Laying His Claim

The Protectors #23

by Beverly Barton

Trent Winston had spent years trying to forget the only woman he'd ever loved and the tragedy that had torn their world apart. But now she was back in town, stirring up unwanted memories and unwelcome desires -- and demanding that he help her find the child he'd thought was lost forever....

Kate Malone was a very different woman now -- strong and independent, but with the same innocent sensuality he remembered all too well. And the more time Trent spent with her, the more he ached to reclaim everything that had once been his -- starting with her.

Genres: Romance, Romantic Suspense, Harlequin, Silhouette

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 23, 2004

About the author

Beverly Marie Inman was born on 23 December 1946 in Tuscumbia, Alabama, USA. Daughter of Doris Marie and Walter D. Inman Jr. A born romantic, she fell in love with The Beauty and the Beast epic at an early age, when her grandfather bought her an illustrated copy of the famous fairy tale. Even before she learned to read and write, her vivid imagination created magical words and fabulous characters inside her mind. Movies fascinated her, and by the time she was seven she was rewriting the movies she saw on television and at the local theater to give them all happy endings. By the age of nine she'd penned her first novel. She wrote short stories, TV scripts, poetry, and novels throughout high school and into college.

After her marriage to Billy Ray Beaver, the "love of her life", and the births of her two children, Beverly continued to be a voracious reader and a devoted moviegoer, but she put her writing aspirations on hold until her children were teenagers. At every age of their lives, from infancy to adulthood, the children had been a true joy to her. She devoted herself to her husband and children and considered herself one of the many selfless "supermoms" who put their family's needs first. She believed she had had it all, just not all at the same time.

In her mid-30s, Beverly returned to her former passion — writing — as a hobby, but before 40, she decided that she wanted to make writing a full-time career. And when she rediscovered an old dream — of becoming a published writer — no one was more supportive of her aspirations than her family. Her children were her greatest cheerleaders and her husband was her biggest supporter. After writing over 40 books and receiving numerous awards and nominations, as well as having books on the USA Today list and consistently on the Waldenbooks bestseller list, her career was indeed a dream come true. Having a fantastic family and fabulous friends, as well as making a living doing the one thing she had loved doing since childhood, she considered herself truly blessed. Beverly died suddenly of heart failure on 21 April 2011.

Reviews

[Sara]

When the pride can come over the love then we have more years to waste.That about love whe can come back.

[Lauri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the story. So often romance goes like this
A. Man and woman meet cute
B. Something stupid is kept hidden
C. The climax of the story is the secret coming out
D. One character gets over their pride

This story was about a man and woman, but the story of their missing child was compelling enough (not that anything was unpredictable) that it kept the pace of the book moving and gave something other than "stupid misunderstaning" as the plot.

[Kittenlittle · Rating 4 out of 5]

อ่านได้เพลินๆ ค่ะเล่มนี้ โครงเรื่องคล้ายๆ หัวใจกำสรวล ของลินดา โฮเวิร์ด แต่เรื่องนี้จะไม่ได้บีบหัวใจเท่าเรื่องนั้น เรื่องนี้พระนางแต่งงานกัน และมีลูกสาวอายุเกือบสองเดือน ถูกคนร้ายขโมยไป พระนางก็เลยหย่ากัน นางเอกไปเป็นตำรวจ แล้วก็ผันตัวมาทำงานที่บริษัทนักสืบเอกชน เพื่อตามหาลูกสาวที่หายไป ผ่านไปสิบปีก็มีเบาะแสของลูกสาว ก็เลยไปหาพระเอกเพื่อไปตรวจดีเอ็นเอ พอพระนางเจอกันก็จะเป็นพลอตแบบ Second chance ก็อ่านได้สนุกดี เนื้อเรื่องเหมือนจะเครียด จริงๆ อ่านได้สบายๆ นะ เพราะทุกอย่างลงตัว จบดี ทุกคนแฮปปี้

Ps. เรื่องนี้อ่านฉบับแปลจากเรื่อง ทวงสิทธิ์ติดตามหัวใจ

[Andria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, could have been better. I'm sensing the harlequin trend here.

[May Mostly Romance · Rating 2 out of 5]

หนังสือที่ออกกะ Silhouette Desire อีกเล่ม แต่อาจเพราะว่าพล็อตถูกใจ เรื่องราวของคู่สามี-ภรรยาที่หย่าขาดกันไปนานแล้ว เพราะทนความเจ็บปวดที่ลูกถูกขโมยตัวไปไม่ได้ ต้องกลับมาร่วมมือกันอีกครั้งหนึ่งเพื่อค้นหาลูกที่หายไปของตัวเอง หลังจากเวลาผ่านไปสิบปี ในเรื่องอารมณ์เรื่องนี้ก็สู้กับ CNM ไม่ได้หรอกค่ะ แต่ด้วยความที่หนังสือสั้นมากก็เลยไม่เป็นประเด็นเท่าไหรนัก เพราะยังไม่ทันได้ทำอารมณ์เรื่องมันก็จบไปแล้ว แม็กซ์ถือว่าเรื่องนี้ดีผิดคาด เพราะปกติไม่ค่อยชอบดีไซร์เท่าไหร แต่เล่มนี้ถือว่าสอบผ่านสำหรับดีไซร์ แต่ก็ยังสอบตกในฐานของชุดผู้พิทักษ์

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Setting:
Prospect Alabama;

Theme:
Love, faith, terrible loss

Character:
Kate Malone – poor side of town, at 20 ‘rescued’ by Trent when her car broke down, they fell in love, got married, lived in his 4 generation’s family home with Mary Belle who raised Dante as her own and is trying hard to bring Kate up to snuff, she wants to live in a house of her own and has chosen it, they have a 2-month baby, after disagreement with them about walking back home from church and she wants to show Trent the dream house, and she goes by herself with the baby, a couple steal her baby from her, and where Trent wants to put it behind them and just believe MaryKate is dead, she won’t give up, and she thinks they blame her, and they can’t find each other, so she gets a divorce, becomes a police woman, than takes a job working for Dundee Investigations – always looking for clues about her baby.
Trenton Bayard Winston IV – raised with a silver spoon, deeply in love with Kate but does not see how aunt Mary Belle is undermining her, unable to handle grief for MaryKate, allowed divorce, bought the house she wanted, and never forgot Kate, but has played the field, and is now a circuit judge.
Aunt Mary Belle – At first thought Kate was after Trent’s money, but quickly realized not; pushed her to learn to be acceptable to upper society but is not sensitive to Kate’s needs.
Dante Moran – FBI agent that helps them out… next book?
Mary Kate / Christa Farrell – their baby, adopted out, parents died when she was six, raised by grandmother, resistant to Trent & Kate at first, but comes around.

Summary:
12 years later, the fbi have gathered information about a kidnapping/baby selling ring and find records of 3 babies taken 12 years earlier in Alabama… Kate goes to Trent to tell him… and after a no, after aunt mary belle comes to her and apologizes and assures her Trent will help her… he does… they face the uncertainty together… they find her together… they face her rejection together… they have sex together… they join together to have her and her grandmother stay with them… and after he takes her to the house he bought for her… they slowly make a family… and 3 years later have twins to comlete it all out.


Memorable scenes:

[Ashley Bundy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book. I actually finished it before the finish date. I can see the harlequin trend like another review I read before reading the book but also there was a great story about love lost and love found again and the power of a mother's love and determination. I had a hard time putting this book down.

[Cristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una historia interesante, una narrativa que te hace querer llegar al fin, aunque muy predecible.

[Desi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leído el 11/05/2011