Review by Booklist Review
Being abandoned as a child should have hardened her heart, but Sunshine Gibson truly believes that love heals, which is why she's a social worker barely making ends meet in New York City. When one of Sunny's adoption cases is in danger of falling through, Sunny desperately reaches out to former athlete turned high-priced attorney, Julian King, for help. Making it to the top of his law firm is Julian's number one goal; he doesn't do family law or pro bono work. But Sunny's casual style and empathy for foster children appeals to his softer side. Her feminine wiles aren't as polished as some, but Sunny is able to persuade Julian to take the case, and in the process they uncover clues that reveal the identity of the woman who has reemerged to claim her child as well as secrets related to Sunny's own childhood trauma. Opposites attract in Pope's breezy, multicultural, contemporary romance spiced with a touch of suspense, a romance similar to those of Brenda Jackson and Robyn Carr.--Kristina Giovanni Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Pope (Love Blooms) brings an unlikely pair together in her marvelous latest contemporary romance. Social worker Sunny Gibson and attorney Julian King have nothing in common but their trust issues. Abandoned as a child, Sunny's dedicated herself to foster children. She covers insecurity with a charming and upbeat attitude but holds herself apart. After a career-ending injury, sports star Julian reinvented himself as one of the best lawyers in New York City. Julian works unceasingly to prove he truly belongs among his firm's elite and isn't just there for his fame and contacts, and he's deliberately built a life where love plays no part. When a young girl's mother reappears in a manner that mirrors events in Sunny's own past, a determined Sunny coaxes a reluctant Julian into helping and opening his heart. Pope's sexy humor and lively dialogue create emotionally available characters who develop a fascinating relationship. Sunny and Julian are increasingly likable; even their missteps will keep romance readers invested and rooting for them straight through to the last word. Agent: Emmanuelle Morgen, Stonesong Literary. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Abandoned by her unstable mother and in the foster care system from the age of eight, social worker Sunshine Gibson is determined to ensure that other children avoid her fate. So when the anonymous birth mother of eight-year-old Soren (whom Sunny secretly thinks might be her sister) begins sending letters and money, Sunny fears the woman might interfere with Soren's new life and upcoming adoption, and she's not about to let that happen. But Julian King, the ex-football star and high-profile attorney she hopes will assist her, resists all the way. First, he doesn't do family law; second, he doesn't do pro bono work; and third, Sunny is far too appealing-and falling for someone is not on his agenda. Then everything changes. Zingy dialog and surprising humor lighten the powerful emotions that weave throughout this story that addresses some serious child abuse and foster care-related concerns. VERDICT Strong but conflicted protagonists, each with abandonment issues, come to terms with their pasts as well as their feelings in this hard-hitting, appealingly sexy story that will have fans waiting for the next in this duology. Pope (Love Blooms) lives in Poughkeepsie, NY. © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A social worker and a lawyer band together to help a foster family fend off a legal challenge to an upcoming adoption proceeding. Sunny Gibson was abandoned by her mentally ill, abusive mother when she was a child. Now she's a Manhattan social worker determined to help children trapped in the foster system. A legal challenge arises that might halt the adoption of one of Sunny's favorite clients, and Sunny is surprised at how the situation stirs up memories of her own harrowing childhood. Could this child be connected to her somehow? Sunny enlists the aid of high-powered lawyer Julian King to help her protect the rights of the adoptive parents. Sunny is convinced Julian is the key to helping her win the case even though he has no experience in family law, which is such a fundamental flaw in the plot that the entire legal battle never makes much sense. As Sunny and Julian work together to uncover the truth about the child they are trying to protect, they develop a friendship based on mutual respect but tinged with longing. Both characters have abandonment issues and are afraid to fall in love, but they cannot resist each other, and their friendship makes a slow and steady turn to romance. Sunny and Julian eventually leave New York and travel to the beaches of Maryland and South Carolina, where an escalating number of misunderstandings seem to be a pretext for more drama rather than an organic resolution to the plot and characters. Pope (Love Blooms, 2017, etc.) creates lush, complex emotional and professional lives for both Sunny and Julian; but by the end, some of the revelations about their families and the past veer into melodrama.A sweet romance with a tight focus on the emotional journey. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
