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About the Baby
Kara Steward and Lucas Montgomery have always been the best of friends. As doctors, they're too busy saving the world to commit to anything more. Still, Kara knows exactly who to go to when she needs a little support. But one night she turns to Lucas and... everything changes. And once they've crossed that line to more than friends, it's impossible to go back.
Their situation is even more tangled when Kara's job calls her away for several weeks. How can they talk about the new "them" when she's half a world away? She can't put off this discussion too long, however. Not after she discovers there's a baby to consider….
Their situation is even more tangled when Kara's job calls her away for several weeks. How can they talk about the new "them" when she's half a world away? She can't put off this discussion too long, however. Not after she discovers there's a baby to consider….
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
33 people are currently reading
293 people want to read
About the author
Tracy Wolff
144 books12.3k followersNew York Times and USA Today bestselling author Tracy Wolff is a lover of vampires, dragons, and all things that go bump in the night. A onetime English professor, she now devotes all her time to writing dark and romantic stories with tortured heroes and kick-butt heroines. She has written all her sixty-plus novels from her home in Austin, Texas, which she shares with her family. tracywolffbooks.com
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 24, 2012
Very good book. Kara and Lucas have been friends for seventeen years. When Kara comes back from one of her overseas jobs she is feeling burned out and goes to Lucas for some downtime and support. But that support morphs into passion and then she's called away again. While she's away she gets very sick and then discovers that she's pregnant. She comes back to Atlanta to recover and tell Lucas about the baby. He is flabbergasted by the news, but also very worried about Kara's health. I really liked both Kara and Lucas. He is a terrific doctor who works with the poor of Atlanta. He also takes care of his mother and sisters who are terribly flighty and irresponsible. He is worried about how his relationship with Kara will change now, but quickly realizes that she has always been the person that has grounded him. When he accepts the fact that he loves her he knows he has to convince her that he doesn't see her as just another responsibility. Kara has always been very independent. She is always there for Lucas, but never asks him for help. Because of her past she has never been able to trust that someone will be there for her whenever needed, so she refuses to lean on anyone, even Lucas. When she tells him about the baby she wants to maintain her independence and not be a burden he has to bear. She finally admits to herself that she loves him, but doesn't know what to do about it. I loved seeing them finally come together. I would like to know what happens when the baby is born and if it is healthy, and also what happens with Lucas's sister.
May 15, 2018
This book left me feeling frustrated because as they were figuring things out between them the ending didn't seem to help us come to a conclusion that it did work out between them. Getting her a ring does not tell you 100% that all is well. To me there are some missing pieces and it almost appears like just a temporary respite. I wish it ended differently. But the baby will seem to be a miracle baby given the medical history. So that will count for something.
Want to read
September 27, 2012Creepy baby shoes are creepy, but also oddly appealing...
March 6, 2014
This story didn't really work for me. Something kept me from falling in love with the couple. I just wasn't feeling this story.
December 3, 2014
Lucas and Kara met at university, when they were starting on their way to becoming doctors. They became best friends and have kept up that friendship all through their eventful careers. Lucas is in a good place in his, as he's started a clinic with two good friends in inner-city Atalanta, but Kara's career is in more of a flux.
Kara is an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and is constantly travelling to troubled spots to trace the origins of disease outbreaks. The work itself is satisfying, but she's getting more and more frustrated with the politics around it. Her last deployment has been almost the last drop, as her team was pulled out of the country halfway through their work when its government and Washington got into a spat.
Lucas can tell there's something wrong with Kara, and he manages to get her to talk about how disheartened she's feeling and share her doubts about whether she wants to continue working with the CDC. It's a difficult, emotional exchange, and things end up with them giving in to an attraction neither had believed was there and sleeping together.
But the very same night a call comes for Kara from her boss. Even though she's just arrived back home that very day, she'll need to leave for Eritrea the next morning. There's an outbreak of Ebola (I know, I know, but I've had this in my TBR for ages and if I ever knew about it I didn't remember), potentially a mutated strain, and the CDC need their best people out there. However close to a breakdown Kara is feeling, she must go.
