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Sweet Baby
A woman confronts her past with the help of the man she loves in this emotional mystery from the New York Times–bestselling author.
Abandoned as a little girl and bounced from foster home to foster home, photojournalist Tory Lancaster has finally found someone to love in Brett Hooker, an investigator for the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office.
Then Tory takes a photo that triggers memories she didn’t know she had. The old man she spots standing in the crowd, with his distinctive tattoo, sets off nightmares and glimpses of a past she refused to remember.
When her dark thoughts start taking over, Brett is her lifeline to sanity. With his help she might be able to face her past, but her journey to remembering might just tear them apart . . .
Abandoned as a little girl and bounced from foster home to foster home, photojournalist Tory Lancaster has finally found someone to love in Brett Hooker, an investigator for the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office.
Then Tory takes a photo that triggers memories she didn’t know she had. The old man she spots standing in the crowd, with his distinctive tattoo, sets off nightmares and glimpses of a past she refused to remember.
When her dark thoughts start taking over, Brett is her lifeline to sanity. With his help she might be able to face her past, but her journey to remembering might just tear them apart . . .
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 25, 1998
243 people are currently reading
600 people want to read
About the author
Sharon Sala
279 books2,301 followersBiography
Sharon Sala is a Native Oklahoman and still lives within a two hour drive of where she was born.
First published in 1991, she is a New York Times/USA Today, best-selling author with a 135 plus books published in seven different genres, including Romantic suspense, Mystery, Young Adult, Western, Fiction, Women’s Fiction and Non-Fiction.
Industry Awards include:
Eight-time RITA finalist. (Romance Industry award)
The Janet Dailey Award.
Five-time Career Achievement winner from RT Magazine.
Five time winner of the National Reader’s Choice Award.
Five time winner of the Colorado Romance Writer’s Award of Excellence.
Heart of Excellence Award.,
Booksellers Best Award.
Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award RITA, presented by RWA.
Centennial Award from RWA for recognition of her 100th published novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
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October 28, 2014Never again and this is why. Pseudonyms OK for authors. Not okay for readers. Sorry, I don't think so.
Here's my original review so those who will cannot accuse me of being a drive-by troll. If anything I was a silly fangirl. I wrote this way back when. Ahhh, innocence was bliss.
In my opinion, this is one of Sala's best. It was an emotional read for me from the very beginning. It's a contemporary and features one of the most sensitive "good guy" heroes I've ever come across in a novel. No annoying arrogance and impatience, just lots of understanding _and_ he looks like Mel Gibson :) You know from page one that he is deeply, totally, in love with the heroine and you feel it throughout the book. The heroine is the troubled one in SWEET BABY. She's had a hellacious past that she doesn't remember and it's kept her from committing to the hero. She walks in and out of his life and not until she recovers her memory will she be able to give her heart completely to him. With the hero's love, patience and police background he helps her confront the demons in her past. He gets my vote for #1 hero of the year
Here's my original review so those who will cannot accuse me of being a drive-by troll. If anything I was a silly fangirl. I wrote this way back when. Ahhh, innocence was bliss.
In my opinion, this is one of Sala's best. It was an emotional read for me from the very beginning. It's a contemporary and features one of the most sensitive "good guy" heroes I've ever come across in a novel. No annoying arrogance and impatience, just lots of understanding _and_ he looks like Mel Gibson :) You know from page one that he is deeply, totally, in love with the heroine and you feel it throughout the book. The heroine is the troubled one in SWEET BABY. She's had a hellacious past that she doesn't remember and it's kept her from committing to the hero. She walks in and out of his life and not until she recovers her memory will she be able to give her heart completely to him. With the hero's love, patience and police background he helps her confront the demons in her past. He gets my vote for #1 hero of the year
October 18, 2011
Quite angsty. When Sharon Sala is on she's one of the best. The heroine here is seriously messed up and the hero is twisting in the wind trying to deal with her. He is pretty constant in his love and acceptance and his desire to help and protect her. He's a great hero. I liked to see the heroine meet his family as that is always something I enjoy in books since any relationship will have to deal with in-laws unless they are both orphans. When it's done correctly it's a great opportunity to reveal things about both the hero and the heroine. I liked the things we learned about the heroine's love for the hero and his for her as those scenes played out.
A great book if you like angsy and damaged heroines.
A great book if you like angsy and damaged heroines.
May 12, 2009
Sharon Sala can be hit or miss with her books, but with "Sweet Baby", she has a definite winner on her hands. This maybe considered one of her best.
Victoria or Tory as her boyfriend Brett calls her, came home to an empty house when she was seven years old. Her parents were gone and the house was empty of everything. She was so scarred by the experience from going to foster home to foster home, she is more of a shell of a person. She is afraid to love the people in her life. She shuts down. And the fact that she can't imagine her childhood makes it worse.
