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McKnight Family Romance #2
His Secret Baby: A McKnight Family Romance
I never told a soul who Katie's dad was...but now he's just walked through the door.
The one person I never wanted to come back to Evergreen Hollow, just walked into my my daughter's dad.
Chris Heartworth, Hollywood star on the brink of making the A-list, broke my heart five years ago when he walked away. Now he's back to make sure his grandmother is okay and acting like family is the most important thing to him.
Even though I'm his grandma's home health aide, I can remain professional. Until Katie needs to be picked up from daycare and I'm forced to bring her with me. Now, he's playing with my daughter. He's laughing and whispering with her. He's acting like the father I so desperately want him to be.
And late at night? When he stares down at me like I'm all he sees? I want to believe that he's changed.
Problem is, we've been here before. I thought he would never leave me and I'd been wrong.
I'm not sure my heart could handle being wrong again.
The one person I never wanted to come back to Evergreen Hollow, just walked into my my daughter's dad.
Chris Heartworth, Hollywood star on the brink of making the A-list, broke my heart five years ago when he walked away. Now he's back to make sure his grandmother is okay and acting like family is the most important thing to him.
Even though I'm his grandma's home health aide, I can remain professional. Until Katie needs to be picked up from daycare and I'm forced to bring her with me. Now, he's playing with my daughter. He's laughing and whispering with her. He's acting like the father I so desperately want him to be.
And late at night? When he stares down at me like I'm all he sees? I want to believe that he's changed.
Problem is, we've been here before. I thought he would never leave me and I'd been wrong.
I'm not sure my heart could handle being wrong again.
173 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 30, 2024
1514 people are currently reading
1442 people want to read
About the author
Anne-Marie Meyer
102 books3,553 followersAnne-Marie Meyer is a USA Today Bestselling author who lives south of the Twin Cities in MN. She spends her days with her knight in shining armor, four princes, and a baby princess.
When she's not running after her kids, she's dreaming up romantic stories. She loves to take her favorite moments in the books and movies she loves and tries to figure out a way to make them new and fresh.
Join her newsletter at anne-mariemeyer.com
When she's not running after her kids, she's dreaming up romantic stories. She loves to take her favorite moments in the books and movies she loves and tries to figure out a way to make them new and fresh.
Join her newsletter at anne-mariemeyer.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
September 3, 2020
Why does this always happen to me? This book features my least favorite kind of “hero”. Everything he doesn’t is complexity selfish and for self gain, but his inner dialogue rambles on like what he is doing is for her. Except unlike when that happens in most books where the hero is like that his rationale is just completely dumb. For example his reasoning for not coming back to her or then back to get her etc, was that he saw a newspaper clipping where she had started attending nursing school and was making her “dreams come true”. Um speaking as a nurse and someone who is re-entering college to complete the next degree, I eyerolled so hard I almost gave myself a migraine. Like, seriously? This is where the author went with this? Yeah I want to be an independent woman and I respect that. But nursing is a career. It may be a “dream” to become a nurse but come on! To actually pretend that dumping someone and forcing them, a person who loved him, to watch him with Hollywood starlets and models in the media (she could never escape it being that they were from the same town) for years was doing them a favor so they were free to pursue their dream of nursing is some of the dumbest writing that I have ever read!!! If that’s what he was truly doing then maybe he should have kept it in his pants? Because it’s all about “dreams” and protecting her, right? Exactly, not it’s not. The author didn’t go that route because even they don’t believe that, so why shove that down the readers throats? Either the authors really just aren’t very bright or they just don’t care to / are too lazy to write a quality story. Trust me. Unless there are other issues, 99% of us would rather have had our Hollywood true love show up to win us back than respect our “dream of nursing”. He wouldn’t have kept her from anything. She could have still made the decision to finish school and then make decision from there. But to be grieving their relationship, having the fame/other women thrown in her face, and also deal with how demanding nursing school is? He was hindering her “dreams” not helping him them, that’s for sure. How come authors always come up with these completely ludicrous plot points to supposedly show how a hero “loves” the heroine, but having him be loyal and faithful is just too much of a stretch? Anyway everything he did was just kind of douchey, and was the exactly same pattern of all of the other secret baby stories.
