His Valentine Surprise
Tanya Michaels
Harlequin American, Feb 1 2011, $4.99
ISBN: 9780373753475

In Braeden, North Carolina widower Mark Hathaway's six year old daughter Vicki wants a mommy by Valentine's Day. She is angry at Santa, as he recently failed her when she asked him at the mall for a mommy for Christmas. She knows her dad will not pursue dating so she must act to achieve her objective. Her eleven year old cousin Bobby suggests they find someone to date his uncle. Using her Aunt Dee's computer, Vicki sends an email to all the members of the Woodside Elementary School PTA asking for someone to date her father on Valentine's Day.

Mark is upset and humiliated by his daughter's email. He feels it is hard enough being a single dad. The principal Shay Morgan finds the incident humorous. She informs Mark that he needs to spend some quality time with his precocious offspring. At the Up A Creek store Mark manages, owner Bennett Coleridge informs him he may close it if profits fail to increase; he also offers Mark a position in his more successful Colorado store. Besieged on all sides, Mark knows the worst of all is falling in love with the principal.

This is a fun amusing Valentine contemporary romance with a solid cast anchored by a lead couple with professional and personal issues that seemingly will keep them apart. The story line is brisk and jocular as Vicki makes the tale with her obsession that surface with the first line when she says she hates Santa. Although she is too precocious, fans will not care as the little matchmaker works on obtaining a mommy for Valentine's Day.

Harriet Klausner