Brett, her live in boyfriend of 4 years loves her with his full heart and soul. Tory takes advantage of him, in which most men would tell her to hit the road. But Brett knows he is her soul mate. He can't bear to have her out of his life.
Tory starts to have nightmares due to a picture she takes as a photographer. Her memories are starting to overetake her to the point of madness and Brett is the only one who can keep her sane.
This story would be perfect as a television drama and Sala has written two sympathetic characters in Tory and Brett. Some may thinkg Brett is too perfect, but overall he is suitable to counteract Tory.
Tory's emotional journey to find out what happened to her over twenty years ago comes to ahead, but she finally faces her demons and her past.
A wonderful love story and a hero that any woman would want. Both teens and adults can appreciate this story.
Victoria or Tory as her boyfriend Brett calls her, came home to an empty house when she was seven years old. Her parents were gone and the house was empty of everything. She was so scarred by the experience from going to foster home to foster home, she is more of a shell of a person. She is afraid to love the people in her life. She shuts down. And the fact that she can't imagine her childhood makes it worse.
Brett, her live in boyfriend of 4 years loves her with his full heart and soul. Tory takes advantage of him, in which most men would tell her to hit the road. But Brett knows he is her soul mate. He can't bear to have her out of his life.
Tory starts to have nightmares due to a picture she takes as a photographer. Her memories are starting to overetake her to the point of madness and Brett is the only one who can keep her sane.
This story would be perfect as a television drama and Sala has written two sympathetic characters in Tory and Brett. Some may thinkg Brett is too perfect, but overall he is suitable to counteract Tory.
Tory's emotional journey to find out what happened to her over twenty years ago comes to ahead, but she finally faces her demons and her past.
A wonderful love story and a hero that any woman would want. Both teens and adults can appreciate this story.
March 21, 2017
SWEET BABY
I enjoy most of Sharon Salas books (or Dinah McCall), they are just plain good. But some of them are exceptional at stirring your heartstrings, this is one of those.
I enjoy most of Sharon Salas books (or Dinah McCall), they are just plain good. But some of them are exceptional at stirring your heartstrings, this is one of those.
March 23, 2019
This is a good read, but a word of warning it makes me cry every time.
October 22, 2019
Sweet Baby
This one was a pretty emotional one for me. I adored Brett and his family. Felt as if I was walking along beside Tory throughout the story.
This one was a pretty emotional one for me. I adored Brett and his family. Felt as if I was walking along beside Tory throughout the story.
October 24, 2025
This book was very slow in the beginning but I will admit I loved the story line and it did have me hooked by the middle. I thought it was executed well in the ending. I feel like since this was an older book is why it wasn’t as good. I loved the male main character and how he helped the girl main character through all her trauma.
June 26, 2021
Great read
I had so many emotions while reading this book.. Thinking a mother could abandon her child, she could be raped by a friend of her mother's boyfriend. . that she fell through the cracks in the foster care system and believed no one could love her.. I was so glad for her happy ending.
I had so many emotions while reading this book.. Thinking a mother could abandon her child, she could be raped by a friend of her mother's boyfriend. . that she fell through the cracks in the foster care system and believed no one could love her.. I was so glad for her happy ending.
June 23, 2019
Sharon Sala has fast become one of my all time favorite authors! I felt a little disappointed in this book thus the 3 star rating but it is still a pretty good read regardless!
Tory (Victoria)finally finds a place of belonging with Brett Hooker but she still struggles to feel safe and secure after so many years.
She takes a photo one day that flashes something in her memory and her dreams become haunted with the face of the tattooed man. This spirals a lot of emotions that Brett just can’t seem to figure out to help Victoria. She has told him little about herself and her tumultuous childhood like being abandoned and pushed into the throes of the foster care system.
Just what is Victoria starting to remember and will she be able to confront the demons of her past to find the answers and will she lose Brett in the process?
It’s a sad emotional read but I felt like there was a lot of lulls and not enough emphasis on what actually happened to explain her behavior which we really don’t find out until the end. However it is interesting enough to keep your attention until the end.
Tory (Victoria)finally finds a place of belonging with Brett Hooker but she still struggles to feel safe and secure after so many years.
She takes a photo one day that flashes something in her memory and her dreams become haunted with the face of the tattooed man. This spirals a lot of emotions that Brett just can’t seem to figure out to help Victoria. She has told him little about herself and her tumultuous childhood like being abandoned and pushed into the throes of the foster care system.
Just what is Victoria starting to remember and will she be able to confront the demons of her past to find the answers and will she lose Brett in the process?
It’s a sad emotional read but I felt like there was a lot of lulls and not enough emphasis on what actually happened to explain her behavior which we really don’t find out until the end. However it is interesting enough to keep your attention until the end.
