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Daddy Knows Last #5
Discovered: Daddy
THE DADDY RETURNS
Faith Harper knew everyone in New Hope, Texas, was wondering who'd fathered her unborn child. But the sweet -- unmarried -- Mom-to-be refused to name the daddy. And then agent Nick Russo unexpectedly returned to town.
She couldn't believe Nick didn't recall their one night of passion. True, it had been nearly nine months ago, but how could he have forgotten such an earth-shattering experience? And if he didn't remember, Faith wasn't about to inform him it was his child she was carrying -- no matter how much she longed to recapture the ecstasy she'd found in his arms.
Faith Harper knew everyone in New Hope, Texas, was wondering who'd fathered her unborn child. But the sweet -- unmarried -- Mom-to-be refused to name the daddy. And then agent Nick Russo unexpectedly returned to town.
She couldn't believe Nick didn't recall their one night of passion. True, it had been nearly nine months ago, but how could he have forgotten such an earth-shattering experience? And if he didn't remember, Faith wasn't about to inform him it was his child she was carrying -- no matter how much she longed to recapture the ecstasy she'd found in his arms.
250 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1996
3 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
About the author
Marilyn Pappano
192 books126 followersAward-winning and bestselling author, international traveler, feted at a Hollywood premiere . . .
All true . . . but my regular life is a whole lot more routine. Deal with the five big puppers who share our house, babysit our grandson, battle the jungle that is our yard, pray for summer in winter and dream of winter in summer, and hunker down at the computer -- that's my real life.
I grew up in Oklahoma and had the fun of living in Georgia, Alabama, California and the Carolinas, thanks to my husband's Navy career. When he retired, we came home to Oklahoma and have lived in the same house for seventeen years. That's a real "Wow!" for someone used to the nomadic military life.
Writing was the perfect career for all that moving. Have computer, will travel. I've set books, or part of them, in every state we've lived in and been inspired by every place I've ever been. I've now written somewhere around 80 books, and I think I've got only about 8,000 stories left to tell.
My biggest hobby is starting new projects -- starting. Not completing. I'm still not done with the cross-stitched Army seal I started when our son joined out of high school. He did tours in Georgia, Colorado, Korea, Italy, Iraq, Afghanistan and Louisiana, and has been out for a few years. So I'm a little slow.
I like to think about getting organized, painting my living room in cool beachy colors, and turning my entire five-acre yard into a garden. I also dream about having every room in my house clean at exactly the same time, but I live by the motto of the woman who taught me to quilt: A clean house is the sign of a bored woman.
And I've never been bored.
All true . . . but my regular life is a whole lot more routine. Deal with the five big puppers who share our house, babysit our grandson, battle the jungle that is our yard, pray for summer in winter and dream of winter in summer, and hunker down at the computer -- that's my real life.
I grew up in Oklahoma and had the fun of living in Georgia, Alabama, California and the Carolinas, thanks to my husband's Navy career. When he retired, we came home to Oklahoma and have lived in the same house for seventeen years. That's a real "Wow!" for someone used to the nomadic military life.
Writing was the perfect career for all that moving. Have computer, will travel. I've set books, or part of them, in every state we've lived in and been inspired by every place I've ever been. I've now written somewhere around 80 books, and I think I've got only about 8,000 stories left to tell.
My biggest hobby is starting new projects -- starting. Not completing. I'm still not done with the cross-stitched Army seal I started when our son joined out of high school. He did tours in Georgia, Colorado, Korea, Italy, Iraq, Afghanistan and Louisiana, and has been out for a few years. So I'm a little slow.
I like to think about getting organized, painting my living room in cool beachy colors, and turning my entire five-acre yard into a garden. I also dream about having every room in my house clean at exactly the same time, but I live by the motto of the woman who taught me to quilt: A clean house is the sign of a bored woman.
And I've never been bored.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 9, 2021
Sweet and heartwarming story. Well told and developed. Amazing h and H. Only a tad slow!
*Spoilers* Slow as in once the author takes 5 pages to get the h to mull over leaving her store, deciding to do so, thinking over other things, get (lumber in and fit actually!) in the car, drive home and pull into the driveway.
This book should be a SuperRomance or a Love Inspired. What’s this story doing in Intimate Moments?
On one hand, I admire the h for being strong and resolute in not accepting the H’s moc offer. She knows she deserves more than a loveless union. Also, she doesn’t trust him. And certainly, doesn’t know him as it really was a ONS between relative strangers. Despite his protestations of a permanent commitment to her, their child and this marriage, she blocks her mind and heart to his words. She doesn’t want her daughter (and herself) to suffer from a loveless, or even a broken home.
And then on the other hand, I didn’t quite buy this argument as I found it to be so paradoxical - to her own life as an illegitimate child. Of course, times have changed and marriage is not a prerequisite for becoming a parent. But here, the small-town mentality hasn’t changed much from the days when she was made to feel like an abomination or a nonentity, throughout her childhood and later - all because of her illegitimacy. And now to subject her unborn child to the same kind of treatment did not sit well with me. She was already bearing the brunt of speculation and unsolicited advice and censure from people because of her pregnancy. And she knows from personal experience, how unprepared and defenseless a child can be to that.
So, even keeping aside the romance angle, I wish she was more practical and less self-protective on legitimizing her child’s birth. Of course, her experiences have made her to withdraw and be always guarded and I can respect that.
Her own thoughts tell us that she wanted her child and her love all to herself. Without sharing it with the Russos - the H’s family, whom she wished would provide a family’s love and support to her child but she's also wary that she may lose her child to that large, rambunctious lot. I couldn’t really blame her. With her quiet, self -effacing personality, the Russos must alarm her. Acknowledgment from the family does seem like a double-edged sword - from her pov.
The H was confused too. For him, with his amnesiac blackout, it was a whole lot to take in and so unexpectedly. So, his initial wariness and confusion for this double whammy is understandable. But he clears up his priorities and choices pretty soon and within few days. He's the usual alpha cop guy who abhors commitment and this was a 'trap' he didn't see coming - or was too soused to! But he never tries to blame anyone else but himself and never goes the wait and watch or DNA testing way.
While the h keeps fudging and stalling till the end.
I could understand her reticence and dismay on letting the H get revealed as her child’s father even though it's inevitable, but she just couldn’t face it. She still lets public opinion affect her life and decisions despite coming a long way and being the strong person she is beneath her retiring persona.
Amelia Rose.
Oh, how she tweaked my heart strings without even being born yet. Love how her mommy loved her so much already and how the author made her into a real person much involved and participating in the story. And it really tickled me how the author handles the birth and the after!
A great h and H. The story picks up satisfyingly in the last third.
So, a 3.65*
*Spoilers* Slow as in once the author takes 5 pages to get the h to mull over leaving her store, deciding to do so, thinking over other things, get (lumber in and fit actually!) in the car, drive home and pull into the driveway.
This book should be a SuperRomance or a Love Inspired. What’s this story doing in Intimate Moments?
On one hand, I admire the h for being strong and resolute in not accepting the H’s moc offer. She knows she deserves more than a loveless union. Also, she doesn’t trust him. And certainly, doesn’t know him as it really was a ONS between relative strangers. Despite his protestations of a permanent commitment to her, their child and this marriage, she blocks her mind and heart to his words. She doesn’t want her daughter (and herself) to suffer from a loveless, or even a broken home.
And then on the other hand, I didn’t quite buy this argument as I found it to be so paradoxical - to her own life as an illegitimate child. Of course, times have changed and marriage is not a prerequisite for becoming a parent. But here, the small-town mentality hasn’t changed much from the days when she was made to feel like an abomination or a nonentity, throughout her childhood and later - all because of her illegitimacy. And now to subject her unborn child to the same kind of treatment did not sit well with me. She was already bearing the brunt of speculation and unsolicited advice and censure from people because of her pregnancy. And she knows from personal experience, how unprepared and defenseless a child can be to that.
So, even keeping aside the romance angle, I wish she was more practical and less self-protective on legitimizing her child’s birth. Of course, her experiences have made her to withdraw and be always guarded and I can respect that.
Her own thoughts tell us that she wanted her child and her love all to herself. Without sharing it with the Russos - the H’s family, whom she wished would provide a family’s love and support to her child but she's also wary that she may lose her child to that large, rambunctious lot. I couldn’t really blame her. With her quiet, self -effacing personality, the Russos must alarm her. Acknowledgment from the family does seem like a double-edged sword - from her pov.
