Time to Heal: A Secret Baby Law Enforcement Contemporary Romance

Midnight / Dawn #1

by Karen Young

Mills & Boon Blush series brings you moving, true-to-life romancesRachel's world came crashing down with the kidnapping of her only child. Her despair made her question everything about her life, including her eighteen-year marriage to local sheriff, Jake McAdams. When fourteen-year-old Michael appears on their doorstep three months later, claiming to be Jake's son, her life is turned upside down again.

But taking Michael into her home also forces Rachel to look at everything anew. She begins to rediscover her love for Jake, her faith in herself and her need to make a difference in her community. And she learns the ultimate lesson that together her family can find the strength to heal.

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance

366 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Karen Young is the author of thirty-four novels with more than ten million copies in print. Her many awards include the RITA from Romance Writers of America and both the Career Achievement and Reviewer’s Choice awards from Romantic Times magazine. She is a frequent public speaker and a teacher of the craft of writing. Currently, she resides in Houston, Texas.

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the intrigue of this storyline with the cheating scandal, a missing child... a lovechild... it had a whole lot going on. I would have to say that i was really pissed at H Jake...he irritated me from the begining...and his absolute inconsideration for his wife and her feelings about his affair and love child...that she was more or less forced to deal with while he walks around like the cock of the walk...ARGH! There was redemption, but he was probably one of my very least favorite heroes in any book that i have realy enjoyed.

[Nerissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Also called a time to heal.

I don't know how this H is ever going to be redeemable. Firstly, he doesn't even remember cheating. If it meant that little to him that he has to push himself to even remember the infidelity, hoe r we supposed to believe in his remorse? Also he expects the h to just suck it up. What a wanker.

[Kalyee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read "Time to Heal", which is the rerelease of this. However, I've read that they PC'd the crap outta it, removing curse words and whole passages of any sexual nature in the rerelease( having not read the original I can't say what's different, but the rerelease was certainly PG)

Basic plot, H/h have been married for 18 years. The book picks up in the mist of their lives spiraling out of control, their 6 year old son has been kidnapped, there's new major drug movement in their small town and the H is up for reelection as sheriff... Just as everything is crumbling a 14 year old orphan shows up at the station and tells the H that he is his son, the product of a one night stand the H had 15 years ago.

I liked it. I thought the issue of the H cheating was handled well and the over issues with the marriage were realistic and resolved in a believable way.

The only thing I didn't like was all the problems. I felt like the book would have been better focusing on one issue, secret child, kidnapped child, drug cartel moving in, .. Just pick one and focus on that :p

[Lu Bielefeld · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐⭐⭐ - OK decent reads.

[Tmstprc · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had the potential of being much better than the actual results.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another review in my continued goal to read and review all the books laying around my house. This book is from 1992 - I probably bought in new - and is an excellent example of a general romance. As a Harlequin Superromance, it's longer than the typical genre romance, and that allows for more character development.

Also, this is about a couple that have been married 18 years and are having problems. That's a refreshing change from couples who meet and fall in love in a week. Their young son has been missing for months, and then a teenager shows up at the husband's office claiming to be his son from a one-night stand. There is genuine tension between the married couple as they deal with issues of betrayal and fear.

The relationship between the wife, Rachel, and the teenager, Michael, is particularly well done. A definite recommend for fans of sweet romantic fiction, with steamy but tame love scenes and a happy ending.

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good book, in my opinion. The hero is a jerk some times, but what's new? The heroine is a realistic character for me, and for the first time, I wasn't rolling my eyes at the "goodness" of the illegitimate child. Michael was a character which you can't help but love. I remember reading Karen Kingsbury's Oceans Apart and I was dumbfounded with how saintly the 7-year old child was. Thankfully, Michael didn't act like an angel sent from above; he acted like a typical teen in need of a home and family. The search for Scotty, the missing 6-year old wasn't really the highlight of the book, but it took over near the end. Was the cheating resolved? I guess so. Did the hero grovel? Not so much, but the heroine didn't make it easy for him. Go, girl.

Overall, it was a satisfying read.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I wasn't too sure about this book but towards the middle I started to really like the story and the characters.