Book Review: Must Be Crazy by Deborah Garland

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

MUST BE CRAZY (Darling Cove Book 3) by Deborah Garland is the third contemporary romance book in the Darling Cove series. The last single Mallory is about to be saved by her perfect match, the hot single dad volunteer fire chief/architect of Darling Cove. This book can be read as a standalone, but the family is very close and there are crossover references to the first two romance books.

Skye Mallory loves her family above all else, but she has also felt the need to excel to be noticed as the middle child. As an attorney, she always works hard to win no matter how big or small the case. When a fire destroys her office and apartment, she is saved by the Darling Cove fire chief.

Edward Mendelson has noticed Skye around Darling Cove. He has little time for dating though while working as an architect, volunteering for the fire department and raising his son, Julian alone. When called to a fire, he rescues Skye and realizes that he wants more than her appreciation.

Skye and Edward quickly realize that their desire is mutual, but both of their pasts are about to interfere. Skye accepts a case involving her ex-boyfriend to help pay to rebuild her business and too late finds out Edward is the person he is suing. If that does not split them apart, Julian’s mother reappears and wants custody and to move him to another state. Also, Skye has a secret she has been keeping that may change the way Edward feels about a future with her.

There are a lot of realistic ups-and-downs in this romance. Skye and Edward both have pasts that interfere with their present. Ms. Garland had me emotionally involved with all of the characters in this story. I felt for Skye deeply as she dealt with her secret while being surrounded by pregnant family. I also loved how much Edward worked to be a great single dad. I did have a problem with how easily at one point Edward was willing to let Julian go with his birth mother, even though it worked out in the end. Edward and Skye’s sex scenes were explicit and hot, but not gratuitous. This was a romance that kept me turning the pages and left me very satisfied by HEA.

Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.