Friday, August 7, 2020

BLOG TOUR - Child on His Doorstep


DESCRIPTION:

An unexpected delivery and fresh start. 

He needed only a nanny…but in her he’s found so much more. 

Suddenly a father after his little brother is abandoned on his doorstep, Corbin Beck has no idea how to care for a toddler. Thankfully, former hometown party girl Samantha Alcorn is making a fresh start as a live-in nanny. As Corbin bonds with little Mikey—and sparks fly with Samantha—they begin to feel like a family. But Samantha’s secret could change everything…

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MY THOUGHTS:

Title:  Child on His Doorstep
Author
:  Lee Tobin McClain
Series:  Rescue Haven
Publisher:  Harlequin Love Inspired
Genre:   Inspirational Romance
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:   224
Date of Publication:   August 1, 2020
My Rating:   5 Stars     

Corbin Beck is hardly prepared to become a father to his toddler brother Mikey when he suddenly appears on his doorstep. When he runs into someone from high school, Samatha Alcorn, and finds out that she is staying in town for a while, and what is more, is experienced in child care, he hires her as a live-in nanny.

Samantha has had a difficult past. As a teen she was all about partying. Then she experienced a devastating loss and turned to alcohol. Although she has not had a drink in over two years, Corbin's difficult past with his parents and their alcohol dependence is something that is a cause of concern for him. He is more than drawn to Samantha and the more time they spend caring for Mikey, the more difficult it becomes for Corbin to face his feelings.

Samantha has more than her past to contend with. She is keeping a secret from Corbin and is sure once he knows what is really going on that any growing feelings developing between them will be dashed to pieces. They must consider Mikey's well-being and why he was deposited on Corbin's doorstep. Then they must deal with how Corbin is more than hesitant to have an alcoholic in his life and future.

Not only is Samantha truly drawn to Mikey and Corbin, she feels so welcomed by the town that held little respect for her while she was in high school. Does she have a future in that town? What is more, does she stand a chance with Corbin.

Child on His Doorstep touches on another serious issue of loss, other than alcoholism. Although a very quick read, this book delivers a full, satisfying story, one with the dependence of faith that leads to real hope. Although this is the second book in the Rescue Haven series, it was such a touching book that I want to go back and read the first, The Secret Christmas Child.

Lee Tobin McClain is a new name to me and I love seeing that she has a nice backlist. Her writing style incorporates faith, love and family and wraps it all up in a wonderful story, one that captured my attention from the very beginning to a very warm ending.

Many thanks to Harlequin Love Inspired and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.


Please enjoy the following excerpt:
Excerpt, CHILD ON HIS DOORSTEP by Lee Tobin McClain

***

She let the water out of the sink, not looking at him now. “I think you’re doing a great job,” she said. “It was just as much my fault as yours. And didn’t you listen to what everyone else said? Parenting is a challenge and you can’t help but screw up sometimes.”

“I guess.” He wasn’t used to doing things poorly or in a half-baked way. He was used to working at a task until he could become an expert. That had been a great approach in his career, where hard work and long hours at the lab had helped him succeed, becoming one of the youngest faculty members the university had ever hired.

He wasn’t arrogant about that; he knew that what-ever smarts he had were a gift from God, that other people were smarter and that he’d been incredibly fortunate in getting fellowships and teaching assistant jobs to pay for his graduate work. That was what had allowed him to reach a position of expertise in his field.

But it seemed that nobody was an expert when it came to raising kids, not really.

“Mikey can be a handful, just like any other child,” she said.

“He is, but I sure love him,” Corbin said. It was the first time he had articulated that, and he realized it was completely true. He loved his little brother as if the boy were his own son.

“I love him, too,” she said, almost offhandedly.

She just continued wiping down the counters, not acting like she had said anything momentous, but her words blew Corbin away. She had an amazing ability to love. Mikey wasn’t her child, nor her blood, but she felt for him as if he were.

He got the vacuum cleaner and ran it over the kitchen floor, cleaning up dog hair and crumbs, turning it off quickly when it sucked up a little plastic spoon, then extracting it and starting it up again.

If he loved his little brother despite the boy’s issues and whining and toddler misbehavior, could it be that he could love another adult who had issues, too? He was definitely starting to care a lot for Samantha. Was he growing, becoming more flexible and forgiving?

***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

USA TODAY
bestselling author Lee Tobin McClain watched Dr. Zhivago way too young and developed a lifelong passion for angsty romance. When she's not writing, she's probably FaceTiming with her college-age daughter, mediating battles between her goofy goldendoodle and her rescue cat, or teaching aspiring writers in Seton Hill University's MFA program. She is probably not cleaning her house. For more about Lee, visit her website at www.leetobinmcclain.com.


Author links: 
Author webite: https://www.leetobinmcclain.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leetobinmcclain 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeeTobinMcClain 
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8585094.Lee_Tobin_McClain 
Author newsletter: https://us9.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=ae9cd856dcf4afac5bd134582&id=6e0dc695f4

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