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Evening Hours
Two families' lives explode when buried secrets see the light of day . . .
Her dream of becoming a fashion model shattered by a car accident, Kaylee Benton has a successful career running a top Texas modeling agency. But the scars run deep. She longs for two things she believes she can never have: a husband and a child. When she is swept off her feet by D.A. Cutler McFarland, she tries to catch her breath long enough to fathom: why her, why now?
Cutler McFarland can't deny his attraction to Kaylee, but marrying her is blackmail, pure and simple. Kaylee's father believes he's doing the right thing when he orders Cutler to marry Kaylee so the secrets of Cutler's past won't come to light. It's a dark revelation that could destroy Cutler's family and his career. But that doesn't stop Cutler from fighting back . . . or falling in love with Kaylee -- from whom he now must keep the hardest secret of all.
Her dream of becoming a fashion model shattered by a car accident, Kaylee Benton has a successful career running a top Texas modeling agency. But the scars run deep. She longs for two things she believes she can never have: a husband and a child. When she is swept off her feet by D.A. Cutler McFarland, she tries to catch her breath long enough to fathom: why her, why now?
Cutler McFarland can't deny his attraction to Kaylee, but marrying her is blackmail, pure and simple. Kaylee's father believes he's doing the right thing when he orders Cutler to marry Kaylee so the secrets of Cutler's past won't come to light. It's a dark revelation that could destroy Cutler's family and his career. But that doesn't stop Cutler from fighting back . . . or falling in love with Kaylee -- from whom he now must keep the hardest secret of all.
- GenresRomanceContemporary
378 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 2005
6 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
Mary Lynn Baxter
148 books31 followersMary Lynn Baxter was born on 28 July 1943 in Lufkin, Texas, USA, where she bred, home of the cowboy - hero of the Western romance, which is one of the most popular of the category's sub-genres. She would be the first to say that it's her background that gives her a unique feel for romance writing.
Since she was a young girl, books and reading have been an important part of her life. Only after she read all the "goodies" in her public library did her mother encourage her to buy Harlequin romances, then 35 cents each. Wow! Those reading years laid the background for her decision to major in Library Science at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas, and become a school librarian.
After eight years of working in various school systems, she felt a need to do something different. What she wanted was to open a bookstore. With the help of her husband, Leonard, and her mother, Mary Lynn did just that. For over 20 years she sold books, and loved every minute of it. Then Mary Lynn decided she needed a new challenge. Following an intense amount of pushing and prodding from her husband she took the plunge and tried her hand at writing.
After months of agonising and chewing her nails, she finally mailed All our Tomorrows to Silhouette books in February 1981. One year later it was published as a Silhouette Special Edition. Now, over 40 books later, she's still writing. Mary Lynn can't think of anything else she'd rather do with her time and energy. She surfaces from her writing, she's a voracious reader. But this petite dynamo is always happy to tumble out of her world of fiction into her local fitness center for a bracing workout. She's also dedicated to her volunteer work... and still manages to fit in plenty of quality time with her family at their home in Lufkin, Texas.
Since she was a young girl, books and reading have been an important part of her life. Only after she read all the "goodies" in her public library did her mother encourage her to buy Harlequin romances, then 35 cents each. Wow! Those reading years laid the background for her decision to major in Library Science at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas, and become a school librarian.
After eight years of working in various school systems, she felt a need to do something different. What she wanted was to open a bookstore. With the help of her husband, Leonard, and her mother, Mary Lynn did just that. For over 20 years she sold books, and loved every minute of it. Then Mary Lynn decided she needed a new challenge. Following an intense amount of pushing and prodding from her husband she took the plunge and tried her hand at writing.
After months of agonising and chewing her nails, she finally mailed All our Tomorrows to Silhouette books in February 1981. One year later it was published as a Silhouette Special Edition. Now, over 40 books later, she's still writing. Mary Lynn can't think of anything else she'd rather do with her time and energy. She surfaces from her writing, she's a voracious reader. But this petite dynamo is always happy to tumble out of her world of fiction into her local fitness center for a bracing workout. She's also dedicated to her volunteer work... and still manages to fit in plenty of quality time with her family at their home in Lufkin, Texas.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 28, 2011
This book could have been so much better. The romance between Kaylee and Cutler was hot, but everything else was not. There were three or four different suspense side plots which were half baked. Had they been fully developed, the book would have been a humdinger, and worthy of 5 stars. The ending was really rushed to wrap things up neatly. It may have been a better idea to only partially wrap things up and write a sequel. But that's just my personal opinion.
February 6, 2017
This was a book on my list to read , having discovered the angsty plot on amazon discussions. I just finished it and I cannot say that I liked it or not. Cutler was not a hero in any manner, I understand the things he discovered were shocking and had I been in his place I would have been quite upset...but in saying that he acted bullish, self centered and hateful. He married Kaylee to "protect" his mother and then went about endangering her in every way (as well as his wife). He acted 14, full of hormones and no brains, his mistreatment of his father trevor was unforgiveable, not calling him dad because he was not biologically connected (a discovery 5 mins earlier made this happen), uh dud buddy he was the guy who raised you, loved you, made you the man you were til that moment when you honestly turned into the man who sired you.
