I bought all three books in Karen Templeton's "Guys and Daughters" series after reading a few excerpts. This is the first book, featuring Mia Vaccaro and Grant Braeburn.
Mia is a power-lawyer-turned-party-planner, the only girl in a gregarious, six-kid, Italian-Hungarian family. Grant is the only child of a couple who've turned 'aloof' into a fine art.
When Grant's ex-wife dies, leaving him the sole caretaker of his four-year-old daughter (Haley), he grabs for the nearest lifeline, which happens to be his ex's best friend, Mia. She is close to his daughter and has some issues that he can solve, so she ends up living in his guest cottage to help the little girl adjust.
I loved Grant's slow slide into love and his struggle to get in touch with his emotions. Mia has trust issues of her own and the road to happiness isn't easy. Haley's inability to grasp her mother's death and deal with her grief is handled well and with sensitivity.
An enjoyable, satisfying book and a solid start to the series.
Carol Burnside
http://carolburnside.blogspot.com
