A mum for all calamities...that was what Faulkner Scott's young son wanted. and the motherless twelve year old was determined to appoint Shelly Astor to the post!
I haven't read any Diana Palmer before, but I do have the impression around romance blog land that people either love her or shall we say dislike her intensely!
This was a novella that was included in a 3-in-1 Harlequin Desire book along with Reunion of Revenge by Kathie DeNosky and Secrets in the Marriage Bed by Nalini Singh, but was originally published in 1993. One of the things about contemporary novels is that it is possible that, unless the author is really careful, their novel will date as fashion and the world moves forward. For example, at one point in this novella, the hero, Faulkner Scott, was dressed in white pants, a white jacket, and a royal blue silk shirt....hmmmm....not sure if you would see that around too much these days!
As for the story itself, well, it was okay. Shelly Astor is a young society miss who has had to fight her parents tooth and nail to get permission to go to university to study, as she wants to become a social worker. She is therefore about 24, but when she meets Faulkner she lets him think that she is much younger than she really is, and keeps her well to do background to herself.
They meet when Faulkner's son Ben decides that Shelly should become his new mum after befriending her. She is definitely preferably to the woman who appears set to become his evil step mum. Faulkner is a successful and arrogant banker who works hard to provide for his son, but who really is a bit emotionally distant and doesn't know his son all that much.
After Shelly saves Ben's life, Faulkner begins to listen to Shelly, and begins to act on the attraction that he feels for her, but he makes it clear that there can be no future for them because he things she is too young, a virgin, not from the right background, and he doesn't want marriage stop things from going too far! Once he realises exactly who she is, things change and he can't live without her!
As in all novellas where the hero and heroine don't already have an existing relationship of some kind, the getting to know each other, falling in love and living happily ever after happen very quickly. There were a couple of really corny lines, including one after the wedding where Shelly and Faulkner are about to make love for the first time, when he asks her "Do you want me to make you pregnant?" as if he had the power to make it happen, but other than that it was an okay read!
Rating 3.5/5
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