THE CHILD THEY DIDN'T EXPECT – Yvonne Lindsay
Billionaires and Babies Series
Harlequin Desire #2330
ISBN-13:  978-0-373-73343-9
October 2014
Series Romance

New Zealand – Present Day

Ronin Marshall is an engineer on a troubleshooting job in Hawaii when he meets a woman at dinner and they spend the night together.  In the middle of the night his cell phone rings and he figures it's either a wrong number or an emergency.  Unfortunately, it's an emergency when his father calls and says his sister CeeCee and her husband R.J. were on the way to the hospital after CeeCee went into labor and they were killed in a drunk driving accident.   Their baby boy was delivered by caesarean section and is now in critical condition.  In his haze, he doesn't explain to the woman about his family emergency other than to leave a short note and hurries home to handle the situation.

Alison Carter just doesn't do one night stands with men but figures it serves her right when the amazing man she was with is gone the next morning leaving a vague note. He seemed sweet and perfect, and they had amazing chemistry, but now it's time to go home to New Zealand.  Alison started a new business, Best for Baby, after her divorce three years ago. She had to force herself to take this vacation, and now see what happened to her!  Her assistant Deb is excited about a new job setting up a new nursery, no expense spared.  Alison usually interviews prospective clients, but the check has hit their account and she needs the work to take her mind off a certain man.

Well, of course, the one thing Alison never thought of is Ronin opening the door at her job.  After a misunderstanding, she learns the baby is Ronin's nephew whose parents were killed, not his child.  Complicating things is Ronin has no other siblings, and his mother is so upset over the death of her daughter her heart problems kicked up, leaving Alison as the only person to decorate the baby's nursery.  On the day the baby Joshua is to come home, Ronin's mother needs heart surgery, and he has a troubleshooting job in Vietnam with his company.  It looks as if Alison is the only one to take care of the baby until the nannies start in four days.  The sweet baby reminds Alison of everything she'll never have, and it's a bittersweet experience for her.

Continuing the hugely popular Billionaires and Babies series, Yvonne Lindsay introduces us to Ronin, who usually keeps himself under strict control and spends most of his time working, and Alison, recovering from divorce and the knowledge she can never bear a child.  Their meeting strikes a spark in both of them and the attraction is immediate and strong.  Ronin is analytical and careful, the person you want to have on line that attends to all the details.  Alison has also thrown herself into her baby-planning business; fighting the worthlessness her ex left her feeling after their divorce.  They each feel an immediate attraction for the other, and while Ronin is willing to see where it will lead, Alison doesn't mind a short fling.  She doesn't feel ready to get serious with someone who might want children later on and then get let down again.

Secondary characters are Deb, Alison's assistant, and Joshua, the baby.  At times the ghost of her ex-husband, Richard, lingers in Alison's mind and stops her from getting along with her life.

THE CHILD THEY DIDN'T EXPECT is a sweet story of an orphaned baby and the attraction Alison and Ronin feel towards each other.  There will be an amazing coincidence at the end of their story, but I won't spoil the surprise for you!  Each of the Billionaires and Babies is a standalone story, and this is one you don't want to miss this month.

Carolyn Crisher