"He's another jock who just happens to set her blood on fire."

The Secret Wedding Wish

Janey Hart was the only daughter surrounded by five brothers. The only way for a girl to have any fun was to be impulsive and a bit reckless. So twelve years ago she did just that. The only problem with that is that she ended up eloping to the wrong man and having a child. Now Janey Hart Campbell is back in her home town, widowed, raising her son and running her own business. But the five brothers are still just as insistent in trying to run her life and make sure that Janey's reckless streak doesn't return.

Twelve year old Chris Campbell only wants one thing. To play hockey. But his mom refuses to let him follow his dream. So Chris appeals to the head coach of the Carolina Storm professional hockey team. Sending Coach Lantz a letter wondering if there is any way he could work off the expense of hockey camp since he knows his mom can't afford to send him. What he doesn't really know is that Janey is afraid if he does go, that he will end up like his father. A man who strived for his dream, only to fail.

Thad Lantz went to see Janey about Chris's letter. What he didn't expect to find is an attraction so strong, he couldn't ignore it. Thad really likes Chris and wants to help him out. Spending time with him was not a hardship and in no way a ploy to get to Janey. Thad can think of several other excuses to be in Janey's company and ways to her heart. And the more that her family disagrees, the more Janey finds excuses to be with Thad. Not that she doesn't find him attractive, but Janey has been keeping a tight rein on her recklessness and falling into bed and in love with Thad could be a very reckless thing.

Will Janey take a chance on her life when Thad points out she is holding back, not just professionally, but personally? Can Thad show Janey that he loves and wants her and Chris forever?

The second story in the Brides of Holly Springs series, THE SECRET WEDDING WISH is filled with just as much love, laughter and family interference as Ms. Thacker's first book in the series. We really catch a glimpse of how tight knit the Hart family is. Janey is a strong woman who has learned from her mistakes and taking a chance now is much harder for her than when she was nineteen. Thad is a man who has been burned in the past, but he has never felt such an attraction as the one he feels for Janey, which makes his pursuit of her all the more exciting. Seeing the Hart family disapprove of her relationship with Thad makes this story a real page turner because you just never know which sibling is going to protest next, pushing the two closer and closer together. I can't wait until June and the next installment in this series, THE SECRET SEDUCTION, Fletcher Hart's story.

Reviewed by Beatrice Sigman
Posted April 18, 2004