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Bethlehem #6
Heaven on Earth
Sometimes you have to sin a little to find heaven on earth....
As a private investigator, Melina Dimitris had seen more than her share of relationships gone bad. But that didn’t keep her from believing that Mr. Right was out there. And she thought she’d found him in a tall, ruggedly handsome adventurer with a pair of magic hands.
So when he dumped her without so much as an explanation, Melina hid her devastation by throwing herself into her work. Little did she expect that three runaway children from the small town of Bethlehem would bring him back into her life.
Sebastian Knight knew that if anyone could find his missing daughter, it was the brash P.I. with a passion for kung fu and tight red dresses. Their affair had been brief, white-hot, and clearly heading for something more serious. Until Sebastian ended it rather than risk getting burned again.
Only now that it was too late did he realize the mistake he’d made. But with a trio of eccentric helpers watching over them — and the children — Sebastian and Melina would soon discover that in Bethlehem it was never too late for a miracle.
As a private investigator, Melina Dimitris had seen more than her share of relationships gone bad. But that didn’t keep her from believing that Mr. Right was out there. And she thought she’d found him in a tall, ruggedly handsome adventurer with a pair of magic hands.
So when he dumped her without so much as an explanation, Melina hid her devastation by throwing herself into her work. Little did she expect that three runaway children from the small town of Bethlehem would bring him back into her life.
Sebastian Knight knew that if anyone could find his missing daughter, it was the brash P.I. with a passion for kung fu and tight red dresses. Their affair had been brief, white-hot, and clearly heading for something more serious. Until Sebastian ended it rather than risk getting burned again.
Only now that it was too late did he realize the mistake he’d made. But with a trio of eccentric helpers watching over them — and the children — Sebastian and Melina would soon discover that in Bethlehem it was never too late for a miracle.
391 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 2, 2002
8 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
About the author
Marilyn Pappano
191 books126 followersAward-winning and bestselling author, international traveler, feted at a Hollywood premiere . . .
All true . . . but my regular life is a whole lot more routine. Deal with the five big puppers who share our house, babysit our grandson, battle the jungle that is our yard, pray for summer in winter and dream of winter in summer, and hunker down at the computer -- that's my real life.
I grew up in Oklahoma and had the fun of living in Georgia, Alabama, California and the Carolinas, thanks to my husband's Navy career. When he retired, we came home to Oklahoma and have lived in the same house for seventeen years. That's a real "Wow!" for someone used to the nomadic military life.
Writing was the perfect career for all that moving. Have computer, will travel. I've set books, or part of them, in every state we've lived in and been inspired by every place I've ever been. I've now written somewhere around 80 books, and I think I've got only about 8,000 stories left to tell.
My biggest hobby is starting new projects -- starting. Not completing. I'm still not done with the cross-stitched Army seal I started when our son joined out of high school. He did tours in Georgia, Colorado, Korea, Italy, Iraq, Afghanistan and Louisiana, and has been out for a few years. So I'm a little slow.
I like to think about getting organized, painting my living room in cool beachy colors, and turning my entire five-acre yard into a garden. I also dream about having every room in my house clean at exactly the same time, but I live by the motto of the woman who taught me to quilt: A clean house is the sign of a bored woman.
And I've never been bored.
All true . . . but my regular life is a whole lot more routine. Deal with the five big puppers who share our house, babysit our grandson, battle the jungle that is our yard, pray for summer in winter and dream of winter in summer, and hunker down at the computer -- that's my real life.
I grew up in Oklahoma and had the fun of living in Georgia, Alabama, California and the Carolinas, thanks to my husband's Navy career. When he retired, we came home to Oklahoma and have lived in the same house for seventeen years. That's a real "Wow!" for someone used to the nomadic military life.
Writing was the perfect career for all that moving. Have computer, will travel. I've set books, or part of them, in every state we've lived in and been inspired by every place I've ever been. I've now written somewhere around 80 books, and I think I've got only about 8,000 stories left to tell.
