Texas Dad - Roz Denny Fox (HAR #1495 - Apr 2014)

Series: Fatherhood

A Picture-Perfect Husband?

Mack Bannerman is many things -- a rancher, a Texan, a father…a widower. His twelve-year-old daughter, Zoey, wants him to remarry, so she enters Mack in a magazine contest, hoping to find a wife for him -- and a mother for her.

Photojournalist JJ Walker, formerly from Texas, is sent to Turkey Creek Ranch to take photos of him for the feature. But JJ and Mack have a past together. One full of mistakes and misunderstandings that left them both with broken hearts. When Zoey catches on that they used to be involved she'll stop at nothing to make them fall for each other again. Never underestimate a girl who's determined to play cupid!

Good second chance story. Mack is content with life as it is, taking care of his ranch and his twelve year old daughter. Zoey, however, isn't as happy. She's getting to the age where she'd really like to have a mom, but her dad isn't cooperating. So, without his knowledge, she enters him in a magazine contest, hoping that he'll win and get introduced to a potential mom for her.

JJ is a photojournalist for the magazine and is the one assigned to do the story about him. She's not happy about it because she and Mack were engaged back during college. But she overheard something that made her believe he'd been unfaithful, so she left him without explanation. She's determined to get through this assignment as quickly as possible, before she gets involved with him again.

Mack is stunned to see JJ again, and not very happy about the reason why. But he loves Zoey and puts his own feelings aside to do this for her. He doesn't expect to find that his feelings for JJ are still alive and getting stronger every day. But he was burned by her once before and he's not so sure that she's going to stick around this time. 

I liked seeing Mack and JJ getting to know each other again. The attraction is still there, but both are wary about getting involved again. Mack seems to be especially skittish, and has a tendency to jump to conclusions. There's a scene where the ranch is threatened by a fire while Mack is away and in spite of everything JJ does to try to protect it, Mack says some really terrible things to her before he gets the facts. I was quite happy to see JJ stand up for herself and not let him off the hook easily. Things start to look a bit more promising for them, until a secret Mack has been keeping comes to light and throws another wedge between them, accentuating that they never really dealt with their past. Now they have to decide if their love is enough to overcome the problems.

I really enjoyed the part that Zoey played in the book. She knows what she wants and she has no problem with working to achieve it. I also liked the realistic way she was portrayed. Her desire for a mom is fueled a great deal by the fact that she doesn't feel like her dad really understands what it is like for her. She has a great relationship with him, but he is a clueless man after all. I liked seeing how well she and JJ hit it off. Once she discovered that Mack and JJ had once been in love, her determination to bring them back together was fun to watch. 

Aiming for the Cowboy - Mary Leo (HAR #1491 - Mar 2014)

Series: Fatherhood

Baby Steps…

Helen Shaw loves her independence. On the rodeo circuit for months at a time, Helen's focused on her championship dreams. That all changes when she discovers she's pregnant with Colt Granger's baby. Friends with Colt since childhood, Helen always hoped they might be something more, but not like this. Not because he feels an obligation.

As a single dad, Colt's got his hands full with three raucous young boys and a busy ranch, but he can't stop thinking about Helen. He's thrilled when she suddenly quits competing and returns to Briggs, Idaho…until he finds out why. Colt's night with Helen was definitely more than a fling, but he never meant for it to lead to another baby. Could this misstep actually be a step in the right direction?

Fun book.  Helen and Colt have been friends for most of their lives.  Helen has also had a bit of a crush on him.  One night their friendship goes a little further and Helen ends up pregnant.  Kids haven't been in her plan for the immediate future as she concentrates on her rodeo career.  Colt is stunned to find out that Helen is pregnant with his baby.  As the single father of three boys he had not wanted any more children, but he's not going to walk away from Helen.  Can he convince her to give them a chance?

