Kay Stockham
Author of Man With a Past
About the Author
Series
Works by Kay Stockham
Baby Be Mine: A baby-on-the-doorstep marriage of convenience contemporary romance (The Blackwell Brothers Book 1) (2023) 17 copies, 1 review
To Protect Her: A Damsel in Distress Secret Baby Forbidden Love Romance (Stone River Book 4) (2021) 13 copies
Sea Blue and Loving You: A friends-to-lovers, forbidden love romance (Carolina Cove Book 4) (2022) 10 copies
Sea View and Something New: An opposites attract, forbidden love romance (Carolina Cove Book 5) (2023) 8 copies
Seashells and Wedding Bells: A starting over secret baby romance (Carolina Cove Book 2) (2022) 6 copies
Not by Sight (Stone River #1) 2 copies
De Tulanes 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- Lyons, Kay (new work and clean/sweet versions of old stories)
James, Ivy (re-released steamy editions)
Stockham, Kay (Harlequin Backlist pseudonym) - Birthdate
- 20th century
- Gender
- female
- Occupations
- receptionist
computer lab tech
secretary - Awards and honors
- HOLT Medallion Award finalist
RITA finalist
Book Buyers Best Award finalist - Short biography
- Kay Lyons always wanted to be a writer, ever since the age of seven or eight when she copied the pictures out of a Charlie Brown book and rewrote the story because she didn't like the plot. Through the years her stories have changed but one characteristic stayed true— they were all romances.
Published in 2005 with Harlequin Enterprises, Kay's first release was a national bestseller. Kay has also been a HOLT Medallion, Book Buyers Best and RITA Award nominee. Kay's current Seaside Sisters Series is set in and around Wilmington, NC, and is available from Kindred Spirits Publishing. - Nationality
- USA
- Places of residence
- Kentucky, USA
Ohio, USA - Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
This book was deeply problematic on so many levels, especially considering it's a supposedly revamped version of Kay Stockham's A Hero in the Making under her Ivy James re-release penname.
The heroine, Skylar, was the high school/college sweetheart of Marcus, who, back in the day when he got drafted to the NFL, wanted her to DROP OUT OF COLLEGE AS A SENIOR to get married and follow him along to his NFL games while giving up all of her own dreams/goals/etc. This was clearly a point of contention, and should have been a red flag to her in general, but only really became an issue when he proposed to her in what was clearly an ultimatum, and she needed some processing time to deal with the massive red flags in the face of their young love. Hours later, she's ready to talk, except that she walks in on him having sex with someone else in their bed because it was such a blow to his ego that his ultimatum didn't immediately work that he decided she didn't love him and wanted to drown his sorrows in drunken stranger sex. This does not improve his chances of convincing her to give up everything for him. Two months later though: (1) she's realized she's pregnant, and (2) he has just been partially paralyzed from the knees down due to a game injury. She chooses to tell Marcus, hoping they can work things out since they'll have a child together (and presumably, but this is never addressed, hoping that that maybe she could be an equal part of their relationship now that he won't be in the NFL and that might make up for him cheating on her), but he screams her out of the hospital room and tells her he never wants to see her again.
Pretty much the only redeeming quality he has at this point in the backstory is that it's not explicitly mentioned that he told her to get an abortion during his tirade, but she definitely brings it up later in a context that doesn't discount that he might have said it. She moves on, marries a slightly older friend who has the resources to take care of her and her kid while enabling her to keep on track with her dreams. This man is also dying of a genetic disorder, but apparently is a top-notch dad while he's alive.
Flash forward 8 years, and Skylar is now a widow, and her son Cody is grieving the loss of the only father he's ever known by going a wee bit too deep into his imagination, and then rather violently lashing out at other children who don't want to play along. She opts to bring him home to the Montana ranch where she spent her late teen years for a change of scenery over summer break. Except....
