In Bobby Hutchinson's engaging THE FAMILY SOLUTION, Bella Monroe wakes up one morning to find that her husband has disappeared with the family car and all their savings, leaving her with a failing hardware business, car lease payments, an out-of-control mortgage, no income, and two teenagers with attitude.

Instead of giving up, however, Bella digs in. She closes the store and develops plans to fix up the house and sell it herself. Enter Charlie Fredricks, and ex-cop and novice real estate agent, whose life is just as whacked as Bella's. A recovering alcoholic, Charlie has a clingy, whining ex-wife and a demanding daughter, and he works for his brother's real estate agency mostly because he owes his brother a lot of money. Charlie needs to convince Bella to list her house with his agency in order to stay employed.

So Charlie strikes a business bargain with Bella. He'll help her fix up her house at no cost, if she'll help him fix up three trashed houses which no one thinks he can sell. It's a proposal that puts them in a lot of close situations together, and love sparks quickly. But as in any well-written romance—and this one is just that—nothing is achieved easily.

Bella's teens throw more than a few fits, and by the end of the book has everyone in an uproar. Charlie's ex-wife also pulls a stunt that stuns everyone, putting his relationship with his daughter at risk. Bella's mother undermines all her efforts with her daughter, and just when you think Bella and Charlie might get to spend some time alone, Bella's father shows up—the father she hasn't seen since he abandoned her and her mother when Bella was a teen.

Complications abound, but they are all drawn from real life, and Hutchinson serves them up with skill. A veteran of Harlequin's SuperRomance line, Hutchinson has delivered another tale of filled with everyday adventures, the kind that pull readers in and make us care, laugh, and occasionally want to slap a character or two. Other than a prologue that really adds nothing and only delays a truly "laugh out loud" meeting between Charlie and Bella, Hutchinson doesn't miss a step. If you are a fan of the SuperRomance line, then make an effort to pick up THE FAMILY SOLUTION.