Helen has always been focused on her rodeo career and her dream of a national championship.  Finding out she's pregnant puts those dreams on hold.  She's really nervous because she's never really been involved with taking care of kids and feels completely unprepared.  With this being Colt's baby, she fully expects that it's another boy and will be just like the three he has - really wild.  Colt starts pushing for them to get married, but Helen doesn't want him to marry her because it's the "right" thing to do, she wants love.  She also tries very hard to maintain her independence even though she likes being able to lean on Colt.  She likes being around his boys but she worries about whether she could really be a good mother for them.  It was fun to see her interact with them.  She also has a dream for her post rodeo life, but it seems to be in direct conflict with what Colt wants.  Some of that conflict could have been lessened if she and Colt had actually spent some time talking and listening to each other.  

Colt lost his wife when his third son was born.  The boys are pretty wild and he knows that he should be looking for a wife who can help him with them.  Problem is, ever since that night with Helen she's all he can really think about.  He'd love to get her in his life permanently, but he doesn't see her giving up her rodeo life any time soon.  I loved his happiness when she gave up her competing, but he was shocked when he found out why.  He was so very protective of her because of how he lost his wife that he was kind of smothering her.  Colt also had a lot of responsibility running his family's potato ranch and that work put him in conflict with Helen and her dream for her future.  I loved seeing him try to reconcile both and the struggles that he went through before he realized what was most important to him.

I loved the small town setting and how close and supportive people are with each other.  It was fun seeing both Colt and Helen try to work things out while dealing with the interference from family and friends.  I also loved Colt's three boys.  They all seemed to be pretty normal kids, getting into the kind of trouble that kids do.  

Second Chance Family - Leigh Duncan (HAR #1488 - Feb 2014)

Series: Fatherhood

An Instant Family?

Coaching Little League in a small Florida town is a world away from Travis Oak's dream of being a professional pitcher. But now the phys ed teacher faces his greatest challenge: keeping a ten-year-old boy from being expelled. He's got the perfect solution…until he runs up against a petite, irresistible blonde.

After her major league husband's betrayal, Courtney Smith wants nothing to do with bad boys…or baseball. But her son thinks Travis is some kind of hero, and she has to admit -- it's hard to resist Cocoa Village's most gorgeous coach. But will her secret keep Travis from having a family to call his own?

I loved this book.  Courtney has moved to town with her two kids to start a new life.  Her son is having a hard time with the move and has been getting into fights.  After his last fight she is given a choice of either signing him up to play baseball or having him expelled.  She doesn't want him playing baseball but she's out of options.  Travis is the Little League coach and a former ball player himself.  He has plans of his own that don't include a family, but he has a hard time staying away from this one.

I liked Courtney a lot. She is the kind of mother that puts her kids needs before her own and is determined to do what is best for them.  After the death of her ball player husband she has moved to a new town to start fresh.  Her husband had been an excellent player but a terrible husband and father.  At the time of his death he was deeply in debt and had been guilty of many infidelities.  Courtney blamed much of it on the baseball lifestyle as none of the management or other players had done anything to help but had only covered it up.  She doesn't want Josh playing the game but has no choice if she wants him to stay in school.  Finding out that the coach is a former player himself makes it hard for her to trust him.  If Josh has to play, she is determined to keep a very close eye on Travis.  That isn't too hard for her because he is very easy on the eyes.  She also discovers that she is attracted to him but when she finds out he is trying to get a professional coaching job she is determined to keep her distance.  As the weeks of the season go on she realizes that Travis is nothing like the other players she has known and is very impressed with the way he handles the boys on his team.  The attraction to Travis is mutual and they get closer as Travis spends more and more time with them.  But she has never told him who her husband was and she is afraid of what his reaction will be when he finds out.  