Her family has never told her that Marcus moved back after his rehabilitation and is working on the ranch. Nor that he pretty successfully rewrote history in his favor while she stayed away caring for her husband, raising her child, and following her dreams. Despite her having told them at the time why they broke up, they apparently believe that he never would have cheated on her, so clearly they should believe him when he said he rebounded too quickly after she broke his heart by not, again, dropping out of college to play second fiddle to his NFL career when she only had one year left? Like, wanting to wait a year means she didn't love him?
It turns out we should have expected this sort of reaction though because the reason they even moved to Montana midway through her adolescence is because her father's friend Rick (whose wife had an affair with Skylar's dad, who died in the immediate aftermath of these events) decided to retaliate by convincing Skylar he cared for her and acting as a predator would. Rather than uh, I dunno, taking legal action for the grooming and statutory rape that most would consider a form of sexual assault, her mother apparently thinks of this as an ill-advised affair Skylar had as a problem child and an indication that she was into "older men," a preference she felt was confirmed by Skylar's marriage. Just, ugh. No wonder she didn't ask her mom for help when Marcus rejected her when she showed up pregnant after his injury. It's not like her mom is supportive, or can provide nuanced advice.
Anyway, now that Skylar and Cody have conveniently ended up in the neighborhood, Marcus wants them back and pretty quickly threatens legal action for custody then tramples all over her personal boundaries trying to convince her to give him another chance, by, wait for it, giving up everything for him again, and moving back to Montana and her super toxic "supportive" family. She doubts the sincerity of his expressed love for her due to his past words and actions, his lack of any communication in the past 8 years, the fact that he also kept Cody's parentage a secret until she showed up in town newly widowed. To her, it all seems a bit convenient that he's choosing to woo her rather than fight the custody battle. Curiously, she's getting it from all sides: now that her mother knows Cody's parentage, she thinks Skylar should have waited for Marcus to get his head on straight after his injury rather than accepting her husband's help. Apparently the grandparents would have bullied him into marrying her and that would have been so much better than having a grieving child who is obsessed with vampires since they offer him hope that his dad is still alive.
......
Oh, and in the end, Marcus gets an offer to train for the paralympics, so Skylar drops everything and moves to Atlanta so they can be a family together for his NEW athletic dream.
Just, I can't even. How much worse was this book in the Harlequin version if this is the modernized version?? show less
The heroine, Skylar, was the high school/college sweetheart of Marcus, who, back in the day when he got drafted to the NFL, wanted her to DROP OUT OF COLLEGE AS A SENIOR to get married and follow him along to his NFL games while giving up all of her own dreams/goals/etc. This was clearly a point of
Pretty much the only redeeming quality he has at this point in the backstory is that it's not explicitly mentioned that he told her to get an abortion during his tirade, but she definitely brings it up later in a context that doesn't discount that he might have said it. She moves on, marries a slightly older friend who has the resources to take care of her and her kid while enabling her to keep on track with her dreams. This man is also dying of a genetic disorder, but apparently is a top-notch dad while he's alive.
Flash forward 8 years, and Skylar is now a widow, and her son Cody is grieving the loss of the only father he's ever known by going a wee bit too deep into his imagination, and then rather violently lashing out at other children who don't want to play along. She opts to bring him home to the Montana ranch where she spent her late teen years for a change of scenery over summer break. Except....
Her family has never told her that Marcus moved back after his rehabilitation and is working on the ranch. Nor that he pretty successfully rewrote history in his favor while she stayed away caring for her husband, raising her child, and following her dreams. Despite her having told them at the time why they broke up, they apparently believe that he never would have cheated on her, so clearly they should believe him when he said he rebounded too quickly after she broke his heart by not, again, dropping out of college to play second fiddle to his NFL career when she only had one year left? Like, wanting to wait a year means she didn't love him?
