Seemed more ho hum than usual. "Daddy's little helper was better". A little girl pretends to be sick, etc to get her father and her teacher together. Bethany claims not to be looking for a husband but certainly acts like it. Mitch still pines for dead wife but is lonely and handsome. "Because of Baby" has Karen having left her husband because too much like her father. Then finds out a one night stand with him means she wants him back as her baby's father. Too quick to act and too emotional. No story of "Ending in Marriage" in my copy. ( )

Seemed more ho hum than usual. "Daddy's little helper was better". A little girl pretends to be sick, etc to get her father and her teacher together. Bethany claims not to be looking for a husband but certainly acts like it. Mitch still pines for dead wife but is lonely and handsome. "Because of Baby" has Karen having left her husband because too much like her father. Then finds out a one night stand with him means she wants him back as her baby's father. Too quick to act and too emotional. ( )

Midnight Sons vol 2 by Debbie Macomber
This book contains 2 of the series. Hard luck, Alaska where 3 bush pilots advertised for mail order brides.
.
Daddy's Little Helper
This book is mainly about
but we catch up with all the residents of the town.
Bethany Ross is there to teach at the school. She's met a few of the kids and she believes Ben is her bio father.
Ben runs the cafe.
Mitch has a daughter, Chrissy who wants to hook him up with the new schoolteacher.
Mariah is the new secretary. She has Christian all upset-she can't seem to do anything right. Her father has hired a female lawyer to bring suit to the brothers.
She tries to smooth things over...
We also learn about John's relationship with Sally when he shows up to propose to her and finds her pregnant...
.
Because of the Baby
Karen's ex husband Matthew, she is done with him and Alaska. She missed him and Alaska. She caved in when he sent her a Valentine card and she showed up and spent the night with him.
He just couldn't hold a job but otherwise he was perfect. She returns to the lodge he runs til after the baby is born.
Abby and Sawyer are also having a baby. So many weddings, births the town has grown a lot over the past several years.
Ben gets advice from Sawyer about getting his wife back-picnic at the lake-like he did with Abby and camping out where you zip the bags together.
Must be something in the water as everybody is having misunderstandings and they don't appear as if things can be worked out...
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device). ( )

Set in Hard Luck, Alaska, "Midnight Sons, Volume 2" consists of two early Debbie Macomber novels: "Daddy's Little Helper" first published in 1995 and "Because of the Baby" first published in 1996.

"Daddy's Little Helper"

Seven-year-old Chrissie decides that it's time her widowed father Mitch got married again and she knows just who she wants to be her new mother - her teacher Bethany Ross. Mitch is attracted to Bethany but wary of romance since his first marriage was a failure. Bethany is attracted to Mitch but has her own reasons for being in Hard Luck, reasons that could change her life. Will Mitch and Bethany each be able to let go of the past in order to find happiness in the future?

"Daddy's Little Helper" is a cute romance novel. Macomber makes the most out of the Alaska setting and does an excellent job of showing how cold it really does get in the winter and how the residents of Hard Luck cope with the cold, including how they dress. The romantic elements are well done and very cute, including young Chrissie who throws her father and teacher together every chance she gets. Bethany's reason for being in Hard Luck in the first place (not to find a husband) is a poignant one. Mitch's fears at failing at romance (again) are heartbreaking and very believable. All in all, "Daddy's Little Helper" is a cute romance.

"Because of the Baby"

Even though they are divorced, Matt Caldwell and his ex-wife Karen are still in love with each other. When they meet again at his sister's wedding one thing leads to another and Karen finds herself pregnant. Matt wants Karen to marry him again, but she's afraid - he tends to wander from job to job, something her father did. Matt is determined to prove to Karen that he's changed but will she believe him?

It is a bit slow at the start, but once it gets going "Because of the Baby" is a cute if somewhat contrived romance. Macomber has to find a way for Karen to become pregnant and the first couple of chapters are a bit too contrived to be believable (this being a Macomber romance, the sex scenes happen off the written page). Once the pregnancy happens, however, the book picks up quite a bit and there are some very funny moments between Matt and Karen and a laugh out loud scene where Matt gets some tips on wooing Karen from a very diverse group. Unfortunately, the Karen/Matt romance isn't all that interesting since there is never any doubt that the two still love each other and their unwillingness to admit it becomes a stretch as the book goes along. Far more interesting to me is the Mariah/Christian relationship that is in the background but should have been in the forefront.

"Midnight Sons, Volume 2" is a bit uneven, but it is still nice to visit Hard Luck, Alaska again. ( )