The Badge and the Baby (Bachelors & Babies, Book 1) (Harlequin Temptation #741)) [Mass Market Paperback]

Alison Kent (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1999

BACHELOR PLUS BABY…

Keeping up with his tiny, demanding, precious niece was more than Detective Joel Wolfsley could handle with one leg in a cast. Gangsters, yes. Babies, no. He was a sucker for his sister, though, and the munchkin's mom needed his help. Besides, his plight was the perfect excuse to get up close and personal with the gorgeous kennel owner next door.

EQUALS TROUBLE!

Willa Darling took one look at the toughtalking 'Big Bad Wolf' holding a baby and knew he was all bark, no bite. Joel might have needed a little help in the diapering department, but he was a family man at heart—no matter what he said. Which meant that in spite of the wild passion they shared, Willa would have to let him go….

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (July 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373258410
• ISBN-13: 978-0373258413
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,549,118 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Alison Kent was a born reader, but it wasn't until she reached thirty that she knew she wanted to be a writer when she grew up. Five years later, she made her first sale.

In 1995, she accepted an offer issued by the senior editor of Harlequin Temptation live on the "Isn't It Romantic?" episode of CBS 48 Hours. That book, Call Me, was a Romantic Times finalist for Best First Series Book in 1996.

With her first three Temptations on the shelf, she took a break from writing romance novels and spent a few months living one, finding her own hero and practicing every technique she'd learned from a lifetime of reading the best "how-to" manuals around! And the rest, as they say, is history.

Having over thirty titles contracted or in print, she now writes for both the Harlequin Blaze and Kensington Brava lines. She is also a partner in Access Romance, an online author community (http://www.accessromance.com) and DreamForge Media (http://www.dreamforgemedia.com) as a Website designer.

Alison lives in a Houston, Texas, suburb with her hero, any number of their four vagabond kids, and a dog named Smith. Readers can contact her through her web site at http://www.alisonkent.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining category romance, June 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Badge and the Baby (Bachelors & Babies, Book 1) (Harlequin Temptation #741)) (Mass Market Paperback)

Detective Joel Wolfsley, recovering from a job related injury, desperately wants to return to work as a cop on the streets. Unannounced, his sister Jennifer arrives accompanied by her ten-month year old child Leigh. She pleads with Joel to watch his niece for a few hours until their parents arrive to take care of the little girl. Jennifer is flying to New York to meet her beloved husband who without prior warning is flying from Kuwait to the states for a week.

However, Joel's parents never arrive so he watches his niece. He turns to his neighbor Willa Grace Darling, dog rescuer, for assistance. With the help of an infant matchmaker, the two next door neighbors begin to fall in love. However, Joel believes his professional lifestyle is too dangerous to raise a family or even have a wife. Willa knows she can never give birth to the child of her beloved. In spite of the fact that they obviously belong together, this relationship appears doomed.

THE BADGE AND THE BABY is an enjoyable category romance that demonstrates why the "Bachelors and Babies" series is so much fun to read. The story line is engaging as the lead duo struggle with the path love escorts them down even when they insist that it is not what they want. The lead protagonists make a charming couple and the infant and the canines augment the tale by turning the cop and the dog rescuer into human characters. Sub-genre fans will relish Alison Kent's newest novel and be tempted to locate her previous works (see CALL ME, THE HEARTBREAK KID, and THE GRINCH MAKES GOOD).

Harriet Klausner

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully written story about falling in love, May 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Badge and the Baby (Bachelors & Babies, Book 1) (Harlequin Temptation #741)) (Mass Market Paperback)

For a year, Willa Darling and Joel Wolfsley have been neighbors, but until his sister leaves him in a jam, they don't speak much beyond the usual neighborly, "Lawn looks good," remarks. Then, once they come into more intimate contact, attraction becomes awareness, liking blossoms into friendship, and out of that grows passion and love. But no love worth having comes easily, and Joel and Willa must overcome their pasts and face down their fears before they can be happy.

I have to admit up front that I am an Alison Kent fan. I am a fan because she writes smart, grounded, real people, and she writes about them in quietly elegant prose. I read her the first time for the story, the second for the language. The Badge and the Baby is no exception to that rule. Joel and Willa are appealing, realistic characters who don't spend a lot of time licking old wounds; instead they move forward, determined to get the most out of their lives.

Oh, and the sexual tension between these characters is nothing to sneer at either. I highly recommend The Baby and The Badge.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the hottest and best reads of the summer!!, September 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Badge and the Baby (Bachelors & Babies, Book 1) (Harlequin Temptation #741)) (Mass Market Paperback)

"The Badge and The Baby is Alison Kent's contribution to Temptation's Bachelors & Babies miniseries. It's also her contribution as one of the hottest and best reads of the summer. Combine high energy, sexually explosive scenes and a tender love story. You end up with a story that's 99 and 44/100% guaranteed to make your summer reading sizzle.