🙄😓
When he finds out he is the father, he throws a mantrum and is angry that she didn’t tell him. He then threatens her with a lawyer, and does what? Gasp, it’s shocking... He leaves 🙄 and goes back to Hollywood and his life there. He eventually comes back and or course, because this isn’t actually a well formulated plot and/or story, there is a two second conversation where there are zero explanations really given or anything accomplished yet they magically have worked everything out. Long story short this is such a crap story and I wish I had given in to the urge to DNF as soon as I had it, instead of trying to get to the substance. Spoiler alert, there isn’t any!
🙄😓
When he finds out he is the father, he throws a mantrum and is angry that she didn’t tell him. He then threatens her with a lawyer, and does what? Gasp, it’s shocking... He leaves 🙄 and goes back to Hollywood and his life there. He eventually comes back and or course, because this isn’t actually a well formulated plot and/or story, there is a two second conversation where there are zero explanations really given or anything accomplished yet they magically have worked everything out. Long story short this is such a crap story and I wish I had given in to the urge to DNF as soon as I had it, instead of trying to get to the substance. Spoiler alert, there isn’t any!
August 8, 2020
4.25 Stars
This was a cute and mildly angsty story of a surprise baby/child. Yes, some of it was far fetched but overall, it was a cute 2nd chance romance.
After reading the Epilogue, it leads up to the next book in the series and it really grabbed my interest too. A story about Mason (Penny's brother) who served in the army and his best friend's widow.
This was a cute and mildly angsty story of a surprise baby/child. Yes, some of it was far fetched but overall, it was a cute 2nd chance romance.
After reading the Epilogue, it leads up to the next book in the series and it really grabbed my interest too. A story about Mason (Penny's brother) who served in the army and his best friend's widow.
March 8, 2023
KU*
2.75 stars
I really wanted to love this book, but it was bit boring and nothing really interesting happens until about 60%.
Penny is a single mom with the cutest daughter, Katie, and no one knows who her father is. This will be the first annoying thing for me, no one had any idea who Katie’s dad was even though Penny was dating Chris for a few years and was heartbroken when he left her; not one person could figure out that mystery.
Penny kept the truth not only from her family, but from Chris as well; her reasoning since he left her he will leave Katie. Again it must be stated they were teenagers when he left so I give some leeway for her reasonings, but it’s been approximately 5 years and she never told him. What’s worst? When he comes back to town, she lies to his face about Katie and states his best friend, Tag, is her father and implied they hooked up when they left. Now here is another item that didn’t make sense, according to Penny, they were tight group of friends in high school: Penny, Chris, Tag and Brit; Penny and Chris were a couple and Tag and Brit were a couple. Chris had no idea who Brit was which is odd because I thought they were close annnnddd Brit and Tag have been dating for years.
The book just didn’t make sense and these characters were just odd. Once Chris finds out about Katie, he leaves them to marry his fake girlfriend and then feels guilty. Penny actually needed to be told she needed to apologize to Chris.
I just couldn’t take this book anymore and I just wanted it to end.
2.75 stars
I really wanted to love this book, but it was bit boring and nothing really interesting happens until about 60%.
Penny is a single mom with the cutest daughter, Katie, and no one knows who her father is. This will be the first annoying thing for me, no one had any idea who Katie’s dad was even though Penny was dating Chris for a few years and was heartbroken when he left her; not one person could figure out that mystery.
Penny kept the truth not only from her family, but from Chris as well; her reasoning since he left her he will leave Katie. Again it must be stated they were teenagers when he left so I give some leeway for her reasonings, but it’s been approximately 5 years and she never told him. What’s worst? When he comes back to town, she lies to his face about Katie and states his best friend, Tag, is her father and implied they hooked up when they left. Now here is another item that didn’t make sense, according to Penny, they were tight group of friends in high school: Penny, Chris, Tag and Brit; Penny and Chris were a couple and Tag and Brit were a couple. Chris had no idea who Brit was which is odd because I thought they were close annnnddd Brit and Tag have been dating for years.
The book just didn’t make sense and these characters were just odd. Once Chris finds out about Katie, he leaves them to marry his fake girlfriend and then feels guilty. Penny actually needed to be told she needed to apologize to Chris.
I just couldn’t take this book anymore and I just wanted it to end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 11, 2022
I wouldn’t bother
The point of a book with a secret baby is to get to see the couple work through their issues and be parents. He doesn’t find out until the book is more than half way over and then it’s all accepted AND THEN THERES A MARRIAGE PROPOSAL IN THE SAME SCENE! Then the immediate next page is the epilogue from another POV. WHAT DID I JUST READ??
