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Only Solution
Wendy Miller adores the baby girl her dying friend left in her care, but when she loses her job, she has no choice but to call on Rory's family for help. What she doesn’t count on is that Mack Burgess wants to raise his niece. Mack’s wealthy and powerful, and he could take Rory away from her in an instant. But Rory’s attached to Wendy – so Mack’s solution is to propose that they build a family for the baby’s sake. In order to keep her baby, can Wendy actually marry the man she's come to love – even though he doesn't love her?
Hardcover
First published October 1, 1994
11 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
About the author
Fern Michaels
425 books6,475 followersFern Michaels isn’t a person. I’m not sure she’s an entity either since an entity is something with separate existence. Fern Michaels® is what I DO. Me, Mary Ruth Kuczkir. Growing up in Hastings, Pennsylvania, I was called Ruth. I became Mary when I entered the business world where first names were the order of the day. To this day, family and friends call me Dink, a name my father gave me when I was born because according to him I was ‘a dinky little thing’ weighing in at four and a half pounds. However, I answer to Fern since people are more comfortable with a name they can pronounce.
As they say, the past is prologue. I grew up, got a job, got married, had five kids. When my youngest went off to Kindergarten, my husband told me to get off my ass and get a job. Those were his exact words. I didn’t know how to do anything except be a wife and mother. I was also a voracious reader having cut my teeth on The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Cherry Ames and the like. The library was a magical place for me. It still is to this day. Rather than face the outside world with no skills, I decided to write a book. For some reason that didn’t intimidate me. As my husband said at the time, stupid is as stupid does. Guess what, I don’t have that husband any more. Guess what else! I wrote 99 books, most of them New York Times Best Sellers.
Moving right along here . . . Several years ago I left Ballantine Books, parted company with my agent, sold my house in New Jersey that I had lived in all my married life and in 1993 moved to South Carolina. I figured if I was going to go through trauma let it be all at one time. It was a breeze. The kids were all on their own at that point. The dump was a 300 year old plantation house that is listed in the National Registry that I remodeled. Today it is beyond belief as are the gardens and the equally old Angel Oaks that drip Spanish moss. Unfortunately, I could not get my ghost to relocate. This ghost has been documented by previous owners. Mary Margaret as we call her, is “a friendly”. She is also mischievous. It took me two weeks to figure out that she didn’t like my coffee cups. They would slide off the table or counter or else they’d break in the dishwasher. I bought red checkered ones. All are intact as of this writing. She moves pillows from one room to the other and she stops all the clocks in the house at 9:10 in the a.m. at least once a week. When the Azaleas are in bloom, and only then, I find blooms on my night stand. I have this glorious front porch and during the warm months I see my swing moving early in the morning when the air is still and again late in the day. She doesn’t spook the dogs. I always know when she’s around because the five of them line up and look like they’re at a tennis match. As of this writing we’re co-habiting nicely.
Most writers love what they do and I’m no exception. I love it when I get a germ of an idea and get it down on paper. I love breathing life into my characters. I love writing about women who persevere and prevail because that’s what I had to do to get to this point in time. It’s another way of saying it doesn’t matter where you’ve been, what matters is where you’re going and how you get there. The day I finally prevailed was the day I was inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame. For me it was an awesome day and there are no words to describe it.
I’ve been telling stories and scribbling for 37 years. I hope I can continue for another 37 years. It wasn’t easy during some of those years. As I said, I had to persevere. My old Polish grandmother said something to me when I was little that I never forgot. She said when God is good to you, you have to give back. For a while I didn’t know how to do that. When I finally figured it out I set up The Fern Michaels® Foundation.
READ FERN MICHAELS' FULL BIOGRAPHY HERE: http://www.fernmichaels.com/biography/
As they say, the past is prologue. I grew up, got a job, got married, had five kids. When my youngest went off to Kindergarten, my husband told me to get off my ass and get a job. Those were his exact words. I didn’t know how to do anything except be a wife and mother. I was also a voracious reader having cut my teeth on The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Cherry Ames and the like. The library was a magical place for me. It still is to this day. Rather than face the outside world with no skills, I decided to write a book. For some reason that didn’t intimidate me. As my husband said at the time, stupid is as stupid does. Guess what, I don’t have that husband any more. Guess what else! I wrote 99 books, most of them New York Times Best Sellers.
Moving right along here . . . Several years ago I left Ballantine Books, parted company with my agent, sold my house in New Jersey that I had lived in all my married life and in 1993 moved to South Carolina. I figured if I was going to go through trauma let it be all at one time. It was a breeze. The kids were all on their own at that point. The dump was a 300 year old plantation house that is listed in the National Registry that I remodeled. Today it is beyond belief as are the gardens and the equally old Angel Oaks that drip Spanish moss. Unfortunately, I could not get my ghost to relocate. This ghost has been documented by previous owners. Mary Margaret as we call her, is “a friendly”. She is also mischievous. It took me two weeks to figure out that she didn’t like my coffee cups. They would slide off the table or counter or else they’d break in the dishwasher. I bought red checkered ones. All are intact as of this writing. She moves pillows from one room to the other and she stops all the clocks in the house at 9:10 in the a.m. at least once a week. When the Azaleas are in bloom, and only then, I find blooms on my night stand. I have this glorious front porch and during the warm months I see my swing moving early in the morning when the air is still and again late in the day. She doesn’t spook the dogs. I always know when she’s around because the five of them line up and look like they’re at a tennis match. As of this writing we’re co-habiting nicely.
Most writers love what they do and I’m no exception. I love it when I get a germ of an idea and get it down on paper. I love breathing life into my characters. I love writing about women who persevere and prevail because that’s what I had to do to get to this point in time. It’s another way of saying it doesn’t matter where you’ve been, what matters is where you’re going and how you get there. The day I finally prevailed was the day I was inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame. For me it was an awesome day and there are no words to describe it.
I’ve been telling stories and scribbling for 37 years. I hope I can continue for another 37 years. It wasn’t easy during some of those years. As I said, I had to persevere. My old Polish grandmother said something to me when I was little that I never forgot. She said when God is good to you, you have to give back. For a while I didn’t know how to do that. When I finally figured it out I set up The Fern Michaels® Foundation.
READ FERN MICHAELS' FULL BIOGRAPHY HERE: http://www.fernmichaels.com/biography/
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 31, 2020
"The Only Solution" is the story of Wendy and Mack.
If you like sweet, low angst romances with positive characters, this would be for you.
The heroine's friend dies handing over her six week old to her. Since then, she has diligently taken care of Rory, despite her dwindling finances. When she is laid off, she is forced to contact her friend's family for assistance, but cuts the connection. The hero is the late friend's brother, who tracks her down to claim his niece. He also asks the heroine to travel with him to his family home for the child's sake.
If you've read thousands of HQNs like me, the plot usually progresses to blackmail/ coercion/ jealousy/ OW-OM shenanigans/ marriage of convenience- but in the story we only have the latter. Heroine loves the baby, the hero is sweet, the family is extra nice and supportive, everyone loves each other- they marry for the child's sake, fall in love and have a happy ending.
No drama here!
Safe
3/5
If you like sweet, low angst romances with positive characters, this would be for you.
The heroine's friend dies handing over her six week old to her. Since then, she has diligently taken care of Rory, despite her dwindling finances. When she is laid off, she is forced to contact her friend's family for assistance, but cuts the connection. The hero is the late friend's brother, who tracks her down to claim his niece. He also asks the heroine to travel with him to his family home for the child's sake.
If you've read thousands of HQNs like me, the plot usually progresses to blackmail/ coercion/ jealousy/ OW-OM shenanigans/ marriage of convenience- but in the story we only have the latter. Heroine loves the baby, the hero is sweet, the family is extra nice and supportive, everyone loves each other- they marry for the child's sake, fall in love and have a happy ending.
No drama here!
Safe
3/5
July 2, 2023
Reread on July 2, 2023: I spent the entire time wondering if I had read this as a kid only to realize later that I'd read it LAST YEAR. Oy. This is what happens when Goodreads is down for maintenance and I can't check my shelves. Increasing the rating because the baby is wildly cute (like: cute baby hall of fame for romance novels). It's also that rare early-1990s category I can recommend without cautioning "this is a bit problematic." Read via KU.
First read on July 14, 2022: [Original rating: 3 stars] I'm such a sucker for when two strangers get together to raise a dead relative's orphan. Read via KU.
First read on July 14, 2022: [Original rating: 3 stars] I'm such a sucker for when two strangers get together to raise a dead relative's orphan. Read via KU.
August 3, 2015
3 Stars ~ It's been four months since Wendy's roommate and friend pleaded for her to ... “Take care of my baby, Wendy. Don’t let my parents get their hands on her. They’ll ruin her, too. Promise!” ... on her death bed. And Wendy kept her promise loving little Rory as if she were her own daughter. Christmas was fast approaching and though Wendy's resources were tightly stretched, the baby was thriving. Then the bottom fell out of Wendy's world with a two week termination notice, the company that employed her had declared bankruptcy. With the Phoenix job market suddenly flooded with 100's of newly unemployed, Wendy began to panic that she'd not be able to find work, and so she broke her promise and called Marissa's father. The man on the other end of the phone in Chicago was cold and accusing, and hanging up Wendy knew calling had been a huge mistake.
It was only a matter of a few days and a stranger visits her at work, Marissa's brother, the man on the phone. Mack comes in all guns blazing accusing Wendy of trying to take advantage of his sister's death and extort money from his parents. When he sees baby Rory, he can't deny that the child is his sister's. He also sees how devoted to the baby Wendy is and how much the idea of giving Rory up is killing her. Wendy can't deny that she doesn't have any legal rights as Marissa had not left a will and she braces herself for the day Mack will come back and take Rory away forever. Only a few days to Christmas and Mack returns; his parents want Rory home for Christmas and they'd like Wendy to come too.
Wendy soon discovers that Marissa's mother is not capable of looking after an infant, in fact, Marissa, the baby of the family, had been given to the care of nurses and nannies because her mother had been unwell. The married brother's wife, Tessa, isn't really the maternal sort, so she's not suitable to mother the baby either. Wendy worries what will happen with Rory when she goes back to Phoenix and she confronts Mack, who says he'll adopt Rory. He then suggests that Wendy marry him, after all it's the only solution.
This is a sweet romance revolving around an adorable baby. Wendy is a strong heroine with a generous heart which is breaking as she realizes she's about to lose Rory. All she can do now that Marissa's family have claimed Rory, is fight to make sure that she is loved as she deserves to be and not raised by a string of strangers. Mack was smitten with Wendy from the start and he was desperate to keep Wendy for himself and for Rory. There are a few bumps in his plan to win her but in the end they all smooth out. This one's set in frigid Chicago at Christmas, perfect to help imagine away this blistering heatwave.
It was only a matter of a few days and a stranger visits her at work, Marissa's brother, the man on the phone. Mack comes in all guns blazing accusing Wendy of trying to take advantage of his sister's death and extort money from his parents. When he sees baby Rory, he can't deny that the child is his sister's. He also sees how devoted to the baby Wendy is and how much the idea of giving Rory up is killing her. Wendy can't deny that she doesn't have any legal rights as Marissa had not left a will and she braces herself for the day Mack will come back and take Rory away forever. Only a few days to Christmas and Mack returns; his parents want Rory home for Christmas and they'd like Wendy to come too.
Slowly, he said, “This is going to be hard on Rory, you know. Leaving everything that’s familiar, all at once.”
Tears stung Wendy’s eyes. “You think I don’t already know that? She relies on me. I’ve been the center of her world since she was six weeks old.” She broke off, her voice choked with tears.
“My parents have invited you to come for Christmas, to help her make the adjustment.”
“How gracious of them. I suppose it’s something like taking along her security blanket.”
His mouth tightened. “As a matter of fact, I think it was gracious. You’ve kept their granddaughter away from them for months. They’ve got no reason to feel fond of you.”
Wendy felt as if she’d been slapped. “No, thank you.” She jumped up from the floor.
He was on his feet instantly. “Wendy, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so clumsy. I know you’re sensitive about losing her.”
“You haven’t any idea what I’m feeling, Mack Burgess! I doubt you’re even capable of understanding what it means to love somebody so much that you’d die for her!” She clenched her fists till her nails cut her skin.
“Then surely, for Rory’s sake, you’ll come.”
Wendy soon discovers that Marissa's mother is not capable of looking after an infant, in fact, Marissa, the baby of the family, had been given to the care of nurses and nannies because her mother had been unwell. The married brother's wife, Tessa, isn't really the maternal sort, so she's not suitable to mother the baby either. Wendy worries what will happen with Rory when she goes back to Phoenix and she confronts Mack, who says he'll adopt Rory. He then suggests that Wendy marry him, after all it's the only solution.
This is a sweet romance revolving around an adorable baby. Wendy is a strong heroine with a generous heart which is breaking as she realizes she's about to lose Rory. All she can do now that Marissa's family have claimed Rory, is fight to make sure that she is loved as she deserves to be and not raised by a string of strangers. Mack was smitten with Wendy from the start and he was desperate to keep Wendy for himself and for Rory. There are a few bumps in his plan to win her but in the end they all smooth out. This one's set in frigid Chicago at Christmas, perfect to help imagine away this blistering heatwave.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 27, 2011
Recommended for Betty Neels reader. No this is not a doctor-nurse romance but the gentle story between decent people is something familiar to BN aficionados. The hero could have started off as overbearing and cold-hearted man (i.e., didn’t even see his dead sister) but settled down into a reasonable, caring family-oriented man. There’s no great angst just a compatibility between even-tempered couple, both agreeing to a marriage of convenience but finding love in the end.
But the baby Rory stole the scenes here. Every description of the baby sounded so endearing, how she would cough to get the heroine's attention or wiggle when the heroine approaches, but not so angelic that the baby became unbelievable. The love of the author shone through that she must have been writing from memory of her children. I particularly enjoyed the scene with long cold walk home from Christmas mass with the H/h and baby slowly becoming a family unit and the wedding scene when the baby became the unexpected third in the vows.
Not recommended though for readers looking for a sex romp. The kisses and their first night together are rated GP.
But the baby Rory stole the scenes here. Every description of the baby sounded so endearing, how she would cough to get the heroine's attention or wiggle when the heroine approaches, but not so angelic that the baby became unbelievable. The love of the author shone through that she must have been writing from memory of her children. I particularly enjoyed the scene with long cold walk home from Christmas mass with the H/h and baby slowly becoming a family unit and the wedding scene when the baby became the unexpected third in the vows.
Not recommended though for readers looking for a sex romp. The kisses and their first night together are rated GP.
October 6, 2020
Fine, but not thrilling. I never really understood why Wendy was so amazing that Mack had to propose marriage (and needed to keep her in Rory’s life), and we never really get a resolution to why and how Marissa ended up such a mess and why she had so many issues with her parents. This is one of those Cinderella wish fulfillment novels - nothing wrong with it but not worth rereading.
July 13, 2020
A good quick read.
August 14, 2025
lovely and heartwarming
I have read this book a few times, Leigh Michaels is one of my favourite authors, and this is one of her best .
I have read this book a few times, Leigh Michaels is one of my favourite authors, and this is one of her best .
June 25, 2013
Wendy is raising her best friends baby. Then she loses her job and she is afraid that she can't raise Rory. She calls Mack Rory's uncle for help. He packs them up and takes them to Chicago to the rest of the family. Wendy can't stand the idea of Rory being raised by nurse maids or nannies. Mack asked Wendy to marry him and that they will raise Rory. That is when all the fun begins.
June 6, 2013
This was a very sweet book. Baby Rory,Wendy and Mack were all great characters and I fell in love with each of them. There were a few too many misunderstanding between Wendy and Mack for my liking but it still was a good romantic read.
October 15, 2014
This was so very Good!! A really enjoyable read this has been. Such a bittersweet story. Tears and happiness brought about by the tiniest of packages makes this such a sweet little unexpected romance. Loved, Loved, Loved!!! :)
November 29, 2012
The baby was absolutely adorable!
June 1, 2013
Sweet PG story. Enjoyed reading it.
June 4, 2013
Story was ok. Baby was adorable.
Want to read
June 5, 2013Amazon Freebie 6/5/13
October 3, 2013
This was fun sweet read. Enjoyed..
November 10, 2013
Sweet G rated romance. A little angsty. Some misunderstanding. Likeable heroine and hero. Hero a bit too laid back. The baby steals the show.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews