Born Under the Lone Star    by Darlene Graham Order:  USA  Can Harlequin, 2005 (2005) Paperback     Reviewed by Marie Hashima Lofton Markie McBride returns home to the small town of Five Points, Texas, to help her newly widowed sister Robbie. Robbie's husband died in a questionable barn fire, leaving behind his wife and three sons. Robbie, expecting her fourth child, has just found out she's nearly bankrupt. Their mother, a woman who doesn't seem to have a caring bone in her body, once forced Markie to give up for adoption an illegitimate baby, child of her high school sweetheart Justin Kilgore, who is the son of a US Congressman. No one knows that Markie was pregnant except for her mother and her sister - and only Frankie is aware that she never went through with the abortion. Markie's a political consultant currently working for Doug Curry, who is running against Justin's father, Kurt Kilgore. Her secret comes back to haunt her when the son she gave away, Brandon Smith, shows up in town. Brandon doesn't know who she is, and neither does Justin, who helps undocumented workers in Texas - work that his father does not believe in. Justin and Markie are finally reunited after being apart for eighteen long years. I liked this story, its angle on the illegitimate mother, and how her relationship with Justin affected more than just herself - although I felt that the ending was a bit too tidy, with a few questions left unanswered. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Romance books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews