Heart of the Family

Fostered by Love #2

by Margaret Daley

A Christmas Conundrum

Women, Dr. Jacob Hartman knew, were a mystery. Take the first time he met social worker Hannah Smith at the Stone Refuge home for foster children. The woman stared him down as if he'd come at her with castor oil. Why? His past was full of heavy-duty heartache, but he was positive they'd never met. And as a former foster child himself, Jacob was deeply touched by how much she cared about the kids at the home, how loving she was—to everyone but him. Which was where, he figured, the mistletoe came in!

Genres: Love Inspired, Romance, Christmas, Christian, Christian Romance, Christian Fiction, Contemporary

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 2007

About the author

Margaret Daley, an award-winning author of seventy-six books, has been married for over forty years and is a firm believer in romance and love. When she isn’t traveling, she’s writing love stories, often with a suspense thread and corralling her three cats that think they rule her household. To find out more about Margaret visit her website at http://www.margaretdaley.com.

Reviews

[joyce lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

light easy read after a heavy murder mystery.

only "complaint" i have is that it seems a bit unrealistic that every foster child that came thru one particular household, went from a very poor background, to being VERY wealthy. would be nice, in some ways, if it was true, BUT ... just doesn't seem very realistic.

i like this author, tho, i just wish she was a little less "fairy-tale-ish", and was more down to earth. i'm NOT saying that "happily ever afters" don't, and shouldn't, exist, but ... be a little more realistic about just how "happily" most people's lives end up being

[Dorel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book's storyline was okay. I liked the Christian theme in this story. I liked Hannah's character. I liked Jacob's character. I loved ❤ the children. I liked the ending.

[Melody Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this series a few years ago and didn't review it. Good book, good series!

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book passed down to me from my Mom. I never knew she enjoyed Christian romance this much! Anyway, about the book, it was another quick one to read. This one had a bittersweet feel to it until the very end. It was short and easy to read. Not bad....

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jacob Hartman is the Stone's refuge pediatrician. Hannah Collins Smith is the new manager for all the kids. Can they get past their past hurts to help the children?

[Leslie Hayden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy reading Margaret Daley books and this is just another great book by her. It was hard to read about the kids in the home because they were essentially abandoned by their parents. However, it was great to the social worker try to reunify the children with their parents. It was so sad in regards of Nancy and how her mother reacted but in the end she was adopted and had a great family. I felt bad for Dr. Jacobs because he had this life long burden on his shoulders of something he didn't do but took blame for it anyhow. The ending was wonderful.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the story line. I haven’t read any books by Margaret Daley before. I enjoyed the forgiveness that was portrayed throughout the book. Hannah and Jacob were great characters. I could “see” the children and their personalities. I was happy that Lisa got a second chance. You will want to read it!

[Dianne Sidebottom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Change of pace from crime to relationships. Restoration and forgiveness trying to mend family for broken kids.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found a new favorite series! Love this heartwarming series of love, foster care, forgiveness, and healing!

[Donald And · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book.

This was a very good book. It really reaches out and touches you with the need to seek forgiveness. Margaret is a very good author.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was, in my opinion, an even better book than the first novel in the Fostered By Love series, and the first one was extremely good. The main characters, Hannah and Jacob, have horrible things in their past to work through, and a connection that, at first, only Hannah is aware of. The theme of forgiveness is very strong in this book, and realistically done. Both sides of the "working on reuniting the child with their biological family is always the option to work toward/ the biological parent is unlikely to permanently change enough, so the child is usually better off in an environment that is known to be safe and have no contact with their biological family" debate are represented by characters in the story, and although most social workers fall somewhere in the middle, I have seen both extremes during my interactions with the foster care system as a foster parent. Margaret Daley presents some pluses and minuses on both sides when she looks at a couple of different foster children and their situations. If I did not already have a heart for those children who go through the foster care system, I am positive this book would have changed that.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

While Dr. Jacob Hartman is capable of understanding the inner workings of the human body, he finds women inscrutable and mysterious. He is a former foster child who has made something of himself, and he now volunteers at the Stone Refuge for children. The new manager, idealistic and naive Hannah Smith, soon gets on his nerves; they disagree about whether new resident Andy will be reunited with his mother or not.

The book glosses over some of the very real problems in the foster care system, but also tries to show a parent doing good as well as parents doing very, very badly. I found it very hard to believe some of the dialogue coming from Hannah: how is it possible that a 29-year-old is this naive and, frankly, stupid, about how kids deal with foster care? Did she mistakenly think that the Disney film "The Rescuers" was a documentary?

The novel tries to be realistic but fails at times. However, seeing Jacob and Hannah go from verbally sparring to sharing heart to heart moments is worth it.

[Nike Chillemi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heart warming Christian romance.

When Hannah Smith takes a job as a social worker at the Stone Refuge home for foster children, she is surprised to discover Dr, Jacob Hartman, a man she hates, is not only the children's pediatrician, but also a benefactor of the home.

[Catherine Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book definatly teaches about forgivness.

[Rhonda Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ms. Daley touches the heart in this book. I loved the characters and the story. It's a keeper.

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED THIS BOOK!

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two-haiku review:

She's social worker
Doctor caused her brother's death
Many years ago

About forgiveness
And second chances in life
Nice Christian story

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: Fostered By Love

[Tiff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome book about foster kids and real situations :-)