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An Unexpected Blessing
Since his parents' tragic deaths, little JT had been cared for by his maternal aunt, Dori Morales. His long-lost paternal uncle, Chase Garrett, wanted to be a positive influence in his life. And his paternal grandfather wanted him raised with everything wealth and privilege could buy.
Caring for his nephew was Chase's way of making up for his fractured relationship with his brother — and a marriage of convenience to Dori just might prevent the nasty custody battle that loomed....
Caring for his nephew was Chase's way of making up for his fractured relationship with his brother — and a marriage of convenience to Dori just might prevent the nasty custody battle that loomed....
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
2 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
About the author
Merrillee Whren
41 books290 followersMerrillee Whren is an award-winning and USA Today bestselling author who writes Christian romance. She is the winner of the 2003 Golden Heart Award for best inspirational romance manuscript presented by Romance Writers of America. She has also been the recipient of the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award and the Maggie Award. She is married and has two grown daughters. She has lived in Cincinnati, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Chicago and Florida. She now makes her home in the Arizona desert. When she’s not writing, she spends her free time playing tennis or walking while she plots her novels. Please visit her Web site at http://www.merrilleewhren.com/.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 11, 2024
This is exactly my kind of book. Small town USA caring and honest people. So many wonderful unexpected happenings. Some good some bad. But they all pointed to HEA
November 24, 2025
A baby. An accident. Two people who both love their nephew. Could this lead to true love, or will one of them walk away forever?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2016
Newborn baby, JT, just lost both his parents in a terrible accident and the infant's aunt, Dori Morales, was named guardian of her sister and (Tyler) brother-in-law's baby in their will. Dori had never met the the baby's paternal uncle, Chase Garrett - her brother-in-law's estranged brother, until he shows up a short while (days or weeks) after the funeral. Chase's father, who had done a superb job of pitting his two sons against each other, didn't even bother to contact Chase to let him know that Tyler and his sister-in-law had been killed. Chase's brother had called him after the birth of his son to reconcile their ten-year estrangement and Chase had made plans to come home and reunite with his brother. This is when he finds out the devastating news of the accident that claimed their lives.
Chase desperately wants to have a positive influence in JT's life and to stand in the gap for his brother. He falls in love with the baby immediately but his relationship with Dori is a whole other issue. Dori was very close to Tyler and thought the world of him...believing there was no way her near perfect brother-in-law could have had anything to do with the dissension between the two brothers. She looked at Chase as the guilty party, the enemy, and despised him. Dori liked to place blame unfairly and she did it often.
Dori was snarky, sometimes nasty, selfish, immature, weak, self-absorbed, and a very difficult heroine to like or get to know. It was hard to cheer for her because I got to the point I felt she was undeserving of a relationship with Chase. She was in her late twenties and had the maturity of a teenager...or younger. I was not so sure about her ability to raise this child. She thought she had to have someone with her all day every day to help care for the baby. I felt she was very insecure about being alone with JT. Why on earth did she need her mother or sister there every day of the week? The minute they walked in the door she turned the baby over to them. Then when they left to return home all she had left to do was feed the baby and put him to bed. It was quite troubling for me that this twenty-nine year old woman came from a large family having a huge extended family and close friends which included many children yet she needed to constantly have someone with her. It didn’t make sense. I would have at least expected her to be comfortable and easy around kids but that isn’t how she appeared to me. She seemed cold, stiff, usure, rigid, and everything, and I do mean everything, had to be her way or you were on her black list. The redundancy of Dori’s thoughts and self-talk went on repeatedly throughout the book until I wanted to chuck my Kindle at the nearest wall. She also lived in the past and couldn’t let it go the same way she couldn’t let go of the misconceptions that Chase was to blame for the estrangement between the brothers. She clung to these things like a lifeline and held grudges unbelievably.
Chase was a good guy, someone who should have never been treated the way Dori and his own father treated him. The man couldn’t do anything right in Dori’s eyes. Chase was emotionally stunted but he did the best he could and worked at getting better. I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you that these two eventually fell in love...but went almost the entirety of the book not letting the other know….until the 98% mark which is where the story ended.
It was a long and frustrating read with little progression in the relationship until the very end. It left me unsatisfied and aggravated even with the HEA...which was way too little - way to late!
Chase desperately wants to have a positive influence in JT's life and to stand in the gap for his brother. He falls in love with the baby immediately but his relationship with Dori is a whole other issue. Dori was very close to Tyler and thought the world of him...believing there was no way her near perfect brother-in-law could have had anything to do with the dissension between the two brothers. She looked at Chase as the guilty party, the enemy, and despised him. Dori liked to place blame unfairly and she did it often.
Dori was snarky, sometimes nasty, selfish, immature, weak, self-absorbed, and a very difficult heroine to like or get to know. It was hard to cheer for her because I got to the point I felt she was undeserving of a relationship with Chase. She was in her late twenties and had the maturity of a teenager...or younger. I was not so sure about her ability to raise this child. She thought she had to have someone with her all day every day to help care for the baby. I felt she was very insecure about being alone with JT. Why on earth did she need her mother or sister there every day of the week? The minute they walked in the door she turned the baby over to them. Then when they left to return home all she had left to do was feed the baby and put him to bed. It was quite troubling for me that this twenty-nine year old woman came from a large family having a huge extended family and close friends which included many children yet she needed to constantly have someone with her. It didn’t make sense. I would have at least expected her to be comfortable and easy around kids but that isn’t how she appeared to me. She seemed cold, stiff, usure, rigid, and everything, and I do mean everything, had to be her way or you were on her black list. The redundancy of Dori’s thoughts and self-talk went on repeatedly throughout the book until I wanted to chuck my Kindle at the nearest wall. She also lived in the past and couldn’t let it go the same way she couldn’t let go of the misconceptions that Chase was to blame for the estrangement between the brothers. She clung to these things like a lifeline and held grudges unbelievably.
Chase was a good guy, someone who should have never been treated the way Dori and his own father treated him. The man couldn’t do anything right in Dori’s eyes. Chase was emotionally stunted but he did the best he could and worked at getting better. I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you that these two eventually fell in love...but went almost the entirety of the book not letting the other know….until the 98% mark which is where the story ended.
It was a long and frustrating read with little progression in the relationship until the very end. It left me unsatisfied and aggravated even with the HEA...which was way too little - way to late!
April 14, 2012
Dori Morales has been caring for her infant nephew, Jacob, since her sister and her husband were killed in a tragic accident. Dori was very close to her sister, and Tyler had been loved by everyone in her family.
Tyler had been estranged from his father and his half brother for many years. Unbeknownst to Dori, he had recently contacted his brother in an attempt at reconciliation, and had named Chase as the executor of his will. Chase wants to be involved in Jacob's life, and while Dori resents his suddenly being around when he didn't even come to Tyler and Marisa's funeral, she is forced to work with him as he begins going through the estate papers and financial records. In the meantime, Tyler's father, Warren Chase, who disapproved of his son's marriage to Marisa, wants custody of his grandson and threatens to challenge Dori's plan to adopt the child.
Dori is a likeable character, a young woman suddenly thrust into the role of full time single mother. She is still grieving for Marisa and Tyler. She is living in their home with Jacob, but she never goes into the master bedroom and doesn't want to get rid of any of their personal belongings.
Chase is also grieving for his brother and the years they lost with each other. As the illegitimate son of Warren, who never even gave Chase his last name, he's spent most of his life trying to gain his father's love and approval. He never wanted to be estranged from Tyler, but when Tyler insisted he choose between him or their father, Chase resented his brother for forcing that decision on him, and chose his father. He has no desire to take Jacob away from Dori, he just wants to be allowed to be a part of his nephew's life. And when Warren announces his plan to fight for custody, Chase realizes a marriage to Dori and joining her in her adoption plan would be the best route to take for Jacob. Once the adoption is finalized, the marriage can be annulled, but he can still be Jacob's father.
The overall theme of this Love Inspired romance is forgiveness and letting go of the past. It's a struggle that Dori, Chase, and even Warren must all deal with. I'd never heard of this author before, and while I didn't love this enough to seek out her other books, it was a solid, enjoyable story, with a few tear inducing scenes.
Tyler had been estranged from his father and his half brother for many years. Unbeknownst to Dori, he had recently contacted his brother in an attempt at reconciliation, and had named Chase as the executor of his will. Chase wants to be involved in Jacob's life, and while Dori resents his suddenly being around when he didn't even come to Tyler and Marisa's funeral, she is forced to work with him as he begins going through the estate papers and financial records. In the meantime, Tyler's father, Warren Chase, who disapproved of his son's marriage to Marisa, wants custody of his grandson and threatens to challenge Dori's plan to adopt the child.
Dori is a likeable character, a young woman suddenly thrust into the role of full time single mother. She is still grieving for Marisa and Tyler. She is living in their home with Jacob, but she never goes into the master bedroom and doesn't want to get rid of any of their personal belongings.
Chase is also grieving for his brother and the years they lost with each other. As the illegitimate son of Warren, who never even gave Chase his last name, he's spent most of his life trying to gain his father's love and approval. He never wanted to be estranged from Tyler, but when Tyler insisted he choose between him or their father, Chase resented his brother for forcing that decision on him, and chose his father. He has no desire to take Jacob away from Dori, he just wants to be allowed to be a part of his nephew's life. And when Warren announces his plan to fight for custody, Chase realizes a marriage to Dori and joining her in her adoption plan would be the best route to take for Jacob. Once the adoption is finalized, the marriage can be annulled, but he can still be Jacob's father.
The overall theme of this Love Inspired romance is forgiveness and letting go of the past. It's a struggle that Dori, Chase, and even Warren must all deal with. I'd never heard of this author before, and while I didn't love this enough to seek out her other books, it was a solid, enjoyable story, with a few tear inducing scenes.
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April 14, 2011The belief in God and others proves to work wonders in this story. About a little boy, 3 months old who is orphaned when his parents are killed in an accident. He is left in the care of his Aunt, Dori, the sister to his mom, by the will. the executor of their will is the baby's fathers half brother, who falls in love with Dori and they live happily ever after. It was a tough road to get to happily ever after, but they made it!
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January 12, 2009YAI-Whr
August 29, 2013
This had a good story line but it was to dragged out!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews