Sandy M’s review of Falling for the Sheriff (Cupid’s Bow, Texas, Book 1) by Tanya Michaels
Contemporary Romance published by Harlequin American Romance 04 Aug 15
Unfortunately for me, I don’t read Harlequins as much as I have in years past. Back in the ’70s and ’80s, I used to devour them at a very high rate of speed. So when I read one nowadays that I really like, it definitely makes me want to stack them up on the bedside table and go at it again. Maybe I’ll start slow and work in a couple a month. But if they’re as good as this book by Tanya Michaels, I may not have a choice in the matter.
Kate’s policeman husband was killed in the line of duty two years ago, and it’s been a struggle keeping her son on the straight and narrow in that intervening time. Having to deal with her grief, his grief and his constantly getting into trouble has pushed Kate to her wit’s end. So much so, she’s uprooted them and moved them to Cupid’s Bow, Texas, a place she’s always loved since spending time there with her grandmother over the years. Luke isn’t happy with the move, of course. A one-horse town has nothing for a kid his age. And he starts off on the wrong foot when town sheriff catches him red handed stealing a candy bar – for the sheriff’s own daughter.
Divorced single dad Cole is a wonderful hero. It’s that one-horse town upbringing. He protects his community wholeheartedly, raises his twin girls with so much love, and has the patience Kate needs when he realizes he wants their pretend relationship to go much further. They’re both caught up in trying to keep the matchmakers at bay, each not wanting to be pushed into something they’re not ready for. But as much as it sounded like a good idea when they began, it’s turned into something totally different as they learn more about one another and realize their feelings are shifting and changing through it all.
Cole is a wonderful father, but he needs a bit of eye opening when it comes to seeing his twins are as different as night and day. It takes Kate and a birthday party to get him to see that, and those are wonderful scenes all the way up to his realization. Kate, of course, has hesitations when it comes to getting closer to Cole. He’s a lawman too. Thinking about losing Cole the same way she lost her husband definitely gives her pause, and that fear becomes very real when he ends up injured and in the hospital. Not only does Kate get a wake-up call, but so does Luke, and the scene between mother and son is lovely and emotional – and puts Kate back on the right path again.
I enjoyed all of the secondary characters in Cupid’s Bow, especially Kate’s grandmother. The one thing most Harlequin authors do exceptionally well is small-town America, and Ms. Michaels is no exception. This is a warm and fun read, one I highly recommend.
Grade: B
Summary:
Widow Kate Sullivan moved to Cupid’s Bow, Texas, to get her teenage son on the right path. But their new life in the small town gets off to a rocky start when her son is caught shoplifting by the sheriff. Kate is immediately attracted to Cole Trent, but she’s not ready to fall in love again, and certainly not with another cop.Cole should have known Cupid’s matchmakers would scramble to fix him up with a smart, beautiful woman like Kate. The single dad has managed to evade their efforts until now, so he and Kate come up with a plan to keep the matchmakers at bay. Pretending to be a couple was a good idea, until Cole realizes his feelings are anything but pretend. Can he convince Kate to give their romance a real chance?
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
The Christmas Triplets – November 2016
