Review of 'Family of His Own' by Catherine Lanigan



Perhaps I'm just not the right audience for this book. I don't usually much like romances with children in them and I'm not a huge fan of love triangles and this novel has both. I do like Catherine Lanigan a lot though so I decided to give it a try.

The main guy in the story, Scott, was fairly likable. He was very loyal to Isabelle, the heroine, and he had a big heart for kids. He ends up fostering a couple of kids who otherwise wouldn't really have a place to stay. I thought that was nice of him, but after years of not telling Isabelle he loves her, he decides to spring a marriage proposal on her at least in part so she can be a mother to the foster kids he took on rather suddenly, foster kids she knew nothing about until this impromptu proposal. 

I could see his side of it, but I would have been pretty upset to have a guy spring something like that on me and I do want kids. Isabelle didn't at this point in the story. In any case, to me it was a little more nightmarish than romantic.

Isabelle was sort of likable to me but it bothered me that she didn't really seem to know her own mind. It was obvious that she really wanted to be with Scott to me for much longer than it seemed to be obvious to her. I did just wish she would figure it out after a while, though I did sympathize with her wanting to make a success of her art because I've always loved drawing.

The love triangle also bothered me. I've never felt much sympathy for female characters in stories who complain about having two really great guys fall in love with them. It's not a dilemma I've personally faced and it just seems obvious to me that you pick whichever of the two you like better and that's that.

I did find the ending of the novel pretty satisfying in any case. I did want Isabelle and Scott to end up together and I thought it was cute that he gave her a studio. It seemed likely that they would be very happy together whatever else happened and they both did love the children, so I wasn't concerned that wouldn't work out. All in all, I thought it was worth a read and it was impressive to me that Catherine Lanigan could get me to enjoy a story even when so many elements of it are not my cup of tea.

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