My biggest hobby is starting new projects -- starting. Not completing. I'm still not done with the cross-stitched Army seal I started when our son joined out of high school. He did tours in Georgia, Colorado, Korea, Italy, Iraq, Afghanistan and Louisiana, and has been out for a few years. So I'm a little slow.
I like to think about getting organized, painting my living room in cool beachy colors, and turning my entire five-acre yard into a garden. I also dream about having every room in my house clean at exactly the same time, but I live by the motto of the woman who taught me to quilt: A clean house is the sign of a bored woman.
And I've never been bored.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 18, 2025
Reviewed for THC Reviews
Heaven on Earth is the sixth book in Marilyn Pappano’s Bethlehem series. It picks up exactly where the previous book, Getting Lucky, left off. Some of Bethlehem’s children have gone missing. Desperately wanting to see her mom again, Alanna hitched a ride in a guest’s travel trailer following Miss Agatha’s wedding. She’s accompanied by her friend, Caleb, her self-appointed protector, and young Chrissy, who naively thinks her missing mom may be with Alanna’s in Providence. The only problem is that the driver ends up going the opposite direction the kids want to go, which eventually leaves them stranded in Syracuse. Meanwhile, all their parents and loved ones in Bethlehem are beside themselves with worry over the kids’ safety. They decide to hire Lynda’s best friend, Melina, a private investigator, to help find them. We met Melina and Chrissy’s father, Sebastian, in Getting Lucky, where they had a torrid four-day love affair that left Sebastian shaken enough to end it all badly and Melina heartbroken after thinking that she’d finally found The One. It doesn’t stop Melina from coming to their aid, but she’s royally pissed at Sebastian and really wants nothing to do with him. However, out of concern for his daughter, he insists on accompanying Melina in her search. As they track down leads, old feelings are rekindled and slowly Melina starts to come around. Along the way to finding the kids, they reignite their affair and begin falling for one another, but once the children are safe and sound, each of them is convinced that the other thought it was nothing but casual sex. Then Melina finds herself accidentally pregnant. She’s determined to raise the baby alone if she has to, while Sebastian is equally determined to be a part of his child’s life. But due to them both being hurt in past relationships, they struggle to admit their feelings for one another and get on the same page.
Melina is a passionate, independent woman from a lively, loving, large Greek family. She’s worked hard to build her private investigations business, but deep down she still wants a husband and family. However, after her long-time boyfriend and business associate cheated on her, she started to question her own judgment. Melina loves men in general and loves sex, so she’s always been free with her favors, which is how she met and became involved with Sebastian. They were both out at a local Bethlehem bar, when she spotted him across the room and invited him to dance. One thing led to another, and before they knew it, what was supposed to be a one-night stand had turned into four blissful days and nights together. Everything was so free and easy between them that Melina thought she’d finally met the man of her dreams, but then Sebastian stood her up for their next date, and all her illusions were crushed. She’s still very much nursing a broken heart when she’s called in to help find the children, one of whom is Sebastian’s seven-year-old daughter. Melina loves kids and would never allow her personal feelings to get in the way of helping, but she doesn’t like it much when Sebastian insists in tagging along. She’s determined to hate him, but deep down, a part of her still cares for him, which eventually leads to more amazing sex. But once they’ve found the children, she thinks he couldn’t get away from her fast enough, so when she discovers she’s pregnant, she’s resigned to raising the child alone. Sebastian offers marriage, but thinking he only did it out of obligation and desperately wanting love and passion to be a part of it, she turns him down cold. Melina has many admirable qualities such as her determination and independent spirit and her love and care for others, but sometimes she could be a little too stubborn for her own good.
