Jacqueline Diamond

Fun book that is a little different than the usual Harlequin American Romance. The story opens as Tara and her friend Denise make their way to a Halloween party but get lost and end up at a different party. The setting is unique, and Tara feels an odd connection to it. That oddness increases when she meets an intriguing stranger who sweeps her off her feet for the night. It seemed like a dream the next day, but that dream had very real consequences - her son Harry.

Seven years later, Tara show more works hard to make ends meet and raise her son alone. Harry is an unusual kid with what Tara believes is a vivid imagination. But imagination doesn't explain the occasional flying object - so she doesn't try. It does make her wonder about Harry's father. When Harry gets suspended from school because of an incident with a school bully, Tara has no idea how her life is about to change.

Chance has never forgotten the woman he spent one magical night with. When a news story about a strange incident at a school shows him his mystery lady, he's stunned. But when he looks at her little boy, he's blown away by the realization that he is most likely Chance's son. Knowing what he does about his own powers, Chance realizes he needs to become a part of Harry's life to protect and train him. That means finding a way to get involved in Tara's life.

I liked Chance. He is a financial whiz but uses his brain rather than his powers. He broke with his father after Ray tried to get Chance to use his powers in unethical ways. He has Harry's best interests in mind when he manufactures a job as his live-in personal assistant for Tara. He has an instant connection with Harry and uses that connection to instill a sense of right and wrong ways to use his gifts - not easy with such a young child. He knows he needs to convince Tara of the reality of Harry's gifts, but it is an uphill battle. And that's before confessing that he's Harry's dad.

I liked Tara, too. She's a terrific mom to a challenging boy. She's practical, level-headed, and determined to be the best possible parent for Harry. She also has a blind spot about his gifts, convinced that his "mind reading" is pure imagination and trying to ignore the whole levitation thing.

I enjoyed seeing the relationship develop between Chance and Tara. The chemistry between them is just as strong as seven years ago. Though Chance had done an excellent job of burying the memory of that night in Tara's mind, the more time she spent in his home and with him, the closer those memories came to the surface. There is also a deeper connection between them that comes into play as the book goes on. I liked watching Chance try to ease Tara into seeing the truth, but she is very stubborn. When another incident involving Harry makes denying the truth impossible, she's also faced with the knowledge that Chance is Harry's father.

There is some interesting push and pull between Chance and Tara over using magic and when it is and isn't appropriate. Chance had his doubts about her rules but wanted to make her happy. A near tragedy showed her that a compromise was possible. In the meantime, the attraction between Tara and Chance continued to grow. Something in the past hangs over them, making Chance believe it is better to keep their distance.

The ending was frightening as the perils associated with their gifts brought danger to Harry and Chance. I was on the edge of my seat until it was over, and everyone was safe. An unexpected benefit to what happened made it possible for Chance and Tara to look forward to a life together. show less

Good book. Jack and Anya have worked together for several months. Jack has been interested in Anya, and a New Year's Eve kiss turned into a passionate night together. But since then, Anya has been avoiding him. Anya has discovered that she's pregnant and she's not at all happy about it.

Anya got stuck caring for her younger triplet sisters while she was growing up. Her mom was disabled by rheumatoid arthritis, and unable to do much. With her older sister married and moved out, her father show more working long hours and her brothers with him, most of the responsibility fell on her. Making it worse, she never seemed to be able to do anything right in her father's eyes. Even when she finally had enough and moved to California, visits to her family were awful, as they laid guilt trips on her for avoiding her responsibilities. She feels that she isn't ready to be a mother and plans to give the baby up for adoption. Then she discovers that she must get Jack's signature also.

Jack is stunned to discover he's going to be a father and he doesn't mind at all. His childhood wasn't all that great, and he'd love to have a family of his own. His mother dumped him with his grandparents and went off to follow her dreams of saving the world. He rarely sees her and never has gotten any feelings of love from her. He is determined to convince Anya that they are meant to be together and raise their baby as a family.

I really enjoyed seeing the way Jack and Anya, with their opposing views on what was best, get closer together and find their happy ending. Anya is determined to give up the baby and furious when Jack refuses to simply sign away his rights, while Jack can't believe Anya can so easily give up their baby. He offers to take complete responsibility, but Anya doesn't believe that Jack is capable of that kind of commitment. So Jack offers to take the next two weeks and prove to her that he is. So he ends up running errands for her and cooking for her and her housemates. They also spend time together and get to know each other. The attraction that flared on New Year's Eve is still there, but Anya is still afraid to trust that she wouldn't get stuck with all the work.

One of the things I liked was the support that they gave each other when it came to the issues with their families. Jack's uncle is a bit of a jerk at times and Anya has no trouble calling him on it. And when Jack's mother comes to town, Anya is there for Jack as he faces that his mother will never be what he had hoped for. At the same time, Jack listens to Anya's complaints about her family. He sees the way that she has tried to deal with them by avoiding them, and challenges her to stand up for herself instead of running away. I loved their visit for her grandmother's birthday and the way she finally spoke of her feelings, thanks to Jack's quiet support of her. It was great to see how that visit turned out. That support of each other went a long way to making them both see what they could have together. I liked the way that Anya showed Jack that she was ready.

I loved the dynamics of the housemates and how they all interact together. The fireworks between Zora and Lucky are pretty intense and I suspect that their story is going to be very good. I'm also looking forward to seeing if something develops between Jack's uncle Rod and Karen, and to see what happens with the girls that used to be his daughters. show less

This was a pretty good book. Of the two main characters I liked Cole best. He started out seeming kind of standoffish, but it turned out he was mostly just clueless. He had been raised by a single mother who was a doctor, but didn't really have a maternal bone in her body. He had never been truly exposed to love and felt like he wouldn't know what it was. Stacy is one of his surgical nurses and he really appreciates what a good job she does. A chance encounter makes him realize he's show more attracted to her, then a combination of an injury and alcohol causes them to act on that attraction. When Stacy ends up pregnant his first reaction is to propose marriage. He is dismayed by her refusal and stated intention to give the children up for adoption. Though he had never seen children as part of his future, the idea really starts to grow on him. He also still feels responsible for Stacy and wants to take care of her. I absolutely loved his way of doing little things to make her life easier and how much he wanted to make it last forever. He really wanted to convince her not to give them up and knew better than to try to pressure her. He also did everything he could to protect her from a media frenzy. I really loved seeing his growth from a somewhat detached doctor to a man who made friends and was able to open up to love. I loved the way that he tried to learn about being romantic from other doctors at the hospital.

I spent most of the book just wanting to shake Stacy. Her divorce had devastated her and she was still trying to figure out what she had done wrong to make her husband stop loving her. She wanted children but because of her current feelings she decided to become an egg donor and use that to help someone else have children. She couldn't believe that she ended up getting pregnant, and with someone she saw as totally unromantic. I thought that she had a really unrealistic idea of what love was and how it was shown. She was determined that if she couldn't offer the babies that ideal family herself she would give them up. I really didn't like the way that she gave Cole absolutely no say in the matter. As time went on she came to appreciate his friendship and care, but she still couldn't see that he was showing her his love also. When she finally learned the truth about some of the things she had seen as romantic it was a real eye opener for her. I liked the ending and how she went about her own romantic statement.

I enjoyed seeing characters from previous books and how their lives are going now. I also enjoyed the set up for the next book and am looking forward to reading that one. show less

***Note: I only read the second book that is included in this double edition, "Shotgun Nanny" by Nancy Warren.***

I loved this sweet, funny little romance. Nancy Warren is by far my favorite author of category romances, and one of my favorite contemporary romance novelists, period. This is possibly my favorite of hers that I've read so far. It's got her usual well-drawn characters, and a few hot sex scenes, which she always makes seem real and organic and related to the characters and the show more plot, not just gratuitous nookie. There's all the Nancy Warren magic and a touch of Jennifer Crusie style humor. Just a lovely book about Annie, a free spirited woman with commitment issues who meets and falls in love with Mark, an uptight ex-Mountie raising his orphaned niece, Emily. There's also a great German shepherd named Kitsu. This is the kind of heartwarming romance about finding not just love, but the life and family you never knew you dreamed of. Loved it, and you will love it too if romances are your type of thing. Four and half stars. show less