Return of Caine O'Halloran: Hard Choices

Lost Loves

by JoAnn Ross, Allison Leigh

A new hope
Caine O'Halloran had been a hero. A husband. A father. Now he was none of those things. His career as a baseball pitcher--all but over. His marriage to Nora Anderson--history. The son he loved--gone. And now, as he returns to his hometown to regroup, he finds instead that every familiar corner, every familiar face is a reminder of what he has lost.
Except for Nora. Because with her he has a second chance. A chance at forgiveness, redemption and hope. But after all the golden opportunities Caine has squandered in his life, can he believe he deserves another chance?
Bonus book included in this volume!
Hard Choices by USA TODAY bestselling author Allison Leigh
When the daughter she'd given up appears on her doorstep, Annie Hess knows it's time to reconcile her past--with her daughter, and the one man she can't forget.

Genres: Romance

ebook

First published May 1, 1994

About the author

New York Times bestselling author JoAnn Ross has written over a hundred novels for a bunch of publishers. Two of her titles have been excerpted in Cosmo and her books have also been published by the Doubleday, Rhapsody, Literary Guild, and Mystery Guild book clubs.

A member of the Romance Writers of America's Honor Roll of best-selling authors, she's won several awards, including Romantic Times's Career Achievement Awards in both category and contemporary single title.

Currently writing a new Honeymoon Harbor series for HQN set on the Washington peninsula, that will launch in April, 2018, JoAnn lives with her husband (her high school sweetheart, who proposed at the sea wall where her Shelter Bay books are set), in the Pacific Northwest.

Reviews

[BookwormWithGoggles · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just felt there were a lot of unnecessary elements to the plot.

Like the fact that the hero was still married to another woman. I understand that this made him seem like yet another useless pro-athlete with a goldigger wife. I dont believe we even knew her name or had her actually feature in a scene. The hero certainly didn't let the fact that he was still legally married stop him from chasing after his ex-wife.

I didn't see why the hero and heroine couldn't have had a normal relationship before the tragedy of losing their son drove them apart. Instead we were treated to good girl who wants to study medicine suddenly has one night stand with her brothers' best friend in his car and boom couple of weeks later, she's pregnant. If she was in any way medically inclined, I am surprised they hadn't used contraception? Also no mention is made of them having feelings for each other before that night. It just seems weird and disrespectful of hero towards his friends. Then the marriage of convenience for the baby's sake. 6 months in to which they decide to make their marriage real. I don't know folks, it just seems clumsy to me and not required. The story would have got along fine without all this.

[Mary Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the author's writing style but felt the plot and characters needed to be developed more. There are several misunderstandings between the characters which could have been avoided. I'll read more of this author's books.

[Carol Rankin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Return of Caine O'Halloran

A great story full of surprises and love. A terrific ending with love winning out over secrets. Worth every single one.

[Brenda M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tragedy can change lives but you have a choice what direction you chose.

[B. D. Mann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Return of Caine O'Halloran: This was my first experience with a JoAnne Ross story and was quite favorably impressed. I loved the setting in the North Olympic Peninsula if Washington State. Living in the Puget Sound area I could easily visualize the setting of the fictional town of Tribulation as it is located only 35 miles from real life Port Angeles. Ms. Ross brought the town to life with her physical descriptions of the town as well as it's history. Not only did she bring to life the protagonists, Caine O"Halloran and Nora Anderson, she put life into a host of supporting characters. My heart ached as I was introduced to little Dylan as she brought him to life only to have him torn from that life by a drunk driver. The impact of that terrible tragedy on Caine and Nora helps drive much of the story line. I came away from this read with a real appreciation for the talent of JoAnne Ross as an author and story teller. I am looking forward to reading more of her work.

Hard Choices: This is my second experience with Allison Leigh. During the first half of the novel I did not feel she was living up to my previous read. There was a subtle hint from time to time that things were not always as they seem. At that point I felt this offering was a two or three star book. But the, wow, things took off.I was blindsided with the plot twists and turns and seemingly previous very subtle hints blossomed into major and surprising events.

[Deborah D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both books were quite good, touching on the less common theme (in romance stories anyway) of rough beginnings and poor\selfish familial groups. Reminding us that with time and (hopefully) maturity perspectives can change....and it is OK.

The Return of Caine O'Halloran - youth, innocence and tragedy ended their 1st marriage...the Return is an opportunity to reconnect and recover...and discover.



Hard Choices by Allison Leigh -
Was a good story about the impact(s) of a real winner of a mother on the lives of her daughter, the resulting impacts of decisions when she was 17 and 19-ish and the resounding craziness as the secret adoption, a natural disaster on the island that Annie lives on and some of the discoveries and rebuilding of lives which began during the town's recovery.

[Emily Higgins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Caine O'Halloran has been put on waivers by his baseball team. He returns home to regroup only to find himself courting his ex-wife. Good story.
Hard Choices: Annie Hess is living a quiet life on an island off the coast of California. Her niece runs away from home to join Annie just before a big storm isolates the island. Annie's former lover shows up to return her niece to her family. Because the storm has isolated them, their departure is delayed, giving time for some old truths to be revealed. Good story.

[Debbie Braun Zietak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both books were great love stories. I really enjoyed them equally.