Devon’s review of His Miracle Baby by Karen Sandler
Contemporary romance released Silhouette Special Edition by 1 Mar 08
When I read a Silhouette Special Edition, I am looking for well fleshed out characters, strong internal and external conflict, and a nicely developed romance. I want to get totally involved with these characters lives, and give a satisfied sigh at the end. His Miracle Baby definitely fit the bill and did the trick.
Logan Rafferty, CEO of a California Sporting Goods company, is determined to carry out his late wife’s wishes. Unfortunately, they involve Shani Jacoby, his wife’s best friend. The two have never gotten along, but for her own reasons, Shani has agreed to be his gestational carrier. These two strong people now have to learn to get along as they go through the process of in vitro fertilization and the pregnancy together. Forced into close contact, Shani and Logan find themselves strongly attracted to each other. But they will have to overcome their opposing personalities, among other issues.
I must admit to having a weakness for stoic, almost cold heroes. Logan was arrogant and domineering, but not a bad person. It was clear that he wants to do the right thing, wants to show that he cares, he’s just not sure how to go about doing it. So he goes into business mode, managing and directing. When Shani puts her foot down, he doesn’t push or tries to compromise. Even when he goes into the old “I can give you everything but love, baby” routine, it didn’t annoy me. Logan’s experiences with his asshole father and his troubled marriage left him with serious doubts about his ability to love or to express that love. His actions do speak louder than words though.
Shani was a great heroine–strong and independent. She has had to work very hard for everything in her life, and has no interest in a domineering man like Logan telling her what to do. Shani has had plenty of hardship, but it seems to have given her strong sense of empathy. She’s the kind of person you’d like to have as a friend. Shani was a great match for Logan, able to stand up to him and be firm, and able to glimpse the emotions beneath the exterior. He really needs someone to tell him exactly what she thinks.
The physical and emotional impact of in vitro fertilization and being a gestational carrier was treated thoroughly, as was Logan’s unhappy marriage. Although it was not completely his fault, Logan was not let off the hook, which I liked. He’s a good man, but flawed, and he married the wrong kind of woman for him. The late wife was not a bad person either, she was a good friend to Shani and to Logan. But she had her own issues. It was clear that Shani and Logan’s relationship would be very different. They made sparks inside the bedroom and out. I should mention that this is pretty hot, compared to some SSEs I’ve read.
I did have a couple of issues, though. While I could understand Shani’s dislike of Logan–her friend didn’t give her the best impression of him, compounded by his demeanor, I never understood why Logan didn’t like Shani. Just because he could sense she didn’t like him? I would’ve liked more background. Maybe I’m just a stickler for details, but I also wanted to know how Shani became such good friends with Logan’s wife, who was ten years older and from a completely different background. There was also a teeny sliver of a suspense subplot, which served no real purpose. So I’ve decided to ignore it. On the whole, His Miracle Baby was a compelling story with great characters. I enjoyed it a lot and look forward to reading more by this author.
Grade: B+
Nothing was more important to entrepreneur Logan Rafferty than fulfilling his late wife’s wishes. And she had been very specific–if anything happened to her, Logan should recruit her best friend, Shani Jacoby, to be surrogate mother to their embryos. There was just one problem–Shani was his sworn enemy. Yet she agreed to the plan in a heartbeat.
Sure, there was no love lost between Shani and Logan, but there was no greater way to honor her friend than to bear this child. And as the pregnancy proceeded, Shani started to wonder…could Logan be more than just the father of her child? Like just possibly, the man of her dreams?
Read an excerpt.
