Laura Abbot, The Wrong Man

The Wrong Man

Laura Abbot

Harlequin SuperRomance, Mar 2004, 296 pp.

ISBN: 0373711913

Twelve years ago Libby Cameron divorced Trent Baker. Looking back she knows she just married the wrong guy though she admits she loved her then husband although he constantly let her down until she said enough.

One year has passed since vibrant Ashley died from leukemia. Trent, struggling to raise their depressed little girl by himself, Kylie returns home to Montana. Upon learning that Trent is back in town, Libby tries to avoid him though she realizes she still loves him. However, she finds her heart reaching out to the sad Kylie. As she watches Trent nurture Kylie she wonders if he finally grew up, but can she trust him with her heart the second time around? He desperately wants that for his daughter as much as for himself.

Fans of second chance at love tales will enjoy this four tissue box tear jerker that contains a wonderful female protagonist, a not precocious seven year old still devastated by her loss, and a beleaguered male who refuses to let down his daughter. The story line works because Laura Abbot provides the needed pacing to enable readers to understand the key three players and what pulls at their souls. For Libby it is trust; for Trent it is guilt; and for Kylie it is loss. This solid tale proves that Ms. Abbot is the right author for readers who value an angst laden contemporary.

Harriet Klausner