Series: 9 Months Later (Book 31)
Josh Morris travels the world in search of its stories.
Briana Morris's whole world is a single small farm. They met and married and
divorced in little more than the wink of an eye. But together they managed to
create one perfect thing -- their daughter, Nealie.
Now Nealie has been diagnosed with a rare and dangerous
form of anemia. Her best hope for survival is a transfusion from a sibling. But
Nealie has no siblings. To save her daughter's life, Briana must do the
unthinkable -- contact Josh and convince him to father another child.
Good second chance story. Josh and Briana had married in
a whirlwind of love and passion. But Josh's globetrotting lifestyle as a
photographer didn't mesh well with Briana's deep-seated roots on her family's
farm, and they divorced nearly as quickly. But one blessing came from their
marriage - their daughter, Nealie. In spite of their divorce, Josh and Briana
maintained close ties. When Nealie was diagnosed with a dangerous illness, her
only chance of survival was a controversial treatment. The only thing Briana
can do is reach Josh and ask him to come home and help her conceive the sibling
needed to save Nealie's life.
I love that this is a story where the parents have
maintained a good relationship, rather than the antagonistic one portrayed in
so many other books. Both Josh and Briana refrain from badmouthing each other
and support each other instead. Josh was shocked by Briana's request and the
method by which it would happen. He had some serious reservations, but he would
do anything to save Nealie's life. This also put Josh and Briana in each other's
company for an extended time.
I liked Josh. Nealie means the world to him, and he
didn't hesitate to drop everything and come when Briana called. He was a
terrific dad, and it showed in the love that Nealie had for him. I think that Josh
matured a lot from when he and Briana first married, but it was still difficult
to deal with her family's attitude toward him. He had a few less than stellar
moments, but most of the time it was understandable. I had a harder time with
Briana. She is a good mother to Nealie, and pure mama bear when it came to
doing whatever necessary to save her. But her inability to see her father for
the controlling and selfish SOB that he was drove me nuts. She did redeem herself
by the end, thank goodness.
I liked the rekindling of the relationship between Josh
and Briana. It was evident from the start that they still had feelings for each
other. Unfortunately, they also still had the same challenges that tore them
apart. They are also older and more mature, and possibly better equipped to
handle those challenges. Once Josh committed to helping Briana, he was all in.
I liked his support of Briana as they went through all the necessary medical
procedures. The time spent together increased the sparks between them and gave
a boost to the feelings that had never died. I loved seeing them grow closer,
but that same closeness also created problems. Briana's father did everything
he could to keep them apart and was aided and abetted by the aunt of a rival
for Briana's love. I ached for Josh, who couldn't seem to catch a break.
Fortunately, Briana finally began to see her father for what he was and grew
enough backbone to stand up to him. I ached for Briana too, because she was
afraid to risk her heart again. She knew the kinds of danger Josh faced and was
terrified of loving and losing him. I liked Josh's persistence and patience in
getting past her walls. But it took a photography assignment gone bad to open
both their eyes to the mistakes of the past and the hopes of the future. I
really liked the ending.
