Valentine Charms

by Anne McAllister

Twenty-three second graders were on a mission!

Her students were convinced Jane Kitto needed a man in her life. A ‘real man’ – not the Secret Admirer who had, every Valentine’s Day for years, sent her a tiny charm. Jane appreciated their enthusiasm, but not their choice. Football star Zack Stoner was the last man on earth she’d fall for. Handsome as sin, tough as nails, and more appealing than she wanted to admit, Zack made Jane want things she never imagined wanting–with him.

Zack Stoner had never forgotten Jane. When they were younger, he’d been confused, unnerved and fascinated by the sweet and generous Jane. It wasn’t all that different now, except he was a man, and knew he wanted her. But would Jane take a chance with someone like him?

Twenty-three cupids said yes.

This is an extended version of a previous story and I’ll admit there are parts that I really liked but parts that left me with questions.  (Since I didn’t read the first version I’m not sure what is new and what isn’t.)  I’m gonna give it a 3.5 out of 5, although it leans a bit towards 4 and with a little more work could move into being a 5 star contender.

Seeing Zack grow up, develop from the tough kid with a chip on his shoulder to a hard-working adult, is very satisfying.  Unfortunately, and understandably, he still carries some of that baggage with him today.  He finds it hard to develop deep relationships with women and struggles a little at first to believe the nuns that knew him back when might feel affection towards him.  It’s heartbreaking to know he struggled so as a child but uplifting to see him overcome it.  And one of the catalysts was some chance meetings with by-the-book good girl Jane.  Some simple kindness and understanding shown to a boy who desperately needed it started him on a path where he could expect something of himself.  And now he’s got a chance to meet that girl again, all grown up.

Jane struggles a bit with thinking that Zack might see her as anything more than a distraction.  He scared her as a child but there were times when she glimpsed the struggling boy underneath.  Now an adult, Zack is all sorts of sexy, charming, and scary for different reasons.  She knows he could easily break her heart … but he’s pretty hard to resist.  Especially when she sees that unsure boy inside the man.

My only problem is with the reveal of who has been giving Jane her charms all of these years.  There are times when a character’s thoughts and actions contradict the information we get from the big reveal when it finally happens.  Plus I’m not sure how her admirer knew exactly what to give her and when.  I love the reasoning behind the gifts but other than being sweet and trying to prove that her admirer truly understood her in a way others didn’t, it kinda didn’t work for me with the rest of the story.  I think that if that part was cleaned up just a little (mostly eliminating some of the conflicting messages) Valentine Charms could be a contender for a 5 star review.  It’s super sweet and brings a wonderful HEA resolution, but it needs just a little tightening up to be awesome.