This RITA® Reader Challenge 2015 review was written by KnitterJacqui. This story was nominated for the RITA® in the Mid-Length Contemporary category.

Here is KnitterJacqui's review:

I chose to review this book because I’d already read the first in the series (Carolina Home), as well as a number of other Virginia Kantra books.  I really like her voice, and her story-lines and characters generally seem realistic to me. Carolina Man is the third in a series set on Dare Island, North Carolina, and it didn’t disappoint. The second is Carolina Girl, which I quickly read before reading the one that is the subject of this review.

Each of the three books in the series is connected, but they each deal with a separate couple. The third book is possible to read as a stand-alone, but my own view is that it is better appreciated after reading the first two. There are a couple of story arcs that span the series – one involving the mother of the heroes/heroine of the three books and her recovery from a serious car accident, the other involving a “secret baby.” The “secret baby” isn’t really a secret for most of the book or even the series. Nor is she a baby, for that matter. She is the ten-year old daughter (Taylor) of the hero, Luke. Although their relationship is one of the focal points of this third book, she enters the series in the first book and is cared for by Luke’s family while he is deployed in Afghanistan. None of the family, including Luke, knew of her existence for ten years until her mother died (in the first book), leaving Taylor in Luke’s care.

There are several story-lines that resolve themselves in this book and that are the back-drop to the relationship that develops between Luke, the hero, and Kate, the heroine. Luke’s mother, who is still convalescing from her accident, returns from hospital to resume her role in the operation of the B&B she owns with Luke’s father. Luke has just returned from his tour of duty in Afghanistan and seems to have some mild PTSD, or at least he is feeling lost and displaced, as well as unsure of where his life with a daughter that he barely knows and his career should go next. Taylor’s grandparents (her deceased mother’s parents) are battling Luke and his family for custody of Taylor. This battle provides a reason for Kate, who is a lawyer and a friend of Taylor’s mother, to be in contact with Luke on enough occasions that they are attracted to each other and the romance between them begins.

The romance develops at a reasonable pace, with Luke and Kate feeling some immediate attraction and acting on it, but not rushing into a relationship or deeper involvement. There is some mental lusting on both parts, but I didn’t find it excessive. Both Luke and Kate are a bit reserved and slow to open up to each other.  Luke is not a talker and is a bit gruff, but it is clear that he is trying hard to connect both with Kate, and with his daughter. Kate has issues remaining from her childhood with an abusive parent. In her professional life, she is a crusader for abused women and children. She is slow to trust and to believe that she can be Luke’s partner and a part of Luke’s family.

Luke and Kate seem to circle each other, with Kate trying to come to terms with the fact that Luke is a Marine, like her abusive father was and Luke trying to work out whether he should go back to Afghanistan or change careers to be closer to Kate and his daughter. He makes a few missteps on his way to choosing his path and asking Kate to join him on it, but eventually he gets it right.

There are some heavy issues addressed in this book, but I never felt that they were treated in a way that was superficial or rushed, nor did the author simply wave a magic wand to make them go away. Luke and Taylor seem believably awkward together and there is a recognition that some of the issues Taylor is dealing with can only be resolved through counselling.  By the same token, the book doesn’t come across as overly angsty.

The romance between Kate and Luke seemed believable to me and I was rooting for them to find their HEA.  One minor criticism is that it sometimes felt that there was so much going on in this book that didn’t directly involve Luke and Kate that there could have been more focus on their romance. Nonetheless, I liked both characters and the chemistry between them, as well as their emotional connection, still came through. I also liked the fact that even though Kate was a survivor of physical (not sexual) abuse, she is clearly a sexual person. Although she is a bit shy, she doesn’t hesitate to go for what she needs or wants in the bedroom. There is no sense in which she is “broken” sexually, only to be fixed by the magic lovemaking of the hero.

There are some niggling points that I wasn’t totally sure of – for one thing, Luke buys Taylor a puppy, who is remarkably easy to care for and train, compared to my experience of real puppies.  The resolution to the part of the story-line involving Taylor’s uncle Kevin seemed a bit far-fetched to me as well. However, these points, and a few other similar ones, were not enough to take me out of the story.

All in all, I give Carolina Man a solid B-. It was a nice, engrossing read that delivered on its promise and am looking forward to the next installment in this series.