Guest Review: One Night, Two Heirs by Maureen Child

Texas Cattleman’s Club Rule #1: Always Act Honorably

Duty is his world. And upon seeing Sadie Price with twin girls, marine Rick Pruitt realizes he has some proposing to do. He never would have left Royal, Texas, if he’d known Sadie was carrying his babies.

Yet the feisty single mom has no intention of agreeing to a loveless marriage. True, she and Rick share a bond, as well as undeniable passion. But Sadie believes vows should last a lifetime, not be declared out of obligation. Making it Rick’s new mission to change her mind.

This is another fun and lightweight read for which Harlequin is famous. So many of us were raised on these simple but fun short novels and this story follows right along with the tried and true format.

Rick Pruitt has returned to Royal, Texas, carefully considering whether he will re-enlist for another tour or retire from the U. S. Marines. When Sadie introduces him to his twin daughters, children of whom he was completely unaware, the stakes go up. Now Rick wants Sadie–who he is not sure he “loves” but for whom he has a deep and persistent attraction–and his daughters to move to his ranch, the spread he has inherited from his parents and which has been maintained by his foreman and staff during his years away overseas. Sadie will have none of it, and the story revolves around Rick’s efforts to persuade Sadie to accept his suit and her resistance to marrying just for the sake of their children. That he has won the hearts of his girls doesn’t help Sadie’s position any, so it is a story that sort of rolls along from one adversarial encounter to the next.

There really isn’t a whole lot of plot here and the story is certainly not new in its basic dynamic, nor is it complicated. But that doesn’t mean that this can’t be a fun way to spend some time. I know in years past I would take a “reading day” as my monthly respite from my four kids–four kids in five years–and it was a stack of Harlequin fun reads that filled the hours and helped me relax and feel restored. All that being said, the story is well told and testifies to Ms Child’s skill to flesh out a very simple plot. Add in the ongoing tussle at the local Texas Cattlemen’s Club–a push/pull kind of upset that runs throughout this series of short novels involving a men’s club that now admits women and the inevitable changes being wrought by the feminine presence–changes that are being seriously resisted by a number of men in Royal. It is the old tug-of-war between the traditionalists and the progressives. It adds fun and spice to the story and is a very nice seque to upcoming stories in this series.

I just flat out enjoyed this book–it is relaxing and certainly not taxing. If you want a complicated, substantive novel this is will not be your choice. But if you want something to read that will hold your interest and be very entertaining, that you will like this novel.

I give it a rating of 3.75 out of 5.

You can read more from Judith at Dr. J’s Book Place.

This book is available from Harlequin. You can buy it here in e-format.