The point of a book with a secret baby is to get to see the couple work through their issues and be parents. He doesn’t find out until the book is more than half way over and then it’s all accepted AND THEN THERES A MARRIAGE PROPOSAL IN THE SAME SCENE! Then the immediate next page is the epilogue from another POV. WHAT DID I JUST READ??
April 30, 2020
It was so good to read Penny's story. I've read a few books with this premise and always feel bad for both the mom and dad. I can't imagine the feelings the mom felt when she found out she was pregnant and chose not to tell the dad and wrestling with that decision for years. Then the dad to feel that loss and betrayal. They are always emotional reads and this was no different. There were times I was so frustrated with Penny, but again I can understand her fear. Her and Chris have quite the history and their chemistry is strong. I really enjoyed their story. Of course Katie added a lot of fun touching moments to the story as well.
July 6, 2020
Clean and Sweet
Penny McKnight is a single mother and nurse . She has plenty of mistakes in her past, but is trying each day to avoid making those same mistakes again. She is determined to be the best mother to Katie and would sacrifice anything for her daughter's happiness, even if it means giving up on ever finding love again. Chris Heartman is one of Hollywood's rising stars and returns to South Carolina to check in on his grandmother. He wasn't expecting to find Penny, his ex-girlfriend, there taking care of his grandmother. They are both faced with confronting the past and their previous failures in order to try to move on with their lives. Lies and betrayal come to haunt them and everything gets messed up.
Penny McKnight is a single mother and nurse . She has plenty of mistakes in her past, but is trying each day to avoid making those same mistakes again. She is determined to be the best mother to Katie and would sacrifice anything for her daughter's happiness, even if it means giving up on ever finding love again. Chris Heartman is one of Hollywood's rising stars and returns to South Carolina to check in on his grandmother. He wasn't expecting to find Penny, his ex-girlfriend, there taking care of his grandmother. They are both faced with confronting the past and their previous failures in order to try to move on with their lives. Lies and betrayal come to haunt them and everything gets messed up.
November 5, 2022
Clean second chance romance…
Clean second chance, small town romance with a secret baby.
When Chris left his small town for Hollywood he left behind a part of himself but he didn’t look back. Penny let him go and carried her secret for 9 months.
When Chris comes to visit his grandmother his past collides.
Clean second chance, small town romance with a secret baby.
When Chris left his small town for Hollywood he left behind a part of himself but he didn’t look back. Penny let him go and carried her secret for 9 months.
When Chris comes to visit his grandmother his past collides.
June 14, 2024
This was utter trash.
I may have lost brain cells reading this.
I may have lost brain cells reading this.
May 11, 2020
4.5*
The McKnight family is back! In the first book we met Penny and her daughter Katie. There's a secret that Penny is very close to her chest. She hasn't told anyone and has told herself she never will. But a few moments happen and her world starts to tilt dangerously close to revealing said secret.
Katie was such an adorable little munchkin in the first book. I loved the way that the authors wrote her character and it had me wanting to keep seeing her in the rest of the books of this series. At the end of the first book the reader knows that book two will be about Penny, Katie and her daddy. I loved the scene at the banquet...and maybe cringed a little at it with Penny. You'll have to read to find out why. This book has that scene at the beginning so if you missed reading the first book and want to know what it is you get to read it from a new character's point of view.
This book is a second chance, full of nerves and hope, type of a read. And I have to say that I enjoyed my time reading it. I had moments when I wanted to shake some sense into the characters but of course I couldn't very well reach through the pages of the book to do that. So I just talked to my book and told them what to do (although that didn't quite work either). In the end, after some hard lessons and some sweet moments it all worked out. There were a couple moments where I wondered if it would. But I kept telling myself to just keep reading.
Penny and Chris both made some choices that they regret but there's no going back to the past. But it was a good read seeing both of their points of view and learning about what happened in the past on each of their parts. Somewhat heartbreaking and sad knowing they could have fixed it. But then again, if they had fixed it, they wouldn't have grown in some of the ways that they did (and probably needed to grow). It's a bit of a catch-22.
I still adored Katie in this book. Cute little munchkin and healer of hearts. ;-)
Content: Clean. Some kissing. Some mention of the couple's previous relationship and having a child out of wedlock, although it is not graphic the characters just allude to it. Some mild innuendos.
I received a copy from the author. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.
Happy Reading!!!
The McKnight family is back! In the first book we met Penny and her daughter Katie. There's a secret that Penny is very close to her chest. She hasn't told anyone and has told herself she never will. But a few moments happen and her world starts to tilt dangerously close to revealing said secret.
