Sarah's Secret (Harlequin Presents, 227)

Sarah Tracy was a single mother struggling to make ends meet and to care for her precious young daughter. She didn't have time for any type of serious relationship, despite the advances and the offers she has received. She is content to spend her life caring for Davina (Davy), her spirited daughter - or at least, that is what Sarah tells herself. But when she darts out in front of a car in a thunderstorm, she meets the most intriguing man - and she suddenly wonders how she can let this wonderfully intriguing man walk out of her life. If he stays in her life, though, she will be forced to divulge a secret that could destroy her daughter and the life Sarah has eked out for the both of them.Jake Hogan had dreamed of running into the woman of his dreams - although he never meant literally! But when the business tycoon accidentally hits Sarah Tracy in the middle of a thunderstorm, he is transfixed by her beauty and charm. He is determined to get to know this woman better, but she seems so withdrawn and standoffish most of the time. He can tell there is something in her past that is preventing her from getting too involved with him, but he won't let that stop him, for one way or another, Stacy and Davina are meant to be a part of his family for keeps!I enjoyed this book as something different from what I usually read. Although the book is clearly set in England, the lingo was usually toned to a minimum and even I, an English-is-my-second-language reader, didn't have too much difficulty deciphering what the author meant by using British lingo. I liked the character of Sarah, and could identify with her as a single mother myself. Sarah had a difficult time because she was always looking for a potential step-father to Davy, as well as a mate, all rolled into one package. I could definitely relate to that. I also liked the character of Jake Hogan because he wanted to include Sarah's child in their relationship too, instead of just shutting Davy out. As for Sarah's secret, it was not what I expected it to be at first. After being told halfway through the book what the secret was not, it didn't take too much to figure out what it was. The secret itself was a bit of a let-down, and although there was much tension leading up the revealing of the secret, the secret itself was rather anticlimactic. Once the secret was revealed, the rest of the book had a few subplots shoved into it to spice up the story, but those subplots were rather rushed and one was just solved way too easily. Altogether, though, this wasn't a bad book, and was actually quite enjoyable for the most part. The book earned a solid four star rating from me. This book was reissued by Harlequin Presents in June 2004. The cover is different, but the text is the same.