NEAREST THING TO HEAVEN is the second book in the Maverick Junction series by Lynnette Austin and is actually on its second go around. And lucky for those of us that missed it we get a second chance. Once again I'm reading this series out of order. I seem to do that quite often. Probably since I get books in a rather random pattern of hit or miss. So NEAREST THING TO HEAVEN does include characters introduced in the first Maverick Junction book, SOMEBODY LIKE YOU. NEAREST THING TO HEAVEN is a perfect example of a Lynnette Austin story, romance at its very best. And that's because Lynnette Austin is an unabashedly romantic and artist to boot. Her scenic development is rich and colorful and eye-catchingly gorgeous.

Lots of wonderful characters to meet in NEAREST THING TO HEAVEN. The small town of Maverick Junction may be tiny but definitely not lacking in endearing people. Sure it's the same small town issues of everybody knowing everyone and everyone else's business. But somehow the more you visit this great town the more you can excuse this lapse in good social graces. They may know everything but most important is that they care.

Sophie returns to town this time for her cousin Annelise wedding. Sophie is a city girl, loves Chicago and its flavor and people. She really can't understand how her sophisticated cousin is going to marry Cash a hometown cowboy. And yet there's no denying how happy Annelise and Cash are. The wedding is going to be huge by the Junction's standards but at the same time will reflect life as a ranch family. Rich in love and tradition without big city nonsense.

Sophie met Annelise friends during her first visit and some did make a lasting impression. One of them was Ty. Definitely one of those good looking cowboys but Ty came with lots of baggage as they say. His wife died during childbirth leaving him to raise triplet sons now four years old. Ty isn't really looking to move on. His life is too busy and there is much about his past that still has quite a hold on him.

That's okay. Sophie certainly isn't looking to start any kind of relationship with anyone in Maverick Junction. Her visit is short, she returns home to Chicago right after the wedding. But Sophie left behind a sort of problem by the name of Nathan when she flew to Texas. Nathan just doesn't know the meaning of no. She is hoping that time will help him get that message. But for now distance seems like the safest solution.

Sophie and Ty's immediate reactions to each other set off sparks. Interestingly neither is too happy to admit that. Ty's heart is attached to memories of his deceased wife and the role of single dad is way too busy to even entertain thoughts of a personal life. Sophie, or Tink as Ty has come to call her is pretty set in her ways. She has the luxury of spontaneity in her career, her life is well ordered and organized. She can't visual life on a ranch in a small town, she's a city girl. Doesn't everyone deserve a bit of fairy dust in their lives. I'm thinking Ty and his boys are definitely ready for some.

Ty is getting the feeling that Sophie's city life albeit seeming all she really wants includes some unwanted attention, something that has her on edge and he can't help his protective side from surfacing. Sophie may not see herself in Ty's world but she can't escape the fact that this man is a person she could absolutely count on, in good or bad. Maybe not the most romantic thoughts but there's no denying the strong appeal.

The Maverick Junction series by Lynnette Austin is candidly just wondrous and powerful. NEAREST THING TO HEAVEN is about exploring options that at first glance don't stand a chance but then life is full of possibilities. Love makes those options possible. This series is destined to become one of my dog eared favorites.

Book Summary

Ty Rawlins, the widowed father of rambunctious triplets, is at odds with Sophie London when she returns to Maverick Junction at Thanksgiving for her cousin Annelise Montjoy's wedding to Cash Hardeman. Chicago is home, where she runs Starlight Productions, her greeting card company. Sophie is a fish out of water in Texas. The cows freak her out. The long-horned steers are nightmare material. But Ty's triplets, one of whom spilled cherry soda on her white silk lap at Cash's barbecue, are enough to make her run all the way back to Illinois in her Jimmy Choos. What will it take for Ty to convince Sophie that Maverick Junction is where she belongs, right beside him and his boys?

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