Delighted

Brian “Boomer” Ward believes in sheltering strays. After all, the men and women of McKay-Taggart made him family when he had none. So when the kid next door needs help one night, he thinks nothing of protecting her until her mom gets home. But when he meets Daphne Carlton, the thoughts hit him hard. She’s stunning and hardworking and obviously in need of someone to put her first. It doesn’t hurt that she’s as sweet as the cupcakes she bakes.

Daphne Carlton’s life revolves around two things—her kid and her business. Daphne’s Delights is her dream—to take the recipes of her childhood and share them with the world. Her daughter, Lou, is the best kid she could have hoped for. Lou’s got a genius-level intelligence and a heart of gold. But she also has two grandparents who control her access to private school and the fortune her father left behind. They’re impossible to please, and Daphne worries that one wrong move on her part could cost her daughter the life she deserves.

As Daphne and Boomer find themselves getting closer, outside forces put pressure on the new couple. But if they make it through the storm, love will just be the icing on the cake because family is the real prize.

Main characters:

Brian "Boomer" Ward

Daphne Carlton

For more information, click here: https://www.lexiblake.net/delighted

To see their family tree, click here: Masters and Mercenaries Family Trees

To read an Inspiration about Boomer, click here: The Mayor of Simpleton

Delighted was the 100th book I published, and also maybe the happiest book I've ever written. Boomer was one of those characters who was around for comic relief, and I resisted giving him a book because he was a big, goofy guy. He turned out to be so much more. Daphne is very much the every woman character. She's got a kid she adores. She also has an enormous amount of pressure from all sides. She doesn't think she needs a man and she doesn't. What she needs is a Boomer. He's the military version of Snow White, my big old cinnamon roll hottie. Beyond Boomer and Daphne, this book is also about the next generation. As Louisa gets to know the other kids at McKay-Taggart, alliances begin to form and futures are foretold. The epilogue to this one begins a "Marvel after the credits" thing that will continue in No Time to Lie, showing you the birth of a new team, a whole new generation of spies...