The Not-So-Secret Baby

I been looking forward to reading this book and this series of Stork Express.And I enjoy the story the characters are telling me too.

When two spirited, highly cynical regarding love characters meet, the result is magic in Diana Whitney's THE NOT-SO-SECRET BABY. In a rented room, during the course of twelve hours, Susan Mitchell and Jarod Bodine found beauty and passion in one another arms. They made an impulsive choice, and now they both must embrace the consequences. They made an emotional connection that led to a life.A quiet night, a darkened pub, and a healthy dose of loneliness and pain introduced the two strangers. Susan was there seeking solace from learning that the man she had been dating wanted more than she could give. He'd wanted marriage, a family, a home, all the things that practical, pragmatic Susan didn't believe in. She viewed marriage as a respite between divorces, and refused to enter into such a tenuous situation. Jarod Bodine sought relief from memories of the past. When his wife died, Jarod vowed he would never marry again. Carrying around an unhealthy dose of guilt, he blames himself for her death. He believes he's unworthy to be a husband, and refuses to risk such devastation and pain again. Romantic love is not an emotion he intends to ever allow in his life again.When Susan learns of her pregnancy, she takes advantage of an advertisement for a tutor for third grader Danny, Jarod's son. She intends to evaluate Jarod's parenting skills to assure that he is worthy of being the father of her child. She doesn't expect Jarod to insist on marriage. Nor does she expect to fall in love with the Jarod, his son, and the ranch with its wild beauty and demanding lifestyle.Diana Whitney writes with a flair and energy uniquely her own. One of the greatest challenges authors can face is integrating dynamic, believable children into the story. Diana captures the spirit and the voice of Danny perfectly, including both his petulant and his joyous sides, and keeping his character central in the story line. Further, many author fall into the trap of a previous marriage not being happy, but while Whitney acknowledges the flaws of the previous relationship, she also honors it both in the voice of the child, and also in the voice of her hero and heroine as well. Whitney's refreshing narrative earns her top status of Very highly recommended!

Believe it or not I read Baby of Convenience about a month ago and than today I read The Not-So-Secret Baby. I did not realize that they were 3 different stories, but based on sisters. I was truly delighted. The Not-So-Secret Baby was a great book. Not only did it involve a child, but it actually involved that childs feelings about a new woman in his fathers life and a new baby on the way. A one night thing that produced a child brought Susan and Jarod together, but the story is about how they deal with that and try to come together as a family. At the same time Jarod has to try to get past the death of his wife and learn to open up and love again. His son Danny loves Susan and has to get over his fear over her leaving him like his mother did. It was truly a great book. I loved that the last paragraph brings the sisters and their families together. Although, I was a bit thrown by the mention of Lauras kids from the first book and I could be wrong, but in Baby of Convenience Laura's son was named Jamie and she was expecting a daughter, but in this book her son is Bobby and she has another son and not a daughter. To me, these little details are important, but it was only one sentence. I just purchased Catrina's story, the last sister of this bunch, and I can not wait to read it.