A friend sent me this book in a box of books. I know I've read this author before and the "man who has a child he has to come back to claim" theme is common to at least 2 of the books--which means it wouldn't earn more than an average rating from me unless it was so exceptional.

I related to Fern feeling she was awkward around others and perhaps not meant to have a marriage relationship. It was nice to see that perhaps there are men who like that type of woman.

I can understand feeling that you relate better to kids and animals--but does Fern not realize that the 4 year old she plans to adopt will eventually become older, become an adult? Because the way she's portrayed made her sound clueless to me.

I did like that eventually both Fern and Carlo wanted to do what was right or best for Mercy rather than clinging to what they wanted. ( )

A big coincidence is revealed early on (so it’s not a spoiler) when Carlo comes home to his sister’s place after years away, and discovers that the four year old daughter he’s only just learned about happens to be house-sitting along with her potential adoptive mom.

It’s the kind of too convenient scenario that in many instances likely would have earned an eye-roll from me, and maybe even hindered my ability to get into the story when it starts off on such a manipulative note, but the author did such a winning job with the characters and their emotions, that happily I was able to shake off the unlikeliness of the situation almost immediately and just settle in for good storytelling.

I love that the heroine Fern is an introvert and how it’s handled with love and respect throughout the story, at no point is another character expecting her or pushing her to be something other than this person who sometimes needs time apart, needs quiet, instead both the hero, Carlo, and the little girl, Mercy, treat it with great understanding that the world could use more of.

As for Carlo, while I would have liked to learn a bit more about his past in the military and his missionary work (he has a pretty violent response to being startled early on that maybe could have been explored), I get that the book does have a limited word count and needed to prioritize the relationships with Fern and his daughter instead.

Along with a strong sense of community, I think where this one really worked for me was in the conflict, sure it’s a romance so the happily ever after was guaranteed, but with such a high-stakes conflict in the custody of this child (who has a believable emotional arc of her own), the journey to get to the happily ever after remained tense and page-turning throughout. ( )

Fern Easton is a librarian with ambitions to be a children's author and artist. Right now she's dog-sitting and house-sitting for her friend Angelica and her husband, who are on a second honeymoon in Europe with their two children. They run a dog rescue, so Fern is caring for not only their own three-legged dog named Bull, but also all the dogs currently in their rescue, housed in what used to be the barn on their property. She's also caring for her foster daughter Mercedes, just four years old, orphaned daughter of her friend, Kath.

Carlo Camden is a former soldier, former mercenary, now a missionary. A few years ago, he was married, very unwisely, to a woman who threw him out, while spiraling down into an ever more misspent life. He's also Angelica's brother.

He has just recently received a latter from his ex-wife, written as she was dying, telling him that she was pregnant when she kicked him out the last time, and asking him to come home to Rescue River to care for their daughter, Mercedes.

Of course he shows up at the door of his sister's home as a major snowstorm is closing in. He's sick, still suffering from Dengue fever and about to push himself into a full relapse if he doesn't get rest and care. Fern is naturally cautious about letting a strange man into the house where she's alone with her little girl, but it's also not acceptable to kick him out into the storm. Fern manages to reach Angelica in France, and after a conversation in which she never hands Carlo the phone for Angelica to talk to and which objectively does nothing to confirm that he really is Carlo, agrees to let him stay.

What follows is in many ways a sweet and charming story, of good people who have personal history to overcome and don't always see their own strengths--and Fern in particular has some well-earned problems with trusting other people.

I like the characters. I like the story. However, this is a "Christian" book in which it's all too clear that the author defines "Christian" very narrowly. These are sweet, kind, decent people who think being saved is a discrete, transcendent experience, that you can know for sure whether you're saved or not, and, push comes to shove, believe that most Christians in this world need to convert in order to be Christians.

There's a lot of Christian romance out there where the author either doesn't share those particular attitudes, or even if they do, doesn't ladle them on so heavy in their books. They've got room in their worldview for good people who don't share their exact beliefs and aren't just waiting to be "saved" in this one particular way.

So--a mixed bag. I like these characters and their story. I just wish the author had a lighter touch with attitudes and assumptions only some of which I share with her.

So perhaps--recommended with extreme caution?

I received this book free from Harlequin as part of a promotion, and am reviewing it voluntarily. ( )