Kaylee I liked somewhat, but she went from super vulnerable to super idiotic pretty quick....her hormones directed her into this marriage and blackmail his..... they were a loss as a couple, the story was angsty (which I love), the couple a miss..... the 1 page forgiveness a total let down (as I was looking at how many pages were left when the betrayal from everyone in her life happens... it is 2 pages at the end of the book. disappointed
Kaylee I liked somewhat, but she went from super vulnerable to super idiotic pretty quick....her hormones directed her into this marriage and blackmail his..... they were a loss as a couple, the story was angsty (which I love), the couple a miss..... the 1 page forgiveness a total let down (as I was looking at how many pages were left when the betrayal from everyone in her life happens... it is 2 pages at the end of the book. disappointed
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2019
Captivating
I enjoyed the storyline and characters. I would have given it a five-star but it was a little too heavy on explicit sex for my liking . The scenes changed with no grammatical break in the text and I had to regroup my thinking to realize that it had changed to a different scene. I would like richer details about the bad guys going down. The characters were believable and the emotions were evocative. I look forward to reading more by Mary Lynn Baxter . Definitely a five-star author.
I enjoyed the storyline and characters. I would have given it a five-star but it was a little too heavy on explicit sex for my liking . The scenes changed with no grammatical break in the text and I had to regroup my thinking to realize that it had changed to a different scene. I would like richer details about the bad guys going down. The characters were believable and the emotions were evocative. I look forward to reading more by Mary Lynn Baxter . Definitely a five-star author.
September 12, 2020
Cliches, cliches, cliches.
Never have I ever read a book so chock full of cliches. Not a single paragraph or line of dialog is spared. Many sentences and lines get more than one. Astounding, that editors missed them (all) and distracting from the actually could-have-been-decent storyline. Wow! Tempted to read another by this author to see if this is just a fluke or is actually an element of “style”. Yikes.
Never have I ever read a book so chock full of cliches. Not a single paragraph or line of dialog is spared. Many sentences and lines get more than one. Astounding, that editors missed them (all) and distracting from the actually could-have-been-decent storyline. Wow! Tempted to read another by this author to see if this is just a fluke or is actually an element of “style”. Yikes.
April 18, 2021
It felt like the ending was thrown together because the author didn’t feel like writing anymore.
October 17, 2011
I hadn't read anything by Mary Lynn Baxter before, and I was not impressed with this novel. I was intrigued by the premise of a very handsome D.A. falling in love with a woman whose leg was crippled after an accident, leaving her with a limp and horribly scarred trunk and legs. Unfortunately, the hero and heroine's relationship was underdeveloped, so the attraction was unbelievable. Even with love at first sight, a relationship needs to progress through certain stages of intimacy, and this story skipped all that.
Baxter has written many other novels, and at 2005 this is one of her more recent ones, so why is it full of a new writer's mistakes?
There were a lot of interesting plot complications -- criminal activity, judicial malfeasance, various kinds of abuse to figure out, which kept me skimming as fast as I could so I could in order to arrive at the resolution, but the ending was much too perfunctory, unsatisfying, and not credible.
Worst of all, the writing voice was terrible. All the characters sounded the same -- stiff and formal -- and the hero often behaved out of character, more like a woman than a virile man.
Baxter has written many other novels, and at 2005 this is one of her more recent ones, so why is it full of a new writer's mistakes?
There were a lot of interesting plot complications -- criminal activity, judicial malfeasance, various kinds of abuse to figure out, which kept me skimming as fast as I could so I could in order to arrive at the resolution, but the ending was much too perfunctory, unsatisfying, and not credible.
Worst of all, the writing voice was terrible. All the characters sounded the same -- stiff and formal -- and the hero often behaved out of character, more like a woman than a virile man.
June 1, 2014
When rating a book I feel you have to rate it against other books in the same genre. I could never compare a romance novel to my favorite fiction or memoir. Since I do not read romance novels often I only have a small pool to compare this one to. However,I am able to say with certainty that this is not a good romance novel. I felt that she tried to have too many different plot twists going on to try to make the novel seem more complicated and in depth than it could ever be. In addition, the language between Kaylee and Cutler drove me crazy...I actually considered quitting about 70 pages from the end but then decided I needed to finish so I could count it towards my reading goal.I can't say anything positive about this novel and honestly can't remember how it ended up on my bookshelf. The bright spot is now I have a space for something that is actually worth reading.
May 25, 2014
First time reading a book by Mary Lynn Baxter and the first page grabbed me. The main character from the beginning had to deal with physical issues and grief. The story moves to sixteen years later and the main character is still dealing with physical pain. She meets someone who looks past her physical scars and their relationship blossoms. Although they both have jobs that require lots of their time and energy, they find time, usually in the evening hours, to talk about their day and reconnect. The ending was perfect. Recommend.
April 25, 2011
What a great read!
A book full of supsense, romance and secrets.
The characters in this book, played all a very strong part.
Kaylee is one woman to admire, after a tragic accident, how she puts her life together, and makes all her dreams come true.
Her Godfather and father help her on the way, but do disappoint her, and making her think who to trust.
But the romance and the love between Cutler and Kaylee is something else :)
A book full of supsense, romance and secrets.
The characters in this book, played all a very strong part.
Kaylee is one woman to admire, after a tragic accident, how she puts her life together, and makes all her dreams come true.
Her Godfather and father help her on the way, but do disappoint her, and making her think who to trust.
But the romance and the love between Cutler and Kaylee is something else :)
April 19, 2008
Fun, quick, flirty/sexy read, set in Texas.
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August 2, 2011I didn't know what to expect having not read any of her other books...I was pleasantly surprised.
May 3, 2013
Good romance book. Interesting through the end.
December 22, 2013
A really good book
I just hated to put the book down. I read all afternoon. I had to finish the book before I went to bed.
I just hated to put the book down. I read all afternoon. I had to finish the book before I went to bed.
September 11, 2016
También es llamado Cicatrices en el corazón
February 28, 2015
Great book from beginning to end. Would highly recommend this.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews