The Jackson family is changed forever when the eldest brother dies unexpectedly. In the wake of Lou's death, the remaining three Jackson brothers find new love, awaken a long-buried unrequited love, and renew an old love.
~Somebody's Lover~
Widowed three years earlier, Taylor knows the Jackson family can never accept another man in Lou's place as her husband and she accepts that. Still, she is still young, and three years is a long time. She longs to be something more than somebody's mother - she needs to be Somebody's Lover, if only for one night. Dropping her kids off to spend the night with their Grandparents, she drives out of town to a singles bar, where she wastes no time in both getting drunk and meeting someone.
When Jace sees Taylor in the bar wearing a leather mini-skirt and high heels, no less, his jaw drops. And when he sees a strange man putting his hand on her knee, the red he's seeing is not just her lipstick! He has loved her from afar from the first moment he saw her, but hid his feelings for his brother's wife for years. But she'll turn to another man over his dead body!
Although I loved each of the stories in this collection, Somebody's Lover is probably my favorite. Taylor was a wonderful leading lady, trying to balance single parenthood with her needs as a vibrant woman. Her resignation to live the rest of her life without a husband, out of respect for her husband's memory and his family was admirable, if somewhat misguided. Lucky for Taylor, the answer was in her own backyard, so to speak...
Jace. I could say so much about Jace. For me, he is what made this particular tale my favorite. His internal struggles are palpable, with his guilt over his brother's death, his anguish over the deep love he has long harbored for his brother's wife, and his torment at the thought of her turning to another man now that his brother is gone. I've said before that there is nothing better than watching a sexy Alpha Male clashing with a woman who can match him, but now I think perhaps watching him fight his own needs and desires in an attempt to do what he thinks is right is even better! Pair that situation with a woman who can stand up to him, and you have the best of both worlds, as with Somebody's Lover.
~Somebody's Ex~
David Jackson has never met anyone quite like Randi. She's beautiful, quirky, and completely unexpected. She has a way of catching him totally off-guard that reaches his guarded heart faster than he can blink an eye. But he's determined to keep their liaison at the level of `fling'. Too bad his heart doesn't agree...
In spite of the pain both of the lead characters have to work through in Somebody's Ex, this was an absolutely delightful story! Randi is truly a breath of fresh air, and it is easy to understand from the get-go just why David finds her so hard to resist, and even easier to understand why he falls so hard for her.
Throughout the story, each repeatedly brings each other joy in a variety of ways, both in and out of the bedroom. J But more importantly, each gives the other the strength to work out their most troublesome issues, proving that together they can get through anything.
~Somebody's Wife~
Mitch and Connie Jackson have been married for years. Mitch has always been a worrier, but since Lou's death, that worry has spun out of control. His concern over how to provide for another child has interrupted their love life for months now, as he fears they may accidentally conceive. Connie is determined to find a way to spice up the bedroom to the point where Mitch can't resist her, and finds some very creative ways to do it!
I'll just say it - I am not usually drawn to stories about a marriage that has gone stale, or is on the rocks. That said, I really loved Haynes' third story in this collection, Somebody's Wife. In fact, having enjoyed this one so much, I'll not be so hesitant to give other books with a similar theme a chance in the future.
Connie was ingenious in her efforts to seduce her husband Mitch. Her efforts are amply rewarded in the bedroom, but their problems lie deeper than that. Before the story is over, both Mitch and Connie learn that sometimes the goals in your marriage evolve and change, and that both members of the partnership must learn to adapt and compromise together if they are to keep their marriage alive.
