Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of A Mother’s Wish by Karen Templeton
Contemporary Romance released by Silhouette Special Edition (#1916) 1 Aug 08

Every year I always manage to discover at least one new-to-me author. Sometimes it’s from picking up a book that’s been languishing in my To Be Read pile, but often times it happens thanks to recommendations from other online readers. Sybil turned me on to Karen Templeton earlier this year, and I’m still trying to come up with a proper thank you. This is now the fourth book by Templeton that I’ve read, and like the previous three, it’s a real gem.

When Winnie Porter was 18-years-old she found herself pregnant. With the baby’s daddy leaving a trail of dust as he left town, no education, no prospects, and living with a grandmother whose sole mission in life was to berate her and her dead mother – well Winnie made the decision to give her baby up for adoption. When she met Aidan and June Black, two artists, she knew she had found her baby’s parents.

Her grandmother now deceased; Winnie gets the idea in her head to see Robbie. Just to see him. To make sure he’s healthy and happy. So she hits the road for tiny Tierra Rosa, New Mexico with that purpose in mind. What she doesn’t plan on is finding herself renting a house on the Black’s land, and running smack dab into Aidan, who is none too pleased to see her.

June has passed away, and both Aidan and Robbie are still reeling. Aidan is either sulking or working, while nine-year-old Robbie is keeping everything bottled up inside of him because he knows he “can’t talk to Dad about Mom anymore.” So life isn’t exactly sunshine and rainbows when Aidan sees Winnie at the local grocery store. Oh, he knows who she is, and the last thing he wants is to heap more trauma on his young son.

While originally intended as an open adoption, Winnie cut that cord when it became too painful for her. Naturally she and Aidan exchange words, and once Winnie assuages him of his fears, they work out a plan of sorts. But while only intending for a very short visit, fate seems to have other ideas. Every time Winnie tries to leave town, something happens to prevent her from hitting the road. Naturally, as the couple begins to spend time together, both of them discover they’re not dead below the waist.

What I adore about Templeton’s stories are her characters. She writes real, authentic, grown-up characters who behave like adults. Certainly Winnie has a bit of an impulsive streak, but she’s smart, forthright, and earnest as well. Aidan is a haunted man who desperately loved his wife, and just hasn’t found a way to move on. This is a terribly tricky subject to write about (I’ll admit it, I was very skeptical), but the author handles it intelligently and emotionally without pandering. Even young Robbie is portrayed in a believable manner, neither precocious nor cutesy, just a typical boy who misses his mother and father.

While the epilogue descended a bit too far into precious territory for my tastes, this was a heartbreaking, emotional read about three people freeing themselves from grief, loss and their own pasts. Templeton is one of the more accomplished contemporary voices writing in romance today, and A Mother’s Wish is a bonafide three-hanky read that just about ripped my heart out. Strongly recommended.

Grade: B+

Summary:

Winnie Porter just couldn’t forget the child she’d given up for adoption all those years ago…or the wonderful family that had taken him in. Now it was finally time to see her son one last time.

Still reeling from his wife’s untimely death, the last thing Aidan Black needed to deal with was the unwed mother who brought his beloved Robbie into the world. Especially when she was all grown up into a beautiful, vivacious young woman who’d immediately drawn his boy into her spell—not to mention Aidan himself. Would Winnie’s secret shatter Aidan’s family—or make it whole again?

Read an excerpt.