January 24, 2021
Totally engrossing story
I'm new to reading Sharon Sala, but if this book is any indication, she is going to be a favorite author.
Sweet Baby grabs you at the first few paragraphs and doesn't let go until the last word. Laughter, sorrow, anger, sympathy, heartbreak, joy...this book evokes it all.
The characters are memorable, even the secondary ones, and the scenes and settings are so visual it's like you're there in the middle of everything.
If you haven't read anything by Sharon Sala before, then I definitely recommend this book. And if you have read her novels but somehow missed this one, rectify that oversight immediately! Now I'm off to find another one of hers to read.
I'm new to reading Sharon Sala, but if this book is any indication, she is going to be a favorite author.
Sweet Baby grabs you at the first few paragraphs and doesn't let go until the last word. Laughter, sorrow, anger, sympathy, heartbreak, joy...this book evokes it all.
The characters are memorable, even the secondary ones, and the scenes and settings are so visual it's like you're there in the middle of everything.
If you haven't read anything by Sharon Sala before, then I definitely recommend this book. And if you have read her novels but somehow missed this one, rectify that oversight immediately! Now I'm off to find another one of hers to read.
March 24, 2021
Sweet baby
Loved this book. At times it made me angry then sad but the story was one I couldn’t put down to I finished. It begins with a 6 year old child coming home to a empty house. The abandonment she felt with no answers why mold the rest of her life. She is by herself in a closet fir three days before being removed from the house with no memory of what happened. The foster system finished the damage to her belief in others to be there for her. She finds a man that loves her totally but deep down won’t give all of herself over to their relationship. This book is how she finds herself by funding getting answers snout her past snd the healing they dies so she can move on. Very well written
Loved this book. At times it made me angry then sad but the story was one I couldn’t put down to I finished. It begins with a 6 year old child coming home to a empty house. The abandonment she felt with no answers why mold the rest of her life. She is by herself in a closet fir three days before being removed from the house with no memory of what happened. The foster system finished the damage to her belief in others to be there for her. She finds a man that loves her totally but deep down won’t give all of herself over to their relationship. This book is how she finds herself by funding getting answers snout her past snd the healing they dies so she can move on. Very well written
January 30, 2014
My favorite of all of her titles. I re-read this at least once a year!
June 3, 2015
As only Sharon Sala can do. She grabs you from the start and holds your attention till the end. I love her writing style, the mystery, & romance in this great book. Sweet Baby is a crisp fresh read.
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March 29, 2022This was a very interesting story of a woman named Tory Lancaster and of a man who fell in love with her. In this story you meet a young woman named Tory Lancaster who lost her mother at a young age. She isn’t able to remember most of her childhood. Then you meet Brett Hooker who is her boyfriend. She has come and gone out of his life until she realizes that she loves him. Brett is an investigator for the D.A.‘s office. Tory starts having nightmares of her childhood that aren’t really clear. Brett wants to know more about the woman he loves. There are some questions that didn’t get answered in this story for me. I liked Brett and Tory as a couple.
October 21, 2022
OMG, this book is AWESOME!
If possible I would have given this10+ stars. It is sad and yet beautiful. It tells of a love so strong and intense that nothing could destroy it. There is much pain but there is an intense feeling of hope and perseverance to know the past. You will cry and continue to cry however the joy and excitement experience during the lovemaking occurrences will keep you seeking a positive outcome for the characters in this book. I love this author writing style and this is #2 book I have read. Outstanding, Awesome.
If possible I would have given this10+ stars. It is sad and yet beautiful. It tells of a love so strong and intense that nothing could destroy it. There is much pain but there is an intense feeling of hope and perseverance to know the past. You will cry and continue to cry however the joy and excitement experience during the lovemaking occurrences will keep you seeking a positive outcome for the characters in this book. I love this author writing style and this is #2 book I have read. Outstanding, Awesome.
October 12, 2023
good storytelling
This is a story that is a little hard to follow at first but becomes clear as you get into it. Tory appeared very unstable to me at first but as I got deeper into the story I realized that she’d suffered great losses as a child, which would probably do that to anyone. My only quarrel with the book, and the reason I gave it 4 stars rather than 5, was that it took entirely too long getting to the point. I felt the author could have been a bit more concise in her storytelling.
This is a story that is a little hard to follow at first but becomes clear as you get into it. Tory appeared very unstable to me at first but as I got deeper into the story I realized that she’d suffered great losses as a child, which would probably do that to anyone. My only quarrel with the book, and the reason I gave it 4 stars rather than 5, was that it took entirely too long getting to the point. I felt the author could have been a bit more concise in her storytelling.
