Mr. Family

The Blades #2

by Margot Early

Kal Johnson is a still-grieving widower with a young child. He can't imagine marrying again not for love, anyway. But it's becoming increasingly clear that his daughter needs someone besides him. A mother. Kal's solution is to place an ad in a local magazine.

Wanted: Woman to enter celibate marriage and be stepmother to four-year-old girl. Send child-rearing philosophies to Mr. Family .

Erika Blade is a woman who's afraid of love. And sex. She answers the ad, figuring she's probably the only person in the whole world to whom a "celibate marriage" would appeal. After all, she does want children but she doesn't want to acquire them in the usual way. As it turns out, Kal likes her letter and soon discovers that he likes her. More than likes. He's attracted to her. The one thing that wasn't supposed to happen.

Genres: Romance, Harlequin, Contemporary Romance

296 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 1996

About the author

Master storyteller Margot Early has known from a very young age that she was born into her vocation. Storytelling has been part of her life since she was a child—whether plotting Nancy Drew cases in the basement of Palo Alto, California’s historic Squire House, pretending to live in trees (while climbing them) or tapping the keys of an ancient manual typewriter, writing stories to share with friends.

One of her most vivid and joyful childhood memories is when she realized she could read and interrupted a bridge party to display her knowledge. A writer from the age of nine or ten, she has always had an audience—her friends, sisters and parents listening to what she wrote.

A friend and fellow journalist once told her that she was a circle—perfect. The very full circle of Margot Early’s life has included some tough times, which she knows have made her a better and more insightful writer.

Early, who owns neither a car nor a television, believes her greatest wealth is her friends—and she’s glad to count many relatives among them. Living in a town of four hundred, high in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains, she enjoys the outdoors, dancing, spinning dog hair and spending time with her pets, which include German shepherds, snakes and tarantulas.

Reviews

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

Widower Kal thinks his young daughter needs a mother so he advertises for someone who would agree to a celibate marriage. Erika answers his ad and leaves the mainland for Kal's home on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. I thought the setting of Kauai was great with vivid descriptions, and I enjoyed learning more about Hawaiian culture. The characters in this story didn't do much for me though, and had way too many troubles and lingering problems from past tragic events that they couldn't move on from. Kal was still pining for his dead wife and Erika was still trying to get past the effects from a car accident years ago. They spent too much time dwelling on their pasts that they couldn't move on from. It made this a real downer of a book.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Margot Early's MR. FAMILY is terrific: Erika and Kalahiki "Kal" make a contemporary marriage-of-convenience narrative feasible. They are both grief-stricken: Kal, by the death of his beloved wife, Maka; and, Erika, by the untimely suicide and betrayal of her sister-in-law, Skye, the woman who caused her accident. Left paralyzed for years, her body out of her control, Erika is frigid. Her reasons, unlike the conventional, near-standardized reason of trauma, de riguer for the requisite angst in many a contemporary romance, Erika is repulsed by anything that reminds her of that loss of control, no matter how pleasurable. Kal, on the other hand, doesn't want to risk the pain of being intimate with someone and then losing her. They resolve on a marriage "in name only" for the opportunity, for Kal, to have a mother for his daughter and for Erika, to experience motherhood. Like the most beautiful of the romance genre, Early's novel posits the notion that the heart has its reasons that reason knows not of. How Erika and Kal find love and fulfillment, sexual and emotional, is one of the many beauties of this original novel. If you'd like to read a more extensive review, please follow the link:

http://missbatesreadsromance.com/2014...

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very emotional story that made me cry 😢, laugh, and hurt. So easy to slip into the roles of the characters and feel what they do. I am sorry to see the book end but also happy ☺ to see a happy ending.

[Sheila Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Damn, you've got to be kind". From the heroine to the hero to the Hawaiian setting, this is a great read. It deals with the characters "demons" or problems throughout the book as they help and care for and eventually love each other. Little Hiialo is a kick and comes with her own distinct personality. Try it, you can't lose.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this years ago and it is still so fresh in my mind. In all sincerity I don't mean to knock Harlequins, but I was absolutely stunned at the high quality and emotional richness of this book, inside or outside the genre. As with other long-out-of-print series romances, Mr. Family is currently available in Kindle format.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not a recent release, however; it's available as an ebook. It's a cool story and I liked the characters. Kal a widower raising his young daughter, and Erica is a painter who is learning how to "start over". They find each other through a personal ad ( yeah! wayyy before online dating) She's a "picture bride". Great story.

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

What if you can't let go of the past, even though that may ruin your future? Both of the main characters in this book must deal with the past in order to have their HEA, and I love the way the author tells their story. Well written, it stands up to the changes in the world since it was published. Very mild sex that is actually a necessary part of the story. Definitely worth reading again.

[Collene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read a book about Hawaii, it's culture and setting. Even though this is a romance, it told me a lot of what I wanted to know.

[Erin Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book!! I’ve read it a million times!! It’s like a peaceful happy fairytale!! PS…And sexy and romantic as hell!!