Mommy in Training-Shelley Galloway

Mommy in Training
Shelley Galloway
Harlequin American, Jan 2009, $4.99
ISBN: 0373752482

Matt Madigan left his hometown of Crescent View, Texas at the first opportunity he could. He never recovered from when he was a high school senior whose father died leaving him an orphan; he moved in with the kind neighbor Mrs. Wyzecki. He applied for scholarships, got one, and left Texas including his high school sweetheart Paige behind although he was dumping her anyway for doing the football team. Once he left he never came back even for Paige’s funeral after she and her husband died in a car accident.

Now he is back in town opening up a SavNGo superstore that he believes will save the dying town. He knows Paige’s younger sister Minnie Clark is raising his late girlfriend’s five year old daughter Kimber and runs a local gift store. He also knows he is attracted to Minnie though she and much of the town’s storeowners loath what he is bringing to Crescent View as a superstore means they will soon be having out of business sales.

This is an intriguing contemporary family drama as the aunt and her niece struggle to move on since the latter’s mommy died last year; ironically though he literally moved on, Matt also struggles with emotionally moving on. As Minnie and Matt fall in love, he wonders if he has come home for the first time since his dad’s death. Fans will enjoy this fine contemporary small-town Texas romance refreshed by Minnie’s amusing commentaries are her shortfalls while Matt thinks she is the perfect Clark sister.

Harriet Klausner