reviewsbyerin

Ellie Kilmer has been dealt a rough hand at life. Having been caretaker for her elderly parents until their deaths, Ellie is now in her thirties and being passed around to live with whichever relatives will grudgingly open their homes to her. When she meets young widower Jackson Smith and he almost immediately asks her to consent to a marriage of convenience for the sake of his young sons, she agrees because at least she'll have a respectable place in the world again.

Jackson is pleased to have Ellie's help in raising Daniel and Ethan, but he can't believe that for the second time he has married a woman he doesn't love. The scars of his first wife's unfaithfulness influence the way he views Ellie, too. He holds her to the agreements they forged before marriage and is quick to suspect that she might be doing things he does not approve of. Their marriage feels tentative all the way around.

Giving it her best, Ellie fights with determination to win a place in Daniel and Ethan's hearts and live peaceably with Jackson, even while challenging him to meet her halfway in her efforts to make their house a home. She tries to be accepting of Jackson's emotions even when he is the opposite towards her.

This wasn't a story I would go back and reread, but it wasn't so bad that I struggled to finish it. The story took unpredictable turns, and I found Ellie to be a good role model for standing up for oneself. She fought for what she saw was right, no matter what it cost her. That's the kind of heroine one can cheer for! If you'd like to check out this book, it is currently free on Kindle.