3.5 stars (note: some sites require a whole star rating so the rating may differ). I liked the characters. The cover image doesn't seem to reflect the male main character in the book since much is made of his scarred face and the man on the cover doesn't seem to have that--perhaps he is supposed to be the after they get married man who saw a plastic surgeon?

Rick Granger is a builder who is the guardian for his sister's twins. His scarred face came from trying to save his sister from her burning house--a house that he built, and a fire that he might be blamed for. He's trying to hold his business together while his business partner is out after surgery, trying to hold his life together as he deals with being a single parent to twins, trying to hold his faith together while he struggles to understand why his sister had to die, trying to hold his sanity together because he feels guilty for not saving his sister and because others blame him for the fire.

Penny Stern is a teacher turned daycare manager who'd love to have kids of her own but whose health may not allow that. She's got a strong faith and is learning to let God unveil his plan for her life. But she's bruised after two failed relationships.

Of course, there's the tried and true genre device of having the two main characters fall in love with each other when they "just can't be in love with the other person". Even after these two admit to themselves that they're in love with the other, they don't really voice it to each other--Penny I'm guessing doesn't want to be the first to say it and may be afraid of Rick rejecting her love. Rick thinks he's being kind by not saddling Penny with the knowledge that he loves her when he might go to prison for a long while if he's found at fault for the fire--but I think I'd have wanted to know.

The back cover blurb plays up the idea that Rick is offering a marriage in name only (without revealing the circumstances) because he needs a mother for the twins, and since it's a contemporary romance, I wondered why. (I can see it in historical times when there were more mores but in our contemporary times, it would seem she could be a nanny to the twins without having to marry the man.)

Also, there are three unwed (and I think young) pregnant women who start out living in a shelter. Two are ancillary characters whom we see only once or twice and who seem to want to keep their babies. The third struggles with what to do: keep the baby or put it up for adoption. This might make the book less suitable for younger readers unless parents welcome questions about these topics. ( )