TITLE: The Baby Race
AUTHOR: Elysa Hendricks
PUBLISHER: Elysa Hendricks
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
HEAT LEVEL: Sweet
LENGTH: 172 pages
REVIEWER: Buffy
REVIEW RATING: 4 LIGHTNING BOLTS
BLURB: Race Reed doesn’t want a wife, but to save his ranch he needs a baby. To gain custody of her stepsister, Claire Jensen needs a husband, but she wants love. Wants and needs are bound to clash when they make The Baby Race.
Race Reed reserves his love and attention for the abused horses he cares for on his ranch. Because his mother changed husbands as often as she changed clothes, doesn’t believe in wedded bliss. Now to save his ranch he needs the money his paternal grandmother is offering as a marriage incentive. The bizarre contest she’s set up between him and his two cousins to produce her first great-grandchild is another matter. His only option – cheat in The Baby Race.
Claire Jensen wants two things out of life, home and family. During her younger years she never questioned her father’s nomadic lifestyle as he hunted for treasure, but as she grew older she longed to put down roots. When her father remarried and gave Claire a stepmother and baby stepsister, she’d thought her prayers were answered. Instead, she took over the parental role to her stepsister as her father and stepmother continued to search the world for treasure. In every way that matters, the six-year-old is Claire’s daughter. When Claire’s father and stepmother are killed on their latest quest for treasure, without a steady job, husband or home, Claire is about to lose custody of her young stepsister. Her only option – run the The Baby Race
Review:
The Baby Race is really a highly emotional story. One minute you’re full of hope, and the next you want to cry…or just smack someone *cough*Race*cough*. Put together a large, close-knit family, a small town, and a cowboy, then throw in an innocent, naïve woman and her kid stepsister (and prospective adopted daughter) and you get a whirlwind of drama.
This is totally a story that I can easily get caught up in, and I did, but there were times I really wanted to slap Race for saying or doing something completely boneheaded. The grandmother is the one that sets everything in motion, but while I understand her motives, I don’t like how she went about it, though I don’t think anyone can argue with the results lol.
The writing style was a little daunting as we frequently switched focus from Claire to Race without any warning, and the passage of time wasn’t always easy to keep up with. However, that being said, it’s still easy enough to follow and the journey is so very sweet with a very satisfying ending. The only thing I was left wondering is what the ultimate fate of Race’s ranch, as that was still a little unclear, but that’s really just a side note, and doesn’t impact the bigger picture.
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Thanks for posting the review. The title instantly grabs my attention and the like the premise.
ReplyDeleteWonderful review! And like Christine, the title really got my attention. LOL, I pictured babies racing, hehehehehe. Just kidding.
ReplyDeleteBrenda, I think there are places where they actually do hold "baby races" where they have them crawl. Probably Babies R Us. :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the lovely review of THE BABY RACE. I'm always pleased when someone enjoys my stories and THE BABY RACE is especially close to my heart.
ReplyDeleteThe hero Race and his horse rescue ranch was inspired by my visit to HAHS (Hooved Animal Humane Society) http://www.hahs.org/ in Illinois. If you ever get the opportunity to visit a horse rescue ranch, do so. It's a wonderful experience.
I LOVED his horse rescue ranch. It definitely tugged at my heart strings because I used to ride a little and help out taking care of some horses when I was younger. Such majestic animals. Thank you for the opportunity to read the book, it was a sweet story (I like the sweet ones) :-)
DeleteThe only horses I've ever been owned by were imaginary ones. When I was young I had a stable full of them in our city garage. Some of them had wings and a single horn on their heads. Sadly, my lifestyle and pocketbook never allowed for the "real" thing. But I do love them. I admire the people who dedicate their lives and resources to rescuing these fascinating, magical creatures.
ReplyDelete