SPECIAL DELIVERY

SPECIAL DELIVERY                                      LAURA BROWNING
Posted:  May 19, 2015

Welcome home to Mountain Meadow, Virginia—a small town with a big heart, where love is just around the corner…

All Holly Morgan wants is a safe place to have her baby. Nestled deep within the Blue Ridge Mountains, miles away from her abusive ex-fiancé, Spence, Mountain Meadow seems perfect. Holly can manage a few meddling church matrons if it means Spence can’t find her. Harder to handle is Jake Allred. He may be a dark-haired hunk, but he’s also someone Holly can’t trust: a cop. 

Since his time in the military, Lieutenant Jake Allred has lived to protect and serve. And if anyone needs protection, it’s Holly. Having been let down by the law before, she’s wary of letting Jake into her life. But when an unexpected snow storm strands them together, their attraction is hot enough to melt the mounting ice. Just when Jake thinks he’s finally warmed Holly’s heart, Spence strikes. Now it’s up to Jake to save Holly’s baby and bring their fledgling family back together.

MY REVIEW:

     This is one of those books that just grips you from the onset.  You are carried through so many emotions on your way to a thought provoking story.  Exuberant joy to overwhelming anguish.

     This story starts with a very pregnant Holly Morgan and 11 year old brother Tyler fleeing for their lives in the middle of the night.  Holly’s ex fiancé Spence Dilby, of Dilby the department store chain, has proven not only to be a stalker but has laid hands on them both.  Being from that family he’s from, the restraining order he has against him means nothing. For the police just turn their backs or a blind eye.  This move is heart wrenching but she can’t let him hurt Tyler or the baby who is yet to be born.

     You see Holly and Tyler’s parents were killed a year ago in a car accident and Tyler was injured in the same accident.  She had met Spence a little before that but the push to be with her was on once they passed.  Not knowing it was her first time he took her rough.  Which only made her not want it again until after they were to be married if even.  Spence started to change though not being as kind, saying cruel things in front of others.  But the icing on the cake was when she said she was when she said she was pregnant.  He full on denied it and said she was just trying to trap him.  Which floored her since they were engaged.  So, they were over!

     The next thing she knows he’s calling saying his new fiancé can’t have children.  Then he said the one thing that made her cold to the bone.  That he wanted to baby to give to the new fiancé.  As if her daughter was a dog to be exchanged from owner to owner.  When she said never that’s when he got scary.  She tried selling her childhood home even lowering the price and nothing.  The she decided to just rent it out.  Now she was just dropping off keys with the realtor on the way out to see what he could do.

     So, sometime the next day the stop along the highway see the name of this little town Mountain Meadow.  They thought it was as good enough place to start over as anyplace else.  An older gentleman rented them what I guess you could call a house.  It was a ways out of town but it would do.  After they were settled in she knew what was available so she got a bookkeeping job at a pallet place.  Didn’t pay great but better than nothing. She makes an appointment with Dr. Jenny Owens for a check-up.  She’s fine but the baby’s showing stress.  She now needs to be on total bed rest, now the panic starts in.  She had Tyler wait at the general store while she saw the doctor.  While there he met Jake Allred Lieutenant Police Chief.

     Jake served 10 years in the military in the Special Forces the last half.  When he had to be sent home parts of his buddy, “No Man Left Behind!”  He knew it his career was over.  He came home to Mountain Meadows for a few reasons but then decided he needed the familiar and to feel safe being around people he knew.  The worst is the nightmares he wants a family so bad it hurts but with the frightening wakes he can’t think of subjecting a mate to that anguish.

     But the afternoon Holly walked into the store to pick up her brother and they met he knew.  No other woman could compare to her beauty.  Yet, her eyes told a story of lack of trust, panic, and fear.  Although her words were kind the tone was not.  He looks down to look for a ring and finds no ring but does find a baby bump.  He just remembers being so disappointed someone was lucky enough to have her and she was carrying his child.

     Now though the total bed rest means Tyler has to do more.  Which thank goodness he does.  Like going to the grocery store to do shopping when he arrives home extremely late she was in a panic.  Jake was the one who gave him a ride home brought food too.  Calming her but also sending her lady parts on red alert.

     This is the start of a process of learning to trust for both of them.  When something life changing effects them all the results of it changes the town.  I give this 5 stars.  Provided by Net Galley.  Follow us at: www.1rad-readerreviews.com