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A Mother's Touch: The Way HomeThe Paternity TestA Stranger's Son
Three classic, heartwarming stories about belly bumps, babies and baby daddies!
The Way Home by Linda Howard
Anna Sharp risked her heart on a man who told her upfront he would never be more than her lover. But when Saxon Malone learned she was pregnant with his child, he found himself suddenly a father…and wanting more of Anna than he had ever imagined possible.
The Paternity Test by Sherryl Woods
The stick turned blue on Jane Dawson's pregnancy test just in time to stop her biological clock from running wild. But there was just one small problem—she'd unwittingly thrown her former flame into daddyhood!
A Stranger's Son by Emilie Richards
Devin Fitzgerald was a talented, successful rock musician…and thinking about a change. But he hadn't planned on the biggest change of all: fatherhood. Now he wanted to share the joys of raising his son—only, he'd have to convince Robin Lansing to let him into her life…and her heart.
The Way Home by Linda Howard
Anna Sharp risked her heart on a man who told her upfront he would never be more than her lover. But when Saxon Malone learned she was pregnant with his child, he found himself suddenly a father…and wanting more of Anna than he had ever imagined possible.
The Paternity Test by Sherryl Woods
The stick turned blue on Jane Dawson's pregnancy test just in time to stop her biological clock from running wild. But there was just one small problem—she'd unwittingly thrown her former flame into daddyhood!
A Stranger's Son by Emilie Richards
Devin Fitzgerald was a talented, successful rock musician…and thinking about a change. But he hadn't planned on the biggest change of all: fatherhood. Now he wanted to share the joys of raising his son—only, he'd have to convince Robin Lansing to let him into her life…and her heart.
315 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 2005
About the author
Linda Howard
238 books7,296 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Linda S. Howington is an American best-selling romance author writing under the pseudonym Linda Howard. After 21 years of penning stories for her own enjoyment, she submitted a novel for publication which was very successful. Her first work was published by Silhouette in 1982. She is a charter member of Romance Writers of America and in 2005 Howard was awarded their Career Achievement Award.
Linda Howard lives in Gadsden, Alabama with her husband, Gary F. Howington, and two golden retrievers. She has three grown stepchildren and three grandchildren.
Linda S. Howington is an American best-selling romance author writing under the pseudonym Linda Howard. After 21 years of penning stories for her own enjoyment, she submitted a novel for publication which was very successful. Her first work was published by Silhouette in 1982. She is a charter member of Romance Writers of America and in 2005 Howard was awarded their Career Achievement Award.
Linda Howard lives in Gadsden, Alabama with her husband, Gary F. Howington, and two golden retrievers. She has three grown stepchildren and three grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
May 15, 2010
If there was any book in this genre that could have prodded me to pick it up it was this. I love babies and anything having to do with babies so when I saw this in the drugstore I picked it up on a whim.
I was expecting not to like it - at the very least to only like it a very little. I have to admit though, it's good. All three stories are good. I surprised myself when I admitted to myself that I'd read a whole book about any of these three stories. IMO not one was better than another - they were all about the same in terms of how much I liked them and I liked them all.
I probably won't hunt down another book by any of the authors though. Even though I liked this and even though I'm sure the authors have other books that are good/great, I wouldn't read another unless it was along the lines of this. If the subject centered on babies, as this did, I'd probably pick it up in a second.
I was expecting not to like it - at the very least to only like it a very little. I have to admit though, it's good. All three stories are good. I surprised myself when I admitted to myself that I'd read a whole book about any of these three stories. IMO not one was better than another - they were all about the same in terms of how much I liked them and I liked them all.
I probably won't hunt down another book by any of the authors though. Even though I liked this and even though I'm sure the authors have other books that are good/great, I wouldn't read another unless it was along the lines of this. If the subject centered on babies, as this did, I'd probably pick it up in a second.
July 24, 2011
This lovely novel contains 3 classic stories from bestselling authors.
Story #1 – The Way Home by Linda Howard
Story Description: “Anna Sharp risked her heart on a man who told her upfront he would never be more than her lover. But when Saxon Malone learned she was pregnant with his child, he found himself suddenly a father…and wanting more of Anna than he had ever imagined possible.”
