This is a moving contemporary, second chance at life, romance with the ‘heroine’ having struggled with finding trustworthy men in her life, except for her grandfather! She discovered that the latest man in her life was married when it was announced in the newspapers and a colleague shared the news with her. Determined not to be around when he returns from his honeymoon, she finds herself a new job and house to live in hundreds of miles away in the comparatively small town of Charity, Montana.

She’s quite disappointed with the home when she first arrives as it is quite dilapidated and in desperate need of painting. However, inside it is much better and the friendly person who manages the rental properties, Joe Collins, soon gets things fixed and helps her to settle in. Joe also owns and runs the local garden centre and Taylor can’t believe how attracted she feels to him despite having sworn off men for the foreseeable future. When she discovers she’s pregnant, she’s even more determined to keep her distance. As friendship and trust grow between them the arrival of Taylor’s cheating ex is going to test everything they hold dear, especially as he wants his as yet unborn child!

The theme throughout this story is one of trust. There are some stereotyping of both ex-cons and single Mums but the story generally flows well. Joe is an ex-con who is working hard to put his past behind him and to atone for his mistakes but Taylor struggles to accept or trust him because of his past and how she’s been mistreated by the men she’s trusted in the past. I liked Joe’s character much more than Taylor’s! She seems quite blinkered and determined to condemn anyone who is an ex-con and repeatedly voices her prejudices.

As new friendships, a growing sense of community and belonging all develop for Taylor she needs to reevaluate her beliefs and expectations whilst Joe needs to learn to trust his heart and value himself and his achievements. The author takes the reader through the whole gamut of emotions, including some laugh out loud moments. Both the main characters are isolated from most of their family and would love to be the special someone in someone’s life. Their relationships with the community are the strongest and their support - well, apart from Arlene - is heartwarming.

Many thanks to the publishers for gifting me a copy of this novel, via NetGalley, with no obligation. This is my honest review.

Struggled with all the stereotyping of the ex-cons and single mom. I kept reading only because I was waiting for something good to happen or a twist to the story but it's your stereotypical romance novel.

This book and this hero were not exactly what I was expecting and I think that’s one of the reasons why I loved it so much: its difference, its unpredictability. It’s a story about two nice people who made mistakes or faced difficulties and are now trying to do their best with these new circumstances. They are attracted to each other right from the beginning, but it’s a slow-burn romance, just as I like.
The growing attraction (and the fear of it or even denying it) is superbly handled, with Lynne Marshall showing us the heroine noticing small endearing details like the hero’s dimple, the tooth gap, the small patch of beard beneath his lower lip. We have the hero’s perspective as well of little things that make him fall for the heroine and all the silly, awkward, tender moments that occur between them.
I was expecting the hero to be a brooding tortured man, with lots of anger, resentment and hostility, but I was delightfully surprised because Joe turns out to be such a positive person: yes, he was hurt, he’s made a huge mistake, but somehow he redeemed himself and he lives a productive life. (“He didn’t seem bitter or resentful. He seemed levelheaded and wiser from the beating life had dealt him. Now she knew the serenity that she’d seen in his eyes had come at a huge price” 42%, quote from ARC).
The plot develops in a unique rhythm, with that unpredictability and type of surprises that happen in real life with real people. I especially liked the heroine’s abrupt revelation of her pregnancy and the hero’s slow connecting with the baby (it was so tender when he kneeled in front of Taylor and talked to the baby saying “Earth to baby, do you roger that?”). I also enjoyed that the main characters have common jobs (both are carers, in their own fields) and that details about their specific tasks and skills are woven into the narrative in a very believable and smooth way. There’s a good group of secondary characters as well.
So, this was a story full of emotions and some surprises (and a book with a beautiful cover) by Lynne Marshall, one of my favorite authors. I tend to eagerly wait for her books because she has a way with complexity and subtlety and usually writes about mature people falling for each other, with plenty of emotions and affection but without the unnecessary and stereotyped misunderstandings and artificial conflict that we often find in some romantic fiction.

Quick read, romantic story with a bit of suspense thrown in, Iwas expecting more trouble from the baby daddy, but enjoyed the outcome and ending.

Her Baby, His Love well, it was entertaining, but to me it could have been a better book. This review does contain spoilers, please don't read further if you don't want to them.

One thing that bothered me was she was ok with sex, but when he turned her down and said they should wait for marriage she was upset and cited the fact that if she did that he could leave. Well he could anyway, but if it is a marriage its harder, and the fact that he wanted to wait should have meant something to her. Another thing, the confrontation with the ex was almost nothing, I really thought it would drag out more. There were several things listed about her growing up that her grandparents had to deal with without detail. example, they had paid enough in lawyer fees, but no reason was given. And then he got upset at the end when she wanted three months, he was upset she wanted to be in a better physical state. After all the 'I'll wait for you' lines he was upset she didn't want to walk to the JOP and get hitched.

I did like Joe's character for the most part, and I liked that he tried very hard to do the right thing.

I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley for a fair review.

Title and author: Her Baby, His Love by Lynne Marshall
Publisher: Tule Publishing
Releases: March 27. 2017
Purchase: http://tinyurl.com/hexm5z3
Genre: Contemporary
Author website: http://lynnemarshall.com/
Rating: 4.5 Stars


Situations filled with a wide variety of circumstances can be found all throughout HER BABY, HIS LOVE, where realism makes every single moment believable. There are instances that made me laugh, while other happenings tugged at my heart. The main couple in the story may be unalike in many ways, yet they both feel rather alone and would secretly like to be with someone special. Lynne Marshall takes two individuals on a journey packed with highs and lows, and I was deeply touched by each of the conceivable events.

Even though Taylor Clark had only been dating her boyfriend for two months, their relationship was one which she thought might finally end up lasting. Yet he turned out to be just another liar when she learns he is marrying someone else. Feeling hurt and dejected, Taylor decides to put memories of the deceitful cheater behind her by moving to Montana where she has found work because of her nursing degree. Upon arriving in a quaint town named Charity, she only wants to fit in and perhaps be happy.

After too many disastrous incidents with men in her past, Taylor feels avoiding all of them is for the best. Yet she keeps interacting with one particular man living in the town, and Joe Collins leaves her flustered yet intrigued. He is attracted to her, yet the ex-con plans to keep those feelings to himself, at least for a time. But with them continuously being around each other, they grow closer. When Taylor finds out her previous relationship resulted in a pregnancy, she is stunned and certainly in need of a friend, and Joe is more than willing to be there for her.

When life’s plans do not go as expected, a person often has to make some drastic choices. Taylor has made a big mistake which causes her to move away from the painful source, and she dreams of having a great job and possibly making some good friends. Just when these two goals are being achieved, her life is once again turned upside down after discovering she is pregnant. Though Joe still seems like he will be her friend, as he knows all about needing support after some bad decisions, Taylor has lost her faith in men. I really liked how Lynne Marshall made the couple very true-to-life, as the direction in which their feelings guide them could take a bad turn or lead to much pleasure. I hurt right along with them when they mentally suffered, and I felt joy when they were truly content.

HER BABY, HIS LOVE captures the interest on every engaging page. The relationship of Joe and Taylor is not your conventional boy meets girl and then they fall in love. While they do share plenty of positive sentiments about each other, fear of becoming involved again has her leaving much unsaid, while he does not act on how he feels in order to not be pushed away. His being an ex-con is shown in ways that had me knowing exactly what type of man he really is despite his background, and I admired how he tried to make himself better as it showed great effort on his part. Ms. Marshall has created not only a compelling romance, but the story is also very entertaining with fascinating secondary characters. The Montana setting and small town charm had me enjoying the book even more.

I voluntarily reviewed the book via NetGalley, and all comments are my honest opinion