single mother

B
Carolina Dreaming

I was excited to see Virginia Kantra’s latest Dare Island romance on the review list. I’ve read and enjoyed the previous entries and was intrigued by this heroine in the earlier books. While not perfect, I found the hero and heroine strong, interesting characters, and enjoyed this entry as well. ...

B+
Watch Your Back

When a book is the length that many of Karen Rose’s novels are, the writing has to be spectacular to keep the work from getting bogged down by sheer longitude. It works better in some novels than in others and I am happy to report that this is one of the ones where it really works. Eight years ...

B
Sunrise Point

We all have our comfort reads, books and authors that we can count on for escape from our day-to-day worries. Carr is one of mine and Sunrise Point, the latest of the Virgin River series, is the kind of calming, soothing love story that is like a sigh and a nod between old friends. Unwed mother N ...

C-
Abby Finds Her Calling

Initially borrowing a plot idea from Shelley Shepard Gray’s The Survivor, King’s first novel quickly becomes a confusing mishmash of platitudes and good people dealing with a bad situation on a surface level. Readers should know from the beginning that the Abby of the title is only a peripheral ...

A-
Spellbound Falls

Even though in tone and setting this book starts like an ordinary contemporary romance, the “spell” in the title is no accident. In fact, the addition of fantasy into what could be considered a small town contemporary becomes absolutely charming the more one reads. Widow Olivia Baldwin and he ...

B+
Redwood Bend

I’ve loved Robyn Carr’s Virgin River series since Jack pulled into town and set up his bar and wooed midwife Mel in book one, aptly titled Virgin River. Carr’s love for the redwood country shines through even to the latest 13th book in the series. Widow Katie Malone and her five-year-old tw ...

B
Her Son's Hero

Let me get this out of the way first thing: I’m not a fan of any kind of fighting. When I discovered the hero is a mixed martial arts (MMA) professional, I was skeptical. I’ve read and seen media stories about the controversies and violence associated with the sport. If not reading this for revi ...

A-
The Edge of Night

When I first opened this book I expected just another run of the mill, romantic suspense novel with a cop hero and his bad girl heroine. What I got instead were believable characters, a unique setting that presented realistic problems, and writing that pulled it all together to create a story I didn ...

A-
Swept Away

I recently downloaded this 2005 release to my Kindle. Why? My original paperback is falling apart from countless readings. Yes, this book is a DIK for me and a buried treasure since I’ve seen virtually no buzz about it online. Sam Frazier and his four-year old son are heading to town when a cam ...

B-
The Pastor Takes a Wife

At its best, Anna Schmidt's writing is truly lyrical. I'm primarily familiar with her through her Nantucket-set historicals, but with The Pastor Takes a Wife, I had a chance to experience her contemporary writing. This was a sensitive and very sweet story of love and redemption that really works wel ...