April 5, 2009

This Heart of Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Molly Somerville - a mildly successful children book author, creator of Daphne the Bunny and her friends, particularly Benny the Badger) had a long time and fruitless crush on Kevin Tucker, the star quarterback of her sister Phoebe's football team the Chicago Stars, but on a day when she was feeling restless, had just died her hair fire-engine red and Kevin nearly ran her over with his shinny red Ferrari, Molly swore out of her silly crush; only to have her restlessness carry her out to her sister's vacation home where Kevin happens to be, cooling off after Dan Calebow (Phoebe's husband and the team's president) slapped him with a ten-thousand dollar fine for reckless behavior.

After an ill-fated one night stand, Molly finds herself pregnant with Kevin's baby and so happy, feeling she finally has what she always wished for: a family of her own. Only that Kevin doesn't fit in anyway in the little family Molly's imagining, she even deliberately tells him she's not pregnant. But then, Dan and Phoebe - who in many ways are the only parents Molly has ever known - find not only that Molly's pregnant but also that Kevin is the father and they are none too happy about it.

Kevin sees Molly as an spoiled, slightly reckless football heiress - she's not -and has many commitment issues but he's also a PK (preacher's kid) and has a deep rooted set of conservative values that make him marry Molly even though that's the last thing he wants to do.

Only that, after their marriage, Molly miscarriages and slowly slides into depression - she lost her baby, her family, and her work is being questioned by an extremist anti-gay group - which eventually forces Kevin to do something about it -they are still married, after all.

Their journey, physically to a campground and B&B in northern Michigan - which Kevin inherited recently and where he spend many a summer as a kid - and emotionally - for Molly to come to terms with what she lost, her work and the family she does have; and for Kevin to take a look at his past as a PK and confront his only living blood-relative with whom he isn't close at all and his commitment issues - makes for my favorite Chicago Stars book so far.

I even give it Personal Favorite statues because of the best Epilogue I've read in years.

Grade
starstarstarstar1/2Personal Favorite
AnimeGirl

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