Customer Reviews

Lullaby For Two (Silhouette Special Edition)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Two and a half months ago Albuquerque homicide cop Vince Rossi became the legal guardian of now seven month old Sean Davidson. He moved back with his baby to his hometown of Sagebrush, Texas where he thought the child would receive the medical attention he needed from the Family Tree Health Center for his injured shoulder. Vince is the town's temporary Chief of Police having replaced Clinton Farmer who is recovering from a heart attack

The only problem with the facility is one of the three practicing pediatricians is his ex wife Tricia McGuire. Two decades ago the teenagers fell in love, she got pregnant and her widower dad disowned her. Vince and Tracia married, but she went into labor at twenty-six weeks; the baby died and her uterus was destroyed too. Their marriage ended with the death of their premature child. Now he is back with an infant and she remains attracted to him. Vince never forgot the teen he loved then and the thirty-eight years old woman he wants now. However, both in spite of their love for one another fear their time has passed.

Nobody does child "matchmaking" romances (see Dads in Progress trilogy) better than Karen Rose Smith consistently and refreshingly does. Using an infant in need as the impetus, Ms. Smith provides a strong second chance at love tale. The key to this and all her delightful dramas is the children do not always behave precociously - when a baby needs changing or is hungry they howl ignoring the source of contentment is sleeping. Fans of engaging family drama will appreciate the first Baby Expert story as Vince and Tracia want to share a Lullaby for three, but neither braves that first critical reaching out step; besides which it is hard to romance when your dodging urine, spit, and baby food goo.

Harriet Klausner

Vince Rossi and Tessa, after a twenty year hiatus from each other's life, reconnect and rekindle their teenage romance. They both have to overcome old 'hurts and mistrusts' and learn to rebuild damaged bridges of trust and open up lines of communication. Added to this mix of emotions and wavering commitment issues, they each have an adopted child; they, towards the end of this saga, meld this foursome into a family.

My problem with this novel was based on the lack of my ability to truly connect with the major characters because of too many 'whys' in this plot. Why does Tessa wait so long to adopt and not five years earlier when she would have made a younger but also still a financially stable mom? Why is Vince only a temporary sheriff? Why didn't Sean's aunt try to be part of his deceased parents lives before they died or be involved with their pregnancy and Sean's birth if she wanted him to be part of her family? Tessa and Vince both vacillated with their feelings towards each other so many times that they, their feelings, seemed fleeting, superficial and unsteady throughout the entire book. I never felt that either one them was or had the ability to move past their teenage love history and commit to present day events. The ending seemed rushed and contrived, just to produce a 'happy-ever-after' scenario. I had a diificult time imagining them as a workable family especially with the stress entailed of having two, pre-toddler stage kids added to the mix. I have read Ms. Smith's other novels but was truly disheartened by this one. She's still though one of my favorite romance writers.