Solitary Man

Kevin has always been the protector. As a young child, he protected his mother from his alcoholic father. As an adult, he is still trying to protect his alcoholic father from himself. When his hot dogging partner Tony goes off to a crime scene without him, Kevin feels guilty for taking care of his drunken father when his partner is gunned down. Tony's sister Nicole seeks solace from Kevin and they fall into bed. The next morning, guilt overtakes Kevin, and he flees. Several months later, Tony's widow Janeane asks him to meet her at a local pub, where he runs into Nikki. Correctly deducing that she is pregnant, he does the honorable thing and goes into protection mode once again. The only problem is that Nikki is in love with Kevin and does not want to settle for anything less than his love. But she does move in with him and agrees to a marriage so he can help with her prenatal care, especially when she is forced into bed rest and needs medical coverage. The two once again fall into a sexual relationship until Nikki's heart becomes too involved, and she wants her happily ever after. The problem is that Kevin is convinced that he is no better than his drunken father, and tries to shield Nikki from that part of his life. He has never felt worthy of Nikki's love. Will they be able to meet halfway? This was Carly Phillips first novel, and it shows some real promise of a new author. It is also her most emotionally fulfilling story. She draws you into Kevin and Nikki's relationship, as well as Janeane's grief over her loss of Tony, which is heart wrenching at times. Nikki's loss of her parents, her brother, and possibly the love of her life add further depth. Unfortunately this is a formula she no longer pursues. But it just goes to show how good some of her novels could have been if she opted for quality and not quantity...

Kevin Manning feels he's not reliable. He lets people down. Hadn't he proved this by not being there when his partner, Tony, died? To make things worse, when Tony's sister, Nikki, turns up at his doorstep seeking solace, he takes her in and they end up deriving comfort from each other in a more elemental way. Knowing he won't be able to face her when she wakes up, Kevin quietly leaves. A couple of months later he sees Nikki working in a yuppie bar and despite his best intentions to stay clear of her, he finds himself feeling responsible for her.Nikki Wells is not totally thrilled about seeing Kevin again. While a part of her feels overjoyed to see him, another part realizes he's here only because of his sense of responsibility to her. Things are different now and Nikki's got something to hide. The last thing she wants is for Kevin to stay with her out of guilt. So, before he finds out what her secret is and takes over her life, she better push him out!Karen Drogin's SOLITARY MAN is an excellent book full of deep and complex characters. You can't help but fall totally under their spell. Kevin's character is wonderfully defined. The reader can empathize with him for the guilt he suffers over his partner's death and the responsibility he feels for Nikki. A lovingly drawn hero who stole my heart from the moment I met him.Nikki is a strong and independent woman and I enjoyed reading about her too. A woman with plenty of pride, she does an excellent job of resisting Kevin's attempts to win her over purely for the sake of satisfying his sense of responsibility. I also liked the maturity she displayed by putting pride aside when it came down to considering what was best for all concerned.SOLITARY MAN is a novel that definitely leaves a lasting impression and stays with you for a long time. I highly recommend Karen Drogin's SOLITARY MAN. It's a novel not to be missed!

A cop is killed and it turns the courses of the lives of the closest to him. Kevin Manning is consumed with guilt. As the partner of the deceased he blames himself for not being with Tony but most importantly he feels he was not doing his job to the utmost but tending to his alcoholic father while on the beat. To ease the hurt he turns to the bottle but a woman steps in to stop his self destruction.Nicole Welles deeply grieves her brother's death but she knows it's not Kevin's fault. She had always been attracted to Kevin and valued his friendship over the passing years so she could not let Kevin throw his life away. That night they find comfort together in each other's arms and it is wonderful until she wakes up alone.Two months later Kevin comes back to face Nikki. He feels guilty for leaving her after their wonderful night together but he felt unworthy of her love. He finds her working in a bar, exhausted but yet still very beautiful. And he soon suspects she is pregnant, even before she does herself.Nikki does not want a man that she can not count on to stick around when he is truly needed. How can Kevin hope to be a good father when he himself was raised by such a poor father? A father that is still totally dependent on him financially and emotionally, draining his self worth with his verbal abuse.Oh what a touching story! The hero captured my heart as even he does not realize how strong and truly wonderful he really is. This is a story of a man that life is determined to beat down but he over comes and deservingly he succeeds. A heart warming story that is definitely a keeper......I loved this book!!