The Wrong Man for Her [Large Print]

After three years, Nick Logan returns to his job of counseling troubled teenagers at the Rockford Crime Victims Center. He originally left after breaking his engagement with counselor Madelyn Walsh and he only agreed to return because he thought Maddie no longer worked there. But not only is she still working there, but she's also his boss. Maddie and Nick try to keep everything professional between them, but both of them soon realize that they both still care for each other. But Maddie doesn't want to get involved with Nick again because she is afraid of having her heart broken by him once more since he still has commitment issues. When a major crisis threatens to tear them apart, they realize how deep their feelings for each other are, but is it too late? "The Wrong Man" by Kathryn Shay is a very nicely done romance novel. Maddie is a well-written and complex character. She's running the Center as well as counseling the teens herself, a job she does well since she personally knows what it's like to be a victim of violent crime, as she was rape victim. She is very believable as she fights her attraction to Nick, not wanting to get hurt again, yet not being able to stay away. Her counseling Kara is also well done. Nick is also a complex character who finally realizes he needs to work his way through issues with his parents before he can commit to Maddie. The teens that Maddie and Nick counsel, Hector and Carla Santos, J.J. Camp, Anne Nguyen, Tommy Danzer, Nato Keyes, Shamika, and Kara are all well written, with Hector, Carla, J.J. and Kara particularly well done. The setting of the Crime Victims Center is well written and readers will be touched and at times saddened by what the teens have gone through in their lives. There are some suspenseful moments near the end of the book that make it even more interesting. "The Wrong Man For Her" is a well-done and entertaining romance novel.

THE WRONG MAN FOR HER by Kathryn Shay May 28, 2007 Rating 4 Stars Nick Logan and Madelyn Walsh were once an item, but Nick bolted when he thought Madelyn was pregnant. It's been three years, and Nick has returned to the Rockland Crime Victim's Center at the request of his old friend and boss John, knowing that Madelyn no longer worked there. But upon arriving to work on his first day, he finds out that she's not only working there, but she's his new boss! It's difficult for the two of them, because they clash over everything. Madelyn wants to do things her way, and Nick has his own way of running the teen programs. It takes some doing to get on the same page. And of course their past romance gets in the way. The main story revolves around Madelyn and Nick, but a good portion of the story focuses on the teens themselves, all of whom have difficult lives and come from broken homes, or had been victims of some sort of crime. Madelyn's special case is a young teenage girl who is hiding a big secret, and seems to be falling apart before their very eyes from the stress of keeping it. Nick's special case is a male teen who had been a victim of a beating from fellow schoolmates. He lives with his aunt but despite the help he is getting from Nick and his aunt, J.J. doesn't see that his life is getting any better, and hatches plans to take revenge on those who have hurt him. I was completely immersed in the story lines of THE WRONG MAN FOR HER. Kathryn Shay tackled a big concern that is on many people's minds today - the troubles that are happening at our schools on the level of that at Columbine. The climatic ending to this story is huge, and it helps to convince both Nick and Madelyn the mistakes they had made in their relationship and how they really feel about each other. I thought it rather ironic that this book was published right before the latest school shootings. The romance angle of the book was done well. Two people who think they are wrong for each other, but as usual it's a matter of miscommunication. Plus, both of them have a lot of baggage that they are carrying around. Nick comes from a broken home, and Madelyn was a victim of a crime. All of this comes into play in their developing romance. There was a lot packed into this book. I'm giving THE WRONG MAN FOR HER four stars.