Some beta heros

Been doing lots of reading but not many reviews. So I'll play a little catch up. Here are two books I read that have great beta heros.

Both AAR and TRR gave Heiress For Hire by Erin McCarthy a top grade (5 hearts and an A-) but while I enjoyed it, I thought it was a bit too light and fluffy for me. The heroine Amanda is a rich girl whose father has cut her off in an attempt at tough love. Danny gets a big surprise when his eight year old daughter Piper, who he had no idea existed, is dumped on his doorstep. Danny is a wonderful beta hero who becomes an instant father and knows instinctively how she is starved for love and attention. I'm not crazy about children in romance but as long as they are well behaved I can tolerate them. Piper has been terribly neglected and emotionally abused and it doesn't take Danny and Amanda (and the reader) long to fall in love with her. Amanda was a bit shallow and I didn't completely buy her transformation from a spoiled rich girl whose only concern is her clothes, hair, shoes, etc. into a responsible adult that takes care of Piper while Danny works on the farm. The humor was good and not too silly but I didn't see the need for the paranormal aspect with the ghost. I loved the way Amanda related with Piper and understood her needs. Amanda's character growth was believable but the ending resolution with her father was a bit too convenient. My grade: B

Summer Breeze by Catherine Anderson is a sequel to Keegan's Lady, a frontier historical, that ties in with the contemporary Coulter family series (Baby Love, Phantom Waltz, Sweet Nothings, Blue Skies, Bright Eyes, and My Sunshine) where many of the heroines are the victim of some kind of disease or disability. SB deals with Rachel Hollister's intense fear and anxiety. She has barricaded herself into the kitchen of her home after witnessing the massacre of her entire family five years before. Her ranch foreman, Darby, is her only contact with the outside world. After Darby is injured, Joseph Paxton agrees to protect Rachel and provide for her needs. Joseph is another terrific beta hero. Joseph accepts Rachel's fears and bends over backwards to make her feel safe. This is a sweet romance with some nice sensuality. Even with her fears Rachel is a fighter. But there were a couple of points I found hard to believe. First, the townspeople's attempts to make her small world brighter seemed off. I think most people of that era would have labeled her as crazy because of lack of knowledge about phobias. Second, her recovery from this intense fear was way to fast. Maybe Rachel's fear and anxiety attacks would be described as agoraphobia today, so I find it hard to believe that someone could be completely 'cured' with the love of a good man in six weeks or so. Still the saccherine quality of Anderson's usual style was not too overwhelming and I enjoyed it. My grade: B

Sometimes I'm in the mood for a beta hero, and these two books filled the bill.