Katie was such an adorable little munchkin in the first book. I loved the way that the authors wrote her character and it had me wanting to keep seeing her in the rest of the books of this series. At the end of the first book the reader knows that book two will be about Penny, Katie and her daddy. I loved the scene at the banquet...and maybe cringed a little at it with Penny. You'll have to read to find out why. This book has that scene at the beginning so if you missed reading the first book and want to know what it is you get to read it from a new character's point of view.
This book is a second chance, full of nerves and hope, type of a read. And I have to say that I enjoyed my time reading it. I had moments when I wanted to shake some sense into the characters but of course I couldn't very well reach through the pages of the book to do that. So I just talked to my book and told them what to do (although that didn't quite work either). In the end, after some hard lessons and some sweet moments it all worked out. There were a couple moments where I wondered if it would. But I kept telling myself to just keep reading.
Penny and Chris both made some choices that they regret but there's no going back to the past. But it was a good read seeing both of their points of view and learning about what happened in the past on each of their parts. Somewhat heartbreaking and sad knowing they could have fixed it. But then again, if they had fixed it, they wouldn't have grown in some of the ways that they did (and probably needed to grow). It's a bit of a catch-22.
I still adored Katie in this book. Cute little munchkin and healer of hearts. ;-)
Content: Clean. Some kissing. Some mention of the couple's previous relationship and having a child out of wedlock, although it is not graphic the characters just allude to it. Some mild innuendos.
I received a copy from the author. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.
Happy Reading!!!
April 30, 2020
Angsty with intermittent amusement
For the most part, I don't like stories where the mom doesn't tell the dad he's a father - it's an injustice to the dad, but it's an even bigger injustice to their child. The story does have the protagonists address that at least.
The story is angsty, as expected, but also has a fair amount of funny - Penny claiming Tag was Katie's father had some laugh out loud moments.
It follows the predictable pattern, but it had enough readability & likeability to keep me fairly well engaged till the end.
The epilogue is really just a sneak peek again which is frustrating. I don't mind when authors combine the two, but an epilogue is supposed to be an extension of the happily-ever-after, so there should be a final happy scene with the couple in it if you're going to call it an epilogue. Especially since their part of the story ends abruptly
*Clean romance level: sweet kisses, nothing graphic
For the most part, I don't like stories where the mom doesn't tell the dad he's a father - it's an injustice to the dad, but it's an even bigger injustice to their child. The story does have the protagonists address that at least.
The story is angsty, as expected, but also has a fair amount of funny - Penny claiming Tag was Katie's father had some laugh out loud moments.
It follows the predictable pattern, but it had enough readability & likeability to keep me fairly well engaged till the end.
The epilogue is really just a sneak peek again which is frustrating. I don't mind when authors combine the two, but an epilogue is supposed to be an extension of the happily-ever-after, so there should be a final happy scene with the couple in it if you're going to call it an epilogue. Especially since their part of the story ends abruptly
*Clean romance level: sweet kisses, nothing graphic
May 1, 2020
Drama and tension in this second chance story
I really had been looking forward to this book, like constantly checking to see when it would be released. So happy to get to read it. I think I built it up a little bit too much in the anticipation of it or otherwise I was disappointed at how long it took for her to tell Chris he was a father. I assumed he would recognize his kid immediately but he didn’t of course. Nevertheless it was a fun story. Katie was a cute kid.
Rating: PG, clean
I really had been looking forward to this book, like constantly checking to see when it would be released. So happy to get to read it. I think I built it up a little bit too much in the anticipation of it or otherwise I was disappointed at how long it took for her to tell Chris he was a father. I assumed he would recognize his kid immediately but he didn’t of course. Nevertheless it was a fun story. Katie was a cute kid.
Rating: PG, clean
May 21, 2022
I read it easily but I felt like something was missing. It read almost like a novella rather than a whole well rounded story. I felt that they didn’t really resolve anything by communicating.
When I read a book I want to feel EVERYTHING. We never really got to read about them hashing it out. Yes he left her for his career but other than her apologising for keeping their daughter a secret from him, we didn’t get to feel her raw emotion about being abandoned and him choosing his career. Suddenly he returns and feels guilty for leaving but we never read him telling her that.
We read more about their inner monologue, rather than actual dialogue between the two characters. I call these types of books written as surface characters, we get to see the ripples on top of the surface but we don’t get to see the murky, choppy water underneath. The type that can drown us and get us gasping.
I needed more. More emotion, more dialogue, just…well….more!
