For the Children

by Marin Thomas

Book Overview

Should She Run Him Off-- Or Ask Him To Stay? Schoolteacher Johanna Macpherson has vowed that the children of Heather's Hollow will leave her school knowing the value of their Scotch-Irish heritage,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0373751885
• ISBN13: 9780373751884
• Release Date: October 2007
• Publisher: Harlequin American Romance
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 4.2" x 6.6"

Customer Reviews

Light-hearted look at Scotch-Irish clan life in the Appalachians

Johanna (Jo) Macpherson is content with her life as a single mother and as a schoolteacher for the children of Heather's Hollow in the Appalachian Mountains. She is committed to the "clan ways" that have been part of life in Heather's Hollow for generations--original, earthy, unfettered ways of life for the Scotch-Irish inhabitants of this unique area. Sullivan Mooreland of Seattle, Washington, is not so content with his life. Driven to find the elusive success and acceptance he desires, he has spent his adult years as an ambitious reporter. Believing that writing an attention-grabbing story will win him the award needed to earn the editor's position he covets, Sullivan heads to Heather's Hollow to find fabled bootlegger Lightening Jack. When flatlander life collides with clan life, there is tension, humor, tenderness, stubbornness, and more than one change of heart--all culminating in a true feel-good story. Thomas brings her readers as close to clan life as most will ever come. She has captured the essence of this unique lifestyle with grace and dignity. She portrays the war waged in today's world between the old ways and the new generation's desire to step into the twenty-first century in a sensitive, yet realistic manner. For the Children is the first in a series of books the author calls the Hearts of Appalachia series. Book number two (In a Soldier's Arms) will be available in February 2008, and I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy of it. Thomas has a new fan! by Lee Ambrose for Story Circle Book Reviews reviewing books by, for, and about women

hills are alive with the sound of laughter and love

In the Kentucky hills schoolteacher Johanna "Jo" Macpherson meets Seattle reporter and obvious flatlander Sullivan Mooreland when his once shiny red Corvette runs out of gas. Her chaperone during this encounter is her shotgun. In spite of his fears she will pull the trigger, Sullivan is attracted to the hillbilly, but knows his investigative assignment is to expose Lighting Jack, the renowned moonshiner. His fancy vehicle, modern equipment, and demeanor denote city slicker to Jo; to her chagrin she is attracted to the outsider. However, she refuses to give up her mission to educate the children of Heather's Hollow and fears his story will cause trouble for her clan. Thus she knows what she must do, which is forcing him to leave even as she realizes when he does he takes her heart with him. Marin Thomas's first Hearts of Appalachia tale is an amusing romance starring two opposites, but also provides a deep look at the subculture opening the minds of the audience and the reporter. The story line is fast-paced and filled with wonderful eccentric secondary characters. However, though much of what Jo does is FOR THE CHILDREN, readers will appreciate the romance between her and Sullivan as the hills are alive with the sound of laughter and love. Harriet Klausner