Sebastian thought he had the perfect life, married to his high-school sweetheart and father to an adorable daughter, but his life was upended when his wife simply left him with no warning or explanation. Now he mostly keeps to himself, doing his carpentry work during the day while caring for his little girl. He only engages in the occasional one-night stand to satisfy his need for physical intimacy, and he thought that was what he was doing the night Melina asked him to dance. However, they both enjoyed each other’s company so much, it turned into four wonderful days and nights until it started to get a little too real for Sebastian and he stood her up. Now Melina hates him, although Sebastian is starting to think he may have been too hasty in calling things off. He has bigger problems to worry about, though, when Chrissy goes missing. He trusts Melina to help find her, but wants to do everything he can to help and be there when his daughter is located. Being in such close proximity to Melina starts to stir up his feelings for her, leading to more passionate moments between them, but once the kids are safe, he thinks she only wanted him for sex. When she reveals that she’s pregnant, Sebastian steps up and offers marriage, but she seems so determined to raise their child alone that he’s reluctant to share his heart with her. Sebastian is a great guy and a wonderful father. Sometimes he could be a little clueless about what Melina really needed from him, but in his defense, she was pretty stubborn. He’s very reluctant to express his love, but after being crushed by his ex-wife, it was kind of understandable. I just wish he’d found the courage to be vulnerable a little sooner.
Approximately the first half of Heaven on Earth is about Melina and Sebastian undertaking the search for the missing kids. This part showcases Melina’s superior investigative skills as she runs down leads. With Sebastian by her side, there’s lots of banter, which gradually melts back into passion that unfortunately doesn’t continue once the kids are found. During this half of the book, we get plenty of POV scenes for the children, mainly from the perspective of Alanna who is trying to go see her mom and Cheyenne (although we find out this isn’t her real name), a throwaway teen they meet along the way who helps them out and looks after all of them. Her story is a sad one but it thankfully has a happy ending. After the kids are safe and everyone is back home in Bethlehem, Melina discovers her pregnancy and a different kind of story ensues for the second half in which Sebastian keeps trying to woo Melina, while she continues to give him the cold shoulder. Because these two began their relationship with sex, I understood the author was trying to build a stronger connection based more in romance and them actually getting to know one another, which I appreciated. However, Sebastian’s patience only lasts so long and lacked that all-important vulnerability, while Melina’s stubbornness held out until the very end, which was a bit frustrating to me as a reader. I’ve discovered that I’m not a great fan of characters who seem to be their own worst enemies and I felt these two were sometimes sabotaging themselves. A part of me understood where they were both coming from, but it was still a little difficult to read. Luckily the townspeople have their own trio of guardian angels looking out for them, who add some words of wisdom and give characters a little push when they need it. I also enjoyed catching up with the other residents of Bethlehem. So in spite of a few frustrations, Heaven on Earth was a good story that I mostly enjoyed.
Heaven on Earth is the sixth book in Marilyn Pappano’s Bethlehem series. It picks up exactly where the previous book, Getting Lucky, left off. Some of Bethlehem’s children have gone missing. Desperately wanting to see her mom again, Alanna hitched a ride in a guest’s travel trailer following Miss Agatha’s wedding. She’s accompanied by her friend, Caleb, her self-appointed protector, and young Chrissy, who naively thinks her missing mom may be with Alanna’s in Providence. The only problem is that the driver ends up going the opposite direction the kids want to go, which eventually leaves them stranded in Syracuse. Meanwhile, all their parents and loved ones in Bethlehem are beside themselves with worry over the kids’ safety. They decide to hire Lynda’s best friend, Melina, a private investigator, to help find them. We met Melina and Chrissy’s father, Sebastian, in Getting Lucky, where they had a torrid four-day love affair that left Sebastian shaken enough to end it all badly and Melina heartbroken after thinking that she’d finally found The One. It doesn’t stop Melina from coming to their aid, but she’s royally pissed at Sebastian and really wants nothing to do with him. However, out of concern for his daughter, he insists on accompanying Melina in her search. As they track down leads, old feelings are rekindled and slowly Melina starts to come around. Along the way to finding the kids, they reignite their affair and begin falling for one another, but once the children are safe and sound, each of them is convinced that the other thought it was nothing but casual sex. Then Melina finds herself accidentally pregnant. She’s determined to raise the baby alone if she has to, while Sebastian is equally determined to be a part of his child’s life. But due to them both being hurt in past relationships, they struggle to admit their feelings for one another and get on the same page.
Melina is a passionate, independent woman from a lively, loving, large Greek family. She’s worked hard to build her private investigations business, but deep down she still wants a husband and family. However, after her long-time boyfriend and business associate cheated on her, she started to question her own judgment. Melina loves men in general and loves sex, so she’s always been free with her favors, which is how she met and became involved with Sebastian. They were both out at a local Bethlehem bar, when she spotted him across the room and invited him to dance. One thing led to another, and before they knew it, what was supposed to be a one-night stand had turned into four blissful days and nights together. Everything was so free and easy between them that Melina thought she’d finally met the man of her dreams, but then Sebastian stood her up for their next date, and all her illusions were crushed. She’s still very much nursing a broken heart when she’s called in to help find the children, one of whom is Sebastian’s seven-year-old daughter. Melina loves kids and would never allow her personal feelings to get in the way of helping, but she doesn’t like it much when Sebastian insists in tagging along. She’s determined to hate him, but deep down, a part of her still cares for him, which eventually leads to more amazing sex. But once they’ve found the children, she thinks he couldn’t get away from her fast enough, so when she discovers she’s pregnant, she’s resigned to raising the child alone. Sebastian offers marriage, but thinking he only did it out of obligation and desperately wanting love and passion to be a part of it, she turns him down cold. Melina has many admirable qualities such as her determination and independent spirit and her love and care for others, but sometimes she could be a little too stubborn for her own good.
Sebastian thought he had the perfect life, married to his high-school sweetheart and father to an adorable daughter, but his life was upended when his wife simply left him with no warning or explanation. Now he mostly keeps to himself, doing his carpentry work during the day while caring for his little girl. He only engages in the occasional one-night stand to satisfy his need for physical intimacy, and he thought that was what he was doing the night Melina asked him to dance. However, they both enjoyed each other’s company so much, it turned into four wonderful days and nights until it started to get a little too real for Sebastian and he stood her up. Now Melina hates him, although Sebastian is starting to think he may have been too hasty in calling things off. He has bigger problems to worry about, though, when Chrissy goes missing. He trusts Melina to help find her, but wants to do everything he can to help and be there when his daughter is located. Being in such close proximity to Melina starts to stir up his feelings for her, leading to more passionate moments between them, but once the kids are safe, he thinks she only wanted him for sex. When she reveals that she’s pregnant, Sebastian steps up and offers marriage, but she seems so determined to raise their child alone that he’s reluctant to share his heart with her. Sebastian is a great guy and a wonderful father. Sometimes he could be a little clueless about what Melina really needed from him, but in his defense, she was pretty stubborn. He’s very reluctant to express his love, but after being crushed by his ex-wife, it was kind of understandable. I just wish he’d found the courage to be vulnerable a little sooner.
Approximately the first half of Heaven on Earth is about Melina and Sebastian undertaking the search for the missing kids. This part showcases Melina’s superior investigative skills as she runs down leads. With Sebastian by her side, there’s lots of banter, which gradually melts back into passion that unfortunately doesn’t continue once the kids are found. During this half of the book, we get plenty of POV scenes for the children, mainly from the perspective of Alanna who is trying to go see her mom and Cheyenne (although we find out this isn’t her real name), a throwaway teen they meet along the way who helps them out and looks after all of them. Her story is a sad one but it thankfully has a happy ending. After the kids are safe and everyone is back home in Bethlehem, Melina discovers her pregnancy and a different kind of story ensues for the second half in which Sebastian keeps trying to woo Melina, while she continues to give him the cold shoulder. Because these two began their relationship with sex, I understood the author was trying to build a stronger connection based more in romance and them actually getting to know one another, which I appreciated. However, Sebastian’s patience only lasts so long and lacked that all-important vulnerability, while Melina’s stubbornness held out until the very end, which was a bit frustrating to me as a reader. I’ve discovered that I’m not a great fan of characters who seem to be their own worst enemies and I felt these two were sometimes sabotaging themselves. A part of me understood where they were both coming from, but it was still a little difficult to read. Luckily the townspeople have their own trio of guardian angels looking out for them, who add some words of wisdom and give characters a little push when they need it. I also enjoyed catching up with the other residents of Bethlehem. So in spite of a few frustrations, Heaven on Earth was a good story that I mostly enjoyed.
