His Son, Her Secret - Sarah M. Anderson (HD #2398 - Sept 2015)

Series: Beaumont Heirs (Book 4)

Their families tore them apart. Can their baby bring them back together?

For more than a year, Byron Beaumont has tried to get over Leona Harper. Not even living overseas could erase the memory of their affair…or her betrayal. Her family has been out to destroy his for decades, and despite Byron trusting her, making love to her, Leona kept her identity hidden. Now that Byron is back -- as her new employer -- he wants answers.

But what he gets is another surprise. Leona has given birth to his son. He'll do what it takes to care for his family, even if it means spending days -- and nights -- wanting the one woman he can't have…

Good book. Byron was always a little out of step with the rest of his family. He didn't want anything to do with the brewery business, he wanted to be a chef. He finally got his wish and was working at a Denver restaurant when he met Leona. They hit it off immediately, and spent a lot of time sharing their dreams for the future. Then Byron discovered that Leona was the daughter of his family's worse enemy and felt betrayed. Rather than sticking around, he left to work in Europe and has been gone for a year. His brothers called him back and asked him to build  restaurant to go with the brewery, one that he will have full control of. He has decided to hire Leona to design it - as a way to show her that he is over her, and to get answers about why she did it.

Leona had been in love with Byron and disgusted with her father. She was trying to get away from him, which is why she was working in the restaurant. Her father's actions the day she discovered she was pregnant were the last straw. But before she was even able to tell Byron about the baby, he was gone, with no contact. She knows she should have told him about the baby, but she was afraid of the Beaumont reputation with children, so she didn't. Now that he is back, she knows she has to tell him.

Though Byron is angry about it, he doesn't immediately threaten to take the baby away. I liked the way that he was determined to protect Leona and Percy. When he finds out the threats that her father has made against her, Byron decides that marriage is the best way to stop him. All he has to do is convince Leona. 

I loved seeing the relationship rekindle between them. Even though they had been apart a year, the chemistry was still strong. They also still had their dreams in common. I loved seeing how the plans for the restaurant went so smoothly. The problem that they had was one of being able to trust each other again. Byron couldn't be certain that Leona wasn't going to side with her father, and that made him hold part of himself back from her. Leona was constantly afraid that Byron would abandon her again, and this time take Percy with him. It took another run in with her father for them to actually talk to each other and share their fears. Once they had done that, they could finally look to the future.

I did feel that their confrontation with her father was left slightly unresolved. They have their intentions to stand against him, but I'd have liked to see how they do it. There's another book in the series, so maybe there will be a bit more included there.

Bride by Mail - Katy Madison (HH #1187 - June 2014)

Series: Wild West Weddings (Book 1)

27-year-old fur trader seeks wife and helpmate.

Expecting a plain, dependable woman to reply to his advert, what Jack Trudeau actually gets is pampered fashion plate Olivia Hansson. There's no denying she's pretty, but patently ill-equipped for life in his simple log cabin -- with its one bed -- in the wild Rocky Mountains.

Olivia must make a success of her new life. But how to convince her skeptical husband that she is capable? She doesn't cook and only knows how to grow flowers, not practical vegetables! Undaunted, Olivia sets out to win his grudging admiration -- and his closely protected heart.

After several months of exchanging letters, Olivia has finally arrived in Denver, ready to marry Jack. The letters he wrote describing the beauty of where he lives touched her heart and made her long for something she hadn't had in years - a place to belong. Things don't go quite as she hoped, as Jack's first reaction to her seems to be dismay.

Jack had certainly not expected the young woman in the fashionable clothing, who can't even look him in the eye. As they travel toward his home he discovers that she can't cook, knows nothing of growing food, and seems to be afraid to even touch him. He's bitterly disappointed and has no trouble letting it show.

Olivia sees his disappointment, and feels rejected already. She has grown up feeling that she doesn't meet anyone's expectations. Her parents died in a train wreck when she was a child and she was raised by an older woman who rarely had anything good to say to her. As an adult she worked in a cotton mill where she was also looked down on. Ever since writing to Jack she has dreamed of finally having someone who accepts her for who she is. If she wants to make her marriage work she has to learn a new way of life. 

I felt bad for Olivia because she was way out of her depth. She had never experienced anything like the wilderness she was now going to be living in. She waffles back and forth between wanting to stay and make it work with Jack and wanting to leave because she can see he doesn't want her. She's also extremely innocent, and doesn't understand the feelings that Jack rouses in her. They scare her a bit and cause her to shrink away from him. It takes a near tragedy for her to see that she is stronger than she thinks she is. I liked seeing her start to display the strength she'll need to have the future she wants.