September 15, 2021
This was a very good book and at times heartbreaking. The dedication alone had me sad and ready to cry.
My heart went out to Tory and all she went through. I would have liked to have seen Tory share things with Brett earlier in the story instead of keeping everything to herself. Brett was a great guy and you could feel the love he had for Tory.
I definitely recommend this book along with Sharon Sala's other books.
My heart went out to Tory and all she went through. I would have liked to have seen Tory share things with Brett earlier in the story instead of keeping everything to herself. Brett was a great guy and you could feel the love he had for Tory.
I definitely recommend this book along with Sharon Sala's other books.
November 15, 2023
I am always astounded when I read a book by Sharon Sala because they are all so different and very intriguing. Sweet Baby is a beautiful and lonely story about Tori Lancaster and the man who loved her so very much that he was always there for her. Brett Hooker did not realize just how important that was to Tori until the one time he was not there. This is a heartbreaking story that will make you warm all over. Great story.
November 11, 2017
Tory Lancaster is about to come face-to-face with her past, a past haunted by a Mysterious tattooed man and the doll that was her only friend. With Brett's help she can meet the past head-on -- if it doesn't drive them apart. So many secrets, so little time, and all for the love of SWEET BABY. . .
December 9, 2020
Aharon Sala at her best!
Outstanding! This is definitely a 3 hankie story that only Sharon Sala could write. An abandoned child placed in the foster care system, photojournalist Tory Lancaster has made a life for herself. But a not so random picture of a crowd pushed her back into the nightmare of her childhood.
Outstanding! This is definitely a 3 hankie story that only Sharon Sala could write. An abandoned child placed in the foster care system, photojournalist Tory Lancaster has made a life for herself. But a not so random picture of a crowd pushed her back into the nightmare of her childhood.
June 22, 2021
Wasn’t sure I was going to like this, but it only took a few pages and I was hooked. Lots of drama from not knowing about the past, haunting dreams and pictures, but always the man who loved Tory was close by. Without him, she wouldn’t have made it through finding the truth, friends from elementary school, or peace.
September 1, 2021
Heartbreaking and lovely
The characters will pull you in. The story line will grab your heart for the child and then for the adult. This story grabbed me from the start. Sharon Sala has a gift for storytelling. I am always thrilled by the people and feel like I have known them forever.
The characters will pull you in. The story line will grab your heart for the child and then for the adult. This story grabbed me from the start. Sharon Sala has a gift for storytelling. I am always thrilled by the people and feel like I have known them forever.
January 16, 2025
The book was rather depressing. I don't know how Brett managed to stay with Tory with all of her disappearances. It had to really love her.
Her attachment to the doll, Sweet Baby, was almost creepy. Tory could have used a good psychiatrist long before she met Brett.
The book was just so so for me.
Her attachment to the doll, Sweet Baby, was almost creepy. Tory could have used a good psychiatrist long before she met Brett.
The book was just so so for me.
November 20, 2025
I was sucked in to this story from the beginning. I expected - well, I got a suspense/mystery with a character with a past hidden in the beginning and only revealed over small teasing nightmares. I enjoyed the story but thought the PTSD presented some disconnection from the characters. Overall, a great story from one of my favorites.
October 5, 2020
I love Sharon Sala
Ms. Sala has the talent to bring her characters to life. I felt Tory's pain and her fears. I cried as she made the journey to understand the why that shaped her to be the woman she became.
Ms. Sala has the talent to bring her characters to life. I felt Tory's pain and her fears. I cried as she made the journey to understand the why that shaped her to be the woman she became.
June 5, 2021
A Good Read!
What a great author Sharon Sala is, in my opinion she never disappoints and this book is no exception . Gripping story, sympathetically written. All in all a first class read.
What a great author Sharon Sala is, in my opinion she never disappoints and this book is no exception . Gripping story, sympathetically written. All in all a first class read.
June 26, 2021
Memories of children.
What happens to children stays with them thru their lives. This story shows.what happens when adults don't.know what a.child has gone thru. Thank you .Ms Sala
What happens to children stays with them thru their lives. This story shows.what happens when adults don't.know what a.child has gone thru. Thank you .Ms Sala
April 20, 2022
Another wonderful read by Sharon Sala.
I think this book was my most favorite of all the books of hers I have read. This is a very emotional and sad story but as always it works itself through.
I think this book was my most favorite of all the books of hers I have read. This is a very emotional and sad story but as always it works itself through.
November 10, 2022
A haunting past
Sharon Sala did an excellent job in this story. It depicts the horrors that a child has suffered at the hand of an adult and all the ramifications that arise as the child becomes an adult.
Sharon Sala did an excellent job in this story. It depicts the horrors that a child has suffered at the hand of an adult and all the ramifications that arise as the child becomes an adult.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews