Sandy M’s review of Anything For Her Children by Darlene Gardner
Contemporary Romance released by Harlequin SuperRomance 13 May 08
I have been totally pleasantly surprised by Harlequin’s SuperRomances this month. This book is no exception, especially when I thought at first I might not like it because it deals with children. Now, it’s not that I don’t like to ever read a book which includes kids. It’s just something I have to be in the mood for.
This time, though, it didn’t matter. Bryan and Rose are older children, high school age, and they were adopted by Keri when their mother died in an automobile accident; Rose also lost her leg in the accident. Bryan is the star of the basketball team, bringing fame to their small town and that leads to a lot of folks in the community giving him freebies wherever he goes. Rose has been hiding in her shell in the years since the accident, having lost her confidence due to wearing a prosthesis. Considering the trauma these three people have gone through, their lives are sailing along quite smoothly. Until a new coach is hired by the school.
Grady Quinlan hesitates taking the coaching job when it’s offered by his cousin, who is the athletic director at the high school. But he misses the sport and he misses coaching, so he jumps in with both feet, all the while hoping the scandal he endured at Carolina State doesn’t resurface any time soon. What happens sooner for Grady is having to face the anger of the townsfolk when he suspends Bryan for cheating. Everyone thinks the basketball team doesn’t have a chance without their star player. They’re right this time, they lose the next game, but Grady knows he’s doing the right thing for the kid. Even if his mother doesn’t think so.
Keri is furious when she finds out what the new coach has done to her son and she tells him so. She knows her son is a good kid and would never do the things he’s been accused of. Keri and Grady do find a neutral place to move on and soon become romantically involved. Until the next time Bryan gets into trouble and that forces Grady to make more hard decisions concerning the kid’s basketball career, knowing those decisions may cost him Keri. Not only does he lose her, but she also finds out about Carolina State and walks away from him once and for all. She is in for a rude awakening, however, when everything concerning Bryan comes to light. It was about time, too. The guy was getting a little too cocky for his own good, especially because he is a good kid.
In between all the drama over Bryan, we get to see Grady and Keri’s relationship initially bloom and it is one that grows naturally even despite the tension all around them. Also, Grady helps Rose get back into living again by helping her obtain a sports prosthesis and it’s wonderful to see this young girl blossom. Grady even makes sure he sticks with Rose once Keri decides to end their relationship. It’s this type of behavior, along with his sticking to the rules where Bryan is concerned, that tells the reader what type of man Grady truly is. Keri eventually figures that out too, but for her it’s much later in the book. And it’s all the more emotional when we learn that Grady never once doubts Keri, as she doubts him from the beginning, when it looks like she’s tried revenge against Grady on for size.
The only thing that didn’t fit quite right is Tony, Grady’s cousin, who is Keri’s ex-fiancé. It seems he’s having second thoughts about leaving her high and dry when she adopted the children and he wants her back in his life. Keri is certain that isn’t going to happen and when she finally confronts him on it. Well, the explanation he gives is something that could have been handled a little sooner and in a more direct way instead of dragged out like it is. I realize it’s used for conflict, but it just seems to be a little much for what actually it is. Other than that, this is a very nice, enjoyable story, one that makes you feel good when you’ve read the last word
Grade: B
From the back cover:
The bond Keri Cassidy shares with her adopted kids couldn’t be stronger if they were her own flesh and blood. So when coach Grady Quinlan suspends her teenage son from the basketball team, the fiercely protective single mother is fit to be tied. Until she uncovers the scandal in Grady’s past.
Grady claims he’s innocent of any wrongdoing. In spite of evidence against him, Keri finds herself believing Grady when no one else does. But how can she trust a man who threatens her son’s future? She doesn’t want to have to choose sides. But she may have already made a choice. If she has the courage to follow what her heart is telling her…
Read an excerpt.