And while she's out there, she discovers there were consequences from that night with Lucas.
There were good things here, some real, fully-earned angst. It was surprising, because I was pretty sure when I started this that any angst would come from Kara. There's the way she's really torn about her job, believing in it and wanting to do what she signed up for but frustrated about the politics of it all. Then there's her pregnancy, which ends up being a really high-risk one, because of a disease she contracts in Eritrea in the very early stages of her pregnancy. There's also her family history, which has left her reluctant to rely on anyone, especially not someone like Lucas, whose family rely on him way too much already.
Lucas, in contrast, seemed like he was going to be the one in the stable place, balancing Kara. His job is challenging but he enjoys it as it is, and his family drama seemed more garden-variety: his mother and sisters got used to unlimited money and no responsibilities thanks to his indulgent father, and now that he's dead they can't really cope with the real world. They're burning through their inheritance (already have done, in his mother's case), and expect Lucas to pick up the slack.
And yet, once Lucas and Kara reunite after her return from Eritrea and he finds out about her pregnancy, most of the drama comes from his family, who really are jaw-dropping. Lucas' first instinct when finding out the full-extent of the risk to Kara's pregnancy is an automatic assumption that this is another woman he'll be taking care of. He doesn't resent it, just assumes it. But nope, when some distressing news come through about one of Lucas' sisters, Kara ends up taking care of him just as much as he takes care of her. I thought that showed quite well that this was going to be a relationship amongst equals, and I liked it.
The romance itself, however, is a bit sketchy. These two really don't spend that much time together, and I didn't quite get a love vibe from them. They clearly care about each other, but love? I wasn't completely convinced.
I was also conflicted about the sections dealing with Kara's work. There seems to have been quite a bit of research here, and some of the setup was interesting, but things didn't really come alive, even in the sections that were set in the field. I was also disturbed by how when Kara speaks of 'Africa' at the beginning of the book it's as if she thinks of it as one homogenous, hellish place. Africa is not a country, it's a huge, diverse continent, and a doctor who's spent a lot of time in different parts of it would know that, even if she's tended to go to the bits having trouble. All in all, this aspect of the book felt like a missed opportunity. Other than making Kara's pregnancy a risky one and keeping her out of reach of Lucas for a few months, it didn't really have much impact on the story.
MY GRADE: I guess a C+? The book was readable and there was enough good stuff there, but it was far from perfect.
Kara is an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and is constantly travelling to troubled spots to trace the origins of disease outbreaks. The work itself is satisfying, but she's getting more and more frustrated with the politics around it. Her last deployment has been almost the last drop, as her team was pulled out of the country halfway through their work when its government and Washington got into a spat.
Lucas can tell there's something wrong with Kara, and he manages to get her to talk about how disheartened she's feeling and share her doubts about whether she wants to continue working with the CDC. It's a difficult, emotional exchange, and things end up with them giving in to an attraction neither had believed was there and sleeping together.
But the very same night a call comes for Kara from her boss. Even though she's just arrived back home that very day, she'll need to leave for Eritrea the next morning. There's an outbreak of Ebola (I know, I know, but I've had this in my TBR for ages and if I ever knew about it I didn't remember), potentially a mutated strain, and the CDC need their best people out there. However close to a breakdown Kara is feeling, she must go.
And while she's out there, she discovers there were consequences from that night with Lucas.
There were good things here, some real, fully-earned angst. It was surprising, because I was pretty sure when I started this that any angst would come from Kara. There's the way she's really torn about her job, believing in it and wanting to do what she signed up for but frustrated about the politics of it all. Then there's her pregnancy, which ends up being a really high-risk one, because of a disease she contracts in Eritrea in the very early stages of her pregnancy. There's also her family history, which has left her reluctant to rely on anyone, especially not someone like Lucas, whose family rely on him way too much already.
Lucas, in contrast, seemed like he was going to be the one in the stable place, balancing Kara. His job is challenging but he enjoys it as it is, and his family drama seemed more garden-variety: his mother and sisters got used to unlimited money and no responsibilities thanks to his indulgent father, and now that he's dead they can't really cope with the real world. They're burning through their inheritance (already have done, in his mother's case), and expect Lucas to pick up the slack.
And yet, once Lucas and Kara reunite after her return from Eritrea and he finds out about her pregnancy, most of the drama comes from his family, who really are jaw-dropping. Lucas' first instinct when finding out the full-extent of the risk to Kara's pregnancy is an automatic assumption that this is another woman he'll be taking care of. He doesn't resent it, just assumes it. But nope, when some distressing news come through about one of Lucas' sisters, Kara ends up taking care of him just as much as he takes care of her. I thought that showed quite well that this was going to be a relationship amongst equals, and I liked it.
The romance itself, however, is a bit sketchy. These two really don't spend that much time together, and I didn't quite get a love vibe from them. They clearly care about each other, but love? I wasn't completely convinced.
I was also conflicted about the sections dealing with Kara's work. There seems to have been quite a bit of research here, and some of the setup was interesting, but things didn't really come alive, even in the sections that were set in the field. I was also disturbed by how when Kara speaks of 'Africa' at the beginning of the book it's as if she thinks of it as one homogenous, hellish place. Africa is not a country, it's a huge, diverse continent, and a doctor who's spent a lot of time in different parts of it would know that, even if she's tended to go to the bits having trouble. All in all, this aspect of the book felt like a missed opportunity. Other than making Kara's pregnancy a risky one and keeping her out of reach of Lucas for a few months, it didn't really have much impact on the story.
MY GRADE: I guess a C+? The book was readable and there was enough good stuff there, but it was far from perfect.
November 3, 2013
Kara est en plein désarroi : elle n'est plus sûre d'avoir fait le bon choix de carrière, elle se sent frustrée par les nombreux obstacles qu'elle rencontre dans ses missions d'épidémiologiste en Afrique.
Heureusement, son meilleur ami Lucas est là pour la soutenir dans cette période de remise en cause de soi. Et si, leur relation prenait un nouveau tournant inattendu compliquant la situation plus qu'autre chose ?
L'auteur prend le temps de bien nous décrire l’enchaînement des événements qui vont conduire à ce tournant dans la relation de Kara et Lucas. On découvre comment les deux personnages vont tenter de gérer les implications de cette évolution dans leur relation. En réalité, il ne s'agit pas ici d'une romance à proprement parler. En effet, l'auteur nous offre une "tranche de relation", on assiste à un moment clé de leur relation avec une analyse des sentiments de chacun des personnages mais finalement on ne s'intéresse pas beaucoup et l'avant ni à l'après, on n'a pas l'histoire dans son ensemble, uniquement un morceau important.
Et pour en rajouter, l'auteur n'est pas tendre avec ses personnages, accumulant les péripéties dans les autres aspects de leur vie qui les empêchent de se poser et de réfléchir à leur relation. Par ailleurs, Lucas se voit affublé d’une mère particulièrement futile, égoïste et intransigeante envers son fils. Par ces excès, l’auteur allège humoristiquement son histoire, autant qu’elle plombe la vie de Lucas.
Pour autant, leur histoire va connaitre de nombreux rebondissements en apparence tragiques. Ceci ajouté au reste fait que leur relation va connaitre une alternance de hauts et de bas.
L'histoire est par moment très intense, ce, malgré une sorte de happy end lors du dénouement, qui nous laisse un peu sur notre faim.
Une romance qui sort un peu des sentiers par son traitement.
Heureusement, son meilleur ami Lucas est là pour la soutenir dans cette période de remise en cause de soi. Et si, leur relation prenait un nouveau tournant inattendu compliquant la situation plus qu'autre chose ?
L'auteur prend le temps de bien nous décrire l’enchaînement des événements qui vont conduire à ce tournant dans la relation de Kara et Lucas. On découvre comment les deux personnages vont tenter de gérer les implications de cette évolution dans leur relation. En réalité, il ne s'agit pas ici d'une romance à proprement parler. En effet, l'auteur nous offre une "tranche de relation", on assiste à un moment clé de leur relation avec une analyse des sentiments de chacun des personnages mais finalement on ne s'intéresse pas beaucoup et l'avant ni à l'après, on n'a pas l'histoire dans son ensemble, uniquement un morceau important.
Et pour en rajouter, l'auteur n'est pas tendre avec ses personnages, accumulant les péripéties dans les autres aspects de leur vie qui les empêchent de se poser et de réfléchir à leur relation. Par ailleurs, Lucas se voit affublé d’une mère particulièrement futile, égoïste et intransigeante envers son fils. Par ces excès, l’auteur allège humoristiquement son histoire, autant qu’elle plombe la vie de Lucas.
Pour autant, leur histoire va connaitre de nombreux rebondissements en apparence tragiques. Ceci ajouté au reste fait que leur relation va connaitre une alternance de hauts et de bas.
L'histoire est par moment très intense, ce, malgré une sorte de happy end lors du dénouement, qui nous laisse un peu sur notre faim.
Une romance qui sort un peu des sentiers par son traitement.
January 9, 2013
While the book was well written, I don't think there was a clear purpose in mind. The actual "superromance" aspect only covered about 15% of the book -- the other 85% was utilized to "lecture" about child abuse... disease control... DUI and its repercussions... the horrendous conditions in Africa / underprivileged areas... cougars & their boy toys... high risk pregnancies... the perils of overindulging... and I could go on. And on. Just like the author did. If the author had just picked ONE "moral" to focus on it could have helped the book; however, it seems she wanted to just vomit a lot of angst in one story. When I read Harlequins it's because I want a "beach read" -- if I wanted to think while trying to escape into HEA land, I would look at other publishing houses -- which is what this author should have done to market the book in a more contemporary fiction with a side of romance way....
May 9, 2014
This was both the end of a trilogy and my first Tracy Wolff. I think, perhaps, that this wasn't the best introduction to her work. I can tell that she's a good writer, but this novel simply didn't draw me in. I didn't find Lucas & Kara's romance that interesting, in part because they spent so much of the book apart, but also because neither seemed that interested in forming a relationship. I also felt like Wolff didn't know what to do in terms of conflict--perhaps because Lucas is a nice guy, and Wolff is a self-proclaimed lover of bad boys.
November 21, 2012
This was such a great story! Best friends that realize they have so much more. Also an eye-opening look at the overwhelming job scientists and doctors find themselves facing in Africa. So goodM
December 21, 2012
I was expecting more, the novel was very slow at the start and then the middle was a mix of fast/slow, exciting/boring. By the end the novel was alright but it didn't really close off the novel for me. I felt like ends weren't tied correctly and to be honest, I was annoyed. It was just okay for me.
January 28, 2013
Hastily wrapped up ending that leaves you wondering if you missed something. I knew Lucas and Kara would get their happily ever after but weeks of waffling by Kara abruptly end and then what? I wasn't convinced she was as in love as she said she was.. it wasn't in her actions.
March 20, 2015
The book seemed relatively short and there wasn't much detail or getting to know the characters. The book was okay however I feel they left things hanging open rather than completing or tying up loose ends. This was the first book by Tracy and I am not sure I would read another.
December 21, 2012
Overall, I found most of the story really depressing - not why I pick up a Harlequin.
December 31, 2012
It's a romance novel about an epidemiologist. Enough said.
(Why yes, I do happen to be an epidemiologist. Why do you ask?)
(Why yes, I do happen to be an epidemiologist. Why do you ask?)
July 7, 2014
cute story. wished there was more.
May 11, 2015
Une jolie histoire à laquelle il manque quelque chose pour totalement adhérer ... Perplexe a la fin de la lecture, trop de longueurs par endroit et des pistes lancées à peine Explorer ... Dommage !
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December 27, 2014Category: Heart & Home
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews