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Lean on Me #4
The Father Factor
"I can take care of my family!"
To Amanda Carson, Nick DiMarco's words are beginning to wear thin. The single father of two seems determined to prove he can handle everything - his career, his home, his children. He wants no help from 'outsiders.' Particularly - as he keeps telling Amanda - outsiders who remind him of his ex-wife.
Nick's prejudices are threatening to harm the very people he wants to protect. His children. Amanda is too good a counselor to allow that to happen. Besides, the DiMarco kids - and their stubborn father - have found a special place in Amanda's heart.
Now all she has to do is convince Nick to let her into his...
To Amanda Carson, Nick DiMarco's words are beginning to wear thin. The single father of two seems determined to prove he can handle everything - his career, his home, his children. He wants no help from 'outsiders.' Particularly - as he keeps telling Amanda - outsiders who remind him of his ex-wife.
Nick's prejudices are threatening to harm the very people he wants to protect. His children. Amanda is too good a counselor to allow that to happen. Besides, the DiMarco kids - and their stubborn father - have found a special place in Amanda's heart.
Now all she has to do is convince Nick to let her into his...
299 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 1995
62 people are currently reading
109 people want to read
About the author
Kathryn Shay
173 books501 followersKathryn Shay is a lifelong writer. At fifteen, she penned her first 'romance,' a short story about a female newspaper reporter in New York City and her fight to make a name for herself in a world of male journalists - and with one hardheaded editor in particular. Looking back, Kathryn says she should have known then that writing was in her future. But as so often happens, fate sent her detouring down another path.
Fully intending to pursue her dream of big city lights and success in the literary world, Kathryn took every creative writing class available at the small private women's college she attended in upstate New York. Instead, other dreams took precedence. She met and subsequently married a wonderful guy who'd attended a neighboring school, then completed her practice teaching, a requirement for the education degree she never intended to use. But says Kathryn, "I fell in love with teaching the first day I was up in front of a class, and knew I was meant to do that."
Kathryn went on to build a successful career in the New York state school system, thoroughly enjoying her work with adolescents. But by the early 1990s, she'd again made room in her life for writing. It was then that she submitted her first manuscript to publishers and agents. Despite enduring two years of rejections, she persevered. And on a snowy December afternoon in 1994, Kathryn Shay sold her first book to Harlequin Superromance.
Since that first sale, Kathryn has written twenty-one books for Harlequin, nine mainstream contemporary romances for the Berkley Publishing Group, and two online novellas, which Berkley then published in traditional print format.
Kathryn has become known for her powerful characterizations - readers say they feel they know the people in her books - and her heart-wrenching, emotional writing (her favorite comments are that fans cried while reading her books or stayed up late to finish them). In testament to her skill, the author has won five RT BookClub Magazine Reviewers Choice Awards, three Holt Medallions, two Desert Quill Awards, the Golden Leaf Award, and several online accolades.
Even in light of her writing success, that initial love of teaching never wavered for Kathryn. She finished out her teaching career in 2004, retiring from the same school where her career began. These days, she lives in upstate New York with her husband and two children. "My life is very full," she reports, "but very happy. I consider myself fortunate to have been able to pursue and achieve my dreams."
Fully intending to pursue her dream of big city lights and success in the literary world, Kathryn took every creative writing class available at the small private women's college she attended in upstate New York. Instead, other dreams took precedence. She met and subsequently married a wonderful guy who'd attended a neighboring school, then completed her practice teaching, a requirement for the education degree she never intended to use. But says Kathryn, "I fell in love with teaching the first day I was up in front of a class, and knew I was meant to do that."
Kathryn went on to build a successful career in the New York state school system, thoroughly enjoying her work with adolescents. But by the early 1990s, she'd again made room in her life for writing. It was then that she submitted her first manuscript to publishers and agents. Despite enduring two years of rejections, she persevered. And on a snowy December afternoon in 1994, Kathryn Shay sold her first book to Harlequin Superromance.
Since that first sale, Kathryn has written twenty-one books for Harlequin, nine mainstream contemporary romances for the Berkley Publishing Group, and two online novellas, which Berkley then published in traditional print format.
Kathryn has become known for her powerful characterizations - readers say they feel they know the people in her books - and her heart-wrenching, emotional writing (her favorite comments are that fans cried while reading her books or stayed up late to finish them). In testament to her skill, the author has won five RT BookClub Magazine Reviewers Choice Awards, three Holt Medallions, two Desert Quill Awards, the Golden Leaf Award, and several online accolades.
Even in light of her writing success, that initial love of teaching never wavered for Kathryn. She finished out her teaching career in 2004, retiring from the same school where her career began. These days, she lives in upstate New York with her husband and two children. "My life is very full," she reports, "but very happy. I consider myself fortunate to have been able to pursue and achieve my dreams."
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 11, 2015
Single father Nick DiMarco is devoted to his children. Working a couple of jobs and going to school at night, Nick wants to become a lawyer so he can afford the things the kids need. The children's Guidance Counselor, Amanda Carson, knows one thing the DiMarco children need is their father home with them. He spends so much time working and studying, he doesn't have a lot of time for his kids. Amanda makes it her mission to help the kids. Nick sees Amanda as an outsider who reminds him of his ex-wife. But when she convinces him that she can help his children, Nick decides to let her into their lives.
I liked parts of this story but other parts didn't work for me. I liked the storyline with Nick's daughter Heather. She blames herself for her mother's abandonment. She is depressed and sometimes has suicidal thoughts. Amanda meets with troubled children and also has group therapy. I thought those portions of the book were very interesting.
I wasn't too happy with the romance. When Nick looks at Amanda, he sees a rich woman who he believes is too good for him or his children. He figures she will eventually abandon him and his kids when things get tough. Every time it seems like he is finally getting it through his head that she is nothing like his ex, something happens and we go all through the doubts again. My rating: 3 Stars.
I liked parts of this story but other parts didn't work for me. I liked the storyline with Nick's daughter Heather. She blames herself for her mother's abandonment. She is depressed and sometimes has suicidal thoughts. Amanda meets with troubled children and also has group therapy. I thought those portions of the book were very interesting.
I wasn't too happy with the romance. When Nick looks at Amanda, he sees a rich woman who he believes is too good for him or his children. He figures she will eventually abandon him and his kids when things get tough. Every time it seems like he is finally getting it through his head that she is nothing like his ex, something happens and we go all through the doubts again. My rating: 3 Stars.
February 7, 2025
Not your typical romance novel. I laughed , was intrigued by the female and male leads, but (spoiler here!) the woman, Amanda, is a counselor for depressed and suicidal kids/teens. There are some serious intense moments and at one point I cried for like 20 minutes!! It's a very good book! An emotional roller-coaster, but very good. Very highly recommend!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 24, 2014
I really enjoyed this book! You can feel Heather's pain through this story. Kathryn Shay is a captivating storyteller.
October 5, 2017
What influences how we see the world
I found myself gripped by this story of teenage unhappiness, by the failure to communicate because each person believes that talking about something painful will hurt the listener and not help the speaker. This is a classic story of how events from the past become distorted and influence each of the people in ways that are harmful and dangerous.
My previous statements make this book seem dark and unhappy. That’s incorrect. I loved each of the people in this story, they were real and active and helped each other and the people they encountered in their families and work. Each, in their own way, gave a great deal to their loved ones and the world. That is why this book is so powerful. As a reader, I not only enjoyed the story and the people who populated it, but I think I grew in reading it.
Thank you, Kathryn for another stimulating, thought provoking read. You never fail to impress.
I found myself gripped by this story of teenage unhappiness, by the failure to communicate because each person believes that talking about something painful will hurt the listener and not help the speaker. This is a classic story of how events from the past become distorted and influence each of the people in ways that are harmful and dangerous.
My previous statements make this book seem dark and unhappy. That’s incorrect. I loved each of the people in this story, they were real and active and helped each other and the people they encountered in their families and work. Each, in their own way, gave a great deal to their loved ones and the world. That is why this book is so powerful. As a reader, I not only enjoyed the story and the people who populated it, but I think I grew in reading it.
Thank you, Kathryn for another stimulating, thought provoking read. You never fail to impress.
March 9, 2018
Ebook
He’s a single dad with a severely depressed daughter and
a disabled son. He’s going to school to become a lawyer. His daughter councilor is really worried about her. The dad and the councilor are attracted to each other....
He’s a single dad with a severely depressed daughter and
a disabled son. He’s going to school to become a lawyer. His daughter councilor is really worried about her. The dad and the councilor are attracted to each other....
June 1, 2020
Love
This book brought the meaning of love and the reality of teen suicide. What a teen endures and feels is not always understood by adults. The book very well describes the adult vs. teens way of reality
This book brought the meaning of love and the reality of teen suicide. What a teen endures and feels is not always understood by adults. The book very well describes the adult vs. teens way of reality
October 12, 2021
This was the very first "smutty" romance novel I ever read many years ago at way too young of an age. But it started a 25+ year love affair with the greatest genre of all. I recently re-read it, and I am still as in love with it today as I was back then.
July 4, 2016
This was one of my old "keepers" from storage, which I had read before - but, apparently, so long ago that I wasn't on GR at the time! This was a nice contemporary, though slightly dated (feels very 90s!), dealing with some very heavy stuff. Hero was a decent guy, trying to do his best, and heroine was a decent lady, trying to do what she could to be a better person and help the world around her. There's really not much bad to say about them (which can sometimes be a problem in itself). There were moments where the two had to really reach for conflict, and it got a bit repetitive, at times. I also felt the hero's son was too cookie cutter (i.e. perfect, upbeat kid in a wheelchair is so very 90s!), and that no one had sufficient believable, and compelling, flaws. Still, an enjoyable read.
Dates approximate, as I am updating after the fact.
Dates approximate, as I am updating after the fact.
June 7, 2013
This story had some romance but really dealt with teenage suicide. I found this one really good and an insight to the sadness one has that makes them think of ending their life.
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April 9, 2018"I can take care of my family!"
To Amanda Carson, Nick DiMarco's words are beginning to wear thin. The single father of two seems determined to prove he can handle everything - his career, his home, his children. He wants no help from 'outsiders.' Particularly - as he keeps telling Amanda - outsiders who remind him of his ex-wife.
Nick's prejudices are threatening to harm the very people he wants to protect. His children. Amanda is too good a counselor to allow that to happen. Besides, the DiMarco kids - and their stubborn father - have found a special place in Amanda's heart.
Now all she has to do is convince Nick to let her into his...
To Amanda Carson, Nick DiMarco's words are beginning to wear thin. The single father of two seems determined to prove he can handle everything - his career, his home, his children. He wants no help from 'outsiders.' Particularly - as he keeps telling Amanda - outsiders who remind him of his ex-wife.
Nick's prejudices are threatening to harm the very people he wants to protect. His children. Amanda is too good a counselor to allow that to happen. Besides, the DiMarco kids - and their stubborn father - have found a special place in Amanda's heart.
Now all she has to do is convince Nick to let her into his...
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews