| Title | : | Doubting Thomas (Bad Boys of Sweetwater Book 1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 290 |
| Publication | : | First published February 19, 2013 |
Thomas Taylor is a single father of six boys, accused of his late second-wife’s murder. He doesn’t really remember what happened that night, because he’d drank too much. But he does know he never should have married the no-good woman hoping for a mother for his children after his first wife died, leaving him to raise them on his own.
Angel Dimitri is a social worker, come to vacation on Thunder Lake and also to make an unofficial visit to a man who the townsfolk say is an unfit father. Angel sees the rustic way in which Thomas lives and raises his children, but also sees a man who would never abuse a child but torture himself instead.
When he is about to lose his children and she feels it is her fault, she steps in to do something so crazy that she starts doubting herself instead of Doubting Thomas.
Doubting Thomas (Bad Boys of Sweetwater Book 1) Reviews
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Rating: 4.5/5.0
This audiobook is an original in many ways and boasts an unexpected ending.
Read full review in the
2021 September issue of InD'tale Magazine. -
A tortured soul and the Angel that saves him. How much better can that get? Thomas Taylor, one of 12 brothers and son of a preacher, is at the end of his rope. Married twice with his second wife being murdered, he is trying to raise his 6 sons and find who killed his wife. Being suspected of the crime, he is losing everything and feels he just needs a miracle to save him. Well, in walks Angel DeMitri, a single mom with a daughter of her own, who is vacationing in the area. She also works for Child Protective Services who has Thomas on their radar. As they meet and become attracted, Angel works to help Thomas keep his sons and solve the mystery of what happened to his wife. This is a sweet romance that will have you guessing and cheering for Thomas and Angel who are so likable. This is the first contemporary book I have read by Elizabeth Rose, but as with all of her stories, I really enjoyed Doubting Thomas and look forward to the rest of this series!!
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3 star I think. Things went too fast but you have to accept that with romances. It had good tension and challenges.
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Had I realised this was the first in a series of 12 stories about brothers I might not have bothered, but the cover was nice enough and I wanted something light and frothy to read and it was free ;)
The 12 brothers thing is just too much. Really?? Not one sister?? (I am going to refrain from making the comment about 'real men' and daughters here ;) )
Anyway. I stopped reading at 25%. It was full of info dumps and some intensely annoying characters as well as featuring far too many children to keep track of and a female lead who enters a house full of children despite being ordered to leave the property. In my eyes, that’s a criminal offence as well as being abuse. Who the hell can like a woman who acts like that - AND who leaves her 8 yr old daughter alone with the owners of a B&B? AND who lets said daughter stay up until midnight playing Canasta?? And this is a woman who is supposed to work for Child Protection??
Nah. -
This is my first journey into Ms. Rose's contemporary stories and it won't be my last. I adored Thomas and Angel. It broke my heart to see that Thomas was so misunderstood by everyone. I'm so happy that Angel saw though the fog of rumors that surrounded him. And the story twist! I didn't see that coming. The kids... loved, loved, loved Thomas' boys. I truly hope to see a lot more of them in the next books. I believe I'll be on an Elizabeth Rose binge read very, very soon!
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If you're looking for a good, clean, inspiring love story. look no further. Thomas had become an outcast in the very town he grew up in. He had become very rigid and jaded. It takes the love of a special woman to break through the walls he built, and to help him see the love his children have for him.....all of them.
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🎁 FREE on Amazon today (4/8/2019)! 🎁
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This review was originally posted at
https://bit.ly/3b7XNxD.
Thomas has always tried his best to be the best father to his six sons, but when the murder of his second wife casts him as a murderer his already difficult life becomes even harder. Between trying to raise six boys in a one bedroom cabin in the woods, proving he isn't a murderer, and making a living Thomas can't seem to catch a break. Now the neighbors are complaining that he can't raise his boys correctly and saying they should be taken away. At the request of her best friend, Tillie, Angel makes an unofficial trip to meet this alleged murderer and find out if he really is abusing his boys. If so she will file a case at her CPS office and get them placed in good homes. However, there is more to this family than meets the eye and when the boys are on the verge of being removed from the home Angel takes drastic steps to save this lost family.
I got this book as a BookBub suggestion in 2019 and enjoyed it. With 'bad-boy' in the title I had a bit higher hopes considering all who know me know if I impulse buy a book it is highly doubtful that I actually read the synopsis. Yes, it is my own fault. No I likely won't change. I really like getting books based on their covers. It has lead to some interesting reads. On to the review!
I can't say that I had a favorite character in this book. I had a love hate relationship with them all. Maybe Daniel, the oldest son. He had a strong sense of duty to family, but wasn't stuck in his ways as his father. Angel was...difficult. I loathe CPS workers due to childhood issues, so I really wanted to hate her. She gained points for quitting, I'll give her that, but the grudge remained. Thomas I was a bit back and forth on as well. Internal monologue was very "I don't have emotions. Emotions is for the weak!". Then proceeds to have extreme mood swings for the entire book. No emotions my ass. Also, doesn't allow his children to cry? Processing emotions is a THING.
Lets move away from the characters to the story itself. I can understand going to extremes to keep a family together, especially if it was due to your nosiness that the kids are in danger anyways. The fact that Thomas is a preachers son and has 11 bothers who were all named after apostles is definitely different. I liked the book for the most part. Sexy backwoods mechanic trying to do right by his family against the gossip of a small town. I am down. Him being tall and a brunette is a total plus. Besides, there is just something about a man who knows his way around a vehicle. I am, however, still trying to figure out why he refers to himself as an outsider to the town and is thereby not accepted when he used to own a garage in town and his parents were from the town. Didn't make a lot of sense to me.
I seen the "who did it" coming from the beginning. No real surprise there, but other reviews I have seen were surprised by who the murderer was. It was just a bit obvious to me. I can't say that this book has turned me off the series, however. I am curious about the other brothers and their stories. I am sure that the next story will be between Levi and Tillie and I may enjoy that one more. Especially considering she isn't a social worker.
If you don't have anything against CPS workers I am sure you will enjoy this book more than I did. Personal grudges and all that. -
This was a sweet read with Thomas, a widowed father to six sons, trying to make ends meet while living a hard life in a tiny cabin in the woods. When we first meet this family, Thomas’s first wife and the love of his life has died of cancer and his second wife, the mother to his youngest son, has been murdered. Thomas has been a suspect from the beginning. His late wife was a stripper at a local club and was known to sleep around. When Thomas awakens from a drunken stupor, his wife is dead, his youngest son Eli is standing over her, and his gun is missing from his desk where he keeps it locked up.
Angel is supposedly on vacation with her daughter Gabby, but as an employee of CPS, she is on a secret mission to see for herself if Thomas is an unfit father. Her best friend Tilley’s aunt and uncle own a bed and breakfast on the lake, and they have often gossiped about Thomas and his children with their niece. This is what gives Angel the impetus to learn the truth about this man and his supposedly neglected children.
Thomas is a very hardworking man who does his best to live off the land and his farm, going as far as not having his electricity turned on to save money. He also fixes old cars and resells them to earn an income. His boys begin their day at 6 a.m., doing farming and household chores. Their is no time for them to even be children and play. However, when Angel enters their lives everything gets turned upside down. Without giving away the story, suffice it to say that these characters will experience anger, confusion, heartache and love before their story ends. Things move very quickly in this novel. The key is to remember that it is a work of fiction and not a true story, as some reviews have said things are unbelievable in the plot. -
Get ready for a wild ride with the twelve Taylor brothers of the Tarnished Saints series, who were each named after an Apostle by their minister father. They are definitely not Saints, though. In this book one we meet the oldest of the 12 Taylor brothers, Thomas. He’s had a rough few years, becoming a widower twice, trying to raise his six boys alone, and struggling to keep his family together after being falsely accused of killing his second wife. Thomas has been shunned by the entire town of Sweetwater despite being cleared of the crime for the moment. He doesn’t think he needs any help and doesn’t have anyone he can ask anyway since none of his brothers live in town anymore. You can’t help but feel for him and his boys. When Angel, a Child Protective Services agent, arrives in town with her daughter, Gabby, after being told Thomas is an unfit father, she decides to keep her profession a secret while she tries to do an unofficial investigation and get to know the Taylors. As you can imagine, things don’t get off to a great start, and things even go from bad to worse for Thomas. This is truly a story about small town life, family, love, support, perseverance, and learning to trust. I fell in love with the Taylors even though we only meet two of them in this first book. Looking forward to Levi’s book next.
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This is the first book of the Tarnished Saints Series, ", Thomas is the oldest of 12 children, which just happens to be all boys. Having a preacher for a dad the 12 are named after saints, but they are far from being saints. Thomas is having bad luck he has lost 2 wifes one from death and one from murder. Which everyone believes that he committed, he is left to raise his 6 sons and people think that he is a bad dad, he prays to God for help and he gets it a woman that shows up, but she is really there to check out the stories of his treatment of the kids.. his angel that God has sent him might be his undoing. what will happen when love comes into the picture and how far would you go for love. Will the truth come out and will it help or hurt Thomas"s life even more? This story has a character that is strong and the story has you holding on to what will happen and hope that Thomas will find peace and love. All of Elizabeth's books in this series can be read by themselves and in any order but the series is great and you will want to see how the books play off of each other.
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The first full length book in the contemporary series about the 12 sons of a preacher (Tarnished Saints). Single father, Thomas Didymus Taylor has a bucketful of pride, which leads him to reject all offers of what he sees as charity and has led to him and his six sons being isolated. Laden down with money worries, suspected of wife murder and with a 6 year old who refuses to talk or be touched since the death of his mother; the last thing Thomas needs is a woman poking her way into his life particularly when her interference brings child protection down upon him. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, though there is a scattering of typos.
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This is the first book in a series about brothers who were all named after apostles by their preacher father. After reading this book I was hooked. Thomas was in bad shape due to gossip as he tried to raise his kids after the murder of his wife. The town and people around didn't want to buy any of his cars due to the gossip. Enter Angel who works for Child Protective Services and unofficially investigates him due to the same gossip. Although things are hard she realizes that he is a good father. Things escalate and you will have to read this book to find out what happens next. The secondary characters are all well developed and his kids all made an impression. Loved it!!
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Doubting Thomas is book 1 in a series about twelve brothers. Thomas Taylor is the oldest. He is a widower and has six boys and was accused of murdering his last wife. Faced with money problems, Thomas does the best job he can to support his family but refuses to accept charity. Angel DeMitri and her daughter happen to visit Thunder Lake on vacation. She has a way of inserting her unwelcome self into the lives of Thomas and his sons. Elizabeth Rose has provided some great characters and a very good story with this work. A great first to a series.
Reasons I enjoyed this book: Unpredictable, Wonderful characters, Realistic, Steamy, Tear-jerker, Happily Ever After. -
❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋
Not normally a book I would read , but loved every page of it .
A thoroughly engrossing and heart rending story of a man trying to bring up his 6 sons .
All the while getting over his first wife’s death , his second wife’s murder and facing possible charges for that murder, and at
the same time , having to develop new bonds with his children and being investigated by the child protection agency.
It’s beautifully written and is a wonderful start to the series
I received a copy of this book and chose to submit a review -
Thomas Taylor, the eldest of twelve bothers, has not had an easy time lately. He lost his first wife to cancer. He second wife was murdered and everybody around him thinks he did it. He is out of money and trying to raise six boys by himself. He’s desperate and prays for an angel to help him out of his predicament. However, at the moment he has too much pride and too little faith to recognize the angel when she arrives. Angelina does what she can to help, but Thomas doesn’t trust her, and he refuses to allow her to help with the financial problems. There is so much to overcome, it will take strong and determined people to see it done.
This story definitely keeps the reader’s attention. It’s hard to put down; you have to stay to find out what will happen next. There are strong, stubborn characters in this story. It’s a story that revolves around family and friendship and is wrapped in a mystery that refuses to be solved. Definitely a good read! -
An Answered Prayer
So much pain and suffering in this story.
Everyone thinks he murdered his wife. He was so drunk he has no idea if he did or not. He was released and left to take care of his six sons. His mind keeps him suffering the pain of being betrayed by her.
Angel is a single mother and works for Child Protective Services. She has traveled to Sweetwater as a favor for a friend to determine if the children are in danger.
As she and Thomas butt heads can she really decide if the children are safe? -
Thomas Taylor is a single dad struggling to provide for his six boys in a small town that believes he murdered his wife.
He is a hard working, proud and very stubborn man.
Angeline DeMitri is a social worker with the CPA . She is taking a working holiday with her daughter. She finds that things are not always as they seem.
An emotional and at times funny contemporary romance. There are wonderful characters and a tragic mystery to solve. I thoroughly enjoyed every page. -
To me, Thomas is not quite as likable as most of his other brothers, though this book is still well-written and entertaining. (It probably does not help that I am reading them out of order) I love how all the Taylor boys in the Tarnished Saints Series have distinct personalities. It makes the characters more believable. I'm not a fan of Thomas's personality, but still loved the book. I only have three of the Sweetwater books left!
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This was the first Elizabeth Rose book that I read. And I am glad I did. I loved the story! The characters were well developed and made me laugh but also cry. At times I couldn't help but feel sorry for the kids and I just wanted to slap Thomas for being so stubborn. It takes a great storyteller to actually invoke those kinds of emotions in a reader. And the ending was perfect. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading the next story in this series.
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Small town contemporary series
Doubting Thomas is the first book in the Elizabeth Rose Tarnished Saints Series. I really enjoyed this first book a lot and am looking forward to reading the next one. Each book is about one of twelve brothers in the Taylor family and starts with Thomas, the oldest. Very entertaining book. -
This story about Thomas, father of 6 boys and the oldest of 12 Boys and Angel, a widow with a daughter kept me interested from start to finish. The story was quite different from the usual books I read but it was gritty and heart breaking, funny and emotional all at once. Absolutely a great start to what promises to be a very interesting series.
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Good Storyline!
Story strong and captivating! Characters well drawn and believable. Romance scenes were lacking and felt rushed and glossed over. Some of the coincidences did not come across as natural especially the one in which the CPS agents were inside the house just as Angel was holding the lost gun.
