship with his mother so he is very impressed by Rowena's love for her son. I liked the way that Colin's attentions gave Rowena the courage to finally stand up to her father and take her life back. I didn't like the Senator at all. I also liked the way that Rowena is going to take their relationship slowly to make sure that everything goes smoothly. There wasn't much about the continuing mystery of the president's daughter, but there were a few hints dropped on the progress. I'm looking forward to the next book.
