Mothers of the Year: An Anthology [Large Print]

"Mommy for Rent" by Lori Handeland. Preadolescent newcomer Dani Delgado needs to rent a mom for the upcoming Mother's Day picnic in Kiwanee, Wisconsin or flee back to Florida. She and her dad baseball coach Scott meet and enchant Kelly Rosholt who reciprocates with her inane affectionate nicknames for them. "Along Came a Daughter" by Rebecca Winters. Widow Abby Chappuis has never cut her hair since it is a memory of her late spouse Andre who loved her long tresses though they are unsuited for her French-Swiss restaurant Chez Andre. Abby hires almost sixteen Brittany Jakeman whose father Richard comes to the restaurant to "unhire" his daughter but he had not reckoned with the teen's canine guardian angel old Buddy or with falling in love with her employer; Abby reciprocates. "Baby Steps" by Anna DeStefano. Tyler Brooks is considering leaving his wife Lily because she cannot get past her failure at getting pregnant. However, her student Dakota teaches her that motherhood is much more than giving birth. These are three warm contemporary tales starring fully developed characters who pay wonderful homage to moms. Harriet Klausner

I loved MOTHER OF THE YEAR! Evie and her kids were real people, characters I really liked. Her goals and problems were something I could identify with, and that made me like her all the more. Joe is a hero to die for - truly yummy. A great read!

In Newsome, Iowa, Oak Grove High School physical education teacher Evie Vaughn has raised three boys by herself ever since her husband Ray died six years ago. Worried about earning money to send her children to college, Evie wants to become a varsity coach to supplement her income.Evie's hopes to become a coach takes a dive when former football star Joe Scalotta accompanied by his teenage daughter moves into town. Joe is immediately attracted to Evie, who feels the same way. However, she refuses to fall into the same trap she suffered with her deceased spouse. No way will Evie ever allow a charming handsome hunk to get inside her heart because it took six long years to overcome the damage that superficial Ray caused to Evie and their kids. Throw on top of that the angst and love between their teenage children. Still her heart keeps beating stronger whenever she is near Joe.MOTHER OF THE YEAR is an entertaining contemporary romance that focuses on family relationships. The enjoyable story line demonstrates the resiliency of people to rebound from bad relationships. The lead couple is an intriguing duo and their four (make that five) children add to the chaos and fun of the tale. Lori Handeland has written an amusing romp with serious undertones that will provide pleasure to sub-genre fans.Harriet Klausner

Thirty-five-year-old Evie Vaughn is a financially struggling, widowed mother of three who works as a teacher and Big League baseball coach. She has wanted to coach the high school boys varsity baseball team for years now, but has had obstacle after obstacle thrown into her path because of her gender. The Oak Grove school board finally relents, however, and agrees to let her take on the position, so long as Evie proves herself capable. In order to do so, Evie's Big League team has to win the championship this year.Thirty-six-year-old Joe Scalotta is a divorced, retired football player who moves to Oak Grove, Iowa to get out of the big city and raise his daughter in a small town. He's made a lot of mistakes in his life, including not being there for Toni while she was growing up. Now Toni's sixteen, her mother is dead, and Joe finds himself wanting to be a better dad and friend to his adolescent daughter. Joe also realizes that he wants to remarry and experience the things he'd never gotten to experience when Toni was a baby.When Joe meets Toni's baseball coach Evie, the physical attraction between them is mutual and instantaneous. Neither of them, however, believes that the other is the type of person they are looking for in a relationship. Evie has sworn to never again involve herself with a hunky man looking for a good time, and she's read enough in the papers about Joe "Wildman" Scalotta to surmise that he's everything she doesn't need. Joe wants nothing to do with an overly opinionated, domineering career woman whose more interested in her next big promotion than in him. The problem is, their minds might want them apart but their hearts and bodies don't. Evie and Joe just can't stop thinking about each other...I was pleasantly surprised with the depth of Ms. Handeland's characters. They were complex, three-dimensional people who had their good qualities and bad, their personal failures as well as their triumphs. In other words, they were real people that real women readers can relate to. I'd read another book by this author without hesitation.