What do you think?
Rate this book
The Paternity Affair
The only man Kate had ever loved was standing right beside her.Her heart leapt, as it always had, yet she had dreaded such a reunion, and the thought of Patric meeting her six-year-old son. While Kate had dreamed of them together as a family she knew too well that one excruciating untold truth, a truth she could never tell Patric, would always keep them apart.Yet here he was, after seven years, and despite everything, in some small part of her, hope, foolish hope, sprang eternal!
Paperback
First published March 1, 1999
About the author
Robyn Donald
450 books150 followersRobyn Elaine Donald was born on 14 August 1940 in Northland, New Zealand. She was the oldest child in her family, and as a child, she thrilled her four sisters and one brother with bloodcurdling adventure tales, usually very like the latest book she'd borrowed from the library.
Robyn owes her writing career to two illnesses. The first was a younger sister's flu. She was living with her husband and Robyn and spent most of that winter acquiring, suffering, and recovering from various infections. One day she croaked that she had read everything on Robyn's bookshelves, so would Robyn please buy her something cheerful and sustaining. Robyn found three paperbacks- one Mills and Boon Modern Romance novel and a couple of other romances. Robyn read them, too, of course, and so enjoyed them she spent the next couple of years hunting down more Mills and Boon books. This was much more difficult then than it is today, so she decided to write her own, and for the following busy 10 years she wrote and hoped that one day she would finish a manuscript good enough that was good enough to send to a publisher.
The second illness was her husband's, and it was bad a heart attack. He was so young it terrified them all. While he was recovering, he suggested that Robyn finish the manuscript she was writing and send it off. It wasn't a perfect manuscript, but the doctor had said to humour her husband, so she finished the manuscript, edited it as best she could, and sent it off. Three months later, she was astounded to read a letter from the editor saying that if She made a few revisions they would buy her novel Bride at Whangatapu.
Published since 1977, Robyn sees her readers as intelligent women who insist on accurate backgrounds, so she spends time researching as well as writing.Robyn Donald sometimes thinks that writing is much like gardening. It's a similar process creating landscapes for the mind and emotions from the seeds of ideas and dreams and images. Both activities can also lead to moments of extreme delight, moments of total despair, and backache.Now Robyn lives in the Bay Islands. She continues writing, and also finds time for a very supportive husband, two adult children and their partners, a granddaughter and her mother, not to mention the member of the family that keeps her fit - a loud, cheerful, and ruthlessly determined "almost" Labradordog.
Robyn owes her writing career to two illnesses. The first was a younger sister's flu. She was living with her husband and Robyn and spent most of that winter acquiring, suffering, and recovering from various infections. One day she croaked that she had read everything on Robyn's bookshelves, so would Robyn please buy her something cheerful and sustaining. Robyn found three paperbacks- one Mills and Boon Modern Romance novel and a couple of other romances. Robyn read them, too, of course, and so enjoyed them she spent the next couple of years hunting down more Mills and Boon books. This was much more difficult then than it is today, so she decided to write her own, and for the following busy 10 years she wrote and hoped that one day she would finish a manuscript good enough that was good enough to send to a publisher.
The second illness was her husband's, and it was bad a heart attack. He was so young it terrified them all. While he was recovering, he suggested that Robyn finish the manuscript she was writing and send it off. It wasn't a perfect manuscript, but the doctor had said to humour her husband, so she finished the manuscript, edited it as best she could, and sent it off. Three months later, she was astounded to read a letter from the editor saying that if She made a few revisions they would buy her novel Bride at Whangatapu.
Published since 1977, Robyn sees her readers as intelligent women who insist on accurate backgrounds, so she spends time researching as well as writing.Robyn Donald sometimes thinks that writing is much like gardening. It's a similar process creating landscapes for the mind and emotions from the seeds of ideas and dreams and images. Both activities can also lead to moments of extreme delight, moments of total despair, and backache.Now Robyn lives in the Bay Islands. She continues writing, and also finds time for a very supportive husband, two adult children and their partners, a granddaughter and her mother, not to mention the member of the family that keeps her fit - a loud, cheerful, and ruthlessly determined "almost" Labradordog.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 27, 2016
Who knew Robyn Donald could write a loving, sentimental hero who has nothing but the best intentions for the heroine?
Color me surprised and delighted.
The story opens at Sea World in Australia. Heroine has won the trip from New Zealand for her and her son. Hero is waiting for them as they get off of the roller coaster and heroine faints at seeing her first love - the man who took her virginity at 18. Hero quickly makes friends with the son who looks like the heroine and determines that he is his son by the birth dates, etc. . . Heroine knows he's not the father, wishes he was the father, but feels she can't tell him the truth of her son's conception.
I really liked this hero and the heroine was strong and independent without being strident. They both had their insecurities, but they talked them out throughout the story as different issues came up. I liked that the heroine went to counselling after Her interactions (and the hero's for that matter) with her son were well done. Just a sweet little tale all around.
Color me surprised and delighted.
The story opens at Sea World in Australia. Heroine has won the trip from New Zealand for her and her son. Hero is waiting for them as they get off of the roller coaster and heroine faints at seeing her first love - the man who took her virginity at 18. Hero quickly makes friends with the son who looks like the heroine and determines that he is his son by the birth dates, etc. . . Heroine knows he's not the father, wishes he was the father, but feels she can't tell him the truth of her son's conception.
I really liked this hero and the heroine was strong and independent without being strident. They both had their insecurities, but they talked them out throughout the story as different issues came up. I liked that the heroine went to counselling after Her interactions (and the hero's for that matter) with her son were well done. Just a sweet little tale all around.
February 16, 2023
Good but different.
If you love RD of course with her awful men and pitiful heroines.
And this one is not the worst.
Because in RD world men are cruel, unapologetic, unforgiving, hard and never ever smile, at most they grin with a sarcastic look.
This is what real men, alpha men do, in RD world. And they care about everyone but the heroine.
So in this case the hero wasn’t even that bad.
He and the heroine had a brief affair when she was a 18 yo teenager and he was a mature 24 yo man ( in the 90s men were mature at 24, now they are overgrown teenagers who party and don’t want any responsibility.)
He wanted to marry her, even if he was pressured and blackmailed both by his parents and by his wannabe in-laws and evil ow who even lied telling she was pregnant with his child, impossible because they were never together.
Sadly the heroine made a big huge mistake.
She didn’t trust the hero at all.
And when his cousin raped her and she found out she was pregnant with his child she decided to dump the hero telling she was in love with another man.
Imagine the poor hero, madly in love with her, ready to elope and to marry her defying the whole world around him, how crushed he was when she told him so, and moreover she disappeared after some time.
He was dejected and decided to surrender to the blackmail and married evil ow, even if he never even liked her.
After some time ow dies, because RD is very cruel with ow who dare to try to separate our heroes and heroines, and hero tries again to find the heroine.
But he’s able to, because there were no social and little means to find a woman at the time.
And this is I didn’t dislike this hero, because even though he was dumped by the heroine and basically believed she was in love with another, he tried again to find her because he loved her.
This is much even for a non RD hero. He could have simply ignored her and moved on, thinking that she very probably was married with another man, but he tried anyway.
He wasn’t celibate of course but this wasn’t disappointing because after all he was dumped for another man. Even if it weren’t true.
The heroine was very wrong. She didn’t trust the hero and made a very bad decision. The hero told her he would have wanted her and her child anyway and we believe him, he was besotted with her, but she decided to play the martyr.
When they accidentally meet again, he’s determined to have her and to marry her for good, and to be a father to her child.
The heroine won’t tell him who’s the father but he makes an appearance in the end, when the hero finds out the truth and they decide to make a DNA test.
I won’t spoil more but the end was very very happy with a surprise.
I liked this book, the hero was wronged more than the heroine because everyone around him used and tricked him, even the heroine. He was a honest guy and in love with her but she decided to lie and push him away.
Maybe it’s one of the few cases in RD where a hero is better than the heroine.
If you love RD of course with her awful men and pitiful heroines.
And this one is not the worst.
Because in RD world men are cruel, unapologetic, unforgiving, hard and never ever smile, at most they grin with a sarcastic look.
This is what real men, alpha men do, in RD world. And they care about everyone but the heroine.
So in this case the hero wasn’t even that bad.
He and the heroine had a brief affair when she was a 18 yo teenager and he was a mature 24 yo man ( in the 90s men were mature at 24, now they are overgrown teenagers who party and don’t want any responsibility.)
