Lone Star Dad

The Buchanons #3

by Linda Goodnight

The Secret Next Door

Nurse Gena Satterfield knew raising her rebellious nephew, Derrick, would be tough, but moving to Gabriel's Crossing was supposed to help ease the transition into their new reality. That was before she realized her new neighbor was Quinn Buchanon—her teenage crush, the town's onetime star quarterback…and Derrick's father. Her sister's dying wish was that Gena keep this secret. Yet watching Quinn connect with the boy and penetrate his angry walls, Gena begins to see him in a whole new light. Now, torn between the truth and the promise she made, Gena has to follow her heart. And hope they can all heal together…as a family.

Genres: Love Inspired, Romance, Small Town Romance, Christian Fiction

239 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2016

About the author

NY Times and USA Bestseller, Linda Goodnight writes novels of faith and family that point to hope through Christ. Her emotional stories have won the RITA , the Carol, the Reviewer’s Choice, and numerous other industry awards. Her two great passions are faith in Jesus and her large extended family. (And pie. she loves pie.)
Readers may connect with Linda through her website at www.lindagoodnight.com or on Facebook.

Reviews

[Dean Calle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm the kid on the book cover so i guess its fire?

[Kathy Davie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third in the Buchanons inspirational romance series revolving around a close-knit family in Gabriel's Crossing, Texas. The focus in Lone Star Dad is on Gena Satterfield and Quinn Buchanon and uses third-person omniscient.

My Take
Gena, as protagonist, has quite a few issues to deal with from the secret she promised to hold for her sister to holding her nephew on the straight-and-narrow to dealing with her attraction to Quinn, the antagonist — in so many ways. And Goodnight does a nice job of twining each character's conflicts together using Derrick as the catalyst.

Yeah, Gena has her particular issues, especially with Derrick, but it's really Quinn who has the hardest obstacles to get over. By the end of the story, Goodnight has definitely gotten her message across that such difficulties as Quinn is suffering with can happen to anyone.

It's sweet to watch the softening of Quinn, the aching loner, and I like the message Goodnight sends in this, about women being self-supporting, the anti-bullying and the productive way she went about dealing with it all. Heck, Gena's productive all the way-round as she grows past her antipathy and works with her nephew. She's open to the truth, even if she does fight it.

I'm curious to see how Lila will play into the series; she sounds like such an old soul.

Goodnight drove me nuts with the teasers she dropped about the accident that changed Quinn's life. This, ahem, lack of communication, *grin*, runs parallel with the major conflict in the story. What I don't get is how stupid Gena and her family were back then. I mean, duhhh.

The romance evolved fairly well. Goodnight had set us up with Gena's background so it wasn't insta-love, certainly not for Quinn, lol. That boy has spent way too much time in his own mind.

It's a nice message: "What good is it if a man gains the whole world and loses his soul."

The Story
Nurse Gena Satterfield knew raising her rebellious nephew, Derrick, would be tough, but moving to Gabriel's Crossing was supposed to help ease the transition into their new reality. That was before she realized her new neighbor was Quinn Buchanon — her teenage crush, the town's onetime star quarterback…and Derrick's father.

Her sister's dying wish was that Gena keep this secret. Yet watching Quinn connect with the boy and penetrate his angry walls, Gena begins to see him in a whole new light.

Now, torn between the truth and the promise she made, Gena has to follow her heart. And hope they can all heal together.

The Characters
Gena Satterfield is a nurse practitioner who has returned to her hometown to raise her orphaned nephew, Derrick. Renae had been her ultra-popular sister. They're living in Ken and Anna Satterfield's, her grandparents', old home.

Quinn "the Mighty Quinn" Buchanon, an architect, had been the high school football star — and the town player — until the accident eleven years ago. Optimus is the kitten Derrick chose; Bella is the one Quinn chose.

Buchanon Built Construction is…
…the family business that employs the four sons and three daughters. Dan and Karen are their parents (Mom insists on family attendance for Sunday dinners). Brady is the company manager engaged to Abby Webster, a waitress at The Buttered Biscuit ( The Christmas Family , 2). Lila is Abby's five-year-old daughter with spina bifida. Dawg is Brady's brindle. Movie-star-gorgeous Sawyer and the peacemaking Dawson are twins. Charity (Ryan and Amber are her children; her pilot husband is on deployment), Allison (married to Jake Hamilton, Cowboy Under the Mistletoe , 1), and the diet-conscious Jaylee are the sisters.

