Susan F. (scoutmomskf) - , reviewed on 4/22/2019 + 2617 more book reviews

Good book, full of genuine feelings and challenges. Mitch was a widower raising four sons, ranging in age from eleven to nineteen. His world was turned upside down when he got custody of his eight-year-old niece after his sister died. Though determined to do his best for the little girl, Mitch was clueless when it comes to dealing with her.

Jenny was Crystal's mother's best friend. She would gladly take Crystal into her own home and heart, but she has no choice in the matter. In addition, her personal life has taken an unexpected turn. The company she works for has suddenly closed down, so she's out of a job, and her fiancé left her when she found out she was pregnant. But nothing will stop Jenny from showing up at Mitch's door when she believes that Crystal needs her.

I ached for Mitch at the beginning of this story, though I also wanted to shake him. I know he tried his best to connect with Crystal, but she was like an alien life form to him. It didn't help anything that his home was so chaotic, with four rowdy, mostly undisciplined boys. The event that brought Jenny running to Ohio could have been prevented if he had merely talked to Crystal enough that she was comfortable going to him with what happened. Instead, he was blindsided by Jenny's arrival and put on the defensive by her attitude. Jenny didn't help matters with her obvious judgment of what she saw.

The development of Mitch and Jenny's relationship was a rocky one. I liked that he invited her to stay at the house and help Crystal adjust to her new home. He didn't expect to be attracted to her. Jenny was also drawn to Mitch, but thanks to her past she has some huge trust issues. She also beat herself up about her lack of judgment and was hesitant to tell Mitch about her pregnancy. Mitch also has some trust issues from his days as a professional hockey player. One of the most significant issues between Jenny and Mitch was his reluctance to discipline his boys. They were pretty obnoxious, and all that Mitch ever did was "talk to them" rather than have them face real consequences for their actions. I thought that Jenny did far more adapting than any of the males did. Amazingly enough, Jenny and Mitch did grow closer, and the attraction between them grew. But when Jenny finally got the courage to tell Mitch about the baby, he didn't handle the news well. I actually thought he came across as very selfish. He did step up to take care of her when there was a problem, and it looked like they might be able to repair their relationship. Unfortunately, one of the young hockey players came to Mitch for some advice for a problem that pushed all of Mitch's trust buttons. When Jenny heard about that advice, she was furious. When she confronted Mitch about it, he said some truly horrible things to her and about her. Though she wasn't entirely blameless, I didn't blame her for moving back out. Mitch's misery was well-earned, and it took advice from an unexpected source to make him see the light. I laughed out loud at how he followed that advice, but it was also really sweet. It took a little while for Jenny to catch on to what it represented, but it certainly did the trick. I loved the ending, and the epilogue was a nice wrap-up.

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