The Family Man

Horizon Beach #2

by Trish Milburn

For Florida detective Sara Greene, who is busy raising a toddler and teenager alone, finding Mr. Perfect Forever seems an impossible dream. One thing she knows. He isn't Adam Canfield. Charming, carefree and single, Adam couldn't be further from the man she's been looking for.After losing the woman he loved, Adam opted for the solo life—no strings, no long-term commitments. Now one intriguing cop and single mother is making him question his choices.The problem is that while Sara's head is telling her Adam is completely unsuitable, her heart is urging her to give him a chance.Maybe perfection is overrated….

Genres: Harlequin

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 17, 2010

About the author

Trish Milburn is the author of more than 50 romance and young adult novels, a huge fan of Asian dramas and K-pop music, prefers Marvel over D.C. (except Wonder Woman is awesome), and loves road trips and visiting national and state parks, and of course is an avid reader with a never-ending to-be-read pile.

Learn more about Trish on her website, www.trishmilburn.com -- where you'll also find links to her social media. She's most active on Twitter @TrishMilburn. Also, her WordoftheK.com is dedicated to her books set in Korea as well as posts about various aspects of the Korean entertainment industry, Korean culture, etc.

Have a question? Be sure to check out the Goodreads option to ask about my books, K-pop, K-dramas, or writing.

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 Stars! ~ In Iraq, he'd watched the woman he loved, an aid worker, die in a road side bombing. And so after a decade in the army, Adam had enough of violence, tragedy and responsibility. He loves his carefree and unencumbered life in Horizon Beach, and if only his nightmares would end, his life would be perfect. Sara is a detective on the small police force. Searching for a runaway teen brings her to the Beach Bar where Adam is filling in while his best friend Zac is away on his honeymoon. Adam's noticed Sara before, in fact, he'd flirted with her until he learned she was a cop. There's no way he's getting involved with a woman who places herself in danger. Sara has a definite image of Mr. Perfect, and Adam's irresponsible lifestyle just doesn't fit, but she can't keep herself from fantasizing about the hunky bartender. She's surprised when Adam doesn't shy from her two adopted daughters, even more so, when he seems quite happy to include them in his life. Adam's learning what family is and he surprises himself with how happy he is when he's with Sara and the girls. When Sara places herself in front of a loaded gun, Adam's nightmares are back, only now it's Sara who's being killed.

I was intrigued by Adam in Ms. Milburn's A Firefighter in the Family, and so when I seen he had his own story I had to find out more about this irresistible playboy. Adam is very good a pretending he's only out for a good time, he's even managed to fool himself. That is until he meets Sara and she rocks his world. Adam is one of those wounded heroes you can't help falling in love with. I loved how he proved to Sara that he indeed was her Mr. Perfect. I hope Ms. Milburn brings us back to Horizon Beach someday. There's a hunky fireman from her previous book that deserves a HEA too!

[The Book Worm · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Family Man isn't my favorite book by Trish Milburn. Although the plot had potential, I found it too predictable and a bit cheesy.

I didn't care very much for the way Sara stereotyped Adam at the beginning of the book (actually, throughout a large part of it), as if someone who doesn't work 9 to 5 is necessarily irresponsible and not suitable to raise a family. Her obsession with finding the right man and then her wavering back and forth between her goal in life and her attraction to Adam, were annoying.

I think Adam behaved quite well, especially when he managed to overcome the nightmares of his past, and somehow I kept feeling he deserved better than Sara.

All the family drama is touching, especially because it involves abused children finding loving families, but that - and the fact that The Family Man is a fairly quick read - was about the only thing that kept me hooked until the end.

[Paschalis]

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[Sally Kilpatrick]

Oh, Adam. The hero of the piece is an Army vet who lost a girlfriend to a roadside bomb in Iraq. As a result, he's afraid to open himself up to love and keeps his live as uncomplicated as possible. When Sara dives off the pier behind him, though, he can't help but see her in a new light. He'd instinctively stayed away from her because she had a dangerous job, police officer, and he didn't want to risk losing anyone else to violence. The pier incident makes Sara see Adam in a new light, too. While she can't help but be attracted to him (for reals, look at the cover people) she's looking for a family man, someone who's willing to take on the responsibility of her two adopted girls. The question is, can Adam open up to love and responsibility? Can Sara take a chance on him even though he doesn't seem like the perfect fit for her family?

Great chemistry between these two characters and genuine angst. Milburn also does a great job with secondary characters, particularly the feisty older neighbor Ruby and Sara's teenaged daughter, Tana. It's a sweet story that realistically mirrors falling in love even as it delves into the very adult doubts of its two protagonists.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hero is ex-military. Heroine is a cop, hunting a runaway at the beginning of the story. Hero is busy avoiding responsibility, but something about her gets to him--but she works in a dangerous job. Still, he's not going to get involved. Until he sees the runaway boy hiding near his house. This is just a nice little romance about troubled kids and an ex-soldier who's been hiding from the world. Enjoyable.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars.