Series: 9 Months Later (Book 24)
MITCH OLIVER IS A MAN's MAN
Which is probably a good thing since he's raising four
rowdy teenage boys on his own. His schedule is filled with guy stuff such as
hockey, baseball, football. Then he gets custody of his very feminine little
niece. HER schedule includes Barbie dolls and ballet.
Fortunately, Jenny Litton -- his sister's best friend --
is willing to help. Suddenly Mitch finds himself struggling to understand two
females -- one charming little girl and one equally charming woman.
One very PREGNANT woman....
Good book, full of genuine feelings and challenges. Mitch
was a widower raising four sons, ranging in age from eleven to nineteen. His
world was turned upside down when he got custody of his eight-year-old niece
after his sister died. Though determined to do his best for the little girl, Mitch
was clueless when it comes to dealing with her.
Jenny was Crystal's mother's best friend. She would
gladly take Crystal into her own home and heart, but she has no choice in the
matter. In addition, her personal life has taken an unexpected turn. The
company she works for has suddenly closed down, so she's out of a job, and her fiancé
left her when she found out she was pregnant. But nothing will stop Jenny from
showing up at Mitch's door when she believes that Crystal needs her.
I ached for Mitch at the beginning of this story, though
I also wanted to shake him. I know he tried his best to connect with Crystal,
but she was like an alien life form to him. It didn't help anything that his
home was so chaotic, with four rowdy, mostly undisciplined boys. The event that
brought Jenny running to Ohio could have been prevented if he had merely talked
to Crystal enough that she was comfortable going to him with what happened. Instead,
he was blindsided by Jenny's arrival and put on the defensive by her attitude. Jenny
didn't help matters with her obvious judgment of what she saw.
The development of Mitch and Jenny's relationship was a
rocky one. I liked that he invited her to stay at the house and help Crystal
adjust to her new home. He didn't expect to be attracted to her. Jenny was also
drawn to Mitch, but thanks to her past she has some huge trust issues. She also
beat herself up about her lack of judgment and was hesitant to tell Mitch about
her pregnancy. Mitch also has some trust issues from his days as a professional
hockey player. One of the most significant issues between Jenny and Mitch was his
reluctance to discipline his boys. They were pretty obnoxious, and all that
Mitch ever did was "talk to them" rather than have them face real
consequences for their actions. I thought that Jenny did far more adapting than
any of the males did. Amazingly enough, Jenny and Mitch did grow closer, and
the attraction between them grew. But when Jenny finally got the courage to
tell Mitch about the baby, he didn't handle the news well. I actually thought
he came across as very selfish. He did step up to take care of her when there
was a problem, and it looked like they might be able to repair their
relationship. Unfortunately, one of the young hockey players came to Mitch for
some advice for a problem that pushed all of Mitch's trust buttons. When Jenny
heard about that advice, she was furious. When she confronted Mitch about it,
he said some truly horrible things to her and about her. Though she wasn't
entirely blameless, I didn't blame her for moving back out. Mitch's misery was
well-earned, and it took advice from an unexpected source to make him see the
light. I laughed out loud at how he followed that advice, but it was also
really sweet. It took a little while for Jenny to catch on to what it
represented, but it certainly did the trick. I loved the ending, and the
epilogue was a nice wrap-up.
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