He wanted to marry her, even if he was pressured and blackmailed both by his parents and by his wannabe in-laws and evil ow who even lied telling she was pregnant with his child, impossible because they were never together.
Sadly the heroine made a big huge mistake.
She didn’t trust the hero at all.
And when his cousin raped her and she found out she was pregnant with his child she decided to dump the hero telling she was in love with another man.
Imagine the poor hero, madly in love with her, ready to elope and to marry her defying the whole world around him, how crushed he was when she told him so, and moreover she disappeared after some time.
He was dejected and decided to surrender to the blackmail and married evil ow, even if he never even liked her.
After some time ow dies, because RD is very cruel with ow who dare to try to separate our heroes and heroines, and hero tries again to find the heroine.
But he’s able to, because there were no social and little means to find a woman at the time.
And this is I didn’t dislike this hero, because even though he was dumped by the heroine and basically believed she was in love with another, he tried again to find her because he loved her.
This is much even for a non RD hero. He could have simply ignored her and moved on, thinking that she very probably was married with another man, but he tried anyway.
He wasn’t celibate of course but this wasn’t disappointing because after all he was dumped for another man. Even if it weren’t true.
The heroine was very wrong. She didn’t trust the hero and made a very bad decision. The hero told her he would have wanted her and her child anyway and we believe him, he was besotted with her, but she decided to play the martyr.
When they accidentally meet again, he’s determined to have her and to marry her for good, and to be a father to her child.
The heroine won’t tell him who’s the father but he makes an appearance in the end, when the hero finds out the truth and they decide to make a DNA test.
I won’t spoil more but the end was very very happy with a surprise.
I liked this book, the hero was wronged more than the heroine because everyone around him used and tricked him, even the heroine. He was a honest guy and in love with her but she decided to lie and push him away.
Maybe it’s one of the few cases in RD where a hero is better than the heroine.
Read
September 19, 2015Warning this book has rape by another man I wish I knew so I wouldn't have read it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2016
This was different. Secret baby with a twist. The writing style was a bit different. I don't know, more lyrical maybe? I did like the hero but That really made him much less likable. Oh well, happy I read it.
November 13, 2016
My first Robyn Donald . It was just Okay maybe because I read all the spoilers already ( I should not be though ) . Since I knew the whole story anyway , There was no suspense and it is the main element for this story . I will just warn you not to read spoilers , I learnt my lesson lol .
February 6, 2018
Not very well planned. One stage took too long almost entire book and got boring. Not one of the good RD books.
December 20, 2020
4 Stars ~ This was a compelling read for me. From the first pages, Ms.Donald had me totally captivated... I just had to know how this was going to turn out.
Seven years earlier, at 18, Kate gave her virginity to the love of her life, Patric. Six years her senior, Patric had watched Kate grow into a beautiful young woman. He'd always known she'd be his forever. With a deathbed wish from his father to marry his best friend's daughter, Patric had to make the most difficult of choices. He'd chosen Kate, but when he was about to propose, Kate stunned him by telling him she was finished with him and had a new boyfriend. He'd failed to see Kate's lie and let himself be blackmailed into a marriage that was doomed.
Having won a trip to Australia's Sea World for her nearly six year old son, Nick; the last person Kate had expected to bump into was Patric. One look at Nick, and Patric quickly did the math, but his conclusion wasn't the truth Kate knew. Kate tells him that a week after they'd made love she'd had her period, and then a week after that she'd been raped. The secret she's not ready to tell Patric, is that her rapist was his jealous cousin.
Kate's a first reluctant to let Patric back into her life and more importantly into Nick's life. Just from a few encounters, the boy already idolizes Patric. With their chemistry more electric than before, Kate begins to reawaken, and when Patric declares that he wants a future with her and her son, she wants that more than anything. But first, she has to tell him about Nick's father.
Ms. Donald makes it easy to believe in Patric's love for Kate. There's a lovely epilogue with a surprise that knowing this is a Harlequin shouldn't really have been a surprise, but Ms. Donald pulls it off wonderfully.
Seven years earlier, at 18, Kate gave her virginity to the love of her life, Patric. Six years her senior, Patric had watched Kate grow into a beautiful young woman. He'd always known she'd be his forever. With a deathbed wish from his father to marry his best friend's daughter, Patric had to make the most difficult of choices. He'd chosen Kate, but when he was about to propose, Kate stunned him by telling him she was finished with him and had a new boyfriend. He'd failed to see Kate's lie and let himself be blackmailed into a marriage that was doomed.
