Heaven on Earth

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Synopsis

In spite of seeing relationships gone bad all the time in her job as a private investigator and her own ex-boyfriend having cheated on her, Melina Demitris hasn't given up on meeting Mr. Right. After a red-hot, four-day love affair, she thought she'd found him in tall, handsome carpenter and single dad Sebastian Knight, but then he stood her up for a date without a word of explanation, leaving Melina broken-hearted. She didn't expect to ever see him again until three children, one of whom is Sebastian's young daughter, disappear and the residents of the small town of Bethlehem hire her to find them. Melina really wants nothing to do with Sebastian, but when he insists on coming with her as she investigates, she can't bring herself to deny the worried father. As they find themselves in close proximity while conducting the search, old feelings ignite again, but once the kids are safe and sound with their parents, Melina thinks that it was nothing but another fling for Sebastian.

Sebastian Knight became a single father to his little girl the day his wife packed up and left without a word. For a long time, he hoped she'd return until he had to face the fact that she was probably gone for good. He sought a divorce, and ever since, he's poured himself into parenting his child while running his carpentry business, with the occasional one-night stand when he feels the need for a little companionship. Sebastian met Melina at a bar and thought it would be just one night, until it grew into four whole days of passionate bliss. Feeling like things were getting a little too intense and not willing to risk his battered heart again, he stood Melina up. Now he needs her help to find the kids. He knows she's angry with him, but before long, he has her melting in his arms again. Once the kids have been found, though, she acts like he never existed until an unexpected surprise brings them back together. But it will still take the magic of the town's trio of supernatural helpers to make these two stubborn people realize they're perfect for one another.

Review

Heaven on Earth is the sixth book in Marilyn Pappano's Bethlehem series. It picks up exactly where the previous book, Getting Lucky, left off. Some of Bethlehem's children have gone missing. Desperately wanting to see her mom again, Alanna hitched a ride in a guest's travel trailer following Miss Agatha's wedding. She's accompanied by her friend, Caleb, her self-appointed protector, and young Chrissy, who naively thinks her missing mom may be with Alanna's in Providence. The only problem is that the driver ends up going the opposite direction the kids want to go, which eventually leaves them stranded in Syracuse. Meanwhile, all their parents and loved ones in Bethlehem are beside themselves with worry over the kids' safety. They decide to hire Lynda's best friend, Melina, a private investigator, to help find them. We met Melina and Chrissy's father, Sebastian, in Getting Lucky, where they had a torrid four-day love affair that left Sebastian shaken enough to end it all badly and Melina heartbroken after thinking that she'd finally found The One. It doesn't stop Melina from coming to their aid, but she's royally pissed at Sebastian and really wants nothing to do with him. However, out of concern for his daughter, he insists on accompanying Melina in her search. As they track down leads, old feelings are rekindled and slowly Melina starts to come around. Along the way to finding the kids, they reignite their affair and begin falling for one another, but once the children are safe and sound, each of them is convinced that the other thought it was nothing but casual sex. Then Melina finds herself accidentally pregnant. She's determined to raise the baby alone if she has to, while Sebastian is equally determined to be a part of his child's life. But due to them both being hurt in past relationships, they struggle to admit their feelings for one another and get on the same page.

Melina is a passionate, independent woman from a lively, loving, large Greek family. She's worked hard to build her private investigations business, but deep down she still wants a husband and family. However, after her long-time boyfriend and business associate cheated on her, she started to question her own judgment. Melina loves men in general and loves sex, so she's always been free with her favors, which is how she met and became involved with Sebastian. They were both out at a local Bethlehem bar, when she spotted him across the room and invited him to dance. One thing led to another, and before they knew it, what was supposed to be a one-night stand had turned into four blissful days and nights together. Everything was so free and easy between them that Melina thought she'd finally met the man of her dreams, but then Sebastian stood her up for their next date, and all her illusions were crushed. She's still very much nursing a broken heart when she's called in to help find the children, one of whom is Sebastian's seven-year-old daughter. Melina loves kids and would never allow her personal feelings to get in the way of helping, but she doesn't like it much when Sebastian insists in tagging along. She's determined to hate him, but deep down, a part of her still cares for him, which eventually leads to more amazing sex. But once they've found the children, she thinks he couldn't get away from her fast enough, so when she discovers she's pregnant, she's resigned to raising the child alone. Sebastian offers marriage, but thinking he only did it out of obligation and desperately wanting love and passion to be a part of it, she turns him down cold. Melina has many admirable qualities such as her determination and independent spirit and her love and care for others, but sometimes she could be a little too stubborn for her own good.

Sebastian thought he had the perfect life, married to his high-school sweetheart and father to an adorable daughter, but his life was upended when his wife simply left him with no warning or explanation. Now he mostly keeps to himself, doing his carpentry work during the day while caring for his little girl. He only engages in the occasional one-night stand to satisfy his need for physical intimacy, and he thought that was what he was doing the night Melina asked him to dance. However, they both enjoyed each other's company so much, it turned into four wonderful days and nights until it started to get a little too real for Sebastian and he stood her up. Now Melina hates him, although Sebastian is starting to think he may have been too hasty in calling things off. He has bigger problems to worry about, though, when Chrissy goes missing. He trusts Melina to help find her, but wants to do everything he can to help and be there when his daughter is located. Being in such close proximity to Melina starts to stir up his feelings for her, leading to more passionate moments between them, but once the kids are safe, he thinks she only wanted him for sex. When she reveals that she's pregnant, Sebastian steps up and offers marriage, but she seems so determined to raise their child alone that he's reluctant to share his heart with her. Sebastian is a great guy and a wonderful father. Sometimes he could be a little clueless about what Melina really needed from him, but in his defense, she was pretty stubborn. He's very reluctant to express his love, but after being crushed by his ex-wife, it was kind of understandable. I just wish he'd found the courage to be vulnerable a little sooner.

Approximately the first half of Heaven on Earth is about Melina and Sebastian undertaking the search for the missing kids. This part showcases Melina's superior investigative skills as she runs down leads. With Sebastian by her side, there's lots of banter, which gradually melts back into passion that unfortunately doesn't continue once the kids are found. During this half of the book, we get plenty of POV scenes for the children, mainly from the perspective of Alanna who is trying to go see her mom and Cheyenne (although we find out this isn't her real name), a throwaway teen they meet along the way who helps them out and looks after all of them. Her story is a sad one but it thankfully has a happy ending. After the kids are safe and everyone is back home in Bethlehem, Melina discovers her pregnancy and a different kind of story ensues for the second half in which Sebastian keeps trying to woo Melina, while she continues to give him the cold shoulder. Because these two began their relationship with sex, I understood the author was trying to build a stronger connection based more in romance and them actually getting to know one another, which I appreciated. However, Sebastian's patience only lasts so long and lacked that all-important vulnerability, while Melina's stubbornness held out until the very end, which was a bit frustrating to me as a reader. I've discovered that I'm not a great fan of characters who seem to be their own worst enemies and I felt these two were sometimes sabotaging themselves. A part of me understood where they were both coming from, but it was still a little difficult to read. Luckily the townspeople have their own trio of guardian angels looking out for them, who add some words of wisdom and give characters a little push when they need it. I also enjoyed catching up with the other residents of Bethlehem. So in spite of a few frustrations, Heaven on Earth was a good story that I mostly enjoyed.

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Themes

Babies & Children