I was a bit frustrated with Jack. I got the impression that he hadn't been all that specific in his letters to Olivia about what he actually expected of her. I felt that he could have at least offered to teach her what she needed to know. Instead, all he can see is that she doesn't fit the preconceived picture he had in  his mind of what the perfect wife would be. Jack spends a lot of time comparing her to his mother, who had left him and his father because she couldn't handle the life there, and to his late Indian wife, who had known exactly what needed to be done and how to do it. Added to that, he's really attracted to her, but afraid to get close because it will hurt when she leaves. So he blows hot and cold with her, as the attraction makes him want her to stay, but his fears cause him to push her away.

Things would have gone much more smoothly with them if they would have just talked to each other about what they were feeling. They were so busy protecting themselves that they couldn't see what needed to be done. The only times they really communicated in any way was when the attraction would take over. I did like Jack's patience and gentleness with Olivia and her innocence.

I liked the section where they were caring for Jack's former brother-in-law. It was a terrific demonstration of the things that could happen and how they would need to be dealt with. I loved seeing the progression that Olivia made from her fears at the beginning of it, to her courage and determination by the time Jack came back. I also liked seeing that Jack finally realized what an idiot he'd been. The plans they made for their future together were an excellent compromise to both their needs. The only thing that might have made it better would be an epilogue from a year or so later.

Her Baby and Her Beau - Victoria Pade (HSE #2384 - Feb 2015)

Series: Camdens of Colorado (Book 7)

A KID FOR A CAMDEN?

Schoolteacher Kyla Gibson spends her days keeping kids in line, but it's not quite the same as having a family of her own. But when Kyla is named guardian to her newly orphaned infant goddaughter, she becomes an insta-mommy! Soon, though, she's in over her head -- and she's stunned when her SOS is answered by the last man she ever expected to see…

Former Marine Beau Camden is shocked to see Kyla again -- and with a baby! It's been fourteen years since their last night together, after which she went AWOL. But the time for old grievances is past, and Kyla desperately needs his magic touch with little Immy. Can the soldier and his former sweetheart heal old hurts to create a future together, Camden-style?

Wonderful reunion story. Kyla is reeling from the events of the past few days. Kyla's cousin and her husband were killed in a fire while Kyla was visiting. Kyla was able to save the baby and now faces raising that baby on her own. She facing the recovery from her own injuries, raising Immy, and dealing with the financial aspects of Immy's inheritance when she is confronted by a blast from her past.

Fourteen years earlier Kyla and Beau had been teenagers in love. He was headed off to the Naval Academy and Kyla had no idea where her parents would be taking her. When she ended up pregnant, her attempts to contact him were unsuccessful until her father visited Beau's grandfather. He came back saying that Beau had denied it all. She was devastated by what she saw as Beau's abandonment of her. Her parents took her away, and not long after she lost the baby.

Out of the Marines after thirteen years, Beau is having some trouble adjusting to civilian life. He even feels a bit of an outsider with his own family. He wants to be part of the family business, but even with that he hasn't been able to find a place where he fits. His grandmother comes to him with information she found in his grandfather's journal, showing that he had kept the news of Kyla's pregnancy from Beau. With word of Kyla's troubles, Beau is determined to visit her and see if he can help.

I loved their reunion. It was a little rocky at first, as Kyla remembers her hurt and is reluctant to believe his explanation. She is also fighting the fact that she is still attracted to him. Beau is surprised to see her with a baby, but intent on helping her. His military training has him approaching it like a military operation. When he lets himself relax a little, his old feelings for Kyla resurface. But Beau is reluctant to get involved with Kyla while his life is still so unsettled. He doesn't see how being with Kyla and Immy has begun to change him. I loved seeing how sweet and gentle he was with the baby. I also loved seeing everything he did to make things easier for Kyla.

Their romance was a slow buildup as they dealt with past hurts and current fears. Kyla had grown up with parents who were musicians and never settled anywhere. They were always chasing their dreams, leaving Kyla to be the practical one. All she wanted was a place to put down some roots and have a family of her own. Seeing Beau again brought those dreams of a family back to the surface. But as much as she wanted structure in her life, she feared that Beau's version of structure was too much for her to handle. Beau discovers that Kyla gives him the balance in his life that he needs. But he has to find a way to convince her to give them a chance. I loved the ending and how sensitive he was to her worries.