My Review
This was such a sweet story. Intense in the beginning as the relationship between Anna and Saxon was full of sexual fire! As the story moves along, the ever quiet, withdrawn Saxon begins to knock down the walls he built around himself when he learns of Anna’s pregnancy. The protective walls he built were for good reason but as the impact of the impending birth of his child drew near, with Anna’s help Saxon begins to spread his wings and free himself of the ties that had bound him since he was a child.
Story #2 – The Paternity Test by Sherryl Woods
Story Description: “The stick turned blue on Jane Dawson’s pregnancy test just in time to stop her biological clock from running wild. But there was just one small problem – she’d unwittingly thrown her former flame into daddyhood!”
My Review
Ahhh, what a satisfying sweet love story. I was so enamoured in the tale that I just had to read it in one sitting. The story just goes to prove that “real” love does conquer all!
Story #3 – The Stranger’s Son by Emilie Richards
Story Description: “Devin Fitzgerald was a talented, successful rock musician…and thinking about a change. But he hadn’t planned on the biggest change of all: fatherhood. Now he wanted to share the joys of raising his son – only, he’d have to convince Robin Lansing to let him into her life…and her heart.”
My Review
This was an amazing story and we learn that when we are honest and truthful about our feelings, great things happen. When we try to blind ourselves to the deep truths we each hold inside, we become sad people. Integrity is the key to a lot of our happiness.
Story #1 – The Way Home by Linda Howard
Story Description: “Anna Sharp risked her heart on a man who told her upfront he would never be more than her lover. But when Saxon Malone learned she was pregnant with his child, he found himself suddenly a father…and wanting more of Anna than he had ever imagined possible.”
My Review
This was such a sweet story. Intense in the beginning as the relationship between Anna and Saxon was full of sexual fire! As the story moves along, the ever quiet, withdrawn Saxon begins to knock down the walls he built around himself when he learns of Anna’s pregnancy. The protective walls he built were for good reason but as the impact of the impending birth of his child drew near, with Anna’s help Saxon begins to spread his wings and free himself of the ties that had bound him since he was a child.
Story #2 – The Paternity Test by Sherryl Woods
Story Description: “The stick turned blue on Jane Dawson’s pregnancy test just in time to stop her biological clock from running wild. But there was just one small problem – she’d unwittingly thrown her former flame into daddyhood!”
My Review
Ahhh, what a satisfying sweet love story. I was so enamoured in the tale that I just had to read it in one sitting. The story just goes to prove that “real” love does conquer all!
Story #3 – The Stranger’s Son by Emilie Richards
Story Description: “Devin Fitzgerald was a talented, successful rock musician…and thinking about a change. But he hadn’t planned on the biggest change of all: fatherhood. Now he wanted to share the joys of raising his son – only, he’d have to convince Robin Lansing to let him into her life…and her heart.”
My Review
This was an amazing story and we learn that when we are honest and truthful about our feelings, great things happen. When we try to blind ourselves to the deep truths we each hold inside, we become sad people. Integrity is the key to a lot of our happiness.
May 31, 2013
3 novellas:
The Way Home by Linda Howard
Anna falls in love with Saxon and becomes his mistress. She then gets pregnant. What a mess. Not very good.
The Paternity Test by Sherryl Woods
Mike lives in San Francisco. Jane lives in Virginia. They are in love, but Jane won't even consider moving to CA, even though she's a teacher and could live anywhere. She gets pregnant, doesn't tell Mike. Lies, deceit, what's new, who cares.
A Stranger's Son by Emilie Richards
Robyn has a child after a one night stand with a rock star she was interviewing. Lots of lies and deception. Not that good.
Typical of some romance novels. No one tells the truth. Miscommunication happens. All hell breaks loose. Things work out. Don't really like these types of romance novels. Just ok.
The Way Home by Linda Howard
Anna falls in love with Saxon and becomes his mistress. She then gets pregnant. What a mess. Not very good.
The Paternity Test by Sherryl Woods
Mike lives in San Francisco. Jane lives in Virginia. They are in love, but Jane won't even consider moving to CA, even though she's a teacher and could live anywhere. She gets pregnant, doesn't tell Mike. Lies, deceit, what's new, who cares.
A Stranger's Son by Emilie Richards
Robyn has a child after a one night stand with a rock star she was interviewing. Lots of lies and deception. Not that good.
Typical of some romance novels. No one tells the truth. Miscommunication happens. All hell breaks loose. Things work out. Don't really like these types of romance novels. Just ok.
February 5, 2009
The Way Home was mostly a narrative and I usually shy from those but this book touched me in so many way. I love a book that pulls at your heartstring and this one did!
January 8, 2011
Not one of the three short stories is bad. Very enjoyable stories and characters, they matched these authors fantastically.
October 23, 2017
Loved all three stories great authors loved that all three were about babies.
September 15, 2021
If you like books about love and babies things is a good one
March 26, 2017
3.5 stars
October 23, 2011
Terdiri dari 3 cerita yang temanya mirip, hamil di luar nikah dan mereka mengalami dilema bagaimana memberi tahu the father of the baby karena, yah ... mereka nggak yakin si bapak siap atau mereka berharap si bapak juga memberikan cinta buat mereka, nggak hanya ke anaknya. :p
1. The Way Home - Linda Howard. - 5 bintang
Suka bangeeeeeeeeeet ... baca ini awal kenal Linda Howard, itu taun berapa ya? 2007? Langsung jatuh cinta sama Saxon. ^^
Ripiunya ada di SINI.
2. A Stranger's Son - Emilie Richards - 2.5 bintang
For the very first time ketemu sama tokoh cowok yang profesinya penyanyi, a world rock star. :D
One night stand, si cewek dilanda ketidakyakinan bahwa Devin serius sama dia. Bagus sih, tapi takjub aja ama si Devin yang bisa dengan tenangnya mengurus sendiri proses kelahiran anaknya. Meskipun pernah sempet kuliah kedokteran (1-2 tahun) nggak segitunya langsung dapet ilmu bukan?
Selain itu, adegan waktu mereka ketauan reporter bahwa Devin punya anak juga nggak seru. Saya berharap suasananya agak meriah, glamor, kayak waktu Hugh Grant ketauan punya hubungan sama Julia Roberts (Notting Hill). Kyaaaa ... jd pengen nonton lagi.
3. The Paternity Test - 3.5 bintang
Terserang rasa iri liat temen2xnya pada hamil dan punya anak dan kesepian dan nostalgia, Jane nekat berangkat nemuin Mike lagi di San Franscisco setelah hubungan mereka berakhir setahun lalu.
Suka sama hubungan mereka yang tetap dekat bahkan setelah putus. Nggak heran juga karena mereka udah temenan dari jaman sekolah, tetanggaan, terus mereka pacaran, dan akhirnya putus karena Mike pengen pindah ke kota besar demi mengejar karir dan impian sementara Jane nggak mau ninggalin kota mereka.
Agak gregetan sama Jane karena bebal banget nggak mau keluar dari comfort zone, but then again, kalo emang nggak nyaman tinggal di kota besar, ya nggak bakal sehat juga buat kehidupan perkawinan mereka seandainya Jane nerima lamaran Mike.
Tadinya sempet nyangka Jane yang akhirnya bakal ngalah, ternyata ... :p
1. The Way Home - Linda Howard. - 5 bintang
Suka bangeeeeeeeeeet ... baca ini awal kenal Linda Howard, itu taun berapa ya? 2007? Langsung jatuh cinta sama Saxon. ^^
Ripiunya ada di SINI.
2. A Stranger's Son - Emilie Richards - 2.5 bintang
For the very first time ketemu sama tokoh cowok yang profesinya penyanyi, a world rock star. :D
One night stand, si cewek dilanda ketidakyakinan bahwa Devin serius sama dia. Bagus sih, tapi takjub aja ama si Devin yang bisa dengan tenangnya mengurus sendiri proses kelahiran anaknya. Meskipun pernah sempet kuliah kedokteran (1-2 tahun) nggak segitunya langsung dapet ilmu bukan?
Selain itu, adegan waktu mereka ketauan reporter bahwa Devin punya anak juga nggak seru. Saya berharap suasananya agak meriah, glamor, kayak waktu Hugh Grant ketauan punya hubungan sama Julia Roberts (Notting Hill). Kyaaaa ... jd pengen nonton lagi.
3. The Paternity Test - 3.5 bintang
Terserang rasa iri liat temen2xnya pada hamil dan punya anak dan kesepian dan nostalgia, Jane nekat berangkat nemuin Mike lagi di San Franscisco setelah hubungan mereka berakhir setahun lalu.
Suka sama hubungan mereka yang tetap dekat bahkan setelah putus. Nggak heran juga karena mereka udah temenan dari jaman sekolah, tetanggaan, terus mereka pacaran, dan akhirnya putus karena Mike pengen pindah ke kota besar demi mengejar karir dan impian sementara Jane nggak mau ninggalin kota mereka.
Agak gregetan sama Jane karena bebal banget nggak mau keluar dari comfort zone, but then again, kalo emang nggak nyaman tinggal di kota besar, ya nggak bakal sehat juga buat kehidupan perkawinan mereka seandainya Jane nerima lamaran Mike.
Tadinya sempet nyangka Jane yang akhirnya bakal ngalah, ternyata ... :p
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 1, 2011
a mothers touch, 3 stories from 3 different authors as to what happens when one becomes pregnant, does it change the relationship?
the way home by linda howard
their agreement was for her to be his mistress. now that she was carrying his child
would he change his mind about keeping her? there's a twist in the past that is brought
to the forefront and dealt with by both of them.
paternity test by sherryl woods - a woman knows her clock is running out to have a baby and all her friends are having babies. she meets her once boyfriend in a new city where he works and she gets pregnant. he comes to her many months past and they try to find out if they can be a couple for the baby.
a strangers son by emilie richards, man helps a woman whos crashed on snowy icy roads. she is having a baby.
she was a reporter after a story and got it from him, a musician 9 months earlier. why was she here now, why didn't she tell him when it first happened? can they make a go of it together?
the way home by linda howard
their agreement was for her to be his mistress. now that she was carrying his child
would he change his mind about keeping her? there's a twist in the past that is brought
to the forefront and dealt with by both of them.
paternity test by sherryl woods - a woman knows her clock is running out to have a baby and all her friends are having babies. she meets her once boyfriend in a new city where he works and she gets pregnant. he comes to her many months past and they try to find out if they can be a couple for the baby.
a strangers son by emilie richards, man helps a woman whos crashed on snowy icy roads. she is having a baby.
she was a reporter after a story and got it from him, a musician 9 months earlier. why was she here now, why didn't she tell him when it first happened? can they make a go of it together?
February 29, 2008
I only read The Way Home in this. It was a standalone in the format I got it and ended really abruptly, even though the scenes toward the end were pretty touching. Saxon gives his secretary/mistress the choice to be one or the other. She picks mistress. When she gets pregnant a few years later, she decides to end things because she knows Saxon is terrified of any kind of commitment, but he has stronger feelings for her than she realized and things work out differently.
Not a bad book and I guess I liked Saxon as the lead, but I think I would have gotten more into it if the roles had been reversed. Infinitely compassionate, loving heroines don't really interest me, and I also get irritated when the male lead acts like a jerk, no matter the reason.
Not a bad book and I guess I liked Saxon as the lead, but I think I would have gotten more into it if the roles had been reversed. Infinitely compassionate, loving heroines don't really interest me, and I also get irritated when the male lead acts like a jerk, no matter the reason.
July 5, 2012
Three interesting stories about women, pregnancy and fatherhood. The Way Home concerns passion and a choice job or mistress and what happens when after the choice has been made an unexpected pregnancy makes for more choices. The Paternity Test is again about choices but interestingly enough these choices are about what kind of life do you really want to live (with or without the other person). A Stranger's Son is again a choice but the couple were a one night stand to her and something more to him; but for him there are other factors involved. As it happens the guy would probably still be unaware of his fatherhood except for a snowstorm and a one car accident that leaves a woman in labor at his mercy.
