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Rating: 
Summary: well written, angst-laden relationship drama
Review: In Canmore, Alberta, Royal Canadian Mounted police officer Kelly Shannon kills Danny Mizzoni. Kelly cannot cope with using force even if it saved the life of her sister. For the next two months, Kelly sees five year old Danny and three year old Amanda struggle to survive as their widowed mother drowns in alcohol and to make matters worse is pregnant.
Danny's brother Mick, editor of the Canmore Leader, tries to help his niece and nephew, but twenty-four hours is not enough time. Guilt-laden Kelly needs to help the children so she offers a deal to Mick in which they forge a marriage of convenience to support the youngsters. Love enters the equation between the adults, but she wonders if he could forgive her killing his sibling.
The underlying premise to A CONVENIENT PROPOSAL is well written as angst-laden Kelly struggles between what was and is the right thing. Readers will feel sympathy to her and the two children, empathy towards Mick, and anger directed at Sarah for "abandoning" her children and placing her fetus at risk. The plot falls short because the key relationships between the children and Mick and Kelly never fully surface. Still the latest Shannon Sister tale (see A SECOND-CHANCE PROPOSAL for the debut tale) shows C.J. Carmichael's talent to raise the conscience of her audience. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: well written, angst-laden relationship drama
Review: In Canmore, Alberta, Royal Canadian Mounted police officer Kelly Shannon kills Danny Mizzoni. Kelly cannot cope with using force even if it saved the life of her sister. For the next two months, Kelly sees five year old Danny and three year old Amanda struggle to survive as their widowed mother drowns in alcohol and to make matters worse is pregnant.
Danny's brother Mick, editor of the Canmore Leader, tries to help his niece and nephew, but twenty-four hours is not enough time. Guilt-laden Kelly needs to help the children so she offers a deal to Mick in which they forge a marriage of convenience to support the youngsters. Love enters the equation between the adults, but she wonders if he could forgive her killing his sibling.
The underlying premise to A CONVENIENT PROPOSAL is well written as angst-laden Kelly struggles between what was and is the right thing. Readers will feel sympathy to her and the two children, empathy towards Mick, and anger directed at Sarah for "abandoning" her children and placing her fetus at risk. The plot falls short because the key relationships between the children and Mick and Kelly never fully surface. Still the latest Shannon Sister tale (see A SECOND-CHANCE PROPOSAL for the debut tale) shows C.J. Carmichael's talent to raise the conscience of her audience. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Powerful! -- Very highly recommended
Review: In one horrible instant, RCMP officer Kelly Shannon chooses between the life of Danny Mizzoni and the life of her sister. She shoots Danny, husband and father of two young children, as he holds a gun to her beloved sister's head. Subsequently, officers learned that Danny carried an illegal handgun, and thousands of dollars of illegal drugs were found on the property. Kelly knows that she had fulfilled her duty as an officer of the law. Nevertheless, in the aftermath, Kelly suffers deeply for the moral decision she made in taking a life. Adamant that she will not return to police work, Kelly finds herself cast adrift in guilt and hopeless concern for Danny's fatherless children. Day after day she parks nearby, watching the children who do not receive adequate care from their alcoholic mother. The children's uncle, Mick Mizzoni, finds Kelly watching the tiny bungalow that houses the fatherless children. They often work together when he comes to her for police information for the small town newspaper where he is an editor. Kelly has always half hoped he would ask her out, but Mick's coolness makes her think that she is not his type. Now with his brother's death between them, it is only the lives of the two children that bring them together. Kelly is convinced that the children need more than a busy uncle and an alcoholic mother. Mick does what he can, doing laundry, ensuring that the children eat, but with their mother drinking and pregnant, there's a limit to how effective his help can be. Mick needs a wife to help with the children, and he needs to bring the children home with him. Then Kelly convinces him that she can be the wife he needs. It couldn't make for a more explosive situation. CJ Carmichael tackles an emotion-laden plot with flair in A CONVIENENT PROPOSAL. Child custody issues, alcoholism, and death bring this unlikely hero and heroine together in a marriage of convenience that quickly gives way to love. The plot is impressively convincing, given that the Kelly shoots Danny, falls in love with his brother, and wants to mother his children. The alcoholic Sharon is likewise a remarkable character, falling into the self-pity and destructive behaviors common to a practicing alcoholic; yet Carmichael's tone maintains an evenhanded compassion even as Sharon's behavior spirals into negligent behavior. Mick is a terrific hero, cleaning kitchens and washing clothes without complaint. His strong desire to give Danny's children what he never had - clean clothes, regular bedtimes and mealtimes - makes him vulnerable and strong all at the same time. Indeed, the masterful characterizations in A CONVIENENT PROPOSAL make this one a keeper. Very highly recommended.
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