July 30, 2021
Interesting blend of characters, plot, settings and tone! A bit long for this style of book, needed some editing, but overall enjoyable Summer read! Lots of characters, so thankful cast of characters listed at start of book. Did not realize it was part of a series until way into book. Did not really impede enjoying book, however.
Involved kid runaways, dysfunctional families, a “badass” private detective, a caring carpenter dad—whose wife unexpectedly abandoned family {never explained & that BUGGED me!}—and various mysterious guardian figures! Small town described as almost too good to be true!
Involved kid runaways, dysfunctional families, a “badass” private detective, a caring carpenter dad—whose wife unexpectedly abandoned family {never explained & that BUGGED me!}—and various mysterious guardian figures! Small town described as almost too good to be true!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 27, 2024
This was such a good book I stayed up 1/2 the night reading. I think this may be a series book so may look for others but this one is good as a stand alone. I enjoyed the internal struggle of the main character between the very high powered privet investigator and the Greek women who wants mariage and happily ever after.
March 6, 2020
Good book
January 19, 2021
Not the most believable romance, but I had to remember when it was written, so for those times, maybe not so implausible.
November 26, 2019
This is the first of Marilyn Pappano's work that I've read. When I picked it up, I'd been in the mood for an easy romance. Heaven on Earth is a bit heavier than what I'd bargained for. The romance around which the plot is built is pretty typical - sexy Private Investigator Melina has an intense fling with hunky carpenter Sebastian but he's afraid of getting hurt and she misinterprets his rejection of her, they are unexpectedly thrown together, and then lack of communication keeps them apart far longer than it should. I mean, by the end I wanted to hit them both with the book.
The event that brings Melina and Sebastian back into each others lives after he ends their fling is her being hired to find three runaway children fromt he small town of Bethlehem, New York, one of which is Sebastian's beloved daughter, Chrissy. The interwoven stories of the children's experiences on the road and Melina and Sebastian's search for them make the romance less tedious and add gravitas to what would otherwise be a rather boring romance novel. Through the children and the adults the novel looks at the importance of a loving upbringing, abandonment issues, commitment issues, and love. I just wish the back and forth between Melina and Sebastian hadn't gone on for quite so long after they returned to Bethlehem.
The event that brings Melina and Sebastian back into each others lives after he ends their fling is her being hired to find three runaway children fromt he small town of Bethlehem, New York, one of which is Sebastian's beloved daughter, Chrissy. The interwoven stories of the children's experiences on the road and Melina and Sebastian's search for them make the romance less tedious and add gravitas to what would otherwise be a rather boring romance novel. Through the children and the adults the novel looks at the importance of a loving upbringing, abandonment issues, commitment issues, and love. I just wish the back and forth between Melina and Sebastian hadn't gone on for quite so long after they returned to Bethlehem.
August 7, 2012
This is the first book I have read by Pappano and it was quite good. The romance was not all of the story, there was some runaway children and a good deal of background information about the main characters. That made this book a bit different - there were more plot lines than in some romances.
I enjoyed Melina and Sebastian and found the "character" of the town to be quite interesting. I am not sure how I feel about celestial intervention, but overall I stayed interested in the story.
This would be a good book for those who find inspirational romances a bit tame, but don't want a full blown description of passion and sex.
I enjoyed Melina and Sebastian and found the "character" of the town to be quite interesting. I am not sure how I feel about celestial intervention, but overall I stayed interested in the story.
This would be a good book for those who find inspirational romances a bit tame, but don't want a full blown description of passion and sex.
January 10, 2009
It was very good. I wish I had read the books in order instead of backwards. I would say that number 9 was much better with the background. Leanne didn't seem so flaky on second thought.
November 11, 2008
enjoyable romantic novel
April 25, 2017
Great book and the Frank Zappa reference didn't hurt, either. 😉
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews