Review: The Good Daughter by Jane Porter

Title: The Good Daughter by Jane Porter
Brennan Sisters Series Book Two
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Trade
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction, Romance
Length: 384 pages
Book Rating: B+

Review Copy Obtained from Author

Summary:

Love was given to all, except herself . . .

Kit Brennan has always been the most grounded of her sisters. A Catholic school English teacher for seventeen years and a constant giver, her decisions have been sound—just not very satisfying. Her fortieth birthday is right around the corner, causing Kit to consider some wilder notions, like skipping right past the love and marriage to raising a child all by herself . . .

A girls’ weekend away is just the reprieve Kit needs from school, Mr. Wrongs, and life-changing decisions. It’s there that she meets a man who’s dangerous; a man who challenges who she thought she was, or rather should be. Kit wants to indulge herself this once, but with one of her students in crisis and the weight of her family’s burdens weighing heavy on her heart, Kit isn’t sure if now is the time to let her own desires take flight . . .

The Review:

In The Good Daughter, the second installment of the Brennan Sisters trilogy, Jane Porter brings her readers another novel that is as heartwarming as it is poignant. It a journey of self-discovery for middle sister Kit as she struggles with an impending loss, unsettling memories from her past and what she wants for her future.

In The Good Woman, high school English teacher Kit Brennan broke up with her longtime live in boyfriend. She is quite close to her family and she shares a tight bond with her sisters. As the middle daughter, Kit is the family peacemaker. Her twin sister, Brianna, is the family wild child while Kit is content to stay out of the limelight. She does not do anything to rock the boat and she is not very assertive. But all of that begins to change when Kit meets a man that her family most likely will not approve of.

Kit is very reflective in The Good Daughter. Her forays into the dating scene ended with disastrous results and she is contemplating what she wants for her future. With the purchase of her first home and with a few successful home renovations under her belt, she realizes she does not need a man in her life. What Kit really desires is a family and she knows what she is considering will not go over very well with her rather conservative and very Catholic family.

The two men that Kit meets prove that appearances can be deceiving. Michael Dempsey is a clean cut professional and new to the area. Kit is not really interested in dating, but she has a hard time saying no so she agrees to go on a date with him. Kit is quite uncomfortable with some of the things he reveals and she realizes that something is not quite right about Michael.

The other new man in Kit’s life is Jude. He is sexy and mysterious. A bad boy biker type that Kit is drawn to despite the fact that he is nothing at all like anyone she knows. Like many people, Kit is guilty of judging someone based on their appearance, so she quickly dismisses the possibility of any type of relationship with Jude.

Eventually Kit’s personal and professional lives converge and both men play key roles in this part of the storyline. We discover the secrets both men are hiding and Kit learns a lot about herself as the story arc plays out.

The Brennan family remains on the periphery for much of The Good Daughter. While Kit shares many scenes with her parents, most of the interactions with sisters Meg, Sarah and Brianna are mainly on the telephone. Her brother Tommy and his wife Cass are still at an impasse in their struggle with infertility. Brianna is dealing with a health issue of some kind. Neither Brianna and Kit have yet to come to terms with an incident from their childhood.

The Good Daughter is full of deep emotions and some of the scenes moved me to tears. Jane Porter provides Kit with a happily ever after ending, but the remaining unresolved storylines will leave readers impatiently awaiting the next book of the Brennan Sisters trilogy which is scheduled for release later this year.

Click HERE to read my review of The Good Woman .