When I read a book I want to feel EVERYTHING. We never really got to read about them hashing it out. Yes he left her for his career but other than her apologising for keeping their daughter a secret from him, we didn’t get to feel her raw emotion about being abandoned and him choosing his career. Suddenly he returns and feels guilty for leaving but we never read him telling her that.
We read more about their inner monologue, rather than actual dialogue between the two characters. I call these types of books written as surface characters, we get to see the ripples on top of the surface but we don’t get to see the murky, choppy water underneath. The type that can drown us and get us gasping.
I needed more. More emotion, more dialogue, just…well….more!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2020
Liked, but too tense for me
I like these authors, but so far these are not my favorite books. I seem to spend most of my time shouting at the characters to stop being idiots! I can understand why Penny didn't tell Chris about the baby at first, but after all the stupid head conversations and decisions by Penny I lost interest. The main characters spent so much time fighting each other and their attraction that there was little time left over for us to see how they could actually become a family. I'd rather they have opened up halfway through the book and started to build a family than ignore each other. If you like books where you wonder if the H/h will ever get together, this is for you. I didn't find enough happy moments to make it enjoyable for me. We'll see how the next one goes.
I like these authors, but so far these are not my favorite books. I seem to spend most of my time shouting at the characters to stop being idiots! I can understand why Penny didn't tell Chris about the baby at first, but after all the stupid head conversations and decisions by Penny I lost interest. The main characters spent so much time fighting each other and their attraction that there was little time left over for us to see how they could actually become a family. I'd rather they have opened up halfway through the book and started to build a family than ignore each other. If you like books where you wonder if the H/h will ever get together, this is for you. I didn't find enough happy moments to make it enjoyable for me. We'll see how the next one goes.
July 3, 2020
This was a good book, interesting, well paced and had likable characters. I felt for the characters which I suppose is one of the goals of any story, to create an emotional connection. But it’s also the reason I feel compelled to withhold one star, because of the totally selfish, jackass move Chris made by abandoning Penny when they were younger. I’m holding a grudge over that.
November 30, 2023
DNF 82%. Penny had every reason to believe she was protecting her daughter. He even proved her right by immediately running away like the selfish whiney man baby he is.
April 9, 2024
Hardly any back story for this second chance romance. Extremely rushed. Zero spice.
May 3, 2020
***Spoilers. Possibly. Will be some throughout this review***
https://ladiikeiii.wordpress.com/2020...
I was waiting for this book to come out to read this book. Because I was so curious when I was reading Jaxson and Lottie's book when Chris popped up at the event, that Penny and her daughter Katie was at. I mean Penny panic and ran away so fast that it would've had you curious as to why she ran and what for.
I was glad I got the chance to read this book; to learn if she would've fixed things with her ex-boyfriend. Especially let him be around his daughter and get to know her. Not only that I was glad he stayed long enough to try to fix things with Penny. But what suck was how Penny kept the secret from Chris about who Katie's real father was. He even figured out that Tag (their best friend) and Penny were lying about who Katie's father was. Because for one, Tag couldn't have any children.
But not only that, when Chris did find out about it, I think it was wrong of him to run away from the truth. Though, I did understand why he ran from the truth because he was upset. But it took both him and Penny to figure out that they needed to talk and figure things out for the better. Especially since they both wanted to be with each other and feelings were still there.
In the end, they ended up meeting at the airport trying to get to each other, which was good for all three of them because a child will always need their father.
https://ladiikeiii.wordpress.com/2020...
I was waiting for this book to come out to read this book. Because I was so curious when I was reading Jaxson and Lottie's book when Chris popped up at the event, that Penny and her daughter Katie was at. I mean Penny panic and ran away so fast that it would've had you curious as to why she ran and what for.
I was glad I got the chance to read this book; to learn if she would've fixed things with her ex-boyfriend. Especially let him be around his daughter and get to know her. Not only that I was glad he stayed long enough to try to fix things with Penny. But what suck was how Penny kept the secret from Chris about who Katie's real father was. He even figured out that Tag (their best friend) and Penny were lying about who Katie's father was. Because for one, Tag couldn't have any children.
But not only that, when Chris did find out about it, I think it was wrong of him to run away from the truth. Though, I did understand why he ran from the truth because he was upset. But it took both him and Penny to figure out that they needed to talk and figure things out for the better. Especially since they both wanted to be with each other and feelings were still there.
In the end, they ended up meeting at the airport trying to get to each other, which was good for all three of them because a child will always need their father.
