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“Gracie C .McKeever (c) October 2009
Shawna Mitchell is the widowed mother of three and has been raising her kids alone for the last eight years. She's been without her kids' father so long her youngest girl Toni has never known her father. Shawna has to put up with not only her friends and neighbors trying to hook her up, but Toni, who misses not having a father and is always getting nice looking men to push her on the swing in the park hoping her mother will meet and like them.
At thrity-eight Shawna has pretty much given up on having a man in her life, especially since she has three kids. Men run the other way from a woman with children. Not to mention, as her friends say, Shawna is just plain picky. She doesn't think she's being picky. She just doesn't want to settle for less than she had with Rodney.
Recently widowed Joe Murphy is at the end of his rope with his three kids. The entire family is still in mourning since his wife Cheryl died from a long bout with breast cancer. His daughter Rose is near unrecognizable to him, retreating in a world of Goth clothes and behavior. Joe can't count the number of times he's been to school for his youngest son Jimmy. And Joey, he's just quiet and shy and even more so since the death of his mother.
Joe reaches out on a network for those dealing with grief and loss and to his surprise, someone answers his pleas for help. That someone is Shawna Mitchell.
Shawna and Joe converse online for weeks, Shawna sharing her hardwon parenting knowledge with Joe whenever he asks for it, and slowly coming to see Joe as HER lifeline as much as he sees her as his. She looks forward to his e-mails more than he can ever know. And after a series of events reveals to her that she and Joe might live no more than a few blocks from each other, Shawna decides it's time for them to really "meet".
I loved this book. J.J. creates wonderful, heartfelt characters that the reader can really relate to, no matter her color or cultural background. Joe and Shawna and their brood made me laugh cry and just wish I could spend more time with them by the time I sped through the pages to the end. The story was realistic and sweet, without being maudlin and made me feel good about the world when it was done--exactly what escapism entertainment is supposed to do.
I highly recommend this book for anyone in the mood for a positive and uplifting read and an inspirational-without-being-too-preachy, IR romance. ”
