I love single dad romances. There is just something about a guy being absolutely devoted to their offspring that really makes my heart skip beats and fall just a little deeper in love with their characters. So, when I had the chance to review this one, I grabbed it. I will tell you this, the characters, Ms. Shepard’s writing style, the sweet little baby she incorporates into the story….all of it really grabbed my heart!

This will not be my last book by this author. Not by a long shot! This was a quick, 4 star read, and really made me feel a part of the story. There is the perfect amount of romance and second chances going on! I am very much looking forward to reading more of this talented author’s work. Well done, Shepherd! Well done!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, Harlequin and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*

Wil Hudson’s parents died when he was very young. As a result, he went through the foster care system with many of the homes not the best. He is finally adopted by a wonderful family at thirteen and finds out what it was like to be loved. Years later he meets Georgina Lane at college while trying to sign up for an equestrian club. They parted ways for five years when Wil married Angie. Angie was abusive and crazy and they divorce. When Angie suddenly dies, Wil finds out that he has a five year old daughter, Nina. Not knowing what to do, he shows up at Georgie’s door and asks for help. Reluctantly, Georgie agrees. Soon Georgie begins to develop feelings for both Wil and Nina but tries to keep it hidden. Will struggles with his feelings for Georgie because he is ashamed of his early life in foster homes and thinks she will reject him as a result. With a lot of assurances and love, she breaks through his barriers.
This story tugged at my heart strings. Kandy Shepard has written characters you want to see have a happy ending. Georgia had a lot of patience waiting for Wil to finally open up with his terrible early childhood. He ended up surprised when she still told him that she had feelings for her best friend. Many shared interests help unite this couple including the horses they both loved. Georgie helped him realize that is worthy of love and could get their happily ever after. This was a sweet read and I enjoyed the story.

Georgia and Will were best friends until they got significant others and fell out of touch. Now will is back looking for Georgia help with caring for the child he just found out that he had. Thing there's been this attraction that at this point its hard to deny and it gets all the more complicated where lie after lie has his family thinking they are engaged.

This was a pretty good book, my only thing was that I felt it dragged lot. I did like getting to know the characters and their background to see how it impacted how they are now. Then there was the lies on top of lies which clearly made it nearly impossible not to tack on more as the news of their "engagement" spread it was a mess and made for an entertaining read. Overall it was an okay book I enjoyed it.

Set in Sydney, Australia and featuring a cute friends-to-lovers story the second time around (and throw in a secret baby, but one that our heroine had nothing to do with, thankfully), this is a perfectly lovely easy reading category romance, in just the very best way. Perfect comfort reading, it will definitely leave you with a smile on your face. – Clara Shipman

This review appears in Romantic Intentions Quarterly #4.

This starts off with one of my annoyances. It is set in another country, but that isn't evident until several pages in. Other than that, the story is good and enjoyable, the conflict a standard trope, and the characters well developed. It is obvious this is an advance reader copy and I do hope that the released version is cleaner as this version does need a careful edit for awkward phrasing and the occasional typo. These were not enough to affect my enjoyment of the book, but were evident.