May 14, 2020
Good
I usually don't like this trope. But I read the first book and wanted to continue with the series.
The background is a bit confusing. At first, it seems like Chris just got Penny pregnant and left. Still not a great reason to not tell him. But I could understand the fear of being abandoned.
But then Penny said she was in contact with him. He would call her. So... he didn't just leave. And she had ample opportunity to say something. But made a choice for him. Then lied about it.
For most of the story, she was painted the hurt party. But I didn't see it that way. Especially since she could have said something because she was still in contact. What I appreciated about this though, was she did (eventually) fess up and take responsibility for lying. Had she not and refused to acknowledge her role in this, I would have given fewer stars.
The ending was abrupt. I would have liked to see them as a family. While a set up for the next book is nice... I wanted more time with characters from this book.
I usually don't like this trope. But I read the first book and wanted to continue with the series.
The background is a bit confusing. At first, it seems like Chris just got Penny pregnant and left. Still not a great reason to not tell him. But I could understand the fear of being abandoned.
But then Penny said she was in contact with him. He would call her. So... he didn't just leave. And she had ample opportunity to say something. But made a choice for him. Then lied about it.
For most of the story, she was painted the hurt party. But I didn't see it that way. Especially since she could have said something because she was still in contact. What I appreciated about this though, was she did (eventually) fess up and take responsibility for lying. Had she not and refused to acknowledge her role in this, I would have given fewer stars.
The ending was abrupt. I would have liked to see them as a family. While a set up for the next book is nice... I wanted more time with characters from this book.
January 8, 2023
Lost love
This is a good story, it has all the drama of a romance but its not a sexual story at all.... I think for me this looks like a great story for romance channel, but I liked the first book in the series much better because the little girl of this couple played a much bigger role and she added humor.... In this story the little girl is sparingly in the story and she doesn't add much humor. I was hoping the granny and the little girl would toss the couple into it.... Maybe telling the daddy he was the daddy accidentally or something.... I then thought he might meet his old best friend Tag to have a guy chat and well figure out some of the feelings.... But no it was pretty much all left to a final declaration of the mom before he left.... So angry split then thinking they messed up again.... I wish it had a bit more romancing it was more fumbling until they admitted they still wanted to be together....
This is a good story, it has all the drama of a romance but its not a sexual story at all.... I think for me this looks like a great story for romance channel, but I liked the first book in the series much better because the little girl of this couple played a much bigger role and she added humor.... In this story the little girl is sparingly in the story and she doesn't add much humor. I was hoping the granny and the little girl would toss the couple into it.... Maybe telling the daddy he was the daddy accidentally or something.... I then thought he might meet his old best friend Tag to have a guy chat and well figure out some of the feelings.... But no it was pretty much all left to a final declaration of the mom before he left.... So angry split then thinking they messed up again.... I wish it had a bit more romancing it was more fumbling until they admitted they still wanted to be together....
May 7, 2020
This was a sweet second chance romance. Penny's heart was broken when her boyfriend left her alone and pregnant. She didn't want to burden him with the knowledge of their child while he was making it big as an actor. Penny had a supportive family as she worked to make a life for her daughter and herself. A great job opportunity opens up for Penny, but it happens to be the grandmother of her daughter's father and the man that broke her heart. Chris came back to his hometown to put the past to rest. He is met up with his first love, Penny, and saw that she had a daughter. This book was a feel good romance. Frustration at the characters with their lack of communication was high. Overall this was a good book. I would recommend this to anyone that loves second change, clean romance.
July 21, 2020
3.5 stars-I enjoyed this much more than the first in the series. It was so intense and I felt torn between Penny and Chris. I wanted Penny to just be honest with him but I also understood why she hesitated. I wanted Chris to figure out the truth however, I wanted him to prove himself to her first. This book had me feeling all kinds of anxiety for the outcome.
My only complaint is that I wished they both had opened up more and explained themselves better at the end. Chris and Penny should have at least told each other their reasons for their fears which resulted in them acting the way they did. It would have added more clarity. Because of this, the reunion felt rushed and a lot of things were left unsaid.
On a more positive note, I really did enjoy the story. I loved Katie. She was so adorable and she was the glue that held everyone together.
Content: Clean
My only complaint is that I wished they both had opened up more and explained themselves better at the end. Chris and Penny should have at least told each other their reasons for their fears which resulted in them acting the way they did. It would have added more clarity. Because of this, the reunion felt rushed and a lot of things were left unsaid.
