RITA Reader Challenge Review

RITA Reader Challenge: Her Secret, His Baby by Tanya Michaels

B+

Title: Her Secret, His Baby
Author: Tanya Michaels
Publication Info: Harlequin August 2013
ISBN: 978-0373754670
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Book Her Secret, His Baby This RITA® Reader Challenge 2014 review was written by Jennifer A. This story was nominated for the RITA® in the Short Contemporary Series Romance category.

The summary:

Surprise! You're a Daddy!

Life's been full of surprises lately for rancher Garrett Frost-and not in a good way. His mother has just dropped a bombshell about his past, so Garrett takes some time away to come to terms with family secrets. And who should he run into but Arden Cade, the beautiful photographer who shared a single night of passion with Garrett six months ago. He is even more shocked when he discovers she's pregnant-and he's the daddy.

To make matters worse, Arden hadn't even planned on telling Garrett about the baby. Despite her lies, Garrett is determined to be a good father. He's not the type to cut and run, and he can't deny that he's falling for Arden all over again. But he'll have to find a way to forgive her betrayal…and make peace with that skeleton in the family closet.

And here is Jennifer's review:

Surprise, surprise, I loved this book and even ordered book two!

Garrett Frost our H is in town for his high school friend's wedding.  He meets Arden Cade, who is working at the wedding as the photographer.  Push comes to shove and they end up in bed together and the old “condom didn't work” trope was used to ensure Ms. Cade gets knocked up.

Of course there is some back story as well.  Arden is lamenting the death of her BFF and sister in law Natalie when she is working this wedding.  Her brother/widower Colin is as depressed as they come.  Her other brother, Justin, is the town man-whore.  Garrett on the other hand believes he had a very loving set of parents and he is very comfortable with his place on the “ranch.”  So what happens, how do these two end up together (because you know they do)… Garrett is told by his mother that she had a one-night-stand with a friend of their family and Garrett was the result.  And she only tells him because his father really, really, really needs a kidney.

Let's stop right there because there are a variety of great things in this set up…Arden is in mourning over her best friend and former sister in law, her brother is not much help and her other brother can't be in the same room with many of the single women in town — because he knows he has wronged them.  Garrett has a very nice little family out on the ranch but is living through trying to decide if he should do for his biological father, but a kidney is really not that big of a deal to give in this day and age so he has what amounts to a minor problem.

So he does what every “cowboy” does… he runs off to see his best friend from high school and hopes to run into Arden again.  And sure enough on his first trip to the grocery store he runs into her and she is very clearly pregnant.  To begin with Garrett is mad that he had sex with her when she was already pregnant (because what man can tell how far along you are?).  Then he finds out from Darcy, his best friends wife, that Arden is not seeing anyone.  Garrett finally puts two and two together and realizes the baby is his.  He goes to Arden's photography shop to confront her and Arden does not deny that he is the father.  (How refreshing a pregnant lady who admits the baby is the father's when she is still pregnant.)  It takes some time, but these two eventually find their way to falling in LOVE and they end up together in the end.

There was one thing I did not like about the book: Arden insisted that Garrett marry her for love, not to give the baby a father.  Why does every accidental pregnancy book have to include this plot device?  Obviously he loves you… he implanted a baby in you.  OMG.  Nevertheless, I give this book a B+ because I could barely put it down.  Don't wait, order it now!


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Comments are Closed

  1. The Fairy Godmother says:

    Very nice review and I am putting this book on my wishlist, but I do have a peeve. Donating one kidney may be a low risk operation, but living with one kidney demands lifetime adjustments like avoiding contact sports, seeing a doctor at least once a year and warning health professionals so that they can avoid-if possible-nephrotoxic medications. There is also a risk of renal failure later in life. So I don’t see it as a minor problem

  2. DonnaMarie says:

    What Fairy Godmother said. And:

    Why does every accidental pregnancy book have to include this plot device?  Obviously he loves you… he implanted a baby in you.

    No, not obviously. Having sex with someone and loving them can be and often are mutually exclusive. So, you want to be a father to our baby, cool, but you want to marry me, live in my house, spend the rest of your life with me? Yeah, there’d better be something more going on.

    Still, soooo do have the <3 on for secret baby stories. Thanks for the review.

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