These days, it seems harder for me to get to the library (and when I do, it's even harder to get the books back on time) so I'm trying to work my way through my TBR pile at home. I've been holding on to this one for quite a while. "Sweet Lullaby" is by the author of one of my all-time favorite romances, "Texas Destiny" and is it published by Diamond 'Homespun' a series of Americana novels I generally like partially due to their 'quilted' covers. I had high hopes for "Sweet Lullaby" which may be why it has sat unread for so long. In some ways my hopes were met, the hero Jake is as beta as the come, such a good person - and WAY, WAY too good for the heroine. Which is not to say that I disliked Rebecca - she was just an idiot - for most of the book. I said it out loud, twice, "you are such an idiot!" as I was reading - she's too young and foolish to recognize real love when it's right in front of her face.
I did like her character's strength and love of ranching - so I must blame Ms. Heath for the poor set up and pacing of this novel. It is inevitable that she will make a stupid choice and regret it - the way their story is plotted there is no other way. Rebecca slept with one of her father's ranch hands, once, he left without saying if or when he would return, and now she's pregnant. Her father refused to be embarrassed or the subject of scandal, so he chooses another ranch hand Jake Burnett to wed her. He has loved her for sometime without hope of anything, so he tells her of the land he has inherited in Texas and says he will never ask for more than she is willing to give. We love Jake, he is pretty much perfect - it's Rebecca of course, who continues to think (for most of the novel) that her one night of passion is worth more than the months she spent living, working, and yes, loving with Jake.
AAR gives this an "A" rating - making it a DIK - I just can't agree. I liked the H/H very much, and I potentially could have loved this book, but you could see what would happen from the first pages, and I just could not like their whole story.
