Good Husband Material (Harlequin American Romance) [Mass Market Paperback]

Kara Lennox (Author)

Book Description

Series: Harlequin American Romance | Publication Date: January 8, 2008

It starts when Natalie Briggs runs into her ex-husband, Josh, at their high school reunion. A romantic dance leads to a kiss...and a kiss to a blissful night of lovemaking. Then Natalie gets the shocking news. She's finally going to have Josh's child--twenty-five years better-late-than-never!

Her adopted daughter is excited about becoming a big sister. Josh's teenage sons don't know what to think. And her former mother-in-law is full of maternal advice... before Natalie even gives birth!

Starting a family was what Josh and Natalie always wanted. But when Natalie couldn't conceive, their marriage unraveled. Now they've been given a miraculous second chance. Life has just gotten more complicated--will the second time around be sweeter?

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (January 8, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373751990
• ISBN-13: 978-0373751990
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,791,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kara Lennox (a.k.a. Karen Leabo) published her first book when she was in the eighth grade. She wrote a children's book as a class assignment, then convinced her yearbook publisher to print up bound copies, which she distributed herself to friends, relatives and neighbors. Though this was hardly a high-profit venture, the urge to see her work in print never deserted her.

Kara began her first novel in college, a truly awful gothic that was best left in a drawer. Then graduation, finding a job, marriage and moving cross-country got in the way. She toiled in anonymity for the Texas Society of CPAs, writing brochures for their continuing education program. Naturally, with such scintillating subject matter to occupy her days, her imagination ran wild at night, and soon she was working on her second novel.

The horrible first job gave way to an even worse second job (writing insurance policies in plain English) and a third. But she never completely lost sight of the dream of earning her living as a writer--a real writer, with a byline.

She worked several years as a nonfiction magazine writer with hundreds of articles to her credit. She would get up at five every morning to work two hours on her novels before tackling her various freelance jobs. Three years and five novels later, Kara sold her first book, Roses Have Thorns (by Karen Leabo) to Silhouette Romance.

Determined to earn a living as a novelist, Kara focused relentlessly on her goal to sell at least three books per year (the minimum she figured she could live on). And during the past fifteen-plus years, that's exactly what she's done (if you average things out!). Writing has always been her priority, and in sixty-plus books, she has missed only two deadlines (both only by a few days).

Kara has written for seven different category lines (for Harlequin, Silhouette and Bantam Loveswept). In addition, she's written ten screenplays (three of which have been optioned, none produced, alas) and numerous novels and proposals that haven't sold (yet). She also blogs, tweets and spends way too much time on Facebook. The blank page doesn't frighten her.

Kara's books have finaled in several romance industry contests including the National Readers' Choice Awards, the Holt Medallion competition and the Rita. Her Harlequin American PLAIN JANE'S PLAN won the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice.

Currently Kara writes a romantic suspense series for Harlequin Super Romance, PROJECT JUSTICE. She lives in a 105-year-old fixer-upper Victorian house in California with her husband Rob, also a writer, and various pets. When she is not writing, she enjoys an ever-changing array of activities that currently includes bicycling, yoga, mosaic-making and selling vintage jewelry online.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful story of lost and found love, March 12, 2008

By 

booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Good Husband Material (Harlequin American Romance) (Mass Market Paperback)

They'd been the hottest number in Camden High. Natalie Briggs and Josh Carlson had married soon afterwards--over the opposition of his parents. They'd known what they were doing, known they were destined to spend their lives together, known they could create a perfect family. But something had gone wrong--no matter how hard they'd tried, or how often, children didn't come. Eventually, the stresses took their toll and the marriage had broken apart. Natalie has moved on with her life, adopted a wonderful daughter, and built a career as a neo-natal ICU nurse. Still, she can't deny the heart-flutter she feels whenever she thinks of her ex-husband.

The high school reunion was supposed to be harmless. Natalie would get together with a few old friends, have a couple of margaritas, dance, and generally remember old times. Her best friend, Melissa, had promised that Josh wouldn't be there. Except Melissa had been playing matchmaker games and had instead made sure that Josh would be there. Putting Natalie and Josh in the same room is like putting a match to gasoline. Their old passion, that special feeling of first love, never really went away and the two don't even make it back to Josh's hotel room before making love. At least, Natalie thinks, they don't have to worry about birth control. Except...

Natalie has made her own life, and it's a life she enjoys. But she owes it to Josh to let him know he's going to be a father. She won't demand anything--a baby is a gift she never thought she'd receive. But Josh insists on being a part of the baby's life, demands that Natalie give up her life and move to Houston where he can see his child. If only, Natalie decides, he were half so anxious to see her.

Author Kara Lennox spins a deeply emotional story of lost and rediscovered love. Who doesn't remember their first great high school love, their first real kiss, their first lovemaking? Who doesn't wonder how things would have worked out if they hadn't moved on? By providing an emotional justification for their break, Lennox leaves her characters in a situation where they never really could recover from their breakup, raising the emotional stakes even higher. Natalie's adoptive daughter, Mary, provides a reflection of that same high school angst and emotion from the other side, providing both another view and adding to the emotional conflict because Mary is used to having Natalie all to herself--and isn't about to let some man, especially a man who's hurt her mother before, waltz into their lives.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars engaging second chance at love contemporary romance, January 4, 2008

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Good Husband Material (Harlequin American Romance) (Mass Market Paperback)

In Camden, Texas Natalie Briggs returns home for the high school reunion in which she never expected her former husband, Houston big shot lawyer Josh to attend. Twenty years ago they divorced one another and moved on with their lives. Now they share a dance for old time's sake, which leads to a kiss and to a night of lovemaking before each return to their respective lives.

However, the last time they spent several years together, but they never had children not for a lack of trying. This time fate gives them quite an ironic spin when Natalie becomes pregnant. Her adopted daughter is euphoric his two teenage sons undecided, but Natalie and Josh decide they will raise the baby jointly. However, spending time together they begin to fall in love for the second time.

GOOD HUSBAND MATERIAL is an engaging second chance at love contemporary romance. The lead couple is an interesting pairing as they work on difficult schedules that do not jive almost as hard as falling in love again. Although their children seem too perfect even when they have doubts, contemporary fans will enjoy Kara Lennox's fine Texas romance.

Harriet Klausner