Customer Reviews

Whose Child? A Little Secret (Harlequin Superromance No. 1204)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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I picked up WHOSE CHILD? with the intention of reading a couple of chapters before bed. What a mistake. It was one in the morning before I finally got to bed, and then only because I'd read straight through to the end of this gripping, deeply emotional book. The situation faced by the hero and heroine - custody of a surrogate child - is one we see too often on the news. Luckily, in this case we get to have the happy ending we would wish for all such cases. Susan Gable has done a masterful job of sucking us into a situation that has "heartbreak" written all over it, then turning it into a story that leaves us smiling through the tears - and the yawns <g>.

From Erie to Mill Creek, Montana.
David Mitchel has finally found Lexie with the help of grandmotherly P.I. Betty Leicester. Lexie Jacobs, the young sister of his best friends, Marc and Kenny Jacobs had run off with his unborn child. With good reason.

He is cautiously happy and contacts Lexie's mother to tell her the good news. He has a daughter! If only he can catch up with her and not cause her to run again.

Lexie Jacobs has spent 4 year in Mill Creek, Montana and been befriended by an elder gentleman she calls "Pappy". Pappy has given her and her daughter a home and they have given him companionship. He would not care to lose them.

Sarah is friends with Connor whose daddy just up and left so that is her idea of what daddy's do. She wants to backtrack on her wish of a daddy for her birthday when David shows up.

This is a loving story of an inept man trying to win his daughter's love and his determination to bond with his child to have her live with him. At first he didn't even consider Lexie and her emotions.

Lexie was half in love with David [although not admitting it to herself]and wanted him to have his family but not to take Sarah away from her. Sarah and she were already bonded as parent and child. The only fly in the ointment is her hopping in bed [can't these females control their hormones?] with David when her emotions are so up in the air. [she's already had an affair? before Sarah]

I have to admit that that thought spoils my ideas of a truly innocent love in this story. But they must have their PMS.

The story was very good - excellent characters - moving plot - and little Sarah was portrayed beautifully.

Will definitely recommend --m

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

If looking for a special story which will tug at the heartstrings, this is certainly a book to read.

Lexie Jacobs fled Erie, PA four years ago, to protect the baby she carried. She had only the clothes on her back and minimal money in her pocket, but none of that mattered if she could save the baby. She has made a new life for herself and her baby, Sarah, in Montana. She couldn't be happier in her life until the day he tracks her down...

David Mitchell is the father of little Sarah, who has spent a long time trying to track down the woman who ran off with his daughter. He and his wife had been unable to have children, so when Lexie agreed to be a surrogate mother, he thought all his dreams were coming true... until she vanished.

When David arrives in Mill Creek, Montana, Lexie is terrified. She is certain he is going to take Sarah away, and there is nothing she can do about it, after all she isn't even her mother. What she wasn't counting on was a resurgence of emotions she had thought long-buried. When David makes her a proposal that may solve all their problems, she has to decide, give up on the dreams she's long carried or hold on to them and see what happens. What she doesn't know is that David may very well hold that dream in the palm of his hand, and the heart of a little girl.

Ms. Gable once again proves she is a master at touching her readers' hearts with her books. Lexie is torn between what is right for Sarah and what is right for her and David. She has always cared deeply for him, holding on to hopes she is almost afraid to admit to. When they meet up again, David is upset that he has lost so much time with Sarah, missing milestone events for which he was supposed to be there. But in spite of his feelings, he realizes he can't bring himself to hurt Lexie by taking away the daughter of her heart, if not her blood. Long denied and unknown feelings rise to the surface, culminating in a love they have never known... with each other.

As always, the reader's heart will be invested in the outcome of the story. One will get misty-eyed along with David when he realizes he has won the love of his beautiful daughter. Lexie's agony over the chance of losing her whole world becomes the reader's own. All of the characters in the tale, all of the townsfolk of Lexie's adopted home, will make their world a real one. Who can not be drawn into the lives of these loving people? This reviewer was so enraptured, she almost expected to turn around and see them walking down the sidewalk.

Additionally, she shows no fear at tackling very sensitive issues. In this book she touches on more then one, surrogate parents, mental illness, and laser treatments for children (Sarah has a large birthmark on her cheek.). Surrogate parenthood has often been a hot topic... who does have rights when the child is in danger? As for the laser treatments to improve Sarah's face... when is it OK to take such risks? Each of these subjects is covered fully in this book, making the reader understand the choices made.

Simply put, if readers want a moving story that will suck them in and not let go, making them feel strong emotions, Whose Child? is guaranteed to fit the bill.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, April 2004. All rights reserved.

Lexie Jacobs ran from Erie, PA with very little cash, a great big secret and a baby in her belly. Four years later a man shows up in Mill Creek, Montana claiming the baby she gave birth to is his...

Whose Child? asks the question, what makes a parent? Readers will travel an emotional journey with David and Lexie as they try to reconcile the past and find a way to make the future as bright as possible for little Sarah.

Susan Gable's story is a page-turning, emotion-wringing journey of family...and love!

I'm never disappointed when I read a Susan Gable novel. She is on my "automatic buy" list. Susan, I'd read your grocery list if you published it! :-) This heartwarming story of a mother's love and a father's devotion and determination will leave you turning pages into the wee hours of the night (might be a cliched expression on my part, but there is nothing cliched about this unique twist on a surrogate mother story.) I urge anyone who enjoys a great read to put Susan Gable's books on your "must buy" list.

Susan Gable has written a terrific book. I loved how she very realistically handled a child's reaction to meeting a parent they have never known. She's dealt with this subject matter in a very sensitive manner and the reader comes out the big winner. This is a book everyone should read!

Wow. This book is an emotional journey from the first page you read. The characters are very well developed, and the story is excellent. Not only is it a love story, but as the little girl has a port wine birthmark, it's a story that shows that true beauty is in the inside, and a mother cannot be defined by blood. I loved this book, and would recommend it to anyone who likes a love story that is much deeper then just woman meets man.