Marie Ferrarella

Wow. That's _bad_. It would be fine as a teenager's first novel (someone with no experience with either real romance or writing) - a bit of editing would have made it quite readable - but for someone like Marie Ferrarella, it's really bad. Maybe this was (one of) her first novel(s) and she couldn't get it published until now? The romance cliches - not even tropes - are front and center. The characters are both cardboard and unrealistic - they have no reasonable motives, and they play their show more parts like puppets. And to top it off, the editors fell down on the job - there's a lot of really clumsy writing here (unclear pronoun precedents, wild POV leaps, the same word used two or three times in a paragraph (and not for effect)...). A good copyeditor should have caught these - were they in a hurry or afraid to cross the famous author? Really bad. Then the storyline - a slacker trained to be a radiologist steps in as sole GP in a small town, and never gets in over his head - even a breech birth is easily handled. Meanwhile, the heroine is supposed to be wary of handsome men (oh yes, and he's blindingly handsome and she's gorgeous), but she never hesitates about working for him or otherwise getting close. Not even when he forgets who "Bobby" is (her baby son) three times in five pages (about six hours). Sheesh! If this had been my first Ferrarella, I would have marked her down as unreadable. I've liked others of hers, so it's just that this one is unreadable... show less

Very good second chance story. Connor is the last of the unmarried McCulloughs. He has watched his brothers and sister find love and start their own families. He's happy for them, but sometimes the loneliness gets to him. It's one of those evenings until a knock on the door brings a blast from his past. On the other side is Amy, the girl that he loved and lost, desperately in need of his help.

Amy had left town five years earlier, eloping with the town playboy. But the marriage didn't turn show more out the way she hoped, leaving her vulnerable to Clay's abuse. With nowhere else to go, Amy heads for Forever and the man who had been her best friend, hoping to find sanctuary for herself and her son.

I loved Connor. He could have told Amy that she was on her own, but he is not that kind of guy. His protective instincts kick in as soon as he sees her at the door, looking exhausted and scared. He's also quite the baby whisperer, as he soothes little Jamie at the same time he looks after Amy.

I liked Amy, too. She owned up to her mistake of marrying Clay in the first place. I liked that she got out when she realized how toxic the relationship would be for the baby. She does have some self-esteem issues, thanks to her treatment by Clay.

I enjoyed the development of their relationship. Connor was honest with himself from the start. He was still in love with Amy and he was going to do his best to make sure that he didn't lose her a second time. I liked how sensitive he was to her nervousness about going into town, and that he eased her into it after she'd been at the ranch for a while. Amy realizes pretty quickly that she'd been an idiot not to see Connor as more than a friend before she'd taken up with Clay. Now her feelings for him are growing stronger, but she doesn't want to risk messing up their friendship by asking for more. At the same time, Connor tries to be patient because he doesn't want to take advantage of Amy while she's vulnerable. I loved how the two of them, plus little Jamie, quickly felt like a real family. I was on edge as the book went on, waiting for Clay to show up and make trouble. I enjoyed the confrontation at the end, especially seeing Amy stand up to him with the support of a good part of the town. I loved the ending and seeing all the McCulloughs happy at last.

I also enjoyed the secondary characters. Connor's brothers and sisters were all there for him as he made Amy and Jamie part of his life. I especially enjoyed the teasing he got from his brothers as they watched him fall for both Amy and Jamie. I also loved the housekeeper, Rita. She was such a pushover for the baby while at the same time being a force to be reckoned with in keeping Connor in line. I liked the way she pushed him and Amy together. As always, Miss Joan was one of my favorites. I loved the way that she pulled Amy right back into being part of the town. show less

Good book with an intriguing mystery and an enemies to lovers romance. The story opened with a chilling look into the mind of a killer, foreshadowing what our hero and heroine will be up against. It then moved on to Kenzie Cavanaugh, the newest member of the missing persons division. A childhood friend comes to her, looking for help finding her missing father. Kenzie's compassion is evident, along with her determination to find her friend's father. Our introduction to Hunter is when a fellow show more detective clues him into a new arrival in the ME's office. Hoping that it might be what he needs to close a cold case, Hunter is both dismayed and concerned when the parts don't match, but the MO is the same. When the new victim turns out to be part of Kenzie's case, logic says they should combine forces, but Kenzie resists.

This is the first Cavanaugh book that I can recall that I didn't like the Cavanaugh for a good part of the book. Kenzie has a huge chip on her shoulder thanks to being burned by a cheating fiancé. Because Hunter has a playboy reputation, she tars him with the same brush. Her constant nasty attitude toward him grated on me, and I wondered how Hunter could put up with it for as long as he did, though he did get some enjoyment out of egging her on. The part that bothered me the most is that she let her animosity bleed over into the job too many times. I was impressed with his patience but cheered when he finally called her on her attitude. Hunter has his own pain that he hides behind the cheerful façade, pain that makes him more understanding of those around him.

I liked the development of the relationship between Hunter and Kenzie. Part of the reason that she reacts so strongly to Hunter is that she is attracted to him and isn't happy about it, so she works to keep him at a distance. Hunter finds himself liking the woman under the prickly surface, and I enjoyed watching him work to bring that woman out from behind her walls. I especially liked the role reversal as this time it was the non-Cavanaugh partner who dragged the Cavanaugh to one of Andrew's get-togethers. I liked seeing Kenzie lower her guard and realize that he's not such a bad guy after all, with the predictable post-party results. With the cessation of hostilities, their feelings have the opportunity to grow. I loved that while Hunter had great respect for Kenzie's abilities, he was also protective of her. That protectiveness created an emotion-charged scene at the end, lightened slightly by a conversation between Andrew Cavanaugh and the head nurse at the hospital. Loved the epilogue.

The suspense of the story was good. That first chilling scene with the killer set the tone. I liked Hunter's instincts when Hunter saw the most recent victim and saw the similarities to his seven-year-old cold case. The realism of the drudge work of investigation was great, as the team dealt with the mountain of information they had to go through. I liked how each little thing that they found added to the big picture. The final confrontation was intense and had me on the edge of my seat until it was over.

As always, I love it when various members of the family make their appearances. In this one, I loved how well Brian Cavanaugh, the Chief of Detectives, knew both Hunter and Kenzie and paired them up in the best way possible. The scenes with poor, overworked Valri were great. I liked the little I saw of Kenzie's brothers and look forward to their stories. show less

Good book about secrets and when not to keep them. Five years earlier, Riley's best friend, Breena, had a relationship with a visiting college student. Breena ended up pregnant but refused to tell the father because she didn't want him to feel obligated to marry her. Riley thought she was wrong but agreed to keep the secret when Breena insisted.

As the book opens, Breena is dying of cancer and asks Riley to contact Matt once she is gone so that Vikki will have another parent. Riley sends the show more letter, wondering what Matt's reaction will be. She carries a slight grudge against him, believing that he walked away from her friend and never gave her another thought. She would love to adopt Vikki and raise her as her own.

Matt is stunned when he receives Riley's letter. He has never forgotten Breena and tried for a year to contact her before giving up, thinking she didn't share his feelings. Matt's reaction to Riley's news about Breena's death and Vikki's existence was realistic. Disbelief, denial, and then cautious acceptance. His memories of his time with Breena showed that he genuinely cared for her, and I ached for him when she seemed to blow him off. I liked that he wanted to know the truth.

When Matt arrived in Forever, his first stop was at Miss Joan's diner. I loved his shock that she remembered him and took him to task for his actions. I liked that she listened to his side of the story. Matt got another shock when Riley showed up, and he had to deal with her hostility. A very emotional scene is when Riley takes him to see Breena's grave. I liked the effect it had on Riley and her attitude towards Matt.

I felt sorry for Matt. He's dealing with so many emotions as he comes to terms with Breena's death and his fatherhood. Being a father was not something that had been in his plans. I liked his first meeting with Vikki, who was only told he was a friend of her mother's. She's a sweet but precocious little girl (she speaks far more maturely than a typical four-year-old), and she takes to Matt immediately. I appreciated how he stepped up even though he felt overwhelmed.

Over the next few days, Riley finds ways to bring Matt and Vikki together to get to know each other. At the same time, she and Matt become closer. Neither expects the sparks of attraction that flare between them. Riley tries to ignore them because Matt had been her best friend's love, but the more time they spend together, the harder it is. Matt's growing feelings for Riley confuse him. How can he be so drawn to Riley while he's grieving for Breena? I loved the ending. Matt is sweet and awkward as he shares his feelings with Riley. I loved how caution warred with hope as she listened to him, with a terrific ending.

The secondary characters were great. I always love Miss Joan and her no-nonsense gruffness. Her scene with Matt was terrific. I loved Riley's family and their whole-hearted acceptance of Matt. Riley's grandfather and mother are very perceptive and play significant roles in bringing Matt and Vikki together, as well as Matt and Riley. The most important of the secondary characters is Vikki. I didn't find her entirely believable for her age, but I liked her anyway. show less