Review: Taking Charge – Mandy Baggot

Is going back Robyn s only way forward? American-born Robyn Matthers is going home. With her dad in hospital, his roadhouse in ruins and the ice hockey team slipping down the league, she needs to take charge. But does she have the strength to do it? Cole Ryan is a hockey player on a personal mission. He s tall, dark, hot and Robyn s noticed But can she trust her feelings – or his? And what will Cole do when he finds out the truth about her? Robyn returns to Michigan and things aren t quite the same. Her best friend has grown up and is thinking about marriage and babies, the ice hockey team is no longer the life blood of the community and her father is engaged When Robyn s twin cousins drag up past events that hold painful memories for her, she and Cole are forced together. But are either of them ready to start something new? With an ill father, a trailer trash almost step-mom and ex-boyfriend Brad desperate for another chance, does Robyn have time to contemplate a relationship? Does she really want one? And is it physically possible for two people to fall in love in just three days?

Series:
Release Date:  May 3, 2012
Publisher:  Sapphire Star Publishing
Source:  Provided by Publisher
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Reviewer’s Thoughts:

This was one of those stories that takes you by surprise at home much you liked it.  It had a little bit of everything, including quirky characters you fall in love with.  And it had hockey in it, so what’s not to like???

When Robyn Matther’s father winds up in the hospital, she comes back to her small Michigan town to help take care of him, along with his roadhouse and the hockey team he manages.  What she finds when she get there is her father refusing to limit his intake of junk, the roadhouse on it’s last leg and the town’s beloved hockey team a shambles.  Robyn’s determined to turn all of those around, even while she’s haunted by her past, trying to keep friends in the right place and finding the one man who loves her exactly as she is.

I loved Robyn.  She was an emotional mess, considering what she had been through, but she was a lovable mess.  She tended to run off at the mouth when she was nervous or uncomfortable and told it like it was at other times.  But at her core, she was a woman who would do anything for her father even if that meant coming back to the one place she never intended to come back to.

Emotional messes seemed to run rampant in this small Michigan town and newcomer Cole added his to the heap.  But he also knew, the moment he met Robyn in O’Hare airport, that she was the one that would have him, baggage and all.  They were cute together, even when they were fighting.  He let her run off on her tangents and she knew when he was quiet to let him stew a bit.

This story will having you laughing, a lot, and reaching for something to dab your tears with.  It was an enjoyable read that had me just a little bit sad when it all ended.