It turns out we should have expected this sort of reaction though because the reason they even moved to Montana midway through her adolescence is because her father's friend Rick (whose wife had an affair with Skylar's dad, who died in the immediate aftermath of these events) decided to retaliate by convincing Skylar he cared for her and acting as a predator would. Rather than uh, I dunno, taking legal action for the grooming and statutory rape that most would consider a form of sexual assault, her mother apparently thinks of this as an ill-advised affair Skylar had as a problem child and an indication that she was into "older men," a preference she felt was confirmed by Skylar's marriage. Just, ugh. No wonder she didn't ask her mom for help when Marcus rejected her when she showed up pregnant after his injury. It's not like her mom is supportive, or can provide nuanced advice.
Anyway, now that Skylar and Cody have conveniently ended up in the neighborhood, Marcus wants them back and pretty quickly threatens legal action for custody then tramples all over her personal boundaries trying to convince her to give him another chance, by, wait for it, giving up everything for him again, and moving back to Montana and her super toxic "supportive" family. She doubts the sincerity of his expressed love for her due to his past words and actions, his lack of any communication in the past 8 years, the fact that he also kept Cody's parentage a secret until she showed up in town newly widowed. To her, it all seems a bit convenient that he's choosing to woo her rather than fight the custody battle. Curiously, she's getting it from all sides: now that her mother knows Cody's parentage, she thinks Skylar should have waited for Marcus to get his head on straight after his injury rather than accepting her husband's help. Apparently the grandparents would have bullied him into marrying her and that would have been so much better than having a grieving child who is obsessed with vampires since they offer him hope that his dad is still alive.
......
Oh, and in the end, Marcus gets an offer to train for the paralympics, so Skylar drops everything and moves to Atlanta so they can be a family together for his NEW athletic dream.
Just, I can't even. How much worse was this book in the Harlequin version if this is the modernized version?? show less
Reviewer: EmmaRae
Blurb: They need help...fast.
Nick Tulane ordinarily won't admit weakness--in himself or in those he loves. But when he learns his son is about to fail in school, the single father is desperate to find a tutor. And Jennifer Rose is perfect.
In fact, Jen might be too perfect. Nick's starting to fall for the attractive teacher, and he can't let that happen. Because opening up to Jen means sharing the secret that has always made him feel like an outsider in his own family. Still, show more with his son showing signs of following in his footsteps, Nick can't keep the truth hidden. But once she knows, will Jen accept him...weakness and all?
Review: I absolutely adored this book. I didn't know it was book two of a series, but when I finished at around 2am, by 2:15, I had gotten out of bed and purchased the rest of the series.
When the book opens we find single father Nick squirming in a kiddie-size chair in a parent-teacher conference. I was immediately drawn to father and son trying to see eye-to-eye, and couldn't put the book down. He's a successful, gorgeous hunk, but he's estranged from his family and trying to raise a child on his own...not easy under the best circumstances.
You can't imagine why this guy might feel defensive and insecure -- and I'm not going to tell you, either. He's attracted to Jen the minute he lays eyes on her in the bar, and he doesn't understand why she doesn't have more confidence in herself and her body. But Jen's just been rocked by a nasty divorce, and she decides to take the summer to shape up. If losing weight will make her feel better, how could Nick refuse to get up close and personal with her as her personal trainer at his gym? And maybe Jen can figure out why his son is struggling in school, and he won't have to watch his child follow in his rocky footsteps.
But then she starts getting to him, chipping at his walls and his carefully ordered life. He doesn't want anyone to get to close, because she might not like what she finds. Jen's more comfortable around her second graders, and doesn't quite know what to do with Nick. She knows what she'd like to do, but she can't imagine Nick being interested in her.
All the characters in this book are beautifully developed. The chemistry between Nick and Jen is obvious, but it's not overly erotic so anyone will enjoy it. You will laugh and cry and be sad when the story ends. The book lives up to the SuperRomance brand, and we meet the characters in Kay's other books as Nick and his family try to mend fences. I'd recommend reading Another Man's Baby (Book 1) first, but this is my favorite. show less
Blurb: They need help...fast.
