A sweet story. I felt like the ending was a little rushed but over all the story was lovely. ( )

I love stories of people over coming the worst of circumstances, finding love and then finding the peace that comes with love and family.

Taffeta moved to a small town to escape heart break and a past that one can't imagine anyone having to go through all this but it does happen. She's divorced and has lost custody of her daughter, Sarah, as her scum ex-husband set her up to be convicted of child abuse. Since he's some hot shot lawyer from a "good, established" family....well as you guessed, she got railroaded.

Barney is a small county deputy sheriff....leave the Barney Fife jokes at the door please, he's heard enough of them to last several lifetimes. He goes by the book, lives a clean life, even looks for his occasional companionship outside of town. Doesn't want to do anything that might embarrass his family or get people to talk ill of him.

Taffy, she only likes the nickname once Barney starts to use it, has hidden everything about herself until one night while answering a disturbance call to her address he finds a beauty not the mousey woman the town has come to know. And so the mystery begins...who is the woman and why is she hiding out?

Long story short version....Taffy's PI has reported Sarah is in danger. Her ex-husband is doing drugs, possibly dealing them and leaving the little girl with all sorts of strange women. His parents have stopped giving him money now that they know what scum he is and Taffy needs to do something NOW about getting custody back. But how is that going to happen as a convicted child abuser. Unless she can prove she was set up....and now that ex-hubby letting his true freak flag fly, shouldn't be too hard right? So her plan; marry Barney, whom she's had a secret crush on, show that she's an upstanding citizen and appeal her conviction.

Barney at first isn't buying into the plan. What kind of whack job woman would ask a man she has barely spoken to a handful of times to marry her so that she can present the right image to a judge? Once he cools down he does some online research and in one night is convinced...Taffy is not a loon but she is a woman who has been dealt the world's worst hand. Abandoned as a baby, in and out of foster homes, an abusive ex-husband and having to leave her child. How can this kind hearted man who's sworn to protect and serve not help the one woman who's managed to capture his interest in all areas like no other woman has even come close to doing.

Sham marriage at first turns into the real thing. Her ex-in-laws are happy to know they were wrong about her and after a few conversations agree to help her win her daughter back. Just in time too....a 5 yr old dressing provocative, wearing make-up and cussing like a sailor. She talks of growing up to be a stripper since that's where the money is to be made. Obviously we know the types of women daddy dearest left her with. And this happening for a 2 yr. period, I can see this child behaving like this. At that age they are sponges and repeat, imitate those around them.

Won't tell you how it happens but every one gets their happy ending. Taffy even has some fun at Barney's expense telling him she sure as heck is going to name their first son after him.

Now off to see if I can find the next book. Another brother to find love....love it when the men fall hard, so much for being a hard core macho man. ( )

Drawn out

The story is too drawn out. They are married and have the hots for each other but they hold off forever out of honorable motives? Get real. But I stopped reading when the five-year-old with a nose ring, make-up and bad language appeared. Unbelievable. And not what I want to read about in my romance novels. This story went all wrong for me. ( )

New Leaf by Catherine Anderson
Have read some of the author's other works and have enjoyed the story.
This one starts out in Mystic Creek where a woman, Tabbath runs the local nutritional health store, lives above it.
The town is small so it doesn't take much to excite some of the residents-especially when they can watch her dance provocatively with loud music.
That makes them call the sheriff's deputy and he has keys to all the main street stores and notifies her she has to turn the music down, and get some blinds.
He tries to befriend her with coffee but she needs to keep her distance, keep to herself as her daughter who's living with her ex has temporary custody.
She does summon him for help, with a proposition....He's attracted to her but knows he should not date the locals. Her proposition is so much more than he anticipated and he has a lawyer friend check out what she's told him.
Not very predictable when he finds out what her real situation is, nor his reaction. Like how he explains all the horse details to her in a way to make her understand and make her feel at home.
Lots of other family members in the picture and it takes time to understand who they all are. Like the travel to the city and the things they do there...things don't go according to plan, as in real life either which makes this a good read.
Romance and sex scenes and an excerpt from the next in the series is included.
Won this in a contest. ( )

I received an advance reading copy in return for an honest review, so I hope Catherine Anderson is truly ready for how honest I will be.

I have loved Catherine's books for years, ever since I found Morning Light in a grocery store. Since then I have read her books, finding them in libraries, grocery stores, bookstores, or anywhere I could get my grubby little hands on them. I loved how well her novels flowed and captured the true essences of passion, lust, and love. But, with the last couple of books, these emotions seemed to be truly lacking within the pages, and this is especially evident with "New Leaf".

"New Leaf" was positively tedious, uneventful, and predictable. The characters were her most unlikable to date, as they were dull and annoying. Barney came off a bit sexist, Tafetta too whiny. I wanted to punch Barney every time he made some asinine comment about her appearance, especially this whopper, "maybe I'd be inclined to repeat what just happened if you hurry to put on something less enticing." I'd like my books with a little less perpetuation of rape culture.

The only thing I liked about this book was seeing Catherine use the word "dick". I just hope her main male characters are less of one in the future.

PS - What happened to the hot sex scenes? They've become non-existent. ( )