Having won a trip to Australia's Sea World for her nearly six year old son, Nick; the last person Kate had expected to bump into was Patric. One look at Nick, and Patric quickly did the math, but his conclusion wasn't the truth Kate knew. Kate tells him that a week after they'd made love she'd had her period, and then a week after that she'd been raped. The secret she's not ready to tell Patric, is that her rapist was his jealous cousin.
Kate's a first reluctant to let Patric back into her life and more importantly into Nick's life. Just from a few encounters, the boy already idolizes Patric. With their chemistry more electric than before, Kate begins to reawaken, and when Patric declares that he wants a future with her and her son, she wants that more than anything. But first, she has to tell him about Nick's father.
Ms. Donald makes it easy to believe in Patric's love for Kate. There's a lovely epilogue with a surprise that knowing this is a Harlequin shouldn't really have been a surprise, but Ms. Donald pulls it off wonderfully.
March 19, 2022
This is not a typical story for Robyn Donald, as her hero is very likable. The besotted hero, Patric and the Heroine, Kate reconnect after 7 years apart. Most of the drama and hurt that drove these 2 apart happens in the past. And no, neither one of them did anything to cause the separation. They loved each other, and 7 years apart hasn’t dampened the love. However, in order to embrace the love they have for each other they need to confront the past and move on from it….if they can.
The story isn’t as fast paced as others, because it is really focused on the couple without others interfering and adding drama. The h is a single 24 year old mom, and things have not been easy for her. She hasn’t found anyone to match the hero, and quite frankly she hasn’t tried looking. She has been focused on raising a good, well adjusted son.
The 30 year old hero is widowed(wasn’t happy in his marriage). He hasn’t been celibate, but it doesn’t sound like he was a manwhore either. He has never felt for anyone the feelings he has for the h. In the story he is very patient with the h as he is cognizant of past trauma she endured.(my shelves give it away as it could be a trigger for some). She is holding some things back from the H and it is forced out in the open when the past reveals its ugly head.
I really felt that RD did a good job with how the characters reacted to events 7 years before. I can see why the h did what she did to push the H away, and I can see the H, not armed with the facts, would react the way he did. (Although, he never really did give up on her)
So, if you are looking for a love story where love conquers all and there is a happy epilogue it is worth checking this one out. If you don’t mind some spoilers(they are hidden)then definitely read Stmargarets review/overview here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The story isn’t as fast paced as others, because it is really focused on the couple without others interfering and adding drama. The h is a single 24 year old mom, and things have not been easy for her. She hasn’t found anyone to match the hero, and quite frankly she hasn’t tried looking. She has been focused on raising a good, well adjusted son.
The 30 year old hero is widowed(wasn’t happy in his marriage). He hasn’t been celibate, but it doesn’t sound like he was a manwhore either. He has never felt for anyone the feelings he has for the h. In the story he is very patient with the h as he is cognizant of past trauma she endured.(my shelves give it away as it could be a trigger for some). She is holding some things back from the H and it is forced out in the open when the past reveals its ugly head.
I really felt that RD did a good job with how the characters reacted to events 7 years before. I can see why the h did what she did to push the H away, and I can see the H, not armed with the facts, would react the way he did. (Although, he never really did give up on her)
So, if you are looking for a love story where love conquers all and there is a happy epilogue it is worth checking this one out. If you don’t mind some spoilers(they are hidden)then definitely read Stmargarets review/overview here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
October 11, 2021
3.5 stars
I am so in love with this hero. He was a prince (not literally) with depth and decency and a deep deep love for the heroine. I loved how he wooed her back and gained her trust. I wish she had told him of her trauma years ago, and I think she was pretty unfair to him not to trust him with that information.
The interactions with between the hero, heroine and son were sweet as they started to weave the bonds of becoming a family.
Hated that the loathsome villain got off with just a couple of punches. I wanted him arrested and humiliated. God knows, someone like that is capable of doing the same thing to another woman.
I am so in love with this hero. He was a prince (not literally) with depth and decency and a deep deep love for the heroine. I loved how he wooed her back and gained her trust. I wish she had told him of her trauma years ago, and I think she was pretty unfair to him not to trust him with that information.