Nick Tulane ordinarily won't admit weakness--in himself or in those he loves. But when he learns his son is about to fail in school, the single father is desperate to find a tutor. And Jennifer Rose is perfect.
In fact, Jen might be too perfect. Nick's starting to fall for the attractive teacher, and he can't let that happen. Because opening up to Jen means sharing the secret that has always made him feel like an outsider in his own family. Still, show more with his son showing signs of following in his footsteps, Nick can't keep the truth hidden. But once she knows, will Jen accept him...weakness and all?
Review: I absolutely adored this book. I didn't know it was book two of a series, but when I finished at around 2am, by 2:15, I had gotten out of bed and purchased the rest of the series.
When the book opens we find single father Nick squirming in a kiddie-size chair in a parent-teacher conference. I was immediately drawn to father and son trying to see eye-to-eye, and couldn't put the book down. He's a successful, gorgeous hunk, but he's estranged from his family and trying to raise a child on his own...not easy under the best circumstances.
You can't imagine why this guy might feel defensive and insecure -- and I'm not going to tell you, either. He's attracted to Jen the minute he lays eyes on her in the bar, and he doesn't understand why she doesn't have more confidence in herself and her body. But Jen's just been rocked by a nasty divorce, and she decides to take the summer to shape up. If losing weight will make her feel better, how could Nick refuse to get up close and personal with her as her personal trainer at his gym? And maybe Jen can figure out why his son is struggling in school, and he won't have to watch his child follow in his rocky footsteps.
But then she starts getting to him, chipping at his walls and his carefully ordered life. He doesn't want anyone to get to close, because she might not like what she finds. Jen's more comfortable around her second graders, and doesn't quite know what to do with Nick. She knows what she'd like to do, but she can't imagine Nick being interested in her.
All the characters in this book are beautifully developed. The chemistry between Nick and Jen is obvious, but it's not overly erotic so anyone will enjoy it. You will laugh and cry and be sad when the story ends. The book lives up to the SuperRomance brand, and we meet the characters in Kay's other books as Nick and his family try to mend fences. I'd recommend reading Another Man's Baby (Book 1) first, but this is my favorite. show less
This book had the makings of a five-star Harlequin, but the effect was spoiled a bit by a too neat ending. I thought the HEA would have been more powerful if it were in spite of the rather large obstacles in their way. Quibble, quibble, quibble...
Joe Brody is returning to town after 10 years in prison for manslaughter in the death of his baby daughter when he was a mere 18 years old. He knows he didn't cause his daughter's death, but no one in town believes him other than his father. show more Gratitude and loyalty bring Joe back home to look after his elderly father, who is currently in a nursing home healing a broken hip. Just as he's getting disheartened by the local employers slamming their doors to the "baby killer," he happens upon Ashley Cade, who needs a handyman for her project to turn an old Victorian into a bed and breakfast. The pay was room and board and a pittance in cash, but it was the best he was going to get.
The widowed Ashley's a new arrival in the small town. She's moved here to make a fresh start after her husband died in Iraq, leaving her a young widowed mother. After growing up in a group foster home herself, she wants to give her young son stability in his childhood, and sees buying a home and running a business in a small town as the best way to put down solid roots. This desire to be a part of a community wars with her growing attraction to Joe as she's slowly finding out he's the town pariah, and with good reason.
The novel has a strong character focus, and the romance that follows is slow and emotional. Both are a mess of insecurities and grief and reluctant to indulge this attraction they feel. You could cut the tension between these two with a knife. Ashley is apprehensive about moving on from the first husband, who was also a childhood friend of hers, and about getting involved with a man while raising her son. Joe feels unworthy of Ashley, and is understandably afraid of how she'll react when she finds out about why he went to prison.
