I love an opposites-attract romance, and THE SOLDIER’S UNEXPECTED FAMILY by Tanya Agler fits that perfectly. Natalie is a kindergarten teacher and a bit of a free spirit, spontaneous and impulsive, living in the moment and able to find joy in just about any situation. Her best friend passed away three months ago and had named Natalie as co-guardian of her young son, who Natalie adores. She’s determined to nurture Danny and provide him with a stable loving home in Hollydale, where Shelby wanted her son to grow up.

Enter Aidan, Shelby’s brother, who is also co-guardian. He arrives in Hollydale on temporary leave from the military, intent on wrapping up Shelby’s estate and taking Danny home with him. Aidan is a planner, always thinking ahead, watching the clock, and rigidly following a schedule. He’s determined to do right by his nephew, and make up for not being around more during his short life.

Aidan and Natalie’s first meeting is amusing with their mutual misunderstandings, though a bit improbable, dragging the misunderstandings out a little too long. Once that’s cleared up, they both seemed a little astonished that the other party was not willing to relinquish guardianship of Danny, which set the stage for their future interactions. Well, more so for Natalie’s, as she’s now determined to convince Aidan how wonderful Hollydale is and how important it is for Danny to remain there.

I really liked both Natalie and Aidan. Natalie seemed like a person who would be a fun friend to have, and her dedication to Danny and fulfilling her promise to Shelby to take care of Danny were heartwarming. While Natalie doesn’t really change throughout the story, we do see character growth in Aidan. Aidan was a fish out of water in the beginning, and I loved watching him slowly relax and go from bemusement at the townspeople’s easy and warm acceptance of him, to becoming immersed in the town’s 4th of July festivities.

This is my first time reading Tanya Agler, and I enjoyed her easy style and realistic dialogue. Danny wasn’t too cutesy and was written age-appropriately, which I always appreciate with younger characters. The slow buildup of romantic tension between his two guardians became almost palpable. My heart broke for all three of them as they all grieved for Shelby in their own ways, especially for Aidan who also had guilt and regrets for not being around more due to his military life. He and Natalie were both well written, as are pretty much all of the secondary characters. I live in a small town, but it’s off a highway with one main road running through town, not a community the way Hollydale is. When I read stories like this, set in small towns, it makes me wish my town were similar, and I wonder if these charming and quaint types of small towns actually exist.

I expected the book to have a happy ending - it is a Harlequin after all. But as I approached the end of the book, I began to feel a little worried about how it would turn out. I didn’t see how, following the separate paths Natalie and Aidan seemed to be trodding, that happy ending could possibly come about, at least not for everyone. But the author wrapped it all up very satisfactorily.

THE SOLDIER’S UNEXPECTED FAMILY is a sweet and endearing story, with a lot of light, fun moments while also exploring a heavy subject – a child’s grief over losing his mother. From the Harlequin Heartwarming line, the book lives up to that expectation.

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