An Accidental Family

by Darlene Graham

Finding love where they least expect it.

Rainey Chapman has three young boys in her care. When they witness a crime, Rainey's difficult job becomes deadly serious. Until the criminals are caught, she must hide the boys at a secret location known only to Seth Whitman - a small town cop with a secret of his own.

Rainey's never met a man like Seth, but she has met a cop like him - her father, gunned down over ten years ago. She's vowed that she will never fall for a man who puts himself in danger every day. Even if he's become a father figure for the needy boys...and even if he's everything she's ever wanted in a man.

Genres: Romance

298 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 2005

About the author

Darlene Graham, who won the Oklahoma Writers' Federation prestigious Teepee Award for Best Fiction Book of 1999, says that having witnessed birth, death and "everything in between" helps her put realistic emotions into her novels. Graham practiced as a registered nurse in Labor and Delivery and then Oncology for 20 years before she decided to translate all that real-life drama into romantic suspense fiction.

"Even though I write uplifting, even humorous romance," the mother of three says, "I'm also not afraid to deal with real issues, with real pain. I've been known to sit at my computer and shed a few tears while I write."

Graham's first book, It Happened in Texas, was released as a Guaranteed Page Turner by Harlequin Superromance, and she says that since that book sold, her writing life has felt "like popcorn popping."

"Something new and exciting happens almost every day."

Graham says that she never runs out of material, and often gets her plot ideas by pure serendipity.

"I feel like I'm just getting started and I don't think I'll ever get tired of writing. Writing is my dream. How many people get to actually live their dreams every single day? For me, there's no turning back."

Reviews

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seth Whitman is a small-town cop and he’s seeking revenge against the Slaughter brothers (who are twins) for his brother’s murder. The Slaughters served time on a lesser charge, it was said that it was a drunk driving accident, but Seth believes that his brother was deliberately run off the road resulting in his death. While tracking the Slaughter brothers in the mountains, Seth comes upon three young boys bound with duct tape who witnessed something that they shouldn’t have seen.

Rainey Chapman is responsible for the three troubled boys who ran off from Big Cedar Camp unbeknownst to her to explore the caves. When Seth runs into Rainey on the mountain, he lets her know the boys are safe, but now they must hide out somewhere safe so the Slaughters cannot get to the boys. They head to Rainey’s grandmother’s secluded mountaintop home while Seth plans his next move. Along the way, Seth and Rainey develop feelings for each other.

This was such an enjoyable read. It had suspense and romance and a great cast of characters. I really liked the three troubled young boys that were in Rainey’s care, and they played a big part in the story. I liked how the boys grew more responsible throughout the story, and how Seth, Rainey and her grandmother proved to be a good influence on them. Rainey’s grandmother was a lot of fun. The setting was great in the Winding Stair Mountains of Oklahoma. I really enjoyed the scenes that took place in the mountains and caves. Overall, a very entertaining story.

[Angelique Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a mediocre love story. Rainy made absolutely no sense to me. Her choices just didn't add up. For this to be a super romance...there sure was a lack of it. It was okay book. I don't regret reading it, but I probably won't pick it up again anytime soon!