The interactions with between the hero, heroine and son were sweet as they started to weave the bonds of becoming a family.
Hated that the loathsome villain got off with just a couple of punches. I wanted him arrested and humiliated. God knows, someone like that is capable of doing the same thing to another woman.
May 4, 2024
Hero and heroine are in love. Young. He is the heir to an aviation company. His cousin is very jealous of him.
The hero sleeps with the heroine. Life happens. His father has a heart attack. He goes and finds the company is on the brink of disaster. The family is pressurising him to marry the daughter of a family friend who is also on the board of directors.
The heroine meanwhile gets raped by the cousin and finds she’s pregnant.
The hero returns to ask her to marry him but she is scarred by the experience and the fact that she is carrying the other man’s child.
She refuses. Categorically.
Runs away.
Six years later the hero finds her again. He pursues her gently inspite of her telling him that she was raped and the child isn’t his son.
In the end they find the son is his.
I took out points or stars because the author should have been clear with the reader that the son is actually the hero’s. Or he isn’t.
I didn’t like it. Didn’t feel convinced in spite of the DNA report in the end. It was just too last minute.
Be clear where you want your story to go.
Don’t leave the reader hungry.
Anyway. So this is my review.
I quite liked the heroine. Hero too. They are good people. They were too young before and life got in the way.
That’s my review.
The hero sleeps with the heroine. Life happens. His father has a heart attack. He goes and finds the company is on the brink of disaster. The family is pressurising him to marry the daughter of a family friend who is also on the board of directors.
The heroine meanwhile gets raped by the cousin and finds she’s pregnant.
The hero returns to ask her to marry him but she is scarred by the experience and the fact that she is carrying the other man’s child.
She refuses. Categorically.
Runs away.
Six years later the hero finds her again. He pursues her gently inspite of her telling him that she was raped and the child isn’t his son.
In the end they find the son is his.
I took out points or stars because the author should have been clear with the reader that the son is actually the hero’s. Or he isn’t.
I didn’t like it. Didn’t feel convinced in spite of the DNA report in the end. It was just too last minute.
Be clear where you want your story to go.
Don’t leave the reader hungry.
Anyway. So this is my review.
I quite liked the heroine. Hero too. They are good people. They were too young before and life got in the way.
That’s my review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2024
Lately I have been on a Robyn Donald rollercoaster ride with cruel a**hole H’s who say and do bad things. It keeps me engaged because reading her books I wonder what’s the next horrible thing the H is going to do. So I was surprised that this H was a (too) nice guy who was very open about his feelings for the h.
The reason I give it only three stars and not more: the epilogue was weird and her 6-year old son played too big a part in the book.
We read what her son says, what her son does, what her son wears, what her son looks at and he interrupts the few magic moments between the h and the H - as kids tend to do.
The reason I give it only three stars and not more: the epilogue was weird and her 6-year old son played too big a part in the book.
We read what her son says, what her son does, what her son wears, what her son looks at and he interrupts the few magic moments between the h and the H - as kids tend to do.
February 3, 2020
Very very happy with the ending..................... :)
April 11, 2022
Wow. So different and so good. Loved the characters.
March 13, 2023
Very aptly named book. The hero is a good man overall, though a bit cryptic as I never knew how I should interpret his varied jaw-clenchings and face-blanchings. As for the heroine, she's a nice and brave single mom. The son is adorable, and unnaturally good humored and mature.
All in all, a well enough written story with nice main characters, but nothing to write home about really..
All in all, a well enough written story with nice main characters, but nothing to write home about really..
February 15, 2017
One of Robyn Donald's better heroes, he is caring and loving towards the heroine. I felt bad for how the couple were separated as young lovers and the terrible ordeal the heroine had to go through.
June 8, 2020
i do not know how pentagosh it
and i loooooooooooove it
and i loooooooooooove it
November 18, 2020
I like Robyn Donald, men found this book rather I really do not like second chance stories...
October 5, 2023
It's a good read. My only problem is that she didn't get justice for the rape and the guy who raped her didn't suffer
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 30, 2023
The h is raped by H's cousin because she was H's girlfriend. The h breaks off with H who goes on to marry someone else. They meet after a few years when h is their with her son and they rekindle the romance.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews