A Navy SEAL's Surprise Baby- Laura Marie Altom (HAR #1466 - Sept 2013)

Series: Operation: Family (Book 4)

He Needs Her

Fatherhood is the last thing on navy SEAL Calder Remington's mind. On the job, he's a hardworking hero; in civilian life, he's a carefree bachelor. When he finds a baby -- his baby -- on his doorstep, he's got no choice but to be a dad. He needs help, and that's where super-nanny Pandora Moore comes in. She's perfect in every way. Calder can't deny that he's powerfully attracted to her.

But she's his employee, which puts her strictly off-limits. And though Pandora may seem perfect, she becomes evasive whenever talk turns to her past. Calder can't help wondering if she's hiding something. He never imagines that the truth may tear them apart -- just as they dare to imagine a future together.

Fantastic book with a lot of emotion.  Calder is desperately trying to cope with being a father, and engages the help of Pandora as Quinn's nanny.  She does a fantastic job and soon has the household running smoothly.  He is attracted to her but knows that's inappropriate since she works for him.  He also senses she's keeping something from him.  When her past comes out he reacts badly and things fall apart.  Once he has calmed down he realizes that he needs to regain her trust to have any kind of a future.

Pandora is finally getting her life back together.  We first met her as one of the girls that Ellie was counseling in A SEAL's Secret Baby.  Now she's sober, employed and trying to regain custody of her daughter.  I love her determination to get it right, but her desire to do it on her own keeps her from the support she could have.  She loves her job as Quinn's nanny and does a great job at it.  She's fascinated by Calder but knows that anything between them would be wrong.  The more time they spend together as they care for Quinn the more she grows to like him.  When she tells him about her past she is devastated by his reaction.  I loved the way that she picked herself up and started over.  I also liked the way that she didn't give in to Calder's persuasions when he came back to her, but did work out a compromise.  It gave them more time to get to know each other.  I loved the realism of Pandora's struggle to redeem herself and get her daughter back.  I ached for her at her hearing and loved Calder's actions as he tried to help her.  It was great to see how the friends she made came through for her.

Calder was great.  He was so used to his carefree bachelor life that he was especially thrown when he found out he was a father.  I liked the way he stepped up and was trying to do his best.  He wasn't going to hire Pandora because she was young, but when she saved Quinn from choking he decided to give her a chance.  Seeing how good she was with the baby made him really notice how he wasn't so good.  He was still having a hard time really bonding.  He wasn't having any trouble bonding with Pandora.  The more he was with her the more he felt like they were a family.  Finding out about her past he over reacted and really messed things up.  I loved the way that his mom pointed out that he jumped all over Pandora because then his faults didn't look so bad.  I loved the way that he was so surprised when she didn't agree to come right back to care for Quinn.  I enjoyed his reaction to the compromise and loved seeing him finally really connect with Quinn.  He really did a lot of changing during those weeks.  I loved his statement to her at the end "Woman, if you're going to be in a relationship with a SEAL there's one thing you need to learn up front.  We never quit.  We're like human bulldozers - mowing down anything - anyone - in our way to make the seemingly impossible happen."  I loved the ending and the epilogue.

Zane - Brenda Jackson (HD #2239 - July 2013)

Series: Westmorelands (Book 25)

No woman walks away from Zane Westmoreland. But when Channing Hastings does just that, it leaves the rancher reeling -- and then she returns to town, engaged! Zane will do whatever it takes to show her that there is no man for her but him.

Good book.  Zane and Channing had been together for nine months.  He had made it clear at the beginning that he doesn't do commitments, he doesn't fall in love.  Even though Channing felt there was more to what he felt for her, when he refused to consider a future she cut her losses and left him.  Two years later she comes back wearing another man's ring.  Even though he still is anti-commitment he doesn't want her with anyone else.  

I liked Zane though he was certainly frustrating.  He likes women - a lot.  He has frequent relationships though they are all short and he makes sure that they know he doesn't "do" love.  His time with Channing had been different.  He still refuses to commit to a future but he found himself treating her differently than anyone else.  He frequently reminded her that he doesn't fall in love and is stunned when she finally gives up on them and leaves.  When she comes back he gets the brilliant idea of showing her that he's the only man for her but still insists on his unwillingness to love.  This time when she leaves he finally starts to realize that maybe there's something to his feelings after all.  It took a conversation with one of his brothers for him to realize that his refusal to love was a way to protect himself from a loss like the one when his parent and anunt and uncle died. I wanted to smack him when he got to Channing and announced that he loved her and expected everything to be okay.  Really?  After months of telling her he doesn't love she's supposed to believe he suddenly loves her?  I'm so glad she didn't cave in.  I loved watching him grovel and have to do things that showed how he had changed.  I love the closeness of the Westmoreland family and how they support each other.  I also loved the scene when Zane's sisters tore into him over the way he had treated Channing.

I really liked Channing.  She was independent and knew what she wanted.  She loved Zane and felt like he had feelings for her even though he was still insisting he doesn't.  When she finally had enough she moved away.  She had to come back for a seminar and pretended an engagement to try to protect herself.  When Zane confronted her about it and insisted she was his but still wouldn't promise a future she fled again.  She was stunned when he showed up and suddenly started claiming that he loved her.  She figured he was just saying it because he still wanted her physically.  I loved the fact that she didn't just accept his declaration.  I liked the way she slowly began to accept that his love might be real as he opened up to her more about his life and his feelings.  There was a brief relapse on her part but the ending was certainly dramatic.