His Child

by Delores Fossen

His Child by Delores Fossen released on Dec 25, 2001 is available now for purchase.

Genres: Romantic Suspense, Harlequin, Contemporary Romance, Romance

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Thank you for finding me on Goodreads!

Want to know more about me? Well, here it is in a nutshell:

I’m a USA Today bestselling author, and I’ve sold over 100 novels. Yes, 100! Needless to say, I write a lot. I’ve had the honor of receiving the Booksellers' Best Award for romantic suspense, the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award, and I was a finalist for the Rita. My books have been featured in Vogue, Woman’s Day and Woman’s World. I’ve also had nearly a hundred short stories and articles published in national magazines. I love hearing from readers, and you can contact me through my webpage at: www.deloresfossen.com.

Reviews

[AgentScully · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a copy of my review from Amazon:

Having resolved to stop being a snob about Harlequin and having found great enjoyment in a Presents release (see earlier review), my next step was to try out the Intrigue line. I carefully researched reviews on Amazon and ordered His Child because it was highly rated. For the most part I agree with the ratings.

The plot is very... well, intriguing. Forced insemination? Why? The search for a motive was as absorbing as the whodunit. Why would someone want Jessie to be impregnated with Jake's child? Why is someone now trying to kill her? The cast of characters is limited, there are only 4 viable suspects, but darned if I could guess it correctly. There's lots of action to keep things moving too. Bullets flying, arson, witnesses getting killed. I kept turning the pages to see what was going to happen next.

Jake is a strong and sexy hero and I really liked him. He doesn't believe the heroine's story at first (who would?) but he's never a jerk. He's protective of Jessie and her child even before he's convinced it's his. He shields her when bullets rain down on them. Jessie was less well drawn. She never seems to really behave like a cop. She should be more used to investigating things and being shot at than Jake yet she always lets him take the lead. And she never displays the amount of angst you'd expect from a victim of kidnapping and forced insemination.

The romance starts off rather shakily. I felt the author was telling us that they were attracted to each other rather than showing us, or giving us a reason why. But things spark to life in the romance department about halfway through, culminating in a hot albeit not terribly explicit love scene. I would have liked more!

Bottom line: a really absorbing, fast-paced suspense read that you'll be tempted to read in 1 sitting while the supper burns.

[Jacqueline J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly interesting and well written middle of the road type read. Had to keep reading to find out what the heck was going on with the kidnapped and artificially inseminated thing. They fell in love super fast as is usual in this sort of thing. The relationship building was okay with out being stellar. The suspense element was fairly well done. I didn't guess right away who done it. There were several possibilities with motive etc. Although the real bad was the most obvious, it did keep you guessing.

[Cheesecake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jessie and Jake. Jessie shows up in Jakes hotel room with a gun, looking for answers. Unfortunately Jake doesn't have any, but now he has questions of his own. Jessie had been taken captive for 3 months and forceably made pregnant by in vitro with Jake's baby. Pretty crazy huh?! But it's a fun read and hard to put down. There's a lot of distrust between the MCs in the beginning and it only gradually gets less. Jessie knows more than Jake, but can't afford to tell him everything, especially when he thinks the worst of her as it is. It's a fast paced who-dun-it plot that kept me guessing til the end. There were just so many potential culprits to choose from because Jake is a very wealthy politician without an heir. Anyways, I almost didn't give the 4th star because I wasn't really convinced that he would have loved Jessie if she wasn't carrying his baby. when he finds out that she was an undercover cop he gets his panties in a bunch. I didn't understand why that was bad news. Was it better to keep believing she was a cheap waitress in an STD infested bar? At the end he actually tells her that it's 'OK' with him that she's a cop. Why shouldn't he be 'OK' with that?

[Penny Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

January 12, 2002

Talented newcomer Delores Fossen debuts with the tense and exciting thriller, "His Child." Late one night Jessie Brandon confronts Texas political candidate Jake McClendon with a gun and an unbelievable story. She claims she was kidnapped, held prisoner and artificially inseminated with his child. Jake doesn't believe such a crazy tale. Then it becomes clear that someone is trying to kill her and Jessie knows things she can't possibly know. Though he doesn't trust her he has to keep her close until he discovers if she's being used to destroy him. Could this stranger be carrying his child?

"His Child" has the kind of storyline that is very hard to believe. Many people will probably read the first two sentences of that summary, think it's stupid and pass on this book. What makes it stand out and makes it such an entertaining read is the writing. Fossen is a talented author and the story flies by. The pace is incredibly fast and the twists never stop. This is a real pageturner. I was having such a fun time reading it that I was able to get past how far-fetched it was. The mystery is strong with a number of suspects to keep the reader guessing. The characters are dynamic and the situation they find themselves in is naturally dramatic, providing the story with a strong conflict and highly emotional scenes. Although one Big Misunderstanding threatens to derail the story, Fossen manages to create enough empathy for her characters that I wasn't alienated. I cared enough about the characters to want to see them overcome it.

"His Child" is a book I read in one sitting. Despite its convoluted premise, it has all the emotion, mystery and suspense of a great Intrigue. The biggest compliment I can give this book is that it contains most of the elements I'm tired of, and I still liked the book. One of the most sheerly entertaining Intrigues I've read in a while.

[Paula Legate · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only way this book could have been any better is for the story to be longer. I didn’t want the book to end. This was the 3rd time I read this book, and loved it each time I read it!


Jessie was kidnapped, and held for 3 months. Her captors artificially inseminated her. When she escaped she went to Jake for answers thinking he was behind it, for it was his sperm they used. She later found out he didn’t have the answers. Together they had to find out who kidnapped her, and who wanted Jessie dead. Jake and Jessie were funny together at times. I loved how concerned Jake was, and how he treated Jessie with tenderness. Jake and Jessie didn’t want to like one another, much less fall in love with one another. The things they said to one another were so funny. Example, Jessie was thinking good things about Jake, but when she opened her mouth to speak, she called him navel lint…They asked each other to say bad things about the other, so they could try to control their raging hormones, and the sparks they felt! This book had suspense, action, romance. I loved this book! I did figure out the plot before hand, but it didn’t take away from the story!

Sample from Chapter 3:
“Get down!” She yelled. Jake shouted something similar at the same time, but he punctuated it with some vicious profanity. A rapid fire of bullets sizzled across the roof. Just like that, in the span of a heartbeat, Jessie’s anger evaporated. In it’s place, her instincts kicked in. And her fear. A sickening fear that clawed away at her. God, she didn’t want to die this way. She hit the pavement, her knees catching the brunt of the fall. Jake shoved her the rest of the way down and followed on top of her, sheltering her body with his. She got only a glimpse of a man in the white car.

[Cunningham Sandra Chamber · Rating 5 out of 5]

SOME TIMES IT IS GOOD TO RE-READ A GREAT BOOK! HERE IS A HIGHLIGHT FROM THE BOOK....

That brought her head whipping up. “You mean about the DNA test?” “I’m the father, but I already knew that before he said anything.” He’d dismissed that so easily and had even added a nonchalant shrug. Jake had known. She didn’t think it would do any good to ask him how he’d come to that conclusion. Besides, it didn’t matter. Not now. “But Dr. Lisette told me some other things this afternoon when he was here,” Jake added. Slightly alarmed, Jessie pulled back so she could look at him. “What things?” “Things like the baby is healthy. And he also told me what the baby was.” “You mean, he knows whether it’s a boy or a girl?” Jake nodded. “So do I. Do you want me to tell you?” It sounded like too big a decision to make at the moment. Her head was still swimming with everything that had happened. “Maybe you’d better save that until I’ve given it some thought.” “All right. Just let me know if and when you’re ready.” He kissed her again. Touched her. And slid his hand between them to cup her breast. “By the way, did I mention that I’m in love with you?” “Several times. I wouldn’t mind hearing it again.” “I’m in love with you, Jessie. It’s the kind of love that can withstand anything. Now give it right back to me.” She gladly did. It was something she would never tire of saying to him. “I’m in love with you, too, Jake.” Jessie let him lead her in the direction of their bedroom, but just before they reached the door, she stopped the kiss and looked up at him. Jake knew if they were having a boy or a girl. He actually knew. Did that soft smile on his face mean he was pleased with the news? Or like her, was he just pleased in general about them and the baby? Suddenly that information seemed like a huge wrapped present that she’d waited all her life to open. And Jessie couldn’t wait any longer. “Okay. Spill it, McClendon. What are we having?” He didn’t answer right away. Jake only smiled in that too leisurely way of his. “I was thinking about the name Elizabeth.” “Elizabeth.” The words formed a smile on her mouth. “A daughter.” They were going to have a daughter. “Good.” That was all Jessie could manage. It was hard to speak around the lump in her throat. “You’re right. It’s very good.” Yes, it was. Now it was up to them to make it better.

[Mattie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok, their connection was ok, the characters were each ok and the plot was ok. However I wouldn't want to re-read.

I didn't know the characters well enough to want to re-read, MMC was previously married and lost his wife and baby in childbirth, however I don't know if he really loved her, if they had good marriage or even if she was a nice person. I felt I knew slightly more about the FMC, but still didn't know all that much.

FMC was a cop and for half the book the MMC didn't know that, I wish instead of MMC being told she was a cop that the FMC had done some kind of cool shooting that revealed it. P.

[Jose Carrascosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shallow romance meets cheap thriller.
I'd really give this book 2,5 stars instead of 3 but as that's not possible lets err on the generous side. What can I say? This book felt like a guilty pleasure, you know you're not reading a classic or deep literature but it's fun and fast-paced so it doesn´t bore you. We all need this kind of book sometimes.

[Gloria A Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrilling from the first page!

A thriller from the first page continuing through the entire story! Suspicion, betrayal, terror all mixed into one concluding with romance and love!

[Giselle ♡.*ﾞ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es la primera vez que escribo algo en este espacio de goodreads, don't judge.

🎀 Mi opinión: No tenia idea de que se trataba este libro y no miré la sinopsis cuando lo obtuve, por lo que me metí a leer sin saber que encontrar (por suerte). El libro es corto, lo terminé en una tarde pero me atrapó de principio a fin. Me gustó mucho la historia, tiene su "parte justa" de cada cosa, es decir, no es excesivo con las descripciones, no hay hechos incoherentes ni aparecen escenas de relleno; aunque hay algunas situaciones que son confusas pero solamente hay que prestar atención al libro, le dan un "toque" diferente. Apenas leí la sinopsis hace menos de un minuto me di cuenta que hace parecer que la trama del libro se basa en cómo ella evita enamorarse del padre de su hijo, pero realmente eso es algo que acompaña a la historia y no es pesado de leer, no es el centro de la novela. Creo que en esa sinopsis es importante destacar que Jake y Jessica no se conocen, sino que empiezan a hacerlo cuando ella lo busca por primera vez para averiguar las razones de su secuestro, y por qué ahora se encuentra embarazada. También debo decir que cuando se hacen pasar por marido y mujer es casi al final del libro, así que no esperen encontrarse con eso de primeras y desilusionarse si no llegan más a esa parte. De todas maneras me encantó, súper ligero y me ayudo a salir de mi bloqueo lector.

[Silverana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story. Jessie was kidnapped for 3 months and inseminated with Jake’s sperm. She believes that he was behind it all for reasons that could be related to his campaign or somehow to the death of her friend a few months back. She breaks into his hotel room and confronts him. Jake of course finds it hard to believe, especially that he is the father. Both are attracted to each other and find it hard to stay away. Good romance and I always love stories regarding babies especially related to unexpected insemination.

There was one thing that I learned and found very interesting about how to determine whether your room has had uninvited visitors while you were away.

One thing that I didn’t like was that Jessie has a very brief thought about selling a ring Jake had given her so she could save the money for the baby. Also, Jessie is really a cop but, she appeared a little too afraid, or nervous at times to be a cop. I know she had to be more careful because of the baby, but even then throughout the whole book I didn’t ever really get the feeling that she could be a cop.

[Paige · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had much higher expectations for this book.

After escaping from being captured and artificially inseminated, Jessie Barrett seeks out Jake McClendon, the father of her baby and whom she believes is behind her capture and now death sentence.

Running for office, Jake doesn't believe a word out of her mouth...until he's with her when shots are fired. Not long after that, he instinctively knows she wasn't lying...about anything.

He doesn't tell Jessie he believes her about the baby until she's captured and it's almost too late. Because of this, their relationship doesn't evolve throughout the story. The was hardly any romance between the two. Most of the story was concentrated over who did it.

I would have wanted to see a lot more romance. The story ends before the baby is born, with only the foreshadowing evidence that they will get married after the baby.

[Diana Hockley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stretches the belief but well written.

The story is pretty unbelievable even for this genre, but the author's writing talent is the redeemable feature of this novel. The reason why this woman is chosen, kidnapped and artificially inseminated with the hero's child is pretty weird. I don't want to give a spoiler, but how the kidnappers choose to ruin the hero is a spaced-out, hit and miss plan on their part.

The pace is, thankfully, fast and reaches the necessary crescendo at the finish. The perpetrator is obvious, but this does not detract from the ending.

An okay read, which is enhanced by tight writing and good imagery.

[Unicorn · Rating 2 out of 5]

boring and not very original