Devon’s review of Having Justin’s Baby by Pamela Bauer
Contemporary Romance published by Harlequin SuperRomance 11 Mar 08
Despite the ridiculous title, I had to read this book as soon as I read the cover blurb, as it combined two of my favorite themes: accidental pregnancy and friends to lovers. Paige takes solace in the arms of long time best friend, Justin, the night her fiancé takes off for Vegas. Uh-oh! They are just barely getting back on their old footing when Paige realizes she’s pregnant. Double uh-oh! You know what Harlequin’s tagline should be?
Harlequin: Making Bad Decisions Romantic.
This book started off strong. It had a fun, breezy style, and the characters seemed like genuine late twenty-somethings-on a career track, starting to think about the future, but still enjoying life to the fullest. Justin and Kyle own a landscaping business and until recently shared a house with their other childhood best buddy, teacher Paige. Kyle has always had a crush on Paige. Justin has also loved Paige for years, but in deep secrecy. Now Paige has moved out to be with her fiancé, who both men despise. [Too bad it’s not an Ellora’s Cave, where all three of them could live HEA.] When her fiancé betrays her, it’s Justin to the rescue.
Things started to go downhill with the morning after, for them and for me. Paige is one of those people who has very, very strong ideas about how things should be, and who does not do well when life does not go according to her ideas. I tried and tried to be sympathetic, but damn if she wasn’t a bee-yotch. She is so nasty to Justin, and just kind of a buzzkill in general. Paige is particularly upset because she always wanted to be a virgin on her wedding night. Yup, she wouldn’t give it up for the fiancé, but she hops in the sack with Justin? Of course she gets pregnant! That’s the punishment! That always used to happen to the “good girls” on the soaps too. Lame.
I do usually like beta heroes, but Justin was waaaaay too beta. He was really too much of a “real” guy. We are told over and over that he’s in love with Paige, but he really didn’t show it. He let her walk all over him, and was relieved for things to go back to normal, so his friend Kyle wouldn’t be mad. Even when he finds out she’s knocked up, he’s underwhelmed. When Paige wants him to go with her to a baby expo, he wants to stay home and watch football. Really dude? You love her, you want her to marry you, but you’re passing up a chance to show her you care for college football? On TV? I kept waiting to see his passion revealed, for some grand gesture, but no. His declaration of love happened offstage. When he reminds her of it, I went back and checked, and…no. I wanted to scream.
In the end, I didn’t really buy that they were in love. Especially Paige. It was more like she realized what a loyal, steady guy he was. Perhaps it should have been called “Settling for Justin” instead.
Grade: C
From the back cover:
There’s no turning back once Paige makes a colossal mistake that could cost her the best friend she’s ever had. How can life possibly stay the same for her and Justin after they spend one passionate night together? If only her fiancé hadn’t run off with another woman. And if only Justin hadn’t been there to comfort her when she’d been so utterly vulnerable.…
But now she’s pregnant and Paige can’t turn back the clock and things couldn’t get any more complicated. Because this innocent little baby puts a whole new spin on the term “just friends.”
Read an excerpt here.
I’m just gonna say it. I know it will make me some enemies, but I’ve just got to say it:
WTF is with these Harlequin titles??
Mills & Boone publishes what is frequently the same books and have perfectly respectable titles. Then the American arm of the company gets hold of something and totally pimps it out!
Case in point:
UK publication of Kate Hardy’s “Breakfast at Giovanni’s” became “In Bed with Her Italian Boss” when released in the US!!
WHAT??!! PUH-LEEZ!
It’s insulting to think that we have to have schlock titles like that to buy a bloody book! I won’t be caught dead reading a book named what they named it in the US, but I could do the UK title easily.
I love HSR, but this is a book I would avoid like the plague. I just cannot do accidental pregnancy stories in contemporaries. Hey, I know birth control fails – but so often in these stories the characters don’t even THINK about using anything, which in this day and age just seems really TSTL to me.
My favorite though is when the hero is a notorious playboy and accidentally impregnates the heroine because they didn’t use birth control. Makes you wonder how many children he has floating around who don’t know who their Daddy is? And icky – how romantic is that?
Gwen: Because research has shown that “they” (retailers) have only so many seconds to hook a reader. Hey, I hate the title Having Justin’s Baby too – but when I see it I know what that book is about. It’s about a chick having Justin’s baby! And In Bed With Her Italian Boss? The hero is Italian, her boss, and they do the nasty. If I went for Italian heroes who like to sexually harass their female coworkers I’d be all over that….
Wendy – I guffawed over that last sentence in your comment.
I still don’t think they give us enough credit with these titles.
I read a Kate Hardy with an absolutely nonsensical title–I think it was “Mistress on Trial”–but the UK title was normal. She’s good, too. Poor thing.
I really think that the reason I am so drawn to these stories is that, to me, getting pregnant from a one night stand is about the least romantic thing going. So it’s always like, can they do it? Can they make me believe in the romance? Definitely hit or miss, but I simply cannot stop reading them.
I can’t decide which bothers me more, no birth control or failed condoms. I’ve had a whole spate of failed condom ones. I had to go on Planned Parenthood to check the actual stats ‘cuz I was getting concerned.
One night stands are bad news in romancelandia. If you have one, you will get pregnant for sure.
But it must sell and it must be selling well or they would stop… yes mz my job is marketing 😀
Definitely hit or miss, but I simply cannot stop reading them. Don’t we all have those plot themes that make us roll our eyes, but yet we can’t stop reading them? LOL
TracyS, you’ve just described half of my reading preferences! 🙂
::sticks her tongue out at Sybil::
“I’m not a marketing geek, but I play one on TV.”
I don’t mind the failed condom ones, but the no protection ones – they have to make it work for me. Like they’re drunk, or stupid. Oh wait – then I wouldn’t want to read it, either.
I do like to sit down with a cup of frothy coffee and a Modern/Presents, though (Modern in the UK, Presents in the US, same line, I learned recently).
If you come across one by India Grey, I really enjoyed that one.
In this one, hero (Justin) should absolutely not have touched the heroine – she was extremely drunk, and a virgin. He just goes ahead and does what he wants without thinking.
I wanted to shake Paige. She was really nasty to Justin through most of the book, and Justin was to spineless to be honest or upfront with her.