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Code Red #.2
Father by Choice
Emily Barrett wants a baby in her life - not a husband.
And that's the reason she went to a sperm bank. Through some detective work she's able to work out who the donor is, but she doesn't ever plan to reveal to Dr. Brad Winslow that he's about to become a father.
Yet when the two are forced to work together to solve a century-old mystery with a modern-day twist, Emily begins to wonder if she should revise her life plan.
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 2004
5 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
About the author
M.J. Rodgers
40 books4 followersM.J. was one of those lucky children whose mother read to her every night, filling her imagination with the magic of brave heroes and smart heroines overcoming adversity to ensure their own happy endings. From as early as she can remember she wanted to be a writer so she could give readers that same kind of pleasure that had been given to her by the creators of those wonderful stories.
But M.J. is very practical. She knew how few struggling writers were ever published—and how few of the published could support themselves by writing alone. She also understood that the best writers had extensive life experience that made their stories rich with meaning. So she set aside her dream of becoming a writer and focused instead on working hard to get the kind of education that would lead to a good job and lots of that important life experience.
She attended Pepperdine University at Malibu, California, graduating summa cum laude with degrees in psychology and journalism. She received her MBA from St. Mary's college in Moraga, California. She held managerial positions in several corporations and traveled extensively throughout the world. The work was exciting and demanding; the people she met were intelligent and stimulating; the life experiences were invaluable.
Yet despite all the years that had passed and the outward trappings of success that had been achieved, the dream of being a writer had never left her. And no wonder. The most important message in all those wonderful books her mother had read to her as a child—and she had continued to enjoy as an adult—was that happiness meant going for your dreams. She was now ready to go for hers.
She gave up her high-powered job in the corporate world and turned her attention to writing romantic mysteries for Harlequin. But she was glad she'd waited until the timing was just right. Because to have tried to write before she could give it her best would have been a mistake.
M.J. is the winner of the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for romantic mysteries, twice winner of their Best Intrigue award and a recipient of their Reviewers Choice Award for Best Miniseries Romance. She is also a winner of B. Dalton Bookseller's top-selling intrigue award.
She lives with her wonderful husband, adorable cat and two loving dogs in a tiny community in the terrific Pacific Northwest until the winter, when they realize it isn't so terrific and relocate to sunny southern Nevada.
M.J. loves to hear from readers. During the winter, she gets her mail at P.O. Box 786, Overton, NV, 89040. Come spring, she can be reached at P.O. Box 284, Seabeck, WA, 98380. Or email her year-round at mjuniverse@yahoo.com.
But M.J. is very practical. She knew how few struggling writers were ever published—and how few of the published could support themselves by writing alone. She also understood that the best writers had extensive life experience that made their stories rich with meaning. So she set aside her dream of becoming a writer and focused instead on working hard to get the kind of education that would lead to a good job and lots of that important life experience.
She attended Pepperdine University at Malibu, California, graduating summa cum laude with degrees in psychology and journalism. She received her MBA from St. Mary's college in Moraga, California. She held managerial positions in several corporations and traveled extensively throughout the world. The work was exciting and demanding; the people she met were intelligent and stimulating; the life experiences were invaluable.
Yet despite all the years that had passed and the outward trappings of success that had been achieved, the dream of being a writer had never left her. And no wonder. The most important message in all those wonderful books her mother had read to her as a child—and she had continued to enjoy as an adult—was that happiness meant going for your dreams. She was now ready to go for hers.
She gave up her high-powered job in the corporate world and turned her attention to writing romantic mysteries for Harlequin. But she was glad she'd waited until the timing was just right. Because to have tried to write before she could give it her best would have been a mistake.
M.J. is the winner of the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for romantic mysteries, twice winner of their Best Intrigue award and a recipient of their Reviewers Choice Award for Best Miniseries Romance. She is also a winner of B. Dalton Bookseller's top-selling intrigue award.
She lives with her wonderful husband, adorable cat and two loving dogs in a tiny community in the terrific Pacific Northwest until the winter, when they realize it isn't so terrific and relocate to sunny southern Nevada.
M.J. loves to hear from readers. During the winter, she gets her mail at P.O. Box 786, Overton, NV, 89040. Come spring, she can be reached at P.O. Box 284, Seabeck, WA, 98380. Or email her year-round at mjuniverse@yahoo.com.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 16, 2016
I own a pile of TBR Harlequin books that I read once in a while and this is one of them. And surpringly I liked this a lot.
The story is a little unrealistic since its about this wonderful smart woman named Emily who wants to raise a child by her own so she went to a Sperm Clinic to accomplish that. She's not supposed to know who her donor is but through her brother, she learned about Dr. Brad.
She's not going to meet him but he did when she was rushed to the E.R. and Brad became her doctor. SO cute and a smooth read.
Brad is so funny and witty and easy to be with.
There's subplot though-some town history/crime blah-blah which is just fine.
This is a good one for a Harlequin Romance.
The story is a little unrealistic since its about this wonderful smart woman named Emily who wants to raise a child by her own so she went to a Sperm Clinic to accomplish that. She's not supposed to know who her donor is but through her brother, she learned about Dr. Brad.
She's not going to meet him but he did when she was rushed to the E.R. and Brad became her doctor. SO cute and a smooth read.
Brad is so funny and witty and easy to be with.
There's subplot though-some town history/crime blah-blah which is just fine.
This is a good one for a Harlequin Romance.
November 14, 2025
This book is packaged as a medical romance. It isn't.
It isn't even a romance really. It's a 'history mystery' if such a genre exists, and it was excruciatingly dull. The 'quirky' cast is vast, and almost all of them are boring as fuck. The 'mystery' plot is convoluted and uninteresting. Nobody cares about some dude who was killed 100 years ago except for a few crusty members of the local history society. I couldn't muster a single fuck for any of it.
Chapters upon chapters of this book are about the leading couple sorting through archival materials, reading old letters, reading old newspapers, cataloging photographs, referencing library books and reading microfiche - and then talking about it endlessly. It was tedious, so so tedious.
It isn't even a romance really. It's a 'history mystery' if such a genre exists, and it was excruciatingly dull. The 'quirky' cast is vast, and almost all of them are boring as fuck. The 'mystery' plot is convoluted and uninteresting. Nobody cares about some dude who was killed 100 years ago except for a few crusty members of the local history society. I couldn't muster a single fuck for any of it.
Chapters upon chapters of this book are about the leading couple sorting through archival materials, reading old letters, reading old newspapers, cataloging photographs, referencing library books and reading microfiche - and then talking about it endlessly. It was tedious, so so tedious.
June 15, 2021
Unique beginning of a beautiful story of love!
Unique beginning of a true story of love! Meet Brad, the doctor, who fathers the baby of the Emily, the sister of his good friend -
Find out the unique circumstances that led a brother to encourage his sister of a man name Dr. Brad
Unique beginning of a true story of love! Meet Brad, the doctor, who fathers the baby of the Emily, the sister of his good friend -
Find out the unique circumstances that led a brother to encourage his sister of a man name Dr. Brad
April 8, 2019
4 1/2 stars. Quite an exciting story but I was disappointed with the ending. I am nosy.....when there is a pregnancy I want to the outcome.
March 23, 2025
Worst ever utterly boring insipid book I ever read. It took me more than 2 months to read. Worst. Pls don't read.
July 7, 2016
Colour me surprised at liking this book! When I first read the description, I wasn't thrilled. I didn't anticipate liking a book that started out as a story of a man and a little donation cup.
Nonetheless, what was presented here was a humourous and highly readable story, with a bizarrely intricate (some might say convoluted, but not I) mystery and some first class characters. Fans of historical research and forensic anthropology may be particularly interested, even if most such enthusiasts will already know details about the sciatic notch, etc. (Others may be simply amused at how facile it all seems here, but if you're reading a romance, how technical do you want it?) This is a cut above the herd of typical romances, and I remained entertained throughout.
One highlight, for me, is how wonderfully un-tortured everyone is. Sure, they all have some set-backs in their pasts, not none of them turned into woman-haters or bitter husks, etc. This is refreshing for a romance, since the genre seems to love the scarred up heroes.
Don't get this if you're a preggo-love-story die-hard. The cover makes a much bigger deal of the pregnancy than the book does, and also seems to bump her gestation up by about five months. The pregnancy, and the aforementioned donation, was not the totality of the story, and seemed forgotten about for several chapters; the story was interesting enough without it, which is good, since it's not a selling point (IMO).
Cute, enjoyable, and a solid genre read; recommended.
(Original read: 4/5 stars.)
ETA: Re-read, July 2016. Still enjoyed it, for the most part, but the hero came off as rather judgey and conservative on this go, which brought it down, for me. He was awfully dead set against this woman raising "his" baby alone. I really don't think you should stalk a woman because you donated sperm and don't approve of the recipient's lifestyle, to be honest. Also, the fact that he read her diary was off-putting for me, this time around. Second read: 3/5.
Nonetheless, what was presented here was a humourous and highly readable story, with a bizarrely intricate (some might say convoluted, but not I) mystery and some first class characters. Fans of historical research and forensic anthropology may be particularly interested, even if most such enthusiasts will already know details about the sciatic notch, etc. (Others may be simply amused at how facile it all seems here, but if you're reading a romance, how technical do you want it?) This is a cut above the herd of typical romances, and I remained entertained throughout.
One highlight, for me, is how wonderfully un-tortured everyone is. Sure, they all have some set-backs in their pasts, not none of them turned into woman-haters or bitter husks, etc. This is refreshing for a romance, since the genre seems to love the scarred up heroes.
Don't get this if you're a preggo-love-story die-hard. The cover makes a much bigger deal of the pregnancy than the book does, and also seems to bump her gestation up by about five months. The pregnancy, and the aforementioned donation, was not the totality of the story, and seemed forgotten about for several chapters; the story was interesting enough without it, which is good, since it's not a selling point (IMO).
Cute, enjoyable, and a solid genre read; recommended.
(Original read: 4/5 stars.)
ETA: Re-read, July 2016. Still enjoyed it, for the most part, but the hero came off as rather judgey and conservative on this go, which brought it down, for me. He was awfully dead set against this woman raising "his" baby alone. I really don't think you should stalk a woman because you donated sperm and don't approve of the recipient's lifestyle, to be honest. Also, the fact that he read her diary was off-putting for me, this time around. Second read: 3/5.
September 3, 2016
Cute romance novel -- totally unrealistic, but what can you expect?
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews