Holly’s review of Yours, Mine… or Ours? (Guys & Daughters, Book 2) by Karen Templeton
Contemporary romance released 1 Jan 08 by Harlequin Silhouette

After reading Dear Santa, I was anxious to read this book. Not as anxious as I am to read Kevin’s book, but close enough.  Once again Karen Templeton has brought us an emotionally charged novel that gripped me right from the beginning. I think I just found a new auto-buy author.

Rudy was another interesting, three dimensional character. He’s got a strong sense of responsibility, so when he finds out Violet was promised the inn he just bought, he wants to do the right thing and asks her to help him get it ready to open.   I think that right there summed up Rudy’s character…responsible, thoughtful, kind, caring.  He wasn’t a push-over by any means, or even close to a Beta man, but he took his responsibilities seriously and tried to do the right thing.  A wonderful quality in a man.

Violet has been scarred by her ex-husband.  Because he was the one rock in her life, the one man who was willing to do anything to keep her safe and secure.  So when he walks out, with no thought or reason, she’s devastated.   She’s struggling to do the best for her children, but she’s very conflicted about what she really wants.  She’s afraid to hope, to dream, to trust.

I thought about her reactions a lot while reading this book, and even long after I finished it.  I completely understand why she was so reluctant to let go of the past and move on, especially since her ex still sends her letters, confessing his undying love and devotion.  But I think she did the best she could considering the circumstances, and I never felt like she was “too” stuck in the past.  Just a real woman, who was conflicted and afraid to believe in rainbows.

But together, her and Rudy were wonderful.  Their interaction was fun and playful and I love that Rudy didn’t let her get away with anything.  If she was acting blue, or refusing to face the truth of what was between them, he forced her to confront it, and herself.

The secondary characters were wonderful, too.  Violet’s boys, Rudy’s daughter Stacy, Rudy’s brother Kevin.  They all enriched the story.  Stacy especially touched my heart.  It was obvious she was struggling with all the changes in her life – moving away from her family and friends, seeing her dad start a relationship, starting a new school – and my heart hurt for her.  And when she decides to “adapt or die”,I couldn’t stop smiling.

Overall another great, emotionally charged story.  I can’t wait for the next installment.

Grade: A

From the back cover:

     Owning his own country inn is a dream-come-true for ex-cop Rudy Vaccaro, who’s thrilled to finally have a shot at something of his own…and to raise his twelve-year-old daughter without his huge family’s well-meaning, but constant, interference. Except Stacey hates being stuck out in the sticks. And how did he know the inn’s owner had promised the inn to somebody else?

     Violet Kildare feels her life is pretty much a junkyard of broken promises. Two years ago, her husband left her and their two sons with no explanation, and now the inn – her one shot at having something of her own – has been sold out from under her. So does she dare trust Rudy, so determined to right a wrong not even of his own making?

     And more important, how does she trust her own heart, torn between the good man right in front of her…and the one who saved her life so many years ago, now determined to right a wrong or two himself?

     Read an excerpt.

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