The H was confused too. For him, with his amnesiac blackout, it was a whole lot to take in and so unexpectedly. So, his initial wariness and confusion for this double whammy is understandable. But he clears up his priorities and choices pretty soon and within few days. He's the usual alpha cop guy who abhors commitment and this was a 'trap' he didn't see coming - or was too soused to! But he never tries to blame anyone else but himself and never goes the wait and watch or DNA testing way.
While the h keeps fudging and stalling till the end.
I could understand her reticence and dismay on letting the H get revealed as her child’s father even though it's inevitable, but she just couldn’t face it. She still lets public opinion affect her life and decisions despite coming a long way and being the strong person she is beneath her retiring persona.
Amelia Rose.
Oh, how she tweaked my heart strings without even being born yet. Love how her mommy loved her so much already and how the author made her into a real person much involved and participating in the story. And it really tickled me how the author handles the birth and the after!
A great h and H. The story picks up satisfyingly in the last third.
So, a 3.65*
July 14, 2019
.
4.5 rounded up.
9 months ago Faith had a ONS with Nick Russo when he was in town for his brother's engagement party. She thought he would call her... but he didn't. A month later she found out she was pregnant and thought to call him... but apparently he had just gotten married!
But she knows she has to tell him, and she plans to do it when he comes back for his brothers wedding... any day now.
In he walks to her shop to ask for directions and... he doesn't remember her.
The set up was delicious and I was gobbling it up. But the story had more substance than just an angsty tale of an Alpha Cop and a virgin. As Nick gets to know Faith, he starts to see things from her point of view. Faith though, was totally put off by his first reaction to finding he was to be a father. Gah!
No way was she going to subject her baby girl to a father who didn't want her. Not after the way she herself grew up!
I loved how Faith made him work for it, and he needed to work for it.
The first half of the book was heart-wrenching. Nick has sworn to never marry or have kids. Reading about Faith loosing her dream of a happy family was so sad. You wondered too, where the charming Nick was. The one who smooth talked her into bed.
Well he doesn't really show up til the second half when he gets past his disappointment in the loss of his foot loose lifestyle.
It's a nice slow burn even though the whole thing takes place in just over a week.
At the end there's a sweet epilogue that takes place 6 weeks after their baby is born.
Safety is good
... if you are worried about his marriage
4.5 rounded up.
9 months ago Faith had a ONS with Nick Russo when he was in town for his brother's engagement party. She thought he would call her... but he didn't. A month later she found out she was pregnant and thought to call him... but apparently he had just gotten married!
But she knows she has to tell him, and she plans to do it when he comes back for his brothers wedding... any day now.
In he walks to her shop to ask for directions and... he doesn't remember her.
The set up was delicious and I was gobbling it up. But the story had more substance than just an angsty tale of an Alpha Cop and a virgin. As Nick gets to know Faith, he starts to see things from her point of view. Faith though, was totally put off by his first reaction to finding he was to be a father. Gah!
No way was she going to subject her baby girl to a father who didn't want her. Not after the way she herself grew up!
I loved how Faith made him work for it, and he needed to work for it.
The first half of the book was heart-wrenching. Nick has sworn to never marry or have kids. Reading about Faith loosing her dream of a happy family was so sad. You wondered too, where the charming Nick was. The one who smooth talked her into bed.
Well he doesn't really show up til the second half when he gets past his disappointment in the loss of his foot loose lifestyle.
It's a nice slow burn even though the whole thing takes place in just over a week.
At the end there's a sweet epilogue that takes place 6 weeks after their baby is born.
Safety is good
... if you are worried about his marriage
December 6, 2011
Rating 3.5
I really enjoyed this book especially the characters. Nick Russo comes from a big Italian family, who have all settled in New Hope, but Nick the eldest has always been different, unlike his big family he likes the city and being a detective and he never wants to get married or have kids but all of this changes when he helps a pregnant Faith Harper and realizes that she is the woman he has been seeing in his dreams the past nine-months and even if she won't confirm it, is pregnant with his child.
Faith never had love while growing up, being illegitimate and abandoned by her teenage mother, father and grandparents she was raised by an aunt who only provided the basics to her but no love and affection and drilled into her that she doesn't make the same mistakes as her mother, so it was out of character for Faith to spend the night with Nick, she thought she found something in him but the next day he was gone and then she heard he got married(it was a fake one for a police operation).
