Susan F. (scoutmomskf) -
Terrific book that hooked me from the first chapter and didn't let me go until I finished it (well after midnight). Tana is a young woman who recently became the aquatics director at the local college. A former Olympic hopeful, she gave up her place on the team for a doomed marriage. She has suffered immense guilt since that time, for letting down her team, her coach, and her parents. She is currently in a relationship with a man who is about to leave for a year in Peru. Tana's life is upended with one phone call when her physical reveals that she is pregnant. To make matters worse, Jerry has no interest in being a father or giving up his own plans to be with Tana.
I ached for Tana. She only has a one-year contract, so revealing her pregnancy at the start of the school year, before she has a chance to prove herself, is not an option. She is so down on herself for what she sees as yet another poor choice. To make matters worse, she gets the news right before needing to recertify her CPR qualifications, surrounded by people she can't tell.
Caden is the firefighter/paramedic assigned to teach the class. He notices Tana immediately and thinks about getting to know her. He overhears the women talking about getting together at the local pub and thinks that would be a great chance to spend some time with Tana. His plans get derailed when she faints during class, and he learns of her pregnancy. He naturally assumes that she has a significant other, making her off-limits. I felt bad for Caden because he was very interested and had no idea that she was just dumped.
I loved seeing the development of the relationship between Tana and Caden. It is a small town, so they encounter each other occasionally. Caden keeps a tight rein on himself because of his belief that she is taken. Tana has sworn off men because of her bad judgment. There is no denying that Caden and Tana are drawn to each other and soon forge a strong friendship. Caden is very protective, and Tana is very independent, creating some pretty amusing discussions. The closer her due date came, the more Caden inserted himself into her life. This was fortunate the night she went into labor since she kept denying that's what it was. The delivery scene was great. The descriptions were so vivid I almost felt like I was there.
It was so sweet to see how Caden couldn't help caring for both Tana and Sterling. I loved watching them grow closer, as Tana learned to trust her heart, and Caden fell more in love each day. But Tana had never corrected a misunderstanding, and that eventually came back to haunt her. I ached for both of them when Caden confronted her about it. He felt betrayed and said some terrible things to her. I felt like he earned his misery since he stormed off without letting her explain. I cheered for Tana when she worked up to confront him and loved it when she called him on his wrongs. The ending was perfectly done and very appropriate for a firefighter.
There was much to love in this book besides the romance itself. I enjoyed Tana's work as the aquatics director. I ached for her fears that she wasn't good enough and that revealing her pregnancy would be the end of her job. I loved the scenes with her and her swimmers, especially the meet in January. It was evident that she had a magic touch for bringing out the best in them. I also loved her determination to be there through the finals, no matter what she had to do. I cheered for her when she took her future into her own hands by standing up for her success against the more popular sports.
The secondary characters were also well done. I liked Tana's growing friendship with her coworkers, especially once she got past her fears of revealing her pregnancy. Ruby was especially fun with her bold personality and big heart. I liked Caden's fellow firefighters and the fun they had when they weren't working. Tana's former coach warmed my heart with the way he supported her and encouraged her. At the same time, I wanted to shake her parents for the way they constantly harped on her past mistakes and how disappointed they were. They may have redeemed themselves a little at the end, but not like they should have.
I ached for Tana. She only has a one-year contract, so revealing her pregnancy at the start of the school year, before she has a chance to prove herself, is not an option. She is so down on herself for what she sees as yet another poor choice. To make matters worse, she gets the news right before needing to recertify her CPR qualifications, surrounded by people she can't tell.
Caden is the firefighter/paramedic assigned to teach the class. He notices Tana immediately and thinks about getting to know her. He overhears the women talking about getting together at the local pub and thinks that would be a great chance to spend some time with Tana. His plans get derailed when she faints during class, and he learns of her pregnancy. He naturally assumes that she has a significant other, making her off-limits. I felt bad for Caden because he was very interested and had no idea that she was just dumped.
I loved seeing the development of the relationship between Tana and Caden. It is a small town, so they encounter each other occasionally. Caden keeps a tight rein on himself because of his belief that she is taken. Tana has sworn off men because of her bad judgment. There is no denying that Caden and Tana are drawn to each other and soon forge a strong friendship. Caden is very protective, and Tana is very independent, creating some pretty amusing discussions. The closer her due date came, the more Caden inserted himself into her life. This was fortunate the night she went into labor since she kept denying that's what it was. The delivery scene was great. The descriptions were so vivid I almost felt like I was there.
It was so sweet to see how Caden couldn't help caring for both Tana and Sterling. I loved watching them grow closer, as Tana learned to trust her heart, and Caden fell more in love each day. But Tana had never corrected a misunderstanding, and that eventually came back to haunt her. I ached for both of them when Caden confronted her about it. He felt betrayed and said some terrible things to her. I felt like he earned his misery since he stormed off without letting her explain. I cheered for Tana when she worked up to confront him and loved it when she called him on his wrongs. The ending was perfectly done and very appropriate for a firefighter.
There was much to love in this book besides the romance itself. I enjoyed Tana's work as the aquatics director. I ached for her fears that she wasn't good enough and that revealing her pregnancy would be the end of her job. I loved the scenes with her and her swimmers, especially the meet in January. It was evident that she had a magic touch for bringing out the best in them. I also loved her determination to be there through the finals, no matter what she had to do. I cheered for her when she took her future into her own hands by standing up for her success against the more popular sports.
The secondary characters were also well done. I liked Tana's growing friendship with her coworkers, especially once she got past her fears of revealing her pregnancy. Ruby was especially fun with her bold personality and big heart. I liked Caden's fellow firefighters and the fun they had when they weren't working. Tana's former coach warmed my heart with the way he supported her and encouraged her. At the same time, I wanted to shake her parents for the way they constantly harped on her past mistakes and how disappointed they were. They may have redeemed themselves a little at the end, but not like they should have.
