Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Karen Templeton - Dear Santa

I really loved this book – emotion, heart, characters who seemed so incredibly real, it was all there. But I think what really made the book for me was Grant. He’s a great, great hero.

Here's the blurb for the book:

Grant Braeburn might be insanely rich, but emotionally, he’s bankrupt. No surprise, then, that his marriage failed...or that he’s somehow never really connected with his three-year-old daughter. Then his ex is killed in a car crash, leaving Grant a woefully inept single father. Haley will never want for anything material, but how on earth do you explain to a small child that she’ll never see Mommy again?

Desperate, he turns to Mia Vaccaro, Justine’s best friend and Haley’s “aunt”...even though he and Mia basically can’t stand each other. But the down-to-earth lawyer-turned-party planner will do anything to help the little girl she loves with all her heart, even if it means sharing a mansion with a man whose favorite beverage might as well be O positive...and who has a secret that could not only shatter Mia’s faith in her old friend, but, as Mia and Grant find common ground in their concern for a hurting, confused child, could destroy the future, as well.

When you start reading, you wonder that anyone can be so shut in, so unable to reach his own child, but then you get to know him along with the heroine and realize there’s a wonderful man inside.

This book popped on my radar because of this review at TGTBU – which review is much more in-depth and detailed than mine so check it out.

Great book. Two thumbs up. I’ll be hunting up more Karen Templeton books in the future. (This book kicks off a mini-series - book 2 is about Mia's brother).

How about you all? Read any books lately that you want to recommend?

12 comments :

Anonymous said...

Hey! I know that name, Karen Templeton, I used to read her Royal family books! She writes very well and her stories are very nice. I stopped after a while because all her stories had little children in it (often 3+ in a book, with more on the way). There's always some little child afoot...the sound of tiny pitter patter feet. I may love kids, but I can only take so much of them, even in books. >_<

Anonymous said...

I recognise the name too. Karen Templeton wrote 'The Men of Mayes County' books, which I loved! She really delves into the emotional side of a relationship. I didn't realise that she had written any more, so YAH!

orannia *who is off to the library catalogue...AGAIN...because after all, only 40 holds means I'm slacking*

Anonymous said...

(tried to comment earlier but blogger went wonky on me)

I was bravely resisting temptation, and then I came here. *sigh* (that wail you hear is my wallet)


Oh well, I can eat every other day.

Anonymous said...

I've missed the chat. I've had the wrong time calculate...

Maybe you did it again? I would like to chat with you and the lovely people here!

Anonymous said...

Ms. Sissi, where are you located? What? The chat already happened? Wait, what? I thought it hadn't occurred yet since the spoiler blog hasn't been opened.
Isn't the chat today? Okay, now I'm officially freaked out.
Anyone?

Ms. Orannia, I think a lot of Ms. Templeton's books are already out of print, so you may need to search the libraries ^_^.

Ms. Azteclady, good luck with your wallet. Use water as food suppliment. It may help >_<

Nalini Singh said...

No one freak out! The chat is today :) See you guys there!

Anonymous said...

I'm going crazy!
I don't know at which time the chat should be. Do you live near Wellington? If so, the chat must be over when I wrote my last entry. And the clock planer said the same (http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/meetingtime.html?day=20&month=2&year=2008&p1=264&p2=83&p3=-1&p4=-1).
I'm sorry if I said something wrong

Anonymous said...

Just wanted to say that I love your books. Found your name on a blog (who know whose), but I love Lora Leigh's Breed series as well as Vicki Lewis Thompson's Nerd Series. I guess I'm a total geek so it would be cool to have a hot nerdy guy. Smiles ;p

Anonymous said...

Sissi - no worries - the time thing can be confusing. This blog is set to New Zealand time, but we're using U.S. time for the chat - so when you check the worldclock, check under New York. From now, it's roughly 3 and a half hours till the chat. Hope you can make it!

Anon, thank you!! And lol about nerdy guys - they can be hot, I agree. :)

Mariana said...

I just found the Eileen Wilks series. The first is Tempting Danger. This is a very nice series.

Holly said...

Nalini,

I'm so glad you got this book and enjoyed it. I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the story and the way I got caught up in it. KT is definitely on my autobuy list. I read the second in this series, Yours, Mine..or Ours, too and really liked it. :)

I just recently read The Perils of Pleasure by Julie Anne Long and really liked it. It's a historical. :)

Nalini Singh said...

Mariana - I love Eileen Wilks' series!

Holly - thanks for that great review. I really enjoyed the book, and the next one's on my tbr list. The emotions in the story just really grabbed me from the start.

And arrgh, don't tempt me with another book. My tbr's already about to fall over ;)