Heart of the Family

This is a story of forgiveness given for a wrong done years ago but not forgotten. This is Book 2 in the Fostered by Love series. In this great book, we get a glimpse of what a group foster home looks like from the inside and some of the problems the manager encounters because yes, the manger is our heroine, Hannah Smith. But when Hannah took the job, she didn't expect to find her arch enemy on the Board of Directors. And when she did find out that little bit of info she figured she'd be able to steer clear of him...but not if he keeps coming to the home. At first Hannah doesn't know what to do. She brings a child in for medical care and comes face-to-face with the man who killed her brother over 20 yrs before. Since she was only 7 yrs old at the time of the incident and she's using her married name, the pediatrician has no idea who she is and she's not telling. Because she loves her job, she'll just have to work with him...but she's not going to like it. And, she's not going to forgive him either! Her family fell apart when her brother died and it was all because of Dr. Jacob Hartman. Jacob has no idea why the new manager of Stone's Refuge seems to have a personality conflict with him. He tries to draw it out of Hannah but she's not volunteering any info. Because they have to work together in peace, he starts spending more of his time at the home, playing with the kids, and eating meals with them. However, his nights are filled with torment as he relives the moment he crashed a vehicle and killed a friend when he was 14 yrs old. For over 20 yrs, the accident has been foremost in his mind. He doesn't understand why he lived and his friend didn't. His friend left a loving mother behind whereas Jacob's mother wasn't worthy to even be called one. As the story reads, Hannah sees what a loving man Jacob is toward children and animals but forgiving him will mean betraying her brother's memory and her family and she just can't do that. And how will Jacob react if he finds out the woman he's slowly falling in love with is the little sister of the man he killed? Can be bear to watch her face turn ashen with pain followed by betrayal? The best thing would be for him to just stay away. Heat level: Affectionate My Rating: Great - 4 stars (a keeper) Go here for the complete Fostered by Love series list: http://anitamaedraper.blogspot.com/2009/01/heres-update-on-fostered-by-love-series.html

Hannah Smith may have a reason for not liking Dr. Jacob Hartman, the doctor for Stones Refuge Home For Children, but he can't discover what it could be. After all, he's never met her before, but she definitely has issues against him. He doesn't know Hannah has memories that link her past to his, and even though she's attracted to him, she can't force herself to tell him the truth. Two people who have been hurt learning to trust and love again, in spite of themselves. Fans of Margaret Daley will love this story. A good romance with lots of conflict and a good faith message.