Linda's emotional stories of contemporary romance have earned many industry awards through Romance Writers of America chapter contests. In 2011, Quarterback Daddy took first place in the Write touch Reader's contest while in 2010, Summer at the Lake did the same. Previously, she's garnered the Holt Medallion and The Award of Excellence among others. With laughter and tears, she touches the hearts of her readers by writing stories they'll remember long after the book is finished.
This year, Linda is publishing her first women's fiction novel. Family Interrupted will be available in the spring of 2013.
Linda Barrett has done it again… from heart wrenching to heart warming. This story throws two strangers together for the sake of a baby girl who they both love.
Quarterback Daddy begins with a newspaper clipping of the shooting death of Sherri Brown, who was nine months pregnant. From this heart griping tragedy, we meet Alexis Brown, Sherri’s sister and temporary guardian to Sherri’s newborn, Michelle.
Alexis, whose heart is completely captured by little Michelle, finds that with funds dwindling and foster care looming, her only option is to seek out Michelle‘s birth father.
Dan Delito is not only the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots, but also a man still grieving the loss of his wife, a man who’s enjoying his six-pack too much.
Alexis has serious concerns: Will this “party loving sports figure” be a good father? Dan wonders if Alexis is setting him up for scandal, or extortion, or her 15 minutes of fame? Will this hurt his team, his career?
Neither initially trusts the other. It doesn’t take long, however, before Dan discovers his daughter owns Alexis’s heart. Alexis cannot miss that Danny is immediately besotted by baby Michelle and will do whatever is necessary for her care and safety.
As the two deal with Michelle’s care, cracks appear in their wall of distrust. Slowly, a friendship develops and perhaps…just perhaps, the possibility of something more.
First, however, there are big issues to confront. Will past traumas forever keep them apart or will they be able to reach the goal of true love and a happy family life?
You’ll be turning the pages quickly to find out how Alexis and Dan figure out the answers to these questions.
Quarterback Daddy is a contemporary love story with fully developed characters, great conflict, and a rocky road to its HEA. This book’s a keeper.
I have loved the two previous stories of this series, and this one did not disappointment. The story centers around NFL New England Patriots Dan Delito, Alexi Brown ,an attorney working for the DA office, and her infant niece, Michelle. While I will let others tell you about the plot , I will go a different way. It’s a story about the loss of a spouse whom Danny loved so much , that every year since her death, Danny digs deeper into the bottle. It’s a story about the devotion of an aunt, that is left to raise her sweet niece after her sister had an untimely death. About how this tiny baby has not only changed her life, but when Alexis is desperate for a little help, a man discovers he is a father and that changes his outlook of life and the future. It’s a story about heartbreak but also about hope , family, love of a child and the possibility of redemption and a new life as well as love. I am always amazed on how touching and heartwarming are Ms Barrett’s stories. Kudos to this talented author . I was gifted this copy. The opinions expressed are solely my own.
Heroine is a newly minted lawyer whose very pregnant sister was murdered on her doorstep three months ago. The baby survived, and now that the heroine has her head on straight, she's going to try to find the baby daddy. The only name she has is the quarterback of the New England Patriots. She goes to confront him, and the conflicts begin. They're handled very well by Barrett (who I think lives in the Houston area). She deals with the hero's anger, and his need to take care of the baby and her heroine's reaction to his family and to football, which she's ignored thus far in her life. The heroine wants to do the right thing by this baby she loves with all her heart. Oh, and the heroine looks amazingly like the hero's dead wife--enough to shock all his friends and relatives, which initially turns them against her. It's a very well done good story that I liked a lot.
When Alexis Brown's pregnant sister is shot, she reveals the baby's name to Alexis. Now, three months after the baby is delivered in back of the ambulance, Alexis is ready to tell the daddy. This daddy is not just a normal daddy but the star quarterback of a winning football team. Dan Delito has his own issues at the moment while dealing with his anniversary and his wife had died of cancer and trying to get his team to the Super Bowl. When Alexis arrives at his door, things are handled poorly, but Dan could not get Alexis out of his mind. They say once you have a baby, life will never be the same. What does Dan have to say and will Alexis let him have his say? Read in one day because I had to find out what happened. Cannot wait to read the next book in the series.
Linda Barrett has recently become one of my favorite romance writers. Every book in her “Flying Solo” series is full of heart and genuine emotion.
In each story there is loss, love, children and family, intermingled with challenges to overcome—rape, suicide, injury and broken trust.
In “Summer at the Lake” and “The Apple Orchard” the protagonists must find a way to overcome trauma and risk taking a chance at love.
In “House Full of Strangers” and “Quarterback Daddy” strangers must overcome their doubts, learn to trust and form family bonds that can’t be broken.
Every book is skillfully written and once I started reading, I didn’t want to put them down. I will caution that there are sex scenes that were well written but unnecessary to the story. I still recommend this series.
Super sad about her sister being murdered right at the start and then Dan’s wife dying of cancer—both of them were all sorts of messed up. Alexis taking in her sister’s daughter was amazing, but the fact that she tried to do the right thing while Dan went into it like “oh, the annoying aunt will go away soon”… FORGET YOU AND THE HORSE YOU RODE IN ON, DAN.
When that knucklehead finally opened his eyes and was like “ALLY BE MINE”—ok, now we’re talking. Alexis was kind of irritating at times, like yes, his wife died, he’s damaged—let the man heal. Be his peace, ma’am.
The therapy scene with them together? I cringed. Hard. But overall, not a terrible read.
This is my first time reading a book about sports. I only read it from mangas (football and basketball so far hehe). But here, the author does her assignment well in describing how the game going on. Characters have strong personalities that suit them. I enjoy reading it.
Lovely story and full of pain and heart. I am so amazed on how everything turned out in the story. The story is really nice though I have some issues with the heroine. She's kind of annoying but yeah, I think that is part of what she became in life. That just made the whole story interesting for me.
Alexis Brown ended up with a baby in her life after the mother of the baby/her sister died in a crime. To make ends meet, she had to find the baby's father who is Dan Delito, a famous quarterback and a grieving/almost-alcoholic husband after his wife died. Everything became confusing for the both of them after Alexis was hired as a nanny for the baby and ending up staying in Dan's home. The thing is, Alexis looks like Dan's late wife. Chances are? Yup, from there, a really lovely and emotional love story was made.
Bra-vo! Really! That was fantastic for me. I like that I find the story so beautiful that it hurts. Yeah, like it really does hurt. I am really impressed with how their relationship progressed and not that like what other stories that in one blink of an eye, boom! They are together and totally in love with each other. Aw, well. That was really something. I love it. Their family is a big bundle of joy you would love to envy.
What I like: * very heartwarming * nice conflict between the characters * Alexis and Dan's development
non era male. Lei è la sorella della madre della bimba, ammazzata da un suo ex, le dice il nome del padre solo mentre sta per morire. Lui è giocatore di football professionista. Lei ha una storia di famiglia orrenda, padre alcolista e abusatore, madre indifferente, lui ha perso la moglie e beve. lei non si fida molto e ci metterà un po' a fidarsi. intanto va a vivere da lui come baby-sitter per la nipotina.
Not bad, she is the aunt of the baby, her sister was killed by an ex-lover. Before dying she told her sister the name of the father's baby. He's a football player. She had an horrible family, alcoholist abuser father and blind mother, he lost his wife and drinks a lot. She's not so trustful and she goes to live with him as baby-sitter for the love of the baby.
A party-loving sports figure is not an ideal parent in Alexis Brown's eyes. Too bad quarterback Dan Delito is the only parent her niece has. Alexis isn't in a position to raise the baby on her own, which means she needs Dan's help. And that means she'll have to make nice with the unsuitable man. Fine.
Much to Alexis's surprise, however, Dan is good with his daughter. He also knows he needs help, so he convinces Alexis to act as a nanny until he gets this parenting thing down. And soon their uneasy friendship changes into an unlikely romance. But can a football player, a lawyer and a baby really make a family?
I enjoyed reading about a precious bundle of joy who brought an unlikely couple together and in the end everyone has a happy ending! Good read!
Very good book. Alexis loved her niece, but needed help. It took her awhile, but she finally contacted the man her sister had named as the father. Dan thought Alexis was just out for money, but when he found out the baby really was his, he stepped up. He was great with Michelle, and loved her immediately. He wanted to be a good father. He talked Alexis into coming to stay with him and taking care of Michelle with him. Alexis was glad to do it, because she loved the baby too. She also wasn't convinced that Dan was suitable, having had an alcoholic for a father. She didn't trust that Dan wasn't an alcoholic too. Seeing them as they both worked through their issues was hard, but very realistic.
OverallI liked this story but did have some issues with it. I would have liked to see Dan come to terms with moving on to another woman after his wife's death. For a guy who was so distraught he seemed to move into love with no problems. Even though we find out later his process for coming to terms we don't *see* it. Also, while I understand Alexis' reasons for being distrustful, I didn't buy how she became so willing to leave Dan without a true discussion of the issue. Although I did like theresolution od that problem and thought it appropriate.
Thought it would be better than it was. I love a good football romance, but i was really hard to get through. It went from one story, to another...was kind of all over the place. And the way he spoke to her and she spoke to him....was too professional...hot football quarterbacks don't talk the way he was written. It was off. Not my favorite football romance!!
The story was a bit predictable, but there was some interesting information about football for those who don't really understand the game and also about alcoholism. Not great literature, but certainly far from the worst thing I have ever read.
There was a bit too much angst in this book, especially when it opens with a murder/suicide. I also really disliked how judgmental the heroine was of the hero before they'd even really met. This seems to happen often in romance books and it doesn't always work for me.
Third book in this series and so far every single one has had a person who survived a rape, and no trigger warnings. Is this the only way Ms Barrett can do drama? Because I am not enjoying those parts of the story at all. The rest of the story was good.