Devon’s review of Daddy on Call by Judy Duarte
Contemporary Romance released by Silhouette Special Edition 1 Apr 07

Okay, so the title and cover of this book are pretty much the reason so many people scoff at Harlequins. But the blurb called to that part of me that still obssesses over “My So-Called Life“, that secretly adores “A Walk to Remember,” that can listen to “Bad Reputation” by Freedy Johnston over and over again. I just can’t get enough star-crossed, teenage bad boy/good girl love. This book started off as cheesy goodness, but deteriorated with a tired and predictable plot.

Daddy on Call focuses on the reunion of former teenage lovers Luke Wynter and Leilani Stephens. Luke has left his juvenile delinquent ways behind to become an Emergency Room doctor, where he runs into Leilani, the sheltered honor student from Hawaii he loved so many years ago. Now a social worker, Leilani is shocked to see how well Luke has done for himself. Many years ago, tragedy tore them apart. Can they get past the past, and the huge secret Leilani has been hiding?

Well really, it’s not all that big a secret, given the title and cover. As for the baby on the cover, it’s a bit misleading because the secret baby in question is eleven years old. While this book was an interesting enough read, it really brought what I don’t like about secret baby stories into focus. So often in these types of stories, the woman tells huge lies based on assumptions that don’t hold up too much scrutiny. Unless there is some sort of danger or abuse involved, addiction issues etc., the choice to keep the pregnancy a secret can come off as selfish, high-handed or dumb. It’s rare that the reasoning justifies the actions for me. No matter the explanations provided, I found myself liking her less and less as the book wore on.

It probably doesn’t help that the reader gets more of Luke’s POV. He is a charming enough fellow, and the book started off strong, as we get to know the characters’ and their shared past. They had chemistry to boot. I was enjoying it. But as the storyline wore on, and I could tell where it was going, it began to wear on me. Enough with this chick already, Luke! She was life draining. Although Leilani groveled a bit at the end, I was done with her by then. Judy Duarte is a well loved SSE author, and I’ll definitely try her again (her April release, Once Upon a Pregnancy, sounds good). But for those who don’t enjoy secret baby stories already, this one’s not going to win you over.

Grade: C+

Turning his life around, Luke Wynter had worked hard to become a doctor, to give back to the community he’d taken from years ago. And he had been doing just fine…until Leilani Stephens snuck back into his life. Twelve years ago she had made it clear that she no longer considered him a friend, let alone a lover. And he’d never been one to plead or beg.

Now he felt drawn to her all over again—yet felt that something was unsettled, unfinished. Unsaid.

What had Leilani been hiding from him all these years?

Read an excerpt here