Father to Be [Mass Market Paperback]

Marilyn Pappano (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1999

Four miracles and a bachelor add up to...one family.

J.D. Grayson agrees that the Brown kids, abandoned by their parents, deserve a loving home. He's just not sure that one man is parent enough for four young children--not if he is that one man. But a persuasive--and mysterious--young woman insists he's exactly what the children need. Now he has to convince twelve-year-old Caleb, fierce guardian of his younger brothers and sister--and then pass muster with Kelsey Malone, Bethlehem's newly arrived social worker.

With one good deed, J.D. finds his life turned upside down. The kids barely talk to him and they won't eat his home-cooked meals. Then he finds himself looking forward to Kelsey's home visits too much. Her buttoned-down suit and tough-as-nails professionalism can't hide the vulnerable woman inside. But haunted by the shattered life he left behind, J.D. doesn't want to risk loving again.

It'll take a miracle to make a family of them all...but as one enigmatic young woman knows, Bethlehem has no small supply of miracles.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Setting: Contemporary Bethlehem, New York
Sensuality: 7

Although psychiatrist J.D. Grayson isn't sure that he's ready for the responsibility, he reluctantly agrees to act as a foster parent for four abandoned siblings. His new family brings social worker Kelsey Malone on the scene, and as J.D. struggles to deal with the children--especially the oldest, an angry twelve-year-old named Caleb--he finds himself falling in love with the beautiful counselor. The Brown kids need a home, J.D. needs to forgive himself for past mistakes, and Kelsey needs to find a way to trust her heart to the handsome psychiatrist. But the odds are against these six people resolving their differences and becoming a real family. Still, with the aid of a mysterious young woman who appears at the oddest times, J.D., Kelsey, and the Brown kids just may beat the percentages. They'll have to weather difficult times, however, before they get their chance at living happily after ever. This emotionally intense tale of wounded people healed by love will warm your heart. --Lois Faye Dyer

From Publishers Weekly

Pappano's newest contemporary romance (after Some Enchanted Season) is a story of redemption and love found in the small town of Bethlehem, N.Y. On impulse, lonely psychiatrist J.D. Grayson takes on the Herculean task of fostering four abandoned preteen children. Social worker Kelsey Malone, new to Bethlehem, is assigned the case to decide whether the arrangement will work. The new father soon realizes that he's in over his head, juggling work responsibilities with raising kids who won't speak to him; he also finds himself taking a most unprofessional interest in the enigmatic and very professional Kelsey. While many romances use children to decorate the story or interfere with the budding love story, Pappano succeeds in creating fully realized characters. An otherwise strong work of fiction, however, suffers from a resolution that feels rushed and is therefore less than credible. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (October 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553579851
• ISBN-13: 978-0553579857
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 1.9 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,018,423 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ... a touching and uplifting story., November 8, 1999

By 

Rosemary Castillo "Charisse" (Neuss, Germany) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Father to Be (Mass Market Paperback)

Marilyn Pappano has a way of making each story she writes hurt tugging, riveting, and absorbing. Although I found the romance between Kelsey and JD taking a backseat in favor of the relationship between JD and Caleb, I still had a hard time putting this book down. JD is an intense hero hunted by his unlucky past. At some point, I found the animosity between him and Caleb irritating. The last chapter is similarly patterned after the last chapter of "Season for Miracles." Nevertheless, it is touching and endearing. I got cornered by a lot of tear-jerking moments but my heart cried a bit though for the sad plight of the children s lost father. It is marvelous to take a glimpse of Ross and Maggie again. Of course, it is a pleasure to meet again the other characters portrayed in both previous books. And again, Holly is a sweet revelation. She is witty and funny as usual, an off-beat character I would love to read more about. Im glad to know that MPs next story will be about her. Its really high time for this character to have her own story unfold. I will be waiting for it to hit the stands soon.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WHAT A DELIGHT!, September 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Father to Be (Mass Market Paperback)

If you like having your heart broken just a little over characters in a book and then watching them overcome everything life has thrown them and triumph (which I adore) this is a book for you. JD is gorgeous and admired by all in his little town and tormented deep inside. But he's a survivor. So's the heartbreaking 12-year-old Caleb, determined to take care of his siblings. It has one of the most satisfying endings I've read in a long time.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Odd title for an ok book, January 30, 2001

By 

Carol Peterson Hennekens (Colorado Springs, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Father to Be (Mass Market Paperback)

Instant fatherhood might be a better title for this book - as J.D. becomes the overnight foster father for four abandoned children. This story is the heart of the book -- as J.D. has progresses in his relationships with the children in fits and starts. Sometimes the fits were a bit much -- particularly in the case of Caleb who went from a simpathetic to simply annoying character (but then again, he's an adolescent and it is probably true to life.)

The romance with Kelsey takes a back seat in this book. It also didn't ring quite true for me.

Bottom line -- this book is a good read for the fans of "small towns can heal whatever is ailing you" plot lines. I enjoyed it enough that I'll probably track down the two previous books in the Bethlehem series(as soon as I figure out the titles).