I liked how their problems were given the weight they were. Amazing sex didn't wipe their troubles magically away. There are false starts, awkward moments and a few tense, angsty scenes. I loved how both characters were tough as nails and extremely vulnerable at the same time. They were real people to me. The kind that aren't perfect and that make mistakes but are able to admit when they're wrong.
Unfortunately, the ending is way too neat. We find out how his daughter actually died, there's a big pow-wow hug fest with the baby's mom - now dying of cancer - her dad the angry police chief and Ashley where the kindly small town doctor reveals his irrefutable evidence, then every wish is granted in a saccharine epilogue. As the book's strength is the drama, angst and conflict, it seems an odd decision to make it all go away.
Taken as a whole, though, I have to say I loved the book. The characters and their dilemmas were made real to me, making their stories and eventual HEA a joy to read. show less
Joe Brody is returning to town after 10 years in prison for manslaughter in the death of his baby daughter when he was a mere 18 years old. He knows he didn't cause his daughter's death, but no one in town believes him other than his father. show more Gratitude and loyalty bring Joe back home to look after his elderly father, who is currently in a nursing home healing a broken hip. Just as he's getting disheartened by the local employers slamming their doors to the "baby killer," he happens upon Ashley Cade, who needs a handyman for her project to turn an old Victorian into a bed and breakfast. The pay was room and board and a pittance in cash, but it was the best he was going to get.
The widowed Ashley's a new arrival in the small town. She's moved here to make a fresh start after her husband died in Iraq, leaving her a young widowed mother. After growing up in a group foster home herself, she wants to give her young son stability in his childhood, and sees buying a home and running a business in a small town as the best way to put down solid roots. This desire to be a part of a community wars with her growing attraction to Joe as she's slowly finding out he's the town pariah, and with good reason.
The novel has a strong character focus, and the romance that follows is slow and emotional. Both are a mess of insecurities and grief and reluctant to indulge this attraction they feel. You could cut the tension between these two with a knife. Ashley is apprehensive about moving on from the first husband, who was also a childhood friend of hers, and about getting involved with a man while raising her son. Joe feels unworthy of Ashley, and is understandably afraid of how she'll react when she finds out about why he went to prison.
I liked how their problems were given the weight they were. Amazing sex didn't wipe their troubles magically away. There are false starts, awkward moments and a few tense, angsty scenes. I loved how both characters were tough as nails and extremely vulnerable at the same time. They were real people to me. The kind that aren't perfect and that make mistakes but are able to admit when they're wrong.
Unfortunately, the ending is way too neat. We find out how his daughter actually died, there's a big pow-wow hug fest with the baby's mom - now dying of cancer - her dad the angry police chief and Ashley where the kindly small town doctor reveals his irrefutable evidence, then every wish is granted in a saccharine epilogue. As the book's strength is the drama, angst and conflict, it seems an odd decision to make it all go away.
Taken as a whole, though, I have to say I loved the book. The characters and their dilemmas were made real to me, making their stories and eventual HEA a joy to read. show less
Enjoyable.
Interesting lead characters who both have major problems in their past caused, to a large extent, by their families. Concealing their painful backgrounds leads Nick and Jenn to make false assumptions about each other. They are brought together when Nick discovers how badly his son, Matt, is doing at school and, rather than force Matt unwillingly to attend summer school, he agrees to get him a tutor.
Eventually Jenn realises why Matt is having such difficulties, highlighting a show more problem that affects many bright people who “fail” at school.
Good characters that the reader cares about. Definitely worth reading show less
Interesting lead characters who both have major problems in their past caused, to a large extent, by their families. Concealing their painful backgrounds leads Nick and Jenn to make false assumptions about each other. They are brought together when Nick discovers how badly his son, Matt, is doing at school and, rather than force Matt unwillingly to attend summer school, he agrees to get him a tutor.
Eventually Jenn realises why Matt is having such difficulties, highlighting a show more problem that affects many bright people who “fail” at school.
Good characters that the reader cares about. Definitely worth reading show less
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- 79
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