February 19, 2011
These three short stories about love and babies was entertaining enough. In the genre of romance they do not come close to Nora Roberts, maybe because the characters didn't have time to grow, but the stories were heartwarming. For the first, Saxon and Anna's relationship was incredibly unequal at the beginning, which was part of the story, but it aggravated the feminist in me. For the second story, it was realistic in the way that Jane and Mike loved each other, but their dreams collided. And in the third story, Devin is truly adorable and Robin is stubborn but they make a cute family with Nicolas. Overall, cute stories, but not always nail biting, can't put the book down stories.
December 10, 2013
I read this as part of my "Reading Linda Howard's Backlist" challenge.
Story #1 - Linda Howard - Still in that 80's style but I found the hero's background interesting; felt it added to the story. I'd give 3 stars to this part of the book.
Story #2 - The Paternity Test - Couldn't finish this section - I just wanted to give the female main character a Cher slap and shout "Snap out of it!"
Story #3 - A Stranger's Son - okay but another annoying female.
The last two stories dragged down the book rating for me.
Story #1 - Linda Howard - Still in that 80's style but I found the hero's background interesting; felt it added to the story. I'd give 3 stars to this part of the book.
Story #2 - The Paternity Test - Couldn't finish this section - I just wanted to give the female main character a Cher slap and shout "Snap out of it!"
Story #3 - A Stranger's Son - okay but another annoying female.
The last two stories dragged down the book rating for me.
September 2, 2015
I thought this would be a fun feel good mommy book but was sadly mistaken. The first story is about a woman who is with a guy who's pretty much using her, which she's fine with because she's in "love." The best part happened on the last page of the story and the it like, BAM, done. The second story was annoying because the girl pretty much used her guy for a baby without him knowing. That's just not okay. The third was the better story but you still want to hit the girl on the head for being dumb throughout the whole thing. Overall, a waste of time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2011
I read this for the Linda Howard story (The Way Home). That story was pretty good, though the characters in it were hard to inhabit, the male especially was so damaged. The middle story, the paternity test, was the worst of the three. A stranger's son was pretty good, although as the story of a famous rock star and a woman from his hometown, you have to just agree to go with it a lot of the time.
November 11, 2011
I really enjoyed the different style of these three authors, especially Emile Richards. I plan to read more of their books. The "Paternity Test" was my favorite. Reading three short stories was a nice change.
June 8, 2011
The books read very dated. I understood that they had been updated some, but frankly the overall tones were just too dated to really fix in a quick update. Though, I did enjoy the books.
March 3, 2012
The Linda Howard story was very touching, the other two not so much. And I hated the Sherryl Woods story.
June 10, 2012
Consisted of three books:
The Way Home - Linda Howard
A Stranger's Son - Emilie Richards
The Paternity Test - Sherryl Woods
The Way Home - Linda Howard
A Stranger's Son - Emilie Richards
The Paternity Test - Sherryl Woods
September 17, 2012
Only read Linda Howard's story.
May 26, 2013
First story was a little boring but the other two were good.
December 9, 2013
All three books were absolutely amazing! They had wonderful romance, real-world problems, and the added complication of pregnancy. Definitely a fantastic read!
Did Not Finish
May 28, 2014Didn't realize when I bought this that these are all stories that had been previous published in the 90s, and I'd read them all already. Oh well, at least I only paid 50 cents for it.
February 7, 2016
3 Short book(Novellas)/ stories in one book
1. The way Home- Linda Howard
2. The paternity Test - Sherryl woods
3. A Stranger's Son -- Emilie Richards
1. The way Home- Linda Howard
2. The paternity Test - Sherryl woods
3. A Stranger's Son -- Emilie Richards
March 31, 2025
The Way Home by Linda Howard
The Paternity Test by Sherryl Woods
A Stranger's Son by Emilie Richards
The Paternity Test by Sherryl Woods
A Stranger's Son by Emilie Richards
September 12, 2011
1: 4
2: 3
3: 4
2: 3
3: 4
July 8, 2012
The three stories worked well together but all were slightly contrived.
Read
September 26, 2018Nice easy read
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews