Paradise County by Karen Robards

Alexandra Haywood is struggling come to terms with her father’s suicide and care for her orphaned 15 year-old half sister, Neely, while sorting out the tangled business affairs Charles Haywood left behind. She hits a serious snag when she attempts to sell her father’s beloved thoroughbred operation, Whistledown Farm. The farm’s manager, Joe Welch, has a contract and refuses to accept being fired. Joe has worked hard to make Whistledown Farm successful and won’t give it up without a fight. Not only does he love the horses, he’s a single father who needs the income and stability in order to make a home for his three children. He also just doesn’t like Alex very much. Charles bragged about his perfect daughter so much that Joe was sick of her even before she announced that she was taking away his livelihood.

The conflict between Alex and Joe is complicated by the attraction they feel for each other, revelations about Charles Haywood’s business dealings, family drama and mysterious occurrences at the Whistledown house that lead them to suspect that something is badly amiss in the idyllic Kentucky horse country. Soon bodies start to turn up and everyone is left wondering who can and cannot be trusted.


I chose this book because I was in the mood for a romantic suspense, but I think I would have enjoyed the story more without the suspense elements. I liked Joe & Alex and I enjoyed their relationship, but they had more than enough challenges to fill a book without involving a serial killer. Joe is a loving and competent dad, but single parenting is hard. His oldest son is a good kid, but he’s also well into the difficult teenage years, his younger son has a raging case of middle child syndrome and his daughter is getting to the age where not having a mother is a real problem. Joe’s father Carey lives nearby and should provide Joe with support, but instead his alcoholism makes him just one more person for whom Joe feels responsible. Joe is attracted to Alex, but he hasn’t had a serious relationship since his ex-wife left and he already has a lot on his plate, so he’s not sure if he can take on a (former) rich girl or if he even wants to try.

Alex has doubts of her own about pursuing the attraction she feels toward Joe. She’s already had one bad experience with a man who couldn’t handle her new financial reality and Neely is an incredible amount of work. She has been both spoiled and neglected her entire life and she’s grown into a very difficult young woman. Coping with her moods and acting out while trying to grieve for her father and adjust to a life without an endless supply of money may be more than Alex can manage.

I was interested in that story and would have read it quite happily. I can’t say the same about the serial killer storyline, the subplot involving Joe’s ex-wife, or the inclusion of a few supernatural elements. I think that without the suspense aspects of the plot this would have been a solid B, but I have to judge the book the author wrote, not the book I wish she had written, so

Grade: C-





Where Are You Reading Challenge: Kentucky