Customer Reviews

The Marine's Baby (Harlequin Superromance, No. 1478 / 9 Months Later / Bundles of Joy)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There is an unwritten rule in romance fiction that you keep throwing roadblocks at your hero/heroine to increase the conflict, forcing them to grow toward love and that is nowhere more evident than in this new offering from the talented military romance writer Rogenna Brewer.

A young Navy SEAL's widow has learned her husband, Luke Calhoun, has left her a final gift at a local sperm bank. In her grief she decides to cherish his memory by becoming pregnant. Reasonable enough, but not when you consider her husband told her little of his family, especially that he has an older brother in the Marines who has same name. Unfortunately, she learns too late and it seems the sperm bank has made a monumental mistake. In her confusion as to what is the correct thing to do, she is left to explain to the Marine Luke he had fathered a child. A major dilemma for him as he had planned to have his sperm destroyed coupled with his intense grudge toward this half sibling. The ensuing story involves not only the couple as they struggle with their impending parenthood but also their own future together or apart and what that will mean to the people who love them.

The reader has to suspend some disbelief with the business of the names: there are three Luke Calhouns one has to keep straight throughout the book. When the books centers on the main characters the story is powerful and intense but as it wanders to the in-laws and their issues, with the exception of another brother Bruce, the story slows down and pulls the reader away from the budding relationship. There are some very emotional moments when a young man in the Marine's unit is killed on a mission that will make even the hardened reader tear up.

And the only criticism I would address is the issue of her lack funds at her husband's death so important to the plot. From a military aspect, the story's conflict of pushing a widow out of housing within 90 days of her husband's death seems unrealistic. Also it seems unrealistic that she wouldn't have had at least a portion of his death benefits within at least those 90 days, negating the issue of money, of course that would have weakened the plot.

The tight time period of the plot is well suited to category romance, but this reader wishes this could have been done as a single title where the issue of suing the sperm lab for the mix-up would have added to the angst of the couple, and would have allowed more space to explore more deeply the father/son relationship as well as brother/brother relationship that was a cornerstone to the hero's conflict. This is a good read for what it is, category romance, but these emotional themes seem better suited to single title. Ms Brewer is up to the challenge; lets hope her next offering is from a single title publisher who sees her potential.

Caitlin Calhoun mourns the death of her Navy SEAL husband Luke Calhoun, Jr. who died in the line of duty. 89 days 9 hours and 9 minutes since the two uniforms knocked on her door with the news she dreaded, Caitlin receives a letter from CryoBank of San Diego asking what to do with his semen specimen. She decides she wants his offspring so she goes to the cryo facility to get impregnated.

However, Caitlin is unaware that her late spouse had an older half-brother with the same name; neither did the sperm bank. She learns later that she has been impregnated by the sperm of Luke Calhoun; just not her Luke Calhoun. Feeling she owes her half-brother-in-law the truth, Caitlin meets and explains to Luke "Lucky" Calhoun about the mix-up. The marine knows what he wants, which are Caitlin and their baby, but she is wary having lost one military officer she loved to the war on terrorism.

Caitlin makes this contemporary romance works as she goes from grief to euphoria to shock to love to guilt in a believable manner. Luke the marine is a caring person who understands much of what his beloved is dealing with as he learns from her that his half-brother was also a good person. Readers will appreciate this strong military romance as Rogenna Brewer brews up a deep lead couple struggling with forming a relationship as the ghost of her late spouse, his brother, lingers in their minds.

I wish this author would have done a little more research before writing this book. I picked out several mistakes just in the first couple of chapters. Marines are different than any other branch and their vernacular and customs are unique. Proper research would have made this story more believable to people who are familiar with this branch of service...*Marines NEVER EVER call each other "Sarge". They would say Sergeant, Staff Sergeant etc. *A Master Sergeant would be called either Mstr. Sgt OR TOP, NEVER "Sarge" and especially not by subordinates. *Marines never call each other by first name, only last name or rank and last name. *Marines are NEVER called "soldier". They are either Marines or Former Marines, NEVER soldiers. Soldiers serve in the army. I found this lack of detail distracting because it showed a lack of preparedness by the author.

The conflict seemed a bit unbelievable and too coincidental. The widow of a war veteran would not be destitute, as the SGLI benefits for life insurance would have been paid almost immediately, and for an officer they would have been at least $500,000. Where was that money when she needed to relocate?

I felt the sperm bank mix-up and repercussions to be unrealistic. There really were NO consequences for the total mix-up! Why not? There was no point in bringing the sperm bank back into the story at the point the author chose to do so. It added nothing to the story since they never re-visited it after Lucky and Cait went together.

The heroine came off shallow and selfish for most of the story. All she ever thinks about is holding on to the memory of a dead husband she hardly knew. She cares nothing about consequences...grow up! She used another man's sperm and then blames him for her problems when he has been nothing but generous and understanding. I really did not like her very much. I also never understood why she was not working when she had a Pharmacists license! If she was really that hard up, she could have gotten a six-figure job any time and helped her husband pay the debt they were drowning in...again, unbelievable and selfish.

The savior of this story is the hero. Although I doubt an adult, mature man would continue to hold a grudge against a half-brother for the actions of the mother for 30+ years, (eye roll) he is strong, solid and steady when relied upon by the woman who really does not deserve him. He personifies an honorable man, and the lingering effects of his time in combat come across as real and hear-felt. This character was well-done as an adult, but his grudge seems a bit unbelievable in the face of the death of his brother.

Overall, the book was good, but not great. Not enough tension and chemistry between the hero and heroine and so much un-tapped potential.

I really liked this book, it made me laugh and smile. i understood the issues with the families. I think I would have had the same issues if I was in that family. There was good resolution with the issues and that made me happy.

This was a big yawn-fest for me. A pretty good story that is spoiled by completely immature characters.

Navy widow, Caitlin Calhoun is mourning the sudden loss of her husband when she finds out that he had some of his sperm frozen. She is thrilled at the prospect of having his baby and immediately begins the process of trying to get pregnant. Well she does -but not with her husbands sperm. Turns out there was a little snafu at the sperm bank and Caitlin was impregnated with her husband's half-brothers sperm. Thats bad enough but then she has to meet the same named brother (a man she had no idea existed prior to this) and give him the *happy* news.

I just kept shaking my head reading this book. Am I supposed to believe that a woman who has known her husband (and not that well I might add since he kept so many secrets) for 45 days is so devastated over his death three months ago that she IMMEDIATELY starts the process to try and get pregnant? Isn't that a bit of a knee jerk reaction? .....Oh! I found out that he has sperm stored (but never told me) so I must have his baby (cause thats obviously what he wanted)!...and of course I'm in my early twenties so I couldn't possibly remarry. And though I don't have a job right now, and debt collectors are calling, a baby will solve everything. Sheesh! Get a Clue! Give yourself time to grieve, get a job, pay your bills and get your life back together BEFORE you decide to unfreeze those little critters at the sperm bank. They're not going anywhere!

And what about our hero Lucky? Puleeze! *start the violin playing here* A grown man who hates his half brother because the brother's mom's affair broke up a marriage. Like its somehow the brother's fault that he was born. Lucky missed all the love that his dad showered on his *other* same named son. Well boo hoo! That might have flied when he was like ten or something but what Lucky really needs a good shake and a smack. Grown up already -your over thirty!

So I can't recommend this due to the supremely immature characters and slow pace of the book. BUT I do recommend reading other books by Rogenna Brewer. Her book SEAL It with a Kiss: In Uniform (Harlequin Superromance, No. 833) is fantastic and firmly on my keeper shelf.

The thing I enjoyed most about The Marine's Baby is the fact that there were other character's than the h/h. The emotion felt real and several times I teared up. Ms Brewer uses deep pov to really make the reader feel her character's pain and conflict. The book moves along well and I disagree that the brother's names are a distractor. I recommend this book for a great character read and conflict that feels real. Ms Brewer did her research as well, because 90 days out of housing was the norm before the media embarrassed the military into letting widows stay longer.
Great job, Ms Brewer!

Caitlin Calhoun was married only a few months when her husband was killed at war. She loved him with her whole heart and is heartbroken to be left alone. When a letter comes from a sperm bank asking if her husband's sperm should be destroyed or if she wants to pay for another year of storage, she decides to have his baby, being a single mother is better than being alone.

When Caitlin learns that there was a mix up at the sperm bank and the child she carries is actually her husband's half-brother's she is at a loss of what to do. She did not even know this brother existed, and learns there is a third brother as well. Lucky, the baby's father decides he wants to be a part of his child's life, even if it means playing an indulgent uncle. His term with the navy is ending, and he is coming home to meet Caitlin as soon as he can.

Caitlin is young and naive and makes a great heroine. She is the woman men want to rescue. Her honesty and beauty make Lucky fall head over heels, even if he does not want admit it is more than a physical attraction. Even after they become intimate he still thinks he can pick up and leave before the baby's birth. When he takes off and she does go into labor, he rushes back, knowing this is his second chance at happiness.

Lucky is a great hero. Strong and military he has grown from a surly teenager who burned down his father's business to a man who honors his commitments. While he is not sure he is ready to be a dad and a husband, he realizes he cannot stand by and watch his son raised as another man's child.

Beyond great characterization, Rogenna Brewer gives her book emotion. While this reviewer hopes the sperm bank never messes up, Ms. Brewer has taken a possibility and made it into a tale worthy of being told. This reviewer has taken on the status of fan for Ms. Brewer and will be watching for future novels as well as searching out her backlist.

Review Courtesy of LoveRomancesandmore