Dr. Ramos runs the Family Medical Clinic where Gena works; he helps out as the middle school and high school football team doctor. Alabama Watts is a nurse there as well as a friend of Gena's. Jason is the office manager. Patients include Mr. Chard, Mrs. Brannon, Clare Hammond is a carpenter who works for Johnny French, and Clara Jameson.

Jan owns The Buttered Biscuit Café. Jackson Flint is the school principal. Mrs. Blassingame is the history teacher at the middle school. Josh Miller is a bully. Milly is in Derrick's grade. Grant Richardson is the head coach. Harris, Sean, and Jenson are some of the football players. Shelby is taking tickets for the game.

Amy and Chelsea are little girls who may take a kitten each. Leroy is a policeman. Mack Wyman is a subcontractor with Buchanon Built.

The Cover and Title
The cover is very family-oriented with the green field surrounded by trees under a blue sky, Derrick in the middle distance, hands up, hoping for the ball while Quinn has a smile on his face, his hands wrapped around the ball, even as Gena hugs both him and the ball. A band of deep yellow crosses the top of the cover with the genre information and the publisher's imprint is in a yellow script. Below that is the title and author's name in a deep burgundy.

The title is Quinn, his fame, his ills, and his truth as a Lone Star Dad.

[Tima · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gena has moved back to her hometown of Gabriel's Crossing to raise her rebellious nephew, Derrick. She's hoping the country setting will help his resentment and rebellion. What she doesn't expect is to find herself living next door to Quinn. A football star who has also moved back home to nurse his wounds, both mental and physical. Quinn and Derrick hit it off with their love of football and concern for some orphan kittens. Gena had wanted to keep Quinn and Derrick as far apart as possible, but that doesn't look like it's going to happen.

This was an entertaining and sweet story. It was predictable, as are most romance stories, but the little touches of hometown, the slight twist about the sister, and the drama with Derrick all added up to make a fun story to read. The author did a great job of creating emotions and drama between the characters, but helping the romance to feel very real. I loved the authenticity of family and small town living. I liked it enough to check and see if there are stories about the other family members.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Glenda Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book in The Buchanons Series. I really enjoy Linda's books; this one was really good. It's well written and will touch your heart. I really like this family.
Nurse Practitioner Gena Satterfields is now raising her eleven year old nephew. They had been living in the city and Derrick had been picked up by the police. In desperation she move them to her late grandparents home in a small town. Derrick was not happy about moving to a small town and is acting out. She answers the front door to the one man she hoped never to see again. He drags in Derrick with an old gun. he had been poaching on his property. How was she to keep Derrick out of trouble and keep him a way from this man. Would he recognize the boy for who he is? She had to keep her sister's secret.
Quinn Buchanon had been a football star until a tragic accident left him unable to throw a ball.
Quinn lost everything and everyone who was suppose to care about him. He bought a little cabin out in the middle of nowhere hiding from life. He works with his family but keeps them at arms length. A mother cat came to his place in the middle of the night. He hated cats but put her in his shed. He is very angry to find a young punk poaching on his property. The next day the mother cat gives birth to four kittens right in front of the punk kid next door. When the mother cat disappears the boy is determined to take care of the babies. His beautiful neighbor finally agrees to let the boy help with the kittens and it turns all their lives around.
A Journey of trust and forgiveness. These three people have endured pain and heart break, would they trust God to heal their hearts? God has a plan for them, a good plan and not of evil. God has a plan for you too.Give your heart to Jesus and watch God turn your life around.

[Jennifer Robb · Rating 3 out of 5]

A friend (MH) sent me this title in a box of books. I don't think I've read any in the subseries previously though I have read other titles by this author.

I liked the Buchanon family--or what little I got to know of them in this book since Quinn was a bit estranged from them as he tried to hide his problems. I liked Gena's idea of helping more in the small town setting (compared to what she might have in the bigger city).

I don't recommend detoxing the way Quinn did (without medical advice or supervision of any type).

I liked that Quinn found a purpose in helping current students learn football even though he wasn't the same player he'd been at their age. It is true that sometimes you can help others even if you can't still do the thing yourself.

I also liked the kittens.

I kind of felt like the plot is a reworked one: kid's mother dies but she makes kid's guardian promise not to tell the kid who his father is or to tell the kid's father that the kid exists. Guardian ends up in contact with the father and finds out he's not the ogre the kid's mother made him out to be.

[Joan Arning · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's pretty sad when Nurse Practitioner Gena has to move from the city to the small town where her grandparents lived because her eleven year old nephew, Derrick, who she is raising is in with the wrong crowd and caught shoplifting not once but twice! I admired Gena for all of that she did for Derrick but she promised her dying sister she would not reveal who Derrick's father is and I disagreed with that! Former NFL hero, Quinn Buchanon, who was Gena's teenage crush turns out to be their neighbor and is a good influence on Derrick despite his own problems. Orphaned newborn kittens turn out to be a changing force for both of the guys! Lone Star Dad dealt with some deeper topics than Love Inspired books usually do. I recommend this book to others.

[Moira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, redemption and second chances

Such a wonderful story of love, redemption and second chances. When an injury ended his potential NFL career, his girlfriend left him as he lay gravely injured in the hospital. Flash ahead 11 years and his ex girlfriends sister moves in next door with an preteen boy he assumes is her son. Come to find out he's her nephew, the son of his ex who died of bacterial meningitis and gave custody to her sister with a promise to never reveal her son's father. The plot thickens as my Mom used to say.

Great to catch up with the Beaucanon clan for another great book in the series by Linda Goodnight.

[Becky Durstenfeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I liked the characters. Even though this type of book is formulaic, there really aren't surprises in the book and you know the characters will live happily ever after. I appreciated that the issues were dealt with and didn't drag on and on and on, as happens sometimes in books like this. One exception - the vandalism of the homes was not resolved. I presume it will be in a future book in the series.

[Veronica · Rating 1 out of 5]

To be fair I generally don’t read books with this premise but it was given to me and I was bored. The book did keep me reading but then slowed down 2/3 of the way through but then the secret was revealed and bam it was over. The ending was just too abrupt.

[Mary Shreffler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nurse Gina and Nephew Derrick live in the crossing and meet grumpy Quinn. Quinn is an ex pro football player who was injured 5 years ago and has not been able to play since. Quinn takes Derrick under his wing and helps him through trying times only to find out later that he is Quinnsr son

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome read, great plot and characters....loved it

[Naela · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was very fun to read. Had funny parts, and cute, visual, flirting.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would of given it 4 stars because of the way she kept repeating peoples feelings.

[Romelle Bohannan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very sweet romance.

[Mark Fosgate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

This book is an excellent example of literature with a Christian theme. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for great reading material!

[Steven Brower · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buchanan #3

This book was very well written. Good details of the characters lives without repetition. Good ending. Anxious to read the next one.

[Mary Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novel about a couple helping a troubled youth. Linda Goodnight writes good books.

[Heidi Robbins (Heidi Reads...) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The themes of redemption and forgiveness is strong in this story as Quinn learns he is a father and struggles through his feelings of betrayal and loss of the missed years. Gena is caught between her sister's request and realizing that the changes in Quinn make him more than ready to be a good father to Derrick. This type of story line always makes me sad for the childhood years and memories that were missed out on. It was inspiring to see Quinn, Gena, and Derrick's journey as they drew closer together and began to trust in their new relationships.

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

[Books and Spoons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compassionate, grace-filled, a tender tale of acceptance, forgiveness, finding the blessing in un-answered prayers, and about family, with all it entails, in fun and struggles.
This story dealt with some real and difficult issues that come close to home to many, yet often are rather not talked about.
Quinn’s drug addiction started innocently enough, yet it escalated into something that started to change him and his life.
Chronic pain management is a careful tightrope action that needs dedicated professionals help, control, guidance and advises.
I understand the limits of the in-depth material and space the author could have gone here, yet she managed to bring out the pain, intensity and effort, even danger, it takes to detox from the pills if the control has been lost.
I appreciated how their faith played a big role in this recovery, as well finding their way to each other. Quinn relied on God’s providence and guidance during his struggles. Gena praying and relying on God while navigating in the deep waters with her nephew and Quinn.
The family support was amazing. I love how they wanted to spend time with the family, even though they worked together, and cherished the time they had on Sundays.
Gena and Quinn were hot together. I don’t usually say this about the couples on Love Inspired stories because for some reason the passionate love between the couples is hidden, being more sweet and adorable in nature. But there was tangible attraction between Quinn and Gena, and even though the story and their love and attraction were kept clean and sweet, there was no denying that there was something real, natural, and passionate in between them, and I loved it.
Derrick and the kittens brought a serious cuteness and adorability to the tale. I struggled a bit with the way Gena and her family dealt with Derrick and the paternity. I’m still not sure how I feel about it. Of course, it all was explained why, and well put into a frame of mind why they did what they did, but my struggle is still with the secrets, and her parent's attitude.
There're a lot of elements and events in this sincere and poignant story that made me smile, think about sunny Sunday autumn afternoons with the family, true feel-good moments of cheer.
Yet the story had a clear, serious message, not only about the drug abuse and the difficulty to come back from it but of faith, God’s guidance in our lives when asked and accepted, the blessings of unanswered prayers, and the importance of a family and its support. The Buchanons have stolen my heart with their warmth and accepting hearts and minds, and I am looking forward to getting to know them better and find out about the harassment and vandalism on their construction sites.
~ Four Spoons

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the death of her sister Gena is left to take care of her nephew Derrick trying to make a new start for themselves. If only Derrick could stay out of trouble and stop pestering the next door neighbor Quinn. Unfortunately for Gena this could be a problem being that this same Quinn happens to be father to her nephew but no one knows but her it was her sisters dying wish to keep secret. With the more times their lives meets up the harder it is not to fall and harder to keep the secret going.

Overall I liked this book it was pretty good. Almost too much like the last book I read where the the aunt has a rebellious teen to watch. I guess I read the books too close to each other should've spaced it out between each other to make this more enjoyable. I couldn't help but find myself comparing because of this. I liked the characters. If given the choice Gena was made I'm not sure how I would've handed the situation she faced. This book was well written, it was a steady paced no dull moments to speak of. Overall it was a pretty good book I enjoyed it.

[Palabasalibro · Rating 5 out of 5]

** copy was provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review**

One broken man, one lost mischievous kid, and one patient woman with a hidden promise.
From start to finish, this book will really warm your heart.
It was not only centered on romance, it gives us readers a lesson on faith, forgiveness and family as well. Also, it tackles the issue of drug-reliability - though not extensively, but it gives us a glimpse of what drug-dependent users might go through.

The romance in this book was sizzling. The attraction between both hero and heroine cannot be doubted. Add the kittens and the tender moments with Derrick and the Buchanon family - you won't go wrong with this book!

If you want a short and pleasing read, this is the book for you. :)

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lone Star Dad by Linda Goodnight. Nurse Gena Satterfield's sister passed away and left her son to Gena to raise and told her not to tell Derrick that his father is Quinn Buchanon. Gena and Derrick move back to her home town and ended up be next door neighbors of Quinn. Quinn was a star football quarterback in high school. A shooting accident to his right arm has him in a lot of pain. Derrick ends up sneaking over to Quinn's place because a mother cat had four kittens in his shed and Derrick goes over to help take care of the kittens when the mother cat leaves and don't return. An interesting story line.

[Patty Champion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quinn and Gena know each other from High School, Quinn had a relationship with Gena's sister, now Gena is raising her nephew and guess what? her new neighbor is Quinn.
This was a really good book. I highly recommend it, It is a nice read to escape into.

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: The Buchanons

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: The Buchanons

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fabulous, truly wonderful. The summary of this novel does not over shoot, the book provides everything that is hoped for.

[Su · Rating 2 out of 5]

Less romance and more early childhood/psychology drama. It was okay, but not particularly emotion-inducing. The tension point was very predictable and not very satisfying for me.