REVIEW: New Leaf by Catherine Anderson

New Leaf by Catherine Anderson: Taffeta moved to Mystic Creek in an effort to rebuild her life. She quietly runs her own business and deliberately dresses so she doesn’t attract attention. She desperately misses her daughter after losing custody and the divorce. Barney loves being a deputy in his home town, even if he’s more likely to settle disputes between neighbors and rescue pets than chase down criminals.

Taffeta has developed quite the crush on Barney, so she’s quite surprised when Barney starts stopping by her store in the mornings. While she loves their talks, she’s apprehensive to really let him in due to the past she’s trying to hide. When she gets some disturbing news, Taffeta is forced to rethink her plans. Taffeta decides that they should get married to improve her chances to regain custody of her daughter, and Barney decides to help her out.

“A brand-new husband should get a good-bye kiss from his wife.”
“There’s nobody watching,” she pointed out.
“To be convincing when someone is watching, we both need the practice,” he retorted. “And someone across the way could be spying on us. Come on. Lay one on me.”

Barney and Taffeta make an awkward transition to a married couple since the lines are blurred. They want more, but aren’t quite sure how to move forward. Both know going in that the marriage is meant to be temporary, but it gets more difficult to play pretend in public while both are experiencing a strong attraction.

“Do you have a problem with slumming it?” He gave her a questioning look. “Just curious, because after I divorce you, I might like to date you, and I can’t afford high-maintenance women.”

They quickly become best friends while living together and Barney provides much needed support when it’s time to lay the groundwork for Taffeta’s legal battles. But getting Barney to agree to the marriage becomes the easiest hurdle to overcome and both wondering if their temporary marriage can or should survive.

New Leaf is about family, starting over, and the lengths you would go to for a child. Parts of the story seemed a little too convenient or weren’t adequately explained. Catherine Anderson created good tension and anticipation, but also balanced that with moments of humor. Ms. Anderson created good, strong secondary characters with room to grow in the series. New Leaf can be read as a standalone. Fans of Lisa Bingham will enjoy New Leaf.

Book Info:

Publication: Published January 5th 2016 | Signet | Mystic Creek #2

The New York Times bestselling author of Silver Thaw returns to Mystic Creek for a new novel about a love that inspires the courage to start over…and the strength to reclaim a dream.

When Taffeta Brown was viciously betrayed by her wealthy husband, she lost everything—including custody of their daughter, Sarah. Now that Taffy has moved to Mystic Creek, Oregon, to start over, she unexpectedly meets the one man who might help her get Sarah back.

Barney Sterling, a local lawman, finds himself drawn to the lovely, guarded Taffy, but he’s stunned by her proposition—that they marry immediately to improve her chances of regaining custody of her daughter. Barney takes marriage too seriously to commit himself to a woman he hardly knows. Yet soon his sympathies fall with the desperate Taffy, and pretending to be in love becomes the easiest part of the plan. But they have no idea what they’re up against, or what they’re willing to risk to make a miracle come true in Mystic Creek.