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Single...With Kids #3
All-American Father
What's a single father to do when his twelve-year-olddaughter is caught shoplifting a box of expired condoms? Derrick Cavenaugh sure doesn't know, so theex-all-American football star turns to Bailey Greenwoodfor help, but she's got troubles of her own….
Bailey is struggling to keep her grandmother's bed-and-breakfast, her home, from being swallowed up by taxesand the bank. She doesn't have time to help Derrick,but she can't refuse his daughter.
The more time Derrick spends with Bailey, the more herespects her, the more he wants her. He's failed so muchalready, but he's determined to win Bailey.
Bailey is struggling to keep her grandmother's bed-and-breakfast, her home, from being swallowed up by taxesand the bank. She doesn't have time to help Derrick,but she can't refuse his daughter.
The more time Derrick spends with Bailey, the more herespects her, the more he wants her. He's failed so muchalready, but he's determined to win Bailey.
- GenresRomance
368 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 2007
49 people want to read
About the author
Anna DeStefano
42 books273 followersAnna DeStefano brings to life heart-warming, emotion-packed stories about community, family and second chances. Her award-winning, nationally bestselling small town romances spotlight family, friendships and the forgiveness that nurtures her characters’ dreams…as they explore the issues all contemporary families face.
Anna’s imagination is forever inspired by our ability to claim an unlimited and exciting future—by honestly confronting and bravely overcoming the setbacks of the past.
She’s the author of more than twenty-seven books, including the Echoes of the Heart and the Mimosa Lane novels that are set in Chandlerville, Georgia, and her Atlanta Heroes series.
Look for her other titles featuring the reader-favorite Dixon family: Here in My Heart, Let me Love You Again, His Darling Bride, and Book 3 of the Seasons of the Heart series, Love on Mimosa Lane.
Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Anna’s lived in the South her entire life. Her background as a care provider and adult educator in the world of crisis and grief recovery lends itself to the deeper psychological themes of every story she writes.
A wife and mother, she currently writes in a charming northeast suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, not all that different from her characters’ beloved Chandlerville.
She is also a workshop, masterclass and keynote speaker, a writing coach, and a freelance editor.
Get to know Anna at annawrites.com/blog and the Anna DeStefano: Author page on Facebook, where she shares her inspirations, her challenges, a healthy dose of honest optimism, and tidbits about upcoming projects.
Anna’s imagination is forever inspired by our ability to claim an unlimited and exciting future—by honestly confronting and bravely overcoming the setbacks of the past.
She’s the author of more than twenty-seven books, including the Echoes of the Heart and the Mimosa Lane novels that are set in Chandlerville, Georgia, and her Atlanta Heroes series.
Look for her other titles featuring the reader-favorite Dixon family: Here in My Heart, Let me Love You Again, His Darling Bride, and Book 3 of the Seasons of the Heart series, Love on Mimosa Lane.
Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Anna’s lived in the South her entire life. Her background as a care provider and adult educator in the world of crisis and grief recovery lends itself to the deeper psychological themes of every story she writes.
A wife and mother, she currently writes in a charming northeast suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, not all that different from her characters’ beloved Chandlerville.
She is also a workshop, masterclass and keynote speaker, a writing coach, and a freelance editor.
Get to know Anna at annawrites.com/blog and the Anna DeStefano: Author page on Facebook, where she shares her inspirations, her challenges, a healthy dose of honest optimism, and tidbits about upcoming projects.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 7, 2020
3.5 stars
Fast moving and enjoyable.
Fast moving and enjoyable.
August 18, 2021
Harlequin Super Romance #1410
April 9, 2011
I've decided that I do not particularly care for plots where girl has been mooning after a guy and ends up getting him once he realizes what a gem she is. While Bailey has always had a crush on him - and it is quite apparent to those who have seen her around him (how embarrassing) - sometimes it is not made quite so evident to the reader, for which I was thankful for.
Derrick, in the beginning, did not really appeal to me. Why, of all people, would he ask Bailey to help him with his daughter? He hardly knew her. Yes, he is expected to fall in love with her. Yes, she is a trusted employee of the irascible owner of the Shop Rite his daughter had gotten caught shoplifting at. Yes - oh wait, that's right. Bailey could perhaps work her trusted employeeness to encourage her cheapskate boss to drop the charges against Derrick's daughter. On the one hand, without this additional detail, it seemed so contrived to have Bailey help him with his daughter. On the other hand, with the additional detail, it made him seem so...mercenary. He couldn't win either way. Luckily, his true desire to do right by his daughter, and his true appreciation for Bailey and the help she was with Leslie, did make him a likable character. PS: I loved his reaction when he found out exactly what Leslie had tried to steal.
I liked how much on-screen time that Derrick's daughter, Leslie, had, and how it seemed that she really did play an important part in driving the romantic plotline. However, her younger sister hardly seemed necessary. Leslie's voice did seem like that of a troubled adolescent, and I liked how the author portrayed her as being quite perceptive. I liked seeing how she was able to form a bond with Bailey, and I thought that the author did quite well showing how that closeness affected Derrick.
Overall, I enjoyed this story - even if Bailey apparently was obvious about her crush on Derrick.
Derrick, in the beginning, did not really appeal to me. Why, of all people, would he ask Bailey to help him with his daughter? He hardly knew her. Yes, he is expected to fall in love with her. Yes, she is a trusted employee of the irascible owner of the Shop Rite his daughter had gotten caught shoplifting at. Yes - oh wait, that's right. Bailey could perhaps work her trusted employeeness to encourage her cheapskate boss to drop the charges against Derrick's daughter. On the one hand, without this additional detail, it seemed so contrived to have Bailey help him with his daughter. On the other hand, with the additional detail, it made him seem so...mercenary. He couldn't win either way. Luckily, his true desire to do right by his daughter, and his true appreciation for Bailey and the help she was with Leslie, did make him a likable character. PS: I loved his reaction when he found out exactly what Leslie had tried to steal.
I liked how much on-screen time that Derrick's daughter, Leslie, had, and how it seemed that she really did play an important part in driving the romantic plotline. However, her younger sister hardly seemed necessary. Leslie's voice did seem like that of a troubled adolescent, and I liked how the author portrayed her as being quite perceptive. I liked seeing how she was able to form a bond with Bailey, and I thought that the author did quite well showing how that closeness affected Derrick.
Overall, I enjoyed this story - even if Bailey apparently was obvious about her crush on Derrick.
June 18, 2015
All American former football playing dad is trying to get his teenage daughter to stay out of trouble. He enlists the help of a perfect stranger who has no childcare or psychology experience. Seems like an odd choice. The chemistry, however, is real. The characters were understandable. I thoroughly enjoyed the developing relationships (all of them) in the book.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews