"What the heck does luck have to do with love??"
Reviewed by Sandra Wurman
Posted February 20, 2010
Romance Contemporary
Griffin Luckadeau and Julie Donovan just have to face
facts---neither one has ever been lucky in love. Call it bad
judgment, drunken stupor or just a case of lust gone awry
they have both had to dust themselves off after falling off
one or two bad horses and get back on the saddle. Griffin is
one of twins -- the less assertive one as compared to his
deceased brother Graham. Graham had a wild streak that
matched the white streak in his hair, Griffin does not.
Enter red haired Julie with a temper to match and the fun
begins. There's no denying that sparks fly when they are
together and neither one wants to admit that being apart is
beyond difficult. But they are just not ready to leave
themselves open and vulnerable. There is just too much at
stake. Griffin fears for the emotional welfare of his
daughter Lizzy who has become his whole life and has to be
protected against being hurt by his self absorbed ex-wife
who basically sold Lizzy to him as part of their divorce. Lizzy's only memory of her mother is that of the pretty lady
in a photo and that's how Griffin would like to keep it. But
life is a series of events that challenge our strengths.
Julie has relocated to this small town to protect her
daughter Annie from the embarrassment of her birthright.
Unknowingly she has settled in Griffin's hometown -- and her
Annie who is practically Lizzy's double is mistaken as being
another of his children. Add to that his instant dislike for
her. No matter what Julie does she can't bridge the gap of
mistrust. Does she stay and fight for her future here in a
town that could be salvation for both Annie and her? Or
should she cut her losses and go home to her parents facing
both their and their town's scrutiny? No one fares well
under a microscope and Julie fears for both her and her
child. But staying put means facing down not only Griffin
but his entire family as they become aware of Graham's
daughter. They seem more than ready and willing to accept
Annie into their fold but want no part of the child's
mother. Julie begins to fear losing her daughter. Griffin
fears losing the peaceful life he has built for his daughter
and himself. Only if they face their fears can they begin to
recognize that fate has opened a wonderful door for them
all. The choice is theirs. Carolyn Brown has once again created quite amazing
characters and joyfully reintroduced us to the cast of the
first two Lucky books. The reader is struck with a dilemma -
can't put the book down and yet reluctant to say a goodbye
to these endearing people. Can we dare to wish for yet
another installment? Enjoy.
SUMMARY
Single mom Julie Donavan is looking for a place to start
over. What she finds after buying a small house on five
acres is nothing short of a nightmare. Single dad "Lucky
Griffin" Luckadeau has been crossing horns with his
elderly neighbor for years. But when his daughter, Annie,
decides she wants the new little girl who lives on the
feuding property to be her friend, or better yet her
sister, the sparks fly. These two stubborn hotheads, who
irritate each other beyond endurance, refuse to admit that
it's fate that brought them together. And running from the
inevitable is only going to bring a double dose of misery…
ExcerptJulie Donavan, the new kindergarten teacher, was on her
knees consoling a little boy named Chuck on the first day
of school when she noticed movement coming in the door. She
gasped when she looked up. Her eyes widened and high color
filled her cheeks. The most striking cowboy she’d ever laid
eyes on just walked through the door. Well, she had laid
eyes upon him one time before but that time they’d been two
point five sheets to the wind. One less drink that night
and they’d have stopped before they got to the motel. Two
more and neither would have remembered a damn thing. But
the combination had been just right and he was there in her
kindergarten classroom in Saint Jo, Texas. Her first thought was “Damn, he even looks better
with hair.” Her second was “What in the hell is he doing in Saint
Jo, Texas?” Her third was, “Oh, shit, what do I do now?” The man stopped in front of her and looked
down. “Hello, we are the Luckadeaus. This is my daughter,
Lizzy, who will be in your class this year.” And I’m the woman you met in Dallas six years ago?
She wanted to shout at him. Remember me? I’m Red. Griffin waited for her to finish with the little boy,
his pulse racing and his heart thumping. God Almighty, he’d
never been attracted to a red head before. That was his
brother’s choice of women. No one told him the new
kindergarten teacher was knock-down-gorgeous or that she
had eyes that could see straight into his soul. Desire shot
through his body or was it plain old lust? Either one was
something he hadn’t allowed in a very long time and he
determined he would get control of it before he spoke
again. Julie’s daughter, Annie, came running from across the
room, her jet black dog ears bouncing on her shoulders, the
white poliosis streak in her hair parted so that the
majority of it was on the left side. She stopped dead in
front of the little girl. They eyed each other for several minutes, mirror
images of each other, doubles in almost every sense of the
word. Jet black hair with a white streak from the forehead
back several inches, crystal clear blue eyes, a slight dent
in their chins. Finally Annie grabbed Lizzy’s hand and said, “Come
sit by me. My momma is the teacher, she won’t care.” Lizzy let go of her father’s hand and ran off with
Annie, her jet black pony tail waving from one side to the
other, the white streak in her hair slicked straight back. Both parents couldn’t peel their eyes away from the
two little girls giggling together . Julie felt the world
tilt backwards on its axis and the concrete floor St. Jo,
Texas elementary school tremor as if Texas was having a
rare earthquake. “Who are you?” Griffin whispered. Desire took a back
seat to shock. That little girl had to be a Luckadeau. His
blue eyes narrowed into slits. Who was the red head and
where had that child come from? “I’m going to be your child’s teacher but we knew
each other a long time ago. You don’t remember?” He shook his head. “I’ve never met you before in my
life but I’d know that little girl anywhere. She could be
my Lizzy’s sister with that white forelock.”
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