Whirlwind (Only in Gooding #3) - Cathy Marie Hake

This is one of the books that popped up on my watch list a while back and I was excited to read it.  In the past, I have read Letter Perfect, which is the first book in her California Historical Series, and I've also read Forevermore, which is the second book in the Only in Gooding! series.  Whirlwind is the 3rd book in the series.

Millicent, her sister and husband are travelling to America to start up a clothing store.  Millie's former employer decided that it was time for his children to go off to school and now Millie wants to guard her heart from becoming so attached to someone else's children again.

Daniel is on the same ship, except that the nanny for his 18 month old son has gotten cold feet and abandoned his son before the ship leaves port.  He finds the boy locked in his room.  Having sold his business in England, Daniel is well off enough that he's in the better part of the ship and now has the task of finding someone to care for his child on the trip.  He is looking for someone that will keep order and be "homely" so they don't attract gossip.

Of the candidates that he interviews, Millie is the most qualified, but also the most beautiful.  Daniel decides to hire her for the sake of his boy, but he also decides to stay out of the way as much as possible.  Problems arise on the ship that cause things to take a different turn.  Daniel asks Millie's brother-in-law to help him in his business and Millie can continue to nanny his son.  Millie is worried about getting too close to the boy but she already cares more than she cares to admit.

Upon arrival in New York, it's not just a matter of walking through the lines and being welcomed to America.  The men are detained as the women worry about the cause.  A tragedy causes them to rethink their plans once again.  I don't want to give away any more of the plot, so I'll stop there.

I really enjoyed this book and read it in two days.  The plot was original and the characters well written.  The characters from Forevermore were in there, but I don't believe that it's necessary to read the books in order.  There aren't really any lists that I could find that list these books in order, but according to their publication dates, it seems that they are in the following order: Fancy Pants, Forevermore, Whirlwind & That Certain Spark.  I have both the ones that I haven't read on my watch list.  This author has been a real treat for me this far, and I hope to read more of her in the future.  Good Book!