Baby for Keeps - Janice Maynard (HD #2307 - June 2014)

Series: Kavanaughs of Silver Glen (Book 2)
           Billionaires and Babies (Book 46)

A woman and baby walk into a bar...

It might sound like a joke, but saloon owner Dylan Kavanagh knows it's all too serious. Struggling single mom Mia Larin needs him. She helped him when they were young, and the bachelor means to do everything in his power to protect Mia and her child. Giving her a job, a room under his own roof, is easy. Keeping it all about business isn't....

Dylan is a successful, eligible catch, but are Mia's feelings just a case of hero worship? Or will she still need him, still want him, once her circumstances change?

Terrific story. I really liked both Dylan and Mia. There's great chemistry between them, but there's also the ability to see past their issues to the real person. Both had insecurities that kept them from feeling that they were worth loving. Dylan was surprised to see Mia and her infant daughter in his bar. He hadn't expected to ever see her again. Mia had been his tutor their senior year in high school. She was super intelligent and he had dyslexia, but they had connected. Dylan is the second oldest Kavanaugh son after Liam (A Not-So-Innocent Seduction). Liam had always done well in school with no apparent effort, which made Dylan feel like a failure with his inability to do well. So he cultivated a bad boy image, giving the impression he didn't care. Years later he has used his people skills to build a very successful business for himself. Seeing Mia again brings back some of those high school memories, including the crush he had on her and the less than pleasant way he had treated her. Finding out that she's jobless, he offers her the job of doing the books for his business while she searches for a job in her own field. He also invites her and her baby to stay with him. Dylan discovers that his attraction to her now is far stronger than it was then. He starts to think about what it would be like to have them permanently in his life. But he still has insecurities about his learning problems that had made him swear he would never have kids, because he didn't want a child of his to suffer like he had. Plus he still feels the gulf between his and Mia's abilities and doesn't feel like he is worthy of someone that smart.

Mia had had a huge crush on Dylan when they were in school. She never minded helping him with his work, and did her best to try to show him that he wasn't stupid the way he claimed. Though they were in the same grade, Mia was younger because she had skipped grades. She never felt like she fit in and suffered from a lot of teasing/bullying. After leaving Silver Glen for college, she ended up as a medical researcher. She still never felt comfortable in social situations and relationships never really worked out. She got tired of waiting for Mr Right and decided to have a baby on her own, starting the family that she craved for herself. When she lost her job she took the time to go to Silver Glen to see how Dylan was doing and was happy to see how well things were going for him. When he offered her a job to do while she looked for work she was happy to take it. She didn't expect to end up sharing his house with him and finding that the old attraction was still there. She takes a chance and lets him know of that attraction, even though she has low confidence in her appeal. Even though there's nothing for her career wise in Silver Glen, the more time she spends with Dylan the more she wants to stay.

Dylan and Mia do a fantastic job of showing each other how wrong their self doubts are, but neither has an easy time actually believing it. Dylan is still fighting those demons from school, to the point that he pushes Mia away, believing she is better off away from him. Mia has trouble believing that he could really want someone like her for very long, but loves him anyway and is devastated by his actions. It takes awhile for Dylan to realize what an idiot he was, but I loved seeing him finally get it. There was a pretty sweet twist at the end that just added to the story.

A Not-So-Innocent Seduction - Janice Maynard (HD #2296 - Apr 2014)

Series: Kavanaghs of Silver Glen (Book 1)

Taming the Untamable

Secrets have never appealed to Liam Kavanagh. Not since his father disappeared, leaving Liam responsible for the Kavanagh family and their empire with little room for anything else. But when the mysterious Zoe Chamberlain breezes into his life, stirring up all kinds of pent-up frustrations, Liam knows there's more to her vagabond lifestyle than she's letting on. He can see the secrets in her eyes -- and he wants her anyway. Will she be more than his orderly life can handle? Or will Liam's strong embrace finally allow this free spirit to put down roots and love again?

Terrific start to the series.  Liam is the oldest of the Kavanagh family and the one that took responsibility for the family and the business when their father disappeared.  Now he tends to be a too serious workaholic.  Zoe takes a break from her travels when her van breaks down just outside town.  She's not sure that staying is a good idea, but something about Liam and Silver Glen calls to her weary soul.

I really liked both Liam and Zoe.  Liam gave up on his own dreams in order to help his family after his father's disappearance.  Because he saw what his father put the family through, he doesn't like people who keep secrets.  He noticed Zoe as soon as she arrived at his hotel, because of her beauty and also because she didn't look like their usual guest.  He's very attracted to her but he can see that she has a lot of secrets.  

Zoe has been on the road for many months, never staying in one place for very long.  When her van breaks down she takes it as a sign that she should take the opportunity to stay for awhile.  She is still recovering from a bad case of pneumonia that has left her physically and mentally exhausted.  Liam is nothing like any man she's been attracted to before.  She enjoys being with him but she also feels his distrust.

Liam and Zoe are such different types that it was interesting seeing them interact.  Liam is serious, focused on making sure everything is just right at the hotel and watching out for his family. Zoe is basically a happy person who loves playing her music for people. I liked the way that she is constantly surprising him and pulling him out of his occasional stuffiness. The chemistry between them sizzles but her secrets are putting a strain on what could develop between them.  I liked the way that she started opening up to Liam and telling him some things about herself.  When her past catches up with her, Liam is there to support her, but he does it in a way that ends up hurting her more.  It takes losing her for Liam to finally confront his issues and take a chance in going after her.