"Women, or bets with friends- which is more challenging?"

In A FAMILY AFFAIR by Shirley Hailstock scientist Wesley Cooper is on a frantic search for a candidate to donate eggs so that he can have a child. He never expects to find himself falling for the candidate, Myers University's newest professor Dr. Brenda Reid.

It doesn't take long for Brenda to find out that Wesley (Wes, to his friends) has made a bet with another scientist that he would find a candidate for his baby search within a year, or give up his reasearch grant.

Brenda refuses to be part of the lunacy of the bet, but that doesn't deter Wes from doing what he can to woo her. I think almost any female on the planet would have to fall prey to the many charms that the smooth operating Dr. Cooper uses to woo the standoffish Dr. Reid. It takes most of the book for the 2 to see if they can make their own forms of chemistry.

I enjoyed the book, but wouldn't consider it to be a hose me down kind of read. The characters are well developed in my opinion, and the secondary characters know that they are secondary characters and stay in their place. This is the second book I've read by Shirley Hailstock, and would willingly read a third.

Reviewed by Sandi Shilhanek
Posted January 3, 2003