Dianne Castell, ‘Til There Was U

'Til There Was U

Dianne Castell

Brava, Nov 2005, $14.00, 304 pp.

ISBN: 0758210051

In Tennessee, fifty-two year old Rory O'Fallon knows the moment he sees the infant on his porch that he sired her; he also believes the mother, whom he loves, is in trouble to abandon her daughter Bonnie like this. Finally Rory realizes that he cannot help his beloved Mimi DuPont without help himself; he tells the local paper that his son Ryan is the father, until he can insure that his former office manager is safe.

Rory calls his son in San Diego, architect Ryan O'Fallon, whose legendary love life process time is the subject of office pools. In fact his greatest rival at Designs Unlimited, Effie Wilson, has won the last two pools about Ryan's love life (or lack of), as she thinks she knows why he is slumping, and why the stud sweats when she is near him. However, Ryan must go home as his dad needs him, even while working a project with Effie. In O'Fallon's Landing, Effie completes her magic as her hunk finds he cannot resist her lure.

Dianne Castell writes an entertaining contemporary romance, with a bit of a mystery that brings the lead pair to his hometown, though hiding the truth about Bonnie seems odd, even rationalized as a safety measure. Effie is terrific as she knows she loves the womanizing Ryan, who must choose between the perfect woman and perfect job. Fans will appreciate this fine tale, and look forward to novels starring his brothers, Keefe the soap opera star, and Quaid the search and rescue expert in Kodiak, Alaska.