On a more positive note, I really did enjoy the story. I loved Katie. She was so adorable and she was the glue that held everyone together.
Content: Clean
January 13, 2021
When Penny gets pregnant by her boyfriend she refuses to tell him. Why? Because he has been pursuing his dream of acting. So, she tells no one who the dad is and hides herself away all for the sake of her daughter. Years later Mr. Big Shot actor comes back home to help take care of his grandmother who is having some health issues. Guess who just has taken her dream job of being an in-home nurse? His past love. The one he is having serious mental issues about. His agent is wanting him to have an arranged marriage with an "it" actress all to give them both a series leg up in the industry.
Circumstances and angst lead to a great rekindling and a building of a real relationship between all. It was a great story to give hope and love. I loved book #1 in the McKnight Family series and will be reading the rest as soon as I can.
Circumstances and angst lead to a great rekindling and a building of a real relationship between all. It was a great story to give hope and love. I loved book #1 in the McKnight Family series and will be reading the rest as soon as I can.
January 18, 2021
Secret Baby Romance
I was very excited to read Penny’s story and it was cute, but I kind of wanted to strangle Penny throughout the whole story.
Lotte mentioned in the last book that she had no idea who Katie’s dad was or who Penny dated in high school, but I have a really hard time understanding that. Why would Penny and Chris keep their high school relationship a secret? This was never addressed and Penny’s parents seemed to know that she and Chris dated.
And then once Chris showed up again she lied right to his face and made one of her closest friends lie too. That’s not cool. And, Chris had about a day of anger when he found out about the lying and then asked her to marry him. I’m side-eyeing this story line so hard.
There were so many loose ends at the end of this story I could knit a sweater.
Katie was the best part of this story.
I was very excited to read Penny’s story and it was cute, but I kind of wanted to strangle Penny throughout the whole story.
Lotte mentioned in the last book that she had no idea who Katie’s dad was or who Penny dated in high school, but I have a really hard time understanding that. Why would Penny and Chris keep their high school relationship a secret? This was never addressed and Penny’s parents seemed to know that she and Chris dated.
And then once Chris showed up again she lied right to his face and made one of her closest friends lie too. That’s not cool. And, Chris had about a day of anger when he found out about the lying and then asked her to marry him. I’m side-eyeing this story line so hard.
There were so many loose ends at the end of this story I could knit a sweater.
Katie was the best part of this story.
June 18, 2022
Such a great story.
Great chemistry. Katie as the adorable 4 year old and Evie the older lady and patient, really do steal the show as Chris and Penny fight against long buried feelings and secrets that have been buried, that finally see the light of day. At lot of emotional pulls in this story. I totally understood both their reasons and why Penny kept their child a secret. But like all secrets they have a way of coming to light, how we react to them is the test.
High school sweethearts who separate due to circumstances beyond their control. Communication would have helped a lot.
Penny and Chris had different plans in life, Chris wanted to be an actor and Penny a nurse. When Chris left town without even a goodbye to be an actor, he tore apart Penny’s heart.
Well worth the read. Found it really hard to put down until the last page and then was sad when it was over.
Great chemistry. Katie as the adorable 4 year old and Evie the older lady and patient, really do steal the show as Chris and Penny fight against long buried feelings and secrets that have been buried, that finally see the light of day. At lot of emotional pulls in this story. I totally understood both their reasons and why Penny kept their child a secret. But like all secrets they have a way of coming to light, how we react to them is the test.
High school sweethearts who separate due to circumstances beyond their control. Communication would have helped a lot.
Penny and Chris had different plans in life, Chris wanted to be an actor and Penny a nurse. When Chris left town without even a goodbye to be an actor, he tore apart Penny’s heart.
Well worth the read. Found it really hard to put down until the last page and then was sad when it was over.
February 3, 2023
2.5 stars
The premise was good and the story had potential, but I wanted more showing and less telling and more actual plot and relationship development. I feel like we just scratched the surface of the characters and their stories.
Also, call me crazy but I had a hard time believing that Chris never even suspected he was Katie's father and that Penny had managed to keep her kid's paternity a secret from both of their families for five years.
One more thing - I'm completely confused about the timeline in this book. It appears as if Chris left town after he graduated high school and returned 5 years later - which would put him and Penny at about 23 and yet Penny's sister is 5 years younger than her and seriously dating a pro football player? Color me confused.
The premise was good and the story had potential, but I wanted more showing and less telling and more actual plot and relationship development. I feel like we just scratched the surface of the characters and their stories.
