Sandy M’s review of One in a Billion (Home to Harbor Town, Book 4) by Beth Kery
Contemporary Romance published by Silhouette Special Edition 24 Jul 12
This is the type of series that pulled me into reading Silhouette Special Editions eons ago. I’m very glad Harlequin/Silhouette sticks so closely to the attributes they’ve designed each of their lines by, something that is passed on from year to year so that the current up and coming reading generation is reading the same heartfelt stories women of my generation read when we were young and that we still enjoy today. Beth Kery is the perfect storyteller for this line with her Home to Harbor Town series. All of these truly romantic and emotional reads are born of tragedy and its aftermath. Watching these dynamic characters find themselves and their loves years later is simply heart warming.
I’ve been waiting for Deidre’s story. She’s the “secret baby” who started the tragic chain of events we learn about in the first book that affected so many lives. She’s been estranged from her mother for years because she found out she’s the product of an affair, and mom would never tell her the name of her biological father. But eventually Deidre does discover this information, and she leaves everything behind to get to know Lincoln DuBois. Only to lose him months later, and now Deidre has learned that Linc left her half of his billion dollar company, including wanting her at the helm…with Nick Malone. She and Nick have grated on each other from the beginning. He’s been her father’s right-hand man for years, the son he never had. Deidre knows he doesn’t believe she’s Lincoln’s daughter and wants her to take a paternity test. Well, you don’t demand anything of Deidre Kavanaugh!
So Nick has followed Deidre home to Harbor Town, determined to get to know her, to make his own decision about whether or not she’ll be capable of helping him run the business and hopefully learning if she’s truly a DuBois or not. At first she’s not happy with what the man is asking of her, especially because of his disbelief, but she eventually finds him charming and she doesn’t resist when he makes plans for them to spend time together. As Nick learns about her, he realizes Deidre is basically who she says she is, but he still has doubts about her paternity. And that’s the one thing that will sit between them, though they’ve begun to get much closer than either of them ever expected. Their lovemaking, while intense, is as sweet as it is mind-blowing.
Deidre’s family is happy for her but caution her to go slow. Of course, there are other characters who are only out for themselves and interfere at the wrong time. That’s when she begins to have her own doubts about Nick and his agenda. Having her say about his perceived deceptions, Deidre runs from Nick and toward family, though not her mother, despite how far they’ve come in the past weeks – all thanks to Nick. What I like about Beth Kery’s characters is while they’re emotional and react like most of us would in similar circumstances, they also think things through. They try to be fair when those thoughts lead them to the truth. Nick and Deidre both go through this process, and you can see their growth come together and cement their lives right where they should be. A very nice feeling to experience.
There’s one more story to be told in this series, and it’s out later this year. I’m sorry to see it all end, I’ve enjoyed Harbor Town so much. I do hope Ms. Kery has something in the works for Harlequin/Silhouette in the future. She’s a very bright star in this long and enchanting line for readers.
Grade: A
Summary:
The discovery that corporate mogul Lincoln DuBois had left her half his company rocked Deidre Kavanaugh’s world. After all, she’d only just learned that the billionaire could be her real father. And with his right-hand man, Nick Malone, up in arms, claiming her share of the inheritance wouldn’t be easy.
Charismatic tycoon Nick Malone had his doubts about Deidre’s paternity claim, but it was hard to remain aloof when all he wanted to do was kiss her! Nick couldn’t seem to stop wanting to protect the rebellious beauty-or silence the desire to make her his own. And if her claim was true, Nick could lose half his inheritance. So why was he focusing on what he could gain…a lifetime of love with the woman of his dreams?
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
