"Another emotionally stirring novel by Susan Gable"

If looking for a special story which will tug at the heartstrings, this is certainly a book to read.

Lexie Jacobs fled Erie, PA four years ago, to protect the baby she carried. She had only the clothes on her back and minimal money in her pocket, but none of that mattered if she could save the baby. She has made a new life for herself and her baby, Sarah, in Montana. She couldn't be happier in her life until the day he tracks her down...

David Mitchell is the father of little Sarah, who has spent a long time trying to track down the woman who ran off with his daughter. He and his wife had been unable to have children, so when Lexie agreed to be a surrogate mother, he thought all his dreams were coming true... until she vanished.

When David arrives in Mill Creek, Montana, Lexie is terrified. She is certain he is going to take Sarah away, and there is nothing she can do about it, after all she isn't even her mother. What she wasn't counting on was a resurgence of emotions she had thought long-buried. When David makes her a proposal that may solve all their problems, she has to decide, give up on the dreams she's long carried or hold on to them and see what happens. What she doesn't know is that David may very well hold that dream in the palm of his hand, and the heart of a little girl.

Ms. Gable once again proves she is a master at touching her readers' hearts with her books. Lexie is torn between what is right for Sarah and what is right for her and David. She has always cared deeply for him, holding on to hopes she is almost afraid to admit to. When they meet up again, David is upset that he has lost so much time with Sarah, missing milestone events for which he was supposed to be there. But in spite of his feelings, he realizes he can't bring himself to hurt Lexie by taking away the daughter of her heart, if not her blood. Long denied and unknown feelings rise to the surface, culminating in a love they have never known... with each other.

As always, the reader's heart will be invested in the outcome of the story. One will get misty-eyed along with David when he realizes he has won the love of his beautiful daughter. Lexie's agony over the chance of losing her whole world becomes the reader's own. All of the characters in the tale, all of the townsfolk of Lexie's adopted home, will make their world a real one. Who can not be drawn into the lives of these loving people? This reviewer was so enraptured, she almost expected to turn around and see them walking down the sidewalk.

Additionally, she shows no fear at tackling very sensitive issues. In this book she touches on more then one, surrogate parents, mental illness, and laser treatments for children (Sarah has a large birthmark on her cheek.). Surrogate parenthood has often been a hot topic... who does have rights when the child is in danger? As for the laser treatments to improve Sarah's face... when is it OK to take such risks? Each of these subjects is covered fully in this book, making the reader understand the choices made.

Simply put, if readers want a moving story that will suck them in and not let go, making them feel strong emotions, WHOSE CHILD? is guaranteed to fit the bill.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, April 2004. All rights reserved.

Reviewed by Kelley Hartsell
Courtesy Love Romances
Posted May 18, 2004

Summary

Lexie swore she would protect the child she carried -- even though she wasn't really her mother

To give her friend David the child he'd dreamed of, Lexie had agreed to be a surrogate mother, but that was before she learned the truth about his wife...

Four years ago, when Lexie was pregnant and on the run, she found safety in the little town of Mill Creek, Montana. Since then she's had a good life, raising Sarah and immersing herself in the community, but never quite forgetting what she'd done.

Then David finds them and announces her wants his daughter back...