Title: Accepting Charity   
Author: Kara Lynn Russell   
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Inspirational White Mini rose   
Length: 105    Pages    Sweet   
Release Date    08/20/08

Blurb:

Orchard Hill Residents – lock up your hearts!

Pansy Parker and Misty Green are rivals in romance.  Each believes she is the town's best matchmaker.  Now they're going to settle the question for once and for all.  They're keeping track to see who can make the most matches in a year's time.  Both Misty and Pansy are determined to be the winner.  No heart is safe in Orchard Hill – not even their own.

Review:

David Daniels is at his wit's end trying to adjust to being guardian for his three year old niece, Charity.  He fears that her disability may be more than he can handle.  Then he meets speech therapist Sarah Rogers.  She offers to help David cope until school starts and Charity is enrolled in the early childhood program.  Soon, Sarah realizes she wants more than to be David's advisor and Charity's teacher.  Will she find the courage to ask before Labor Day comes around and school starts again?

Sarah Rogers notices two things about David Daniels.  He is new in town and he is uncomfortable with the three year old by his side.  Recognizing Charity, Sarah introduces herself to David and learns he is Charity’s uncle and new guardian.  Sarah’s training as a speech therapist is David’s salvation.  Being single and somewhat estranged from the girl, David knows nothing about caring for his special needs niece.  This is pointed out in the custody battle with Charity’s aunt.  Desperate to honor his deceased sister’s wishes, David asks Sarah to go beyond the bounds of her training, never anticipating how far that would be.

ACCEPTING CHARITY is a sweet, in-your-corner story that has you snarling at the villain.  I was a little confused with the beginning.  The reader is introduced to several characters in a short period of time that didn’t seem to be part of the story.  I believe this is a series that begins and ends each book with matchmakers as they continue a contest for the most matches.  I wasn’t aware of this when I started reading and it was a little puzzling.  Once I figured out what was going on, I can see what the author has planned.

The main story with Charity will pull at your heartstrings.  The girl is endearing and brings the two main characters into the story with ease.  Ms Russell has a good flow to her writing that is comfortable and not jarring. The characters were clearly drawn and engaging.  As for the antagonist, I don’t know if this was intentional but every time this character came on the page, I expected her to have a curious interest in puppies, especially spotted ones.  Woof!  She was deliciously bad.

I absolutely loved the way Ms Russell tied everything together.  The ending was more than satisfying.

Reviewed by Carol A. Spradling

WRDF Review