The Heart of Christmas (Harlequin Superromance No. 817)

The Heart of Christmas is the companion volume to Father Unknown, both books by American author, Tara Taylor Quinn, both of which feature the Hayden sisters. Abby Hayden lives in a beach house in California, alone since Anna, her remaining triplet left for New York after the tragic murder of their sister, Audrey. Abby is distracted enough by her concerns (did she drive Anna away? Will Anna recover her memory? Who is the father of Anna’s baby?) that she is only vaguely aware of being followed, until she is attacked in the street. Her rescuer is Dr Nick McIntyre, a man whose career of charitable deeds seems too good to be true.

Nick needs a new housemother for his halfway house for pregnant teens. He asks Abby, although he’s not sure it’s a good idea: he’d much too attracted to her and he doesn’t have time for relationships. This romance has a charming hero, a heroine who seems determined to overthink everything (making the novel quite a bit longer than necessary), and a touch of intrigue that is solved just a bit too quickly and conveniently at the end. It can be read as a stand-alone, but readers planning to read Father Unknown should do that first to avoid spoilers. A sweet romance that would have benefitted from some judicious editing.