Travis was an excellent minor league pitcher until he got hurt.  Now he spends his time as a PE teacher and coach while applying for jobs as a professional coach.  He is aware of all the good that being part of a sports team can do for a troubled kid and offers a spot on his team to Josh.  He doesn't understand Courtney's dislike of the game but manages to talk her into giving him a chance to work with Josh.  He is really interested in her, but a family is not in his plans for the future if he wants to get back into baseball.  In spite of his wariness he can't stay away from Courtney and her family.  I loved seeing him get more involved with them, right down to caring for the baby.  One of the things that impressed me most about Travis was the way he emphasized how important school is.  He is also the type of coach that encourages the kids and doesn't say mean things to them.  He is a fantastic role model and Josh's hero worship is completely understandable.  Travis falls for Courtney and wonders what will happen if he gets the coaching job he has applied for.  When he finds out Courtney's secret he's hurt that she didn't tell him and has a bit of trouble believing that she could actually feel anything for him when her life had been so different.  I loved seeing the way that his goals and dreams changed and found the ending to be really moving.

Rancher's Son - Leigh Duncan (HAR #1431 - Dec 2012)

Series: Fatherhood 

A Cowboy Daddy In The Making?

Sarah Magarity just broke the first rule of social work: don't get personally involved. But how can she ignore the orphaned tyke who shows up in her office on Christmas Eve? The chance to make a difference is awfully tempting. So's the rancher with the sexy smile who might be the boy's father. Still, Sarah has to be nuts to let Ty Parker sweet-talk her into a cattle drive across rugged Florida wilderness.

Ty can't believe he might have a son to carry on his legacy. Still, until the DNA results come back, he isn't making any plans. But a strange thing happens on the open road. Amid rattlesnake scares and cozy campfires, he's growing closer to the boy...and to Sarah, the fiery redhead Ty can't keep out of his arms. They could be a happy family, unless the truth tears them apart....

Good book.  When orphaned Jimmy is dropped at her office on Christmas Eve, Sarah can't just leave the five year old at a group home for older kids.  She breaks the rules and takes him home with her.  Over the next few days she attempts to reach the man who may be Jimmy's father.  When she does, Ty is unwilling to believe that his ex's son is also his until the DNA test comes back.  He does invite Sarah and Jimmy to come to the ranch and participate in their cattle drive.  Ty plans to keep his emotional distance until he knows for sure if Jimmy is his.  Sarah is certain that he is and determined that Ty connect with Jimmy as soon as possible.

While alone at the social services office on Christmas Eve Sarah is thinking about how her job hasn't turned out the way she expected it to.  She's frustrated that she hasn't been able to do the good things that she wanted to and is feeling burnt out.  Having Jimmy dumped on her gives her a chance to do something that will, hopefully, have a positive effect on his life.  Even though her prior experience with Ty doesn't give her confidence in his abilities as a parent she is determined to see him do the right thing.  I loved seeing the sparks between them as she begins to see that her first impressions of him were wrong.  The longer she stays at the ranch with Ty and Jimmy the harder she falls for both of them, but she's afraid of what might happen if DNA shows that Ty isn't Jimmy's father.  

Ty had tried hard to make his marriage work, but his ex wasn't happy living on the ranch.  When she took off shortly after his father's death and the same day he found out about his best friend's death it was a blow to his happiness.  He has spent the time since then trying to bring the ranch back to a profitable status.  When he finds out about Jimmy he is quite certain that the boy isn't his, no matter what it says on his birth certificate.  He refuses to get his hopes up until the DNA results are in, but he also can't stand the idea of Jimmy going to the group home.  I loved the way he invited them to the ranch even though he had no idea how difficult it could be.  It was pretty sweet to see that no matter what he said he couldn't help but give Jimmy all the attention he needed.  I also loved seeing him getting closer to Sarah and thinking about a future with both of them.  

I liked the depth of the characters.  Ty's reservations were realistic and his reluctance to commit his emotions understandable.  Sarah's idealism showed her big heart and I could easily see how much she wanted things to work out for Jimmy.  I loved seeing the changes both of them went through as the book went on.  The twist at the end was not unexpected, as I suspected it early on, but it was well done.