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No Ordinary Child
Mills & Boon Blush series brings you moving, true-to-life romancesMeggie is coming to stay!
Normally, architect Sam Solomon would be thrilled that his daughter, Meggie, is coming to live with him. But he's not happy with the circumstances. His ex-wife has suddenly become ill and is unable to take care of their daughter. On top of that, Sam has just started a huge restoration job that promises to eat up all his time. And Meggie is a handful, requiring a lot more attention than an average ten-year-old because she's mentally handicapped.
Taking care of his daughter is a full-time job, so Sam hires a nanny, Christy Lane. Before he knows it, Christy has the unruly Meggie cleaning up her toys, eating her vegetables and playing sports. Christy is so different from any woman he's ever met it's as if she's from a whole other world. A world he never would've known if it wasn't for the child who brought them together .
Normally, architect Sam Solomon would be thrilled that his daughter, Meggie, is coming to live with him. But he's not happy with the circumstances. His ex-wife has suddenly become ill and is unable to take care of their daughter. On top of that, Sam has just started a huge restoration job that promises to eat up all his time. And Meggie is a handful, requiring a lot more attention than an average ten-year-old because she's mentally handicapped.
Taking care of his daughter is a full-time job, so Sam hires a nanny, Christy Lane. Before he knows it, Christy has the unruly Meggie cleaning up her toys, eating her vegetables and playing sports. Christy is so different from any woman he's ever met it's as if she's from a whole other world. A world he never would've known if it wasn't for the child who brought them together .
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 2003
2 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Darlene Graham
25 books7 followersDarlene 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."
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 4, 2017
I'm sorry for being harsh on my rating, but this book was not for me. In my opinion it was very boring. The characters were annoying, the story line was too predictable and dry, and even the climax seemed forced. Overall, I was bored. Simple as that.
May 4, 2025
good book
March 4, 2018
Loved this book. It kelpt my attention all the way to the end.
September 23, 2019
I finished this one, but it only confirmed that this particular line (Superromance) is not for me. How I hated these characters, let me count the ways:
1) Christy is your basic manic pixie dream girl who magically does everything well and doesn't mind being a doormat. She instantly bonds with the heretofore obstinate Meggie and sets Sam's loins afire from the first look.
2) Apparently nobody in Meggie's life knew how to take care of a disabled child before Christy came along, and she acted like a feral wolf until she heard Christy's soothing voice. Somehow, I just don't find this believable at all, especially since this book is set in 2003. Parents wouldn't be all about hiding their different child away from the world in this day and age.
3) The only adult character who acted like an adult and found the entire situation creepy was Andrea, the dying ex-wife. She tried to warn Christy what she was walking into, but Miss Stars-in-Her-Eyes Mary Sue dismissed her concerns and kept on going. I, for one, would feel incredibly creeped out if I was a boy and my mother basically picked a girl at 5 and groomed her to be my wife, all because she looked liked my dead sister. Creepy creeptastic! *shudder*
4) SO. MANY. STEREOTYPES. I thought my eyes were going to permanently roll back in my head.
If there was any emotional growth in this book, it only took place after some major natural disaster: a tornado, storms, etc. It seems Sam and Christy could only have deep conversations about their relationship in the midst of these events. Somehow, I don't think that is the foundation for a lasting relationship. What are you gonna do, wait until a major storm blows through to tackle some big issue in your relationship?
Threads of plot just sort of...wandered off the page. What happened to Sam's mother after he confronted her about her meddling? (She just disappeared.) What happened to Sam's dream project of Moonlight Grove? (The last we see is his heroic rescue of Meggie on site, and suddenly we cut 6 months into the future.) What about Christy's song on the movie soundtrack? The ending was 1000% cheese, but nothing is actually resolved. Very frustrating.
1) Christy is your basic manic pixie dream girl who magically does everything well and doesn't mind being a doormat. She instantly bonds with the heretofore obstinate Meggie and sets Sam's loins afire from the first look.
2) Apparently nobody in Meggie's life knew how to take care of a disabled child before Christy came along, and she acted like a feral wolf until she heard Christy's soothing voice. Somehow, I just don't find this believable at all, especially since this book is set in 2003. Parents wouldn't be all about hiding their different child away from the world in this day and age.
3) The only adult character who acted like an adult and found the entire situation creepy was Andrea, the dying ex-wife. She tried to warn Christy what she was walking into, but Miss Stars-in-Her-Eyes Mary Sue dismissed her concerns and kept on going. I, for one, would feel incredibly creeped out if I was a boy and my mother basically picked a girl at 5 and groomed her to be my wife, all because she looked liked my dead sister. Creepy creeptastic! *shudder*
4) SO. MANY. STEREOTYPES. I thought my eyes were going to permanently roll back in my head.
If there was any emotional growth in this book, it only took place after some major natural disaster: a tornado, storms, etc. It seems Sam and Christy could only have deep conversations about their relationship in the midst of these events. Somehow, I don't think that is the foundation for a lasting relationship. What are you gonna do, wait until a major storm blows through to tackle some big issue in your relationship?
Threads of plot just sort of...wandered off the page. What happened to Sam's mother after he confronted her about her meddling? (She just disappeared.) What happened to Sam's dream project of Moonlight Grove? (The last we see is his heroic rescue of Meggie on site, and suddenly we cut 6 months into the future.) What about Christy's song on the movie soundtrack? The ending was 1000% cheese, but nothing is actually resolved. Very frustrating.
May 26, 2017
Fun and quick book to read. It is a nice story, although simplified when it comes to children with disabilities. The love story is great, but it seems the Meggie character is more of a background character than she should be. But it was an enjoyable read and it had a happy ending. Love the simplicity of a nice short romance
April 24, 2019
I really enjoyed this romance plus a lot about a special needs child. I voluntarily chose to review this and I've given it a 5* rating. This story swept me into it and before I knew it, I had a hard time putting it down. There are lots of points of interest and I kind of hated that it ended. It left me wanting to know more. Not sure this is for the under 18 group.
October 9, 2018
Kept the tension going.
January 26, 2010
Christy Lane is a song writer and nanny who takes on the task of helping a brain damaged ten year old find her place in her father's world. It is a typical paperback romance but with better developed characters than most.
March 6, 2016
Easy Read
One of those nice and easy reads,that holds your interest and makes you feel good.Just the kind of book that I need on a quiet Sunday.
One of those nice and easy reads,that holds your interest and makes you feel good.Just the kind of book that I need on a quiet Sunday.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews