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Serenity House #3
Against the Odds
Anabelle Crane had once loved Nathan Hyde. But his betrayal forced them apart and sent her packing -- all the way to Seattle. Now she's a cop and she's put her life back together, convinced that she's over Nathan.
But when she comes home to recuperate from a gunshot wound, she learns that he's in danger. So Anabelle goes undercover, telling herself she's guarding Nathan for his daughter's sake. But while Anabelle's protecting Nathan from harm, nobody's protecting her from Nathan. And she's falling for him all over again!
They'd grown up at Serenity House -- a group home for girls. Now they're coming together for the first time as adults. Childhood friends who'd shared difficult times, who'd shared hopes and fears -- and perhaps most important of all...secrets.
But when she comes home to recuperate from a gunshot wound, she learns that he's in danger. So Anabelle goes undercover, telling herself she's guarding Nathan for his daughter's sake. But while Anabelle's protecting Nathan from harm, nobody's protecting her from Nathan. And she's falling for him all over again!
They'd grown up at Serenity House -- a group home for girls. Now they're coming together for the first time as adults. Childhood friends who'd shared difficult times, who'd shared hopes and fears -- and perhaps most important of all...secrets.
- GenresRomanceContemporary
297 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 2003
14 people are currently reading
106 people want to read
About the author
Kathryn Shay
174 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 15, 2013
The book blurb states
"Rescued as a teenager from an abusive household, Anabelle Crane loved the time she spent at Serenity House. But when she’s hired to become a nanny to wealthy Congressman Nathan Hyde’s daughter, she finds a different kind of love. She comes to care deeply for her charge and, though she fights it, she falls for the handsome and powerful Congressman himself. But when he reveals he’s in love with her too, passion explodes. Their relationship ends bitterly. Fifteen years later, Anabelle has become a cop who stands for the rights of others. It’s when she’s wounded and returns home that she meets up with Nathan again—after she heals, she becomes his bodyguard while he's being stalked! This time, can they stop their inconvenient and, now, dangerous feelings for each other?"
Kathryn Shay also weaves some messages through the tale on self defence, abuse and even gun control which is commendable. Since I hadn't read any previous books in this series, established characters from past books popping up here and there made this a slight disconnect.
This was at times a dull read, but I stuck at it and overall I found it refreshingy different and entertaining.
"Rescued as a teenager from an abusive household, Anabelle Crane loved the time she spent at Serenity House. But when she’s hired to become a nanny to wealthy Congressman Nathan Hyde’s daughter, she finds a different kind of love. She comes to care deeply for her charge and, though she fights it, she falls for the handsome and powerful Congressman himself. But when he reveals he’s in love with her too, passion explodes. Their relationship ends bitterly. Fifteen years later, Anabelle has become a cop who stands for the rights of others. It’s when she’s wounded and returns home that she meets up with Nathan again—after she heals, she becomes his bodyguard while he's being stalked! This time, can they stop their inconvenient and, now, dangerous feelings for each other?"
Kathryn Shay also weaves some messages through the tale on self defence, abuse and even gun control which is commendable. Since I hadn't read any previous books in this series, established characters from past books popping up here and there made this a slight disconnect.
This was at times a dull read, but I stuck at it and overall I found it refreshingy different and entertaining.
June 8, 2022
A friend sent me this book in a box of books. I'm not sure if she read it or not. I don't recognize the author so my guess is that this is the first of her books that I've read. I've also not read the first two books in this series and don't plan to seek them out.
The minuses far outweigh the pluses in this book for me.
The pluses:
*Serenity House sounds like it does good work for teenage girls (though there is a mention in this book that it is being investigated due to a series of problems with residents and a mix up in supervision) and it sounds like the boys's house Quiet Waters will be similar.
*The dogs (who are a very small part of the story).
The minuses:
*If Nathan truly wanted to leave his wife and be with Annabelle, the correct way to go about it would have been to divorce Olivia before sleeping with Annabelle--before making Annabelle promises that he then found he couldn't keep.
*There's a lot of sexual relations outside of marriage: Annabelle and Nathan (both in the past and the current timelines), Barbara and Nathan, Jon and his ex-girlfriend.
*I didn't find some of Annabelle's choice believable. Certainly she can't be the only female who could be a bodyguard or the only person who could "fit in" unobtrusively. Yes, it might have taken a short while to find someone suitable, and I could see Annabelle perhaps standing in until that happened, but agreeing to it long term . . .
*Rob--exactly how did Annabelle discourage him? When he left to return to Seattle, he was claiming when she returned they'd take up where they'd left off before she left Seattle. Yet, when she returns to Seattle, we don't hear anything more about him or how she convinced him their relationship was over.
The minuses far outweigh the pluses in this book for me.
The pluses:
*Serenity House sounds like it does good work for teenage girls (though there is a mention in this book that it is being investigated due to a series of problems with residents and a mix up in supervision) and it sounds like the boys's house Quiet Waters will be similar.
*The dogs (who are a very small part of the story).
The minuses:
*If Nathan truly wanted to leave his wife and be with Annabelle, the correct way to go about it would have been to divorce Olivia before sleeping with Annabelle--before making Annabelle promises that he then found he couldn't keep.
*There's a lot of sexual relations outside of marriage: Annabelle and Nathan (both in the past and the current timelines), Barbara and Nathan, Jon and his ex-girlfriend.
*I didn't find some of Annabelle's choice believable. Certainly she can't be the only female who could be a bodyguard or the only person who could "fit in" unobtrusively. Yes, it might have taken a short while to find someone suitable, and I could see Annabelle perhaps standing in until that happened, but agreeing to it long term . . .
*Rob--exactly how did Annabelle discourage him? When he left to return to Seattle, he was claiming when she returned they'd take up where they'd left off before she left Seattle. Yet, when she returns to Seattle, we don't hear anything more about him or how she convinced him their relationship was over.
June 11, 2020
I am fascinated by the way Kathryn Shay manages to create characters who are so real that they always seem like people you know, while having them confront problems that make me ache for them. At it’s most basic, this story is one about people’s ability to trust. Why are we more likely to trust the person we don’t know or don’t like over the person we love? The main characters spend years apart because they couldn’t get over their past and didn’t understand their alternatives. I found that this series, in particular, presented a cast of characters each of whom was sympathetic and likable. I found myself sympathizing with all of them, even while I hated some of their actions. The book is filled with very hard choices, impossible situations and people who struggle to do the right things for their friends and loved ones, often at their own expense. I know I will reread the entire series several times, because the choices are so understandable and interesting.
August 14, 2017
Hoping to someday read the other girls stories
May 23, 2018
I loved this book!! Great story!! 1st time reading this author!! will read more of her books!!
July 31, 2012
i loved it was a awesome!
own-under-diff-title-or-anthology
August 7, 2017Serenity House Trilogy
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June 18, 2018Anabelle Crane had once loved Nathan Hyde. But his betrayal forced them apart and sent her packing -- all the way to Seattle. Now she's a cop and she's put her life back together, convinced that she's over Nathan.
But when she comes home to recuperate from a gunshot wound, she learns that he's in danger. So Anabelle goes undercover, telling herself she's guarding Nathan for his daughter's sake. But while Anabelle's protecting Nathan from harm, nobody's protecting her from Nathan. And she's falling for him all over again!
They'd grown up at Serenity House -- a group home for girls. Now they're coming together for the first time as adults. Childhood friends who'd shared difficult times, who'd shared hopes and fears -- and perhaps most important of all...secrets.
But when she comes home to recuperate from a gunshot wound, she learns that he's in danger. So Anabelle goes undercover, telling herself she's guarding Nathan for his daughter's sake. But while Anabelle's protecting Nathan from harm, nobody's protecting her from Nathan. And she's falling for him all over again!
They'd grown up at Serenity House -- a group home for girls. Now they're coming together for the first time as adults. Childhood friends who'd shared difficult times, who'd shared hopes and fears -- and perhaps most important of all...secrets.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews