New Leaf

Mystic Creek, Book #2

By Catherine Anderson

ISBN: 9780451418357

Author Website: http://www.catherineanderson.com/

 

Brought to you by OBS reviewer jerjen

Synopsis:

The New York Times bestselling author of Silver Thaw returns to Mystic Creek for a new novel about a love that inspires the courage to start over…and the strength to reclaim a dream.

When Taffeta Brown was viciously betrayed by her wealthy husband, she lost everything—including custody of their daughter, Sarah. Now that Taffy has moved to Mystic Creek, Oregon, to start over, she unexpectedly meets the one man who might help her get Sarah back.

Barney Sterling, a local lawman, finds himself drawn to the lovely, guarded Taffy, but he’s stunned by her proposition—that they marry immediately to improve her chances of regaining custody of her daughter. Barney takes marriage too seriously to commit himself to a woman he hardly knows. Yet soon his sympathies fall with the desperate Taffy, and pretending to be in love becomes the easiest part of the plan. But they have no idea what they’re up against, or what they’re willing to risk to make a miracle come true in Mystic Creek. (Goodreads)

 

Review:

Taffy Brown has moved to Mystic Creek to regroup after being falsely accused of abusing her daughter.  Her wealthy lawyer ex-husband has convinced the courts that Taffy abused their daughter, after her daughter is injured in an accident.  Even with no physical evidence to support this claim, with his wealth and influence, Taffy is charged with the abuse.   She needs to come up with a plan to clear her name and get her daughter back.  The only problem is that she has no idea how to accomplish either task.

Barney Sterling is a deputy in Mystic Creek.  He responds to a noise complaint and is surprised to see that the disturbance is being caused by Taffy.  He knows her as a mousy quiet shop owner in town.  When he arrives at her shop and sees her dancing in the window, his opinion changes in a hurry.  The more he gets to know her, the more he is intrigued by her.  He feels that there is more to her than she wants others to see and that she is carrying around a heavy burden.  He wants to learn everything there is to know about her.

When Taffy learns that her daughter is not being cared for properly and may be in danger, she gets desperate to get her back.  So desperate that she makes a proposition to Barney.  She wants to marry Barney, “in name only”, because she feels being married to a someone in law enforcement will greatly improve her chances.  Although at first he refuses, the more he learns about the situation, the more he wants to help her.  So he agrees and the two are married.  With both of them having hidden feelings for the other, “in name only” may become an impossible task to achieve.

The characters are well developed and well rounded.  Taffy has had a hard life, growing up in foster care and never really having a loving family to help her.  But instead of becoming bitter, she is a caring loving woman who desperately wants her daughter back.  You cannot help but to support her and want things to work out for her.  Barney has grown up in a loving family and he knows how important that is.  He is amazed that Taffy is the person she is, given her childhood.  He wants to right all the wrongs that she has endured in her life, and helping her get her daughter back is at the top of his list.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read.  The author is very talented in her descriptive writing, whether detailing the small town setting or the interactions between the characters.  While I was reading I went through many emotions: sadness, worry and happiness to name just a few.  I think it takes a gifted author to take the reader through a wide range of emotions while reading a book.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted contemporary romance.  I have read the first book in the series, Silver Thaw, and thoroughly enjoyed that one too.  You do not have to read the first book to know what is going on, but as good as both books are, I do not know why you would not want to check them both out.