Also, call me crazy but I had a hard time believing that Chris never even suspected he was Katie's father and that Penny had managed to keep her kid's paternity a secret from both of their families for five years.
One more thing - I'm completely confused about the timeline in this book. It appears as if Chris left town after he graduated high school and returned 5 years later - which would put him and Penny at about 23 and yet Penny's sister is 5 years younger than her and seriously dating a pro football player? Color me confused.
September 30, 2025
A lying romance
I really don’t like characters that lie unless someone’s life is in danger. That is not the situation here. Chris and Penny were high school sweethearts. Chris leaves to pursue a Hollywood career, never looking back as he leaves Penny. When Penny discovers she’s pregnant, she builds her own life and doesn’t tell Chris.Five years later Chris returns home, hoping to reconnect with Penny. She puts him off but does not tell him about his daughter (lie of omission). When he questions her about Katie’s father, she lies again and drags her friends into her mess. Most of the problems here are Penny’s fault with her lies. Just don’t like that kind of character and this shaded the whole story.
I really don’t like characters that lie unless someone’s life is in danger. That is not the situation here. Chris and Penny were high school sweethearts. Chris leaves to pursue a Hollywood career, never looking back as he leaves Penny. When Penny discovers she’s pregnant, she builds her own life and doesn’t tell Chris.Five years later Chris returns home, hoping to reconnect with Penny. She puts him off but does not tell him about his daughter (lie of omission). When he questions her about Katie’s father, she lies again and drags her friends into her mess. Most of the problems here are Penny’s fault with her lies. Just don’t like that kind of character and this shaded the whole story.
April 30, 2020
I always struggle with the mom not telling the dad they have a child but.... I totally understood Penny's reason and Chris' hurt. Sweethearts who never stopped loving each other. Can they really have a second shot at forever when there is a secret between them? I still wonder why Chris didn't come home sooner - kinda made me team Penny. Their daughter Katie was adorable and added so much to the story. His grandmother was a hoot. Loved catching up with previous characters and I like the epilogue giving us a sneak peak of the next book.
May 24, 2020
Didnt care for this one
I enjoyed the previous book and was excited to read Penny's story, but I found myself not feeling this installment in the series. Our H is kinda stringing two women along, our h is too scared to either grow a backbone and own up to the truth or at least just say it's not your business, instead she makes up lies and ropes others into her ridiculous story. At the end of the story, I was wanting our h to move on with her life. Honestly, I was wanting that the entire book.
I enjoyed the previous book and was excited to read Penny's story, but I found myself not feeling this installment in the series. Our H is kinda stringing two women along, our h is too scared to either grow a backbone and own up to the truth or at least just say it's not your business, instead she makes up lies and ropes others into her ridiculous story. At the end of the story, I was wanting our h to move on with her life. Honestly, I was wanting that the entire book.
June 16, 2020
His Secret Was Baby
This was a good story. Chis had returned home to South Carolina to see his grandmother and to present a Special award to the sheriff for his act of bravery. He saw his old girl friend, she was a nurse now and taking care of his grandmother after her broken hip. Penny was the nurse and had been his girl friend in high school. She had a daughter, Katie, but Chris didn’t know anything about her, until h come home. Penny had a secret she wasn’t sharing with anyone. Must read this to see the rest of this story
This was a good story. Chis had returned home to South Carolina to see his grandmother and to present a Special award to the sheriff for his act of bravery. He saw his old girl friend, she was a nurse now and taking care of his grandmother after her broken hip. Penny was the nurse and had been his girl friend in high school. She had a daughter, Katie, but Chris didn’t know anything about her, until h come home. Penny had a secret she wasn’t sharing with anyone. Must read this to see the rest of this story
October 23, 2022
an easy read- short can be reas in one sitting
Well, there were moments in this book that were more imaginative than the title suggests. The main characters are lovable and the setting of the Town was definitely a good idea to have the first romance troupe. I didn’t feel absolutely blown away by anything that happened in this, and I feel it’s because the storyline has been so over done in this genre. However, I did read Mason’s chapter at the end and I think this may have more depth.
Well, there were moments in this book that were more imaginative than the title suggests. The main characters are lovable and the setting of the Town was definitely a good idea to have the first romance troupe. I didn’t feel absolutely blown away by anything that happened in this, and I feel it’s because the storyline has been so over done in this genre. However, I did read Mason’s chapter at the end and I think this may have more depth.
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