Gideon's Baby

Gideon First feels his life will begin as soon as he marries his beloved Lupe Amorado. He is so in love, Gideon looks forward to helping Lupe raise her two preadolescent children Miguelito and Tersita. Everything changes when attorney Cavanaugh Pike informs Gideon that he has been named in a will as the biological father of fourteen month old Janna by a former girl friend who recently died in a car accident. Gideon knows he practiced safe sex and though time wise Janna could be his, he insists on taking a paternity test. Gideon hides and then lies to Lupe for fear she will not marry him. When she learns the truth she is hurt by his actions, but even more so when he leans towards not raising Janna. However, one look at his baby changes his mind, but he wonders how to persuade Lupe to add a third child to the family. KN Casper always provides a captivating romance especially with her First Family of Texas contemporary series. Her newest entry, GIDEON'S BABY, is a strong relationship drama. The story line hooks the audience from the start as Gideon goes through a metamorphose starting with denial converting into fear and finally into love. Though why he thinks he can hide the truth from Lupe seems inconceivable, he remains a wonderfully flawed lead protagonist. Lupe is quite a person and the support cast especially her children and Janna's grandparents provide insight into the lead couple helping to turn Ms. Casper's latest novel into a first rate tale.Harriet Klausner

It's a guy thing. Men do not willing offer information to women than can feasibly lead to an emotional encounter; that is, until circumstances compel them to do so. Guys simply prefer logic to messy emotional encounters. So when Gideon First learns of his former girl friend's will, indicating that he's the father of her baby, his first reaction is logical. They always used condoms; the last time he saw her she would have been two months pregnant and didn't tell him; consequently, the baby cannot be his. Further, he's now engaged to a woman who believes sex should be saved for marriage. While she knows of his past, she's never been confronted by it. Consequently, it's best to protect her delicate sensibilities, and not explain about his possible paternity. It's a girl thing. Women want the whole truth, including anything that was omitted to prevent a messy emotional response. Unlike men, they do not fear their emotions nor do they consider emotions a barrier to working toward a reasonable, logical solution. Lupe Amorado feels betrayed because Gideon was not forthright regarding his daughter. Lies by omission are still lies. Worse, Gideon's logical evaluation of the situation, especially when he considers allow the child's grandparents to adopt her, is abhorrent. Such logical thinking leaves Lupe questioning the morals and values of the man she wanted to marry. Her feelings of betray lead to her decision to give back his engagement ring.Once again K.N. Casper boldly tackles some of the most delicate of human relationships in GIDEON'S BABY. With his unique story telling ability, Casper captures the heart of the differences in how men and women both think and communicate. Indeed, he captures the most basic elements of femininity and masculinity and exploits those differences, creating tension and passion in equal measure. A remarkable achievement, and a memorable story, GIDEON'S BABY comes very highly recommended.