Harriet Klausner's Review Archive
Since she was twelve when her parents divorced and her mother started her many relationships with other men, Sarah Lennox had a master plan for her own life. First she would graduate from college, which she did. Then she would have a career, which she has as a Home Economics teacher. Finally, she would marry and two years later have children. Currently, she is engaged to the principal of her school. However, four home pregnancy-tests later, in spite of practicing safe sex, Sarah realizes she is pregnant. When she tells her fiancé, he informs her he is leaving for a new job in California, ends their engagement, and implies she should rid herself of the unborn.
Stunned Sarah receives a letter from her curmudgeon Uncle Ward inviting her to come see him. Realizing that the summer she spent as a thirteen year old at his home in Firefly Glen was her happiest, she decides to visit him. There she meets former secret service agent and current sheriff Parker Tremaine. As she defends her beloved uncle in the middle of an ice festival battle, she falls in love with Parker, who reciprocates her deepest feelings.
WINTER BABY is an amiable contemporary romance that warms the wintry weather of the upstate New York location of the plot. The tale is a relationship drama played on several levels, not just the lead couple even as their love shines throughout the novel. Though the principal is too villainous, Parker, Sarah, and the locals are likable characters that enable readers to enjoy Kathleen O'Brien's gracious story.