A shotgun wedding… or a Match Made in Haven? By-the-book attorney Katelyn Gilmore has her entire life mapped out. But a spontaneous weekend of passion with Reid Davidson upends that well-ordered universe. She’s going to have a baby! And what’s more, her hunky fling’s now the new sheriff in town…literally. Reid’s taking his dad-to-be duties seriously and won’t rest until Katelyn has a ring … Katelyn has a ring on her finger. Sure, the baby’s the most important thing, but what about true love?
“Brenda Harlen writes sweet, sexy, feel-good stories you want to read about people you want to know.” –Virginia Kantra, New York Times bestselling author of the Dare Island novels
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I’m the type of reader who likes, perhaps even needs to understand a series from the very beginning. I have difficulty jumping into a series mid-stream – I can and do, especially with ARCs, but given a preference I’ll pick up at least the first story in any long series and dive into that before hitting the more recent (or ARC) titles. This was the situation with the ‘Match Made in Haven‘ series. I’d picked up a few of the latest releases but wanted to go back to the foundation of the series for that first story – and I’m very glad that I did for ‘The Sheriff’s Nine-Month Surprise‘ not only introduced me to this small town and its quirky, interesting residents but laid that foundation for me as well. I don’t know if I’ll go back and read all the stories in between, but I also don’t get the sense that I “have” to do that either.
Katelyn and Reid meet at an out-of-town conference and an instant attraction allows them each to let caution fly in the wind and hook up for that weekend. Perhaps out of character for them each, the weekend together was life-altering in more ways than expected. Reid had a bit of information that Katelyn didn’t to start with though. He knew that he was applying for the sheriff’s position in the small town she lived in, and fully intended to get in touch with her and see where this attraction could go once he knew for certain that he’d gotten the job. That opportunity went out the window when Katelyn is called in as the lawyer for a juvenile that Reid had just arrested – which puts him at odds with her and some townsfolk as he doesn’t really ‘get’ how things are done in Haven.
Katelyn had always done the ‘right’ thing, so her weekend with Reid was very much out of character for her, but she couldn’t regret it for the pull toward this man is still strong. Perhaps even stronger as she finally accepts what several over-the-counter pregnancy tests keep showing her – she’s about to have Reid’s baby. Now comes the decision to do the right thing and track him down or… not. That decision is taken from her hands as she runs into her weekend lover on the job. The complications in their situation are about to set in, reality checks galore, and two people about to become a family have choices to make. Reid knows what he wants even if becoming a father wasn’t in his plans, Katelyn is on the fence for being wanted ‘for the baby’s sake’ has never been high on her priority list. Watching this couple work through this experience was a delightful roller-coaster ride.
I enjoyed ‘The Sheriff’s Nine-Month Surprise‘ yet Reid’s ex-wife, Trish, was so over-the-top in neediness, even though she had moved on, found the love of her life, married him, and now was pregnant. I accepted both of their sides of the affection between them and the true reasons they had married in the first place – but those reasons didn’t completely match-up. Personally, I would have had a very difficult time accepting Trish’s need to be so much up in my man’s business/life that it would have affected the relationship. That’s me. Yet I also think that readers put their own viewpoints on the characters/stories they’re reading as well. So, aside from Trish, I had a very good time with the opener to this series.
I own a Kindle edition of this title.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s fast-paced and easy-to-read and has great, well-developed characters I fell in love with immediately. Loved the sass and wit just as much as the sweeter, heartwarming moments.
The Sheriff’s Nine Month Surprise by Brenda Harlen.
Katelynn Gilmore is a lawyer and Reid Davidson is the sheriff and they are a match that is complex.
Their careers work against them, she finds out she is pregnant and he wants to get married and she doesn’t. I thought it was very well thought out. I really enjoyed getting to know both of them. I thought this book was very well written.
I recommend to anyone looking for a good book to read.