Silhouette Desire 1004: The Temporary Groom

"The Temporary Groom" is #9 in Joan Johnston's Hawk's Way series of romance novella's revolving around Whitelaw family. This one is the start of the third generation,the grandchildren of Garth and Candy Whitelaw, who's story is told in novella #4 Wrangler And The Rich Girl (Silhouette Desire, No 791). The Whitelaw kids of all generations, although eventual pillars of the community, have through each generation been a bit on the wild side and have been tagged 'The Whitelaw Brats'. Cherry Whitelaw, one of 8 adopted kids by Zach and Rebecca(Disobedient Bride (Man Of The Month, Hawk'S Way) (Silhouette Desire No 937)), has had a troubled past, has built a wall around herself when it comes to love, and just can't seem to stay out of trouble. Even when it's not her fault, blame seems to find her. Just as she is ready to graduate from high school, she is suspended and kept from graduation and berates herself for having failed her loving adoptive parents once more. Neighbor Billy Stonecreek has problems and a reputation for being bad as well. Having lost his wife in an auto accident only a year before,being blamed for it, trying to raise his 6 year old twin daughters and work his ranch on his own, the anger within him grows and can't seem to stay out of fights. His ex-mother-in-law, a vile woman, is preparing a law suite to take his children away from him. When these two meet, both licking their wounds from the night's events, they find they each have something to offer the other. Cherry wants to get away somewhere where she can prove herself worthy of her family and Billy needs a mother for his children to show the courts he is providing a good home for his children. So they form a temporary alliance and what else?..they get married. But can these two "bad" influences prove they are fit for raising a family? And can they do it without losing their hearts to each other, and in Cherry's case to the little girls who want no part of their new "step-mother". It's a touching and poignant story, and will be especially relatable to adoptive parents and children, and those "new" parents who may have found themselves with an "instant" step family. Ms. Johnston really pulls the emotional strings in this one. You can't help but find yourself rooting for this new family to make it,for Cherry and Billy to open their hearts, and also to turn the temporary situation into a permanent one. And of course, it wouldn't be a Johnston novel without some very intimate romantic moments as well. It's a wonderful and fast read that I found hard to put down, and it is not necessary to have read any of the others in the series to get involved in this one. It is also available in a 3 in 1 book,Hawk's Way Rogues: Honey and the Hired Hand/ The Cowboy Takes a Wife/ The Temporary Groom #1 and #5(see my reviews for individual stories). Enjoy the read.....Laurie

This book from the Hawk's Way series is about Cherry Whitelaw, the last adopted child of Zach and Rebecca Whitelaw (from the book The Disobediant Bride). Like all the other sets of siblings in the Hawk's Way series Zach and Rebecca's children are known in Texas as the Whitelaw brats. Cherry always seems to be getting in trouble. She hates to see the hurt and disappointment that she causes her parents, so when she gets expelled from school and almost attacked by her date she decides she does not want to go home.Fortunately, Billy Stonecreek saves her from her would be attacker and offers to save her from her parents, by marrying her. Billy is also known for his bad reputation, and his mother-in-law plans to use it to take away his twin daughters. Billy needs a wife and Cherry thinks she needs some place to go other than her parents, so they marry.If you have read any of the Hawk's Way series than you know that the Whitelaw men have tempers. Cherry's dad Zach is no exception. Zach is furious and tries to persuade Cherry to come home. But, Cherry is determined to be a good wife and mother. The ending is really good. I would have liked to have heard about more of the Whitelaws from the other books and I really missed the labor day picnic that always occurs in every book, except this one. It is still a great book to add to all the other Hawk's Way books.