Name: Blue skies
ISBN: 9780451210753

Catherine Anderson

Blue skies

Sans

What this book had to make it awesome that the last couple stories in the series didn't, I couldn't say. Was it the fact that Hank was an asshat in the first couple of chapters and seemed more human than our last couple of heroes? Or that Carly was somehow more likable and realistic? That there were no child molesting step-dad's, homicidal ex-husbands or off-the-deep-end stalkers to cause conflict between the main couple, or nary a rabid bear to be seen? That our hero didn't pluck our heroine out of some life-threatening situation and insist on saving her? Likely, it's an amalgamation of these and many other elements that resulted in this being one of the best books I've read in a while.

I freely admit, this book could easily be seen as a schlocky romance, replete with eye-roll worthy rare diseases, an after-school-special-ish example of how getting drunk and having sex in the back of a truck can result in getting pregnant your first time out of the gate, and a possibly unrealistic development of a once-in-a-lifetime love. But if you're like me, this unlikely combination just pulled together to work this time. 

Hank isn't out to be a white knight. He's made a very serious mistake and decided it was time to stand up, be a man, and deal with the consequences. Carly isn't in need of saving. She does need help, but she's not going to go to jail or get sucked back into an abusive situation if Hank hadn't happened along. There's drama aplenty with these two and, while the rare eye-disease could have been overdone, it wasn't the only conflict going in the story. 

I do wish Anderson didn't have a requisite separation period for her couples at the end of every book though. It would be lovely to have the conflict resolved without the leading lady hieing off to another location for a period of time, just so the hero can ride up and sweep her off her feet one more time.