QUARTERBACK DADDY

Author: Linda Barrett ISBN: 9780373716197 2/2010 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: HARLEQUIN

A party-loving sports figure is not an ideal parent in Alexis Brown's eyes. Too bad quarterback Dan Delito is the only parent her niece has. Alexis isn't in a position to raise the baby on her own, which means she needs Dan's help. And that means she'll have to make nice with the unsuitable man. Fine.   Much to Alexis's surprise, however, Dan is good with his daughter. He also knows he needs help, so he convinces Alexis to act as a nanny until he gets this parenting thing down. And soon their uneasy friendship changes into an unlikely romance. But can a football player, a lawyer and a baby really make a family?

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Linda Barrett’s QUARTERBACK DADDY is a contemporary romance with heart. Taking so many of life’s hard facts and turning them into opportunities for growth for her characters, this author pens a tale that is both sweet and realistic. It is a fast read with characters who are so emotionally present that it is hard not to enjoy every minute of this book.

So many issues, all relevant and many which will strike chords with readers, are touched upon. A man who has everything—until death takes his wife and turns his world upside down—is forced to find a way back to happiness, and a method for coping with the new responsibilities he finds on his doorstep. He cannot mourn his wife, lost to cancer, forever. And he cannot find solace at the bottom of a bottle of alcohol, no matter how hard he tries to do so. He meets a woman  with her own burdens and sorrows, and together with one very sweet baby girl they begin to pull hope from their damaged pasts. Alcohol, drunk driving, the question of what truly makes a parent—all are touched upon with compassion and intelligence, and never eclipse the fact that, at the center of it all, is a love story.

Wonderfully well written and emotionally gripping, QUARTERBACK DADDY was a delight to read—and I don’t even like football! Well done!

Kay James