365 books in 365 days Challenge ... Book #312

Nathan's Child - Anne McAllister
Mills & Boon Modern
In 'His Child' Mills & Boon By Request
Harlequin Mills & Boon, 2008
ISBN: 9780263861358


My rating

From the back cover:

"When Nathan Wolfe discovers that he's a father, he decides that marriage is the only way to mend the past.
Carin Campbell had good reasons for keeping Nathan's child a secret. But now he's demanding that they marry. Carin knows he's proposed out of duty, not love. Besides, he isn't the type to settle down. 
That was then, Nathan says. Now he's determined to prove her wrong..."


This is the second book in the By Request omnibus, as above.

The hero Nathan arrives at the home of the heroine Carin and immediately asks her to marry him. Carin knows that Nathan has finally found out about their daughter. Thirteen years ago, Nathan and Carin had fallen in love with each other but Carin's father had expected her to marry Nathan's brother as part of a business deal between their families, and Nathan had been consumed with guilt over their affair and left without a word. Carin has had to build a new life for herself and her daughter Lacey after being abandoned by her family, and she won't let Nathan come in and change all that she has worked hard for. She has never denied Lacey the truth about her father and is pleased that Nathan is dedicated to getting to know her. Nathan struggles with his feelings towards Carin, he knows that by not telling him she allowed him to live his life the way he had wanted to, but he also regrets missing out on his daughter's life. In all their years apart, Nathan has never forgotten Carin and knows he still loves her. But Carin makes it clear that she won't give up her life, and Nathan's own work commitments may ruin their newly rebuilt relationship.

I very much enjoyed this book. I'm not a big fan of Anne McAllister's Modern's, I prefer her Silhouette Desire's, but this one is very good. Much more in line with her Desire's, in terms of plot and emotion, than some of her more recent books. The story is well written and thought out, and the back story is weaved in wonderfully. It was a nice change to have the secret child older than the usual 1-6 years old - and the scenes between the hero and his teenage daughter gradually getting to know one another are very poignant. There is a lot of believable stuff in this book, and that is what makes it particularly enjoyable in my opinion.
The hero and heroine's relationship feels very natural and is emotional to read - the whole story executed very well.

A great book.

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