As usual she got over it, since she was used to being alone and has for months withstood people's rudeness when it comes to her being a un-wed mother, only wanting her child to be born. She becomes hopeful when she sees Nick and then finds out he doesn't remember their night since he was too drunk and sees his reluctance to being a father.
We don't see Nick instantly warming up to being a father, Faith is giving him an out and he nearly takes it after all he doesn't want to be a husband or a father and we see him struggle and come to terms with it over the course of the book and even become joyed at the prospect as well as falling for Faith. He doesn't let Faith or her blocking him or wanting the baby all to herself stop him instead he is just there for her.
There were some funny scenes like when Nick finds out Faith was a virgin and I liked how Nick felt ashamed when his family was speculating over who abandoned Faith but we really see him grow in the book.
I liked that the book had a slow pace and wasn't a high octane passionate romance.
On another note the rest of the friends seem to have their own stories that I might check out.
I really enjoyed this book especially the characters. Nick Russo comes from a big Italian family, who have all settled in New Hope, but Nick the eldest has always been different, unlike his big family he likes the city and being a detective and he never wants to get married or have kids but all of this changes when he helps a pregnant Faith Harper and realizes that she is the woman he has been seeing in his dreams the past nine-months and even if she won't confirm it, is pregnant with his child.
Faith never had love while growing up, being illegitimate and abandoned by her teenage mother, father and grandparents she was raised by an aunt who only provided the basics to her but no love and affection and drilled into her that she doesn't make the same mistakes as her mother, so it was out of character for Faith to spend the night with Nick, she thought she found something in him but the next day he was gone and then she heard he got married(it was a fake one for a police operation).
As usual she got over it, since she was used to being alone and has for months withstood people's rudeness when it comes to her being a un-wed mother, only wanting her child to be born. She becomes hopeful when she sees Nick and then finds out he doesn't remember their night since he was too drunk and sees his reluctance to being a father.
We don't see Nick instantly warming up to being a father, Faith is giving him an out and he nearly takes it after all he doesn't want to be a husband or a father and we see him struggle and come to terms with it over the course of the book and even become joyed at the prospect as well as falling for Faith. He doesn't let Faith or her blocking him or wanting the baby all to herself stop him instead he is just there for her.
There were some funny scenes like when Nick finds out Faith was a virgin and I liked how Nick felt ashamed when his family was speculating over who abandoned Faith but we really see him grow in the book.
I liked that the book had a slow pace and wasn't a high octane passionate romance.
On another note the rest of the friends seem to have their own stories that I might check out.
May 25, 2019
Surprisingly a good read despite that awful cover and title! 🙄😳😂
I like the heroine, a no mean no and not just a way to be vengeful.
She also didn’t constantly horny near the hot hero like what usually happened in many new contemporary books lately.
So did the hero, his change from an unpleasant man to a guy who fall for this ‘sweet girl not his usual typical date’ was believable.
Hello, this is Ms Pappano’s vintage book and she is a good writer and yes, I like this one very much!
❤️
I like the heroine, a no mean no and not just a way to be vengeful.
She also didn’t constantly horny near the hot hero like what usually happened in many new contemporary books lately.
So did the hero, his change from an unpleasant man to a guy who fall for this ‘sweet girl not his usual typical date’ was believable.
Hello, this is Ms Pappano’s vintage book and she is a good writer and yes, I like this one very much!
❤️
December 12, 2011
Loved It!Wonderful read,adored Nick-Faith,story progressed really well but the pace was slow,still enjoyed the book,a keeper for me.
Good read
Recommend it
Good read
Recommend it
December 29, 2014
The writing wasn't bad in this and the story was the typical sort of "love via secret baby" story, but I really had problems suspending my disbelief over the entire story taking place in the week prior to Faith giving birth.
If everything had happened over a few months, especially with his opinion changing as he spent time with the baby and Faith post-birth, it would have been a fairly sweet story of a fairly shallow bachelor playboy finding love and contentment in something he never thought he wanted, but the ridiculously truncated timeline makes it entirely too difficult for me to swallow.
If everything had happened over a few months, especially with his opinion changing as he spent time with the baby and Faith post-birth, it would have been a fairly sweet story of a fairly shallow bachelor playboy finding love and contentment in something he never thought he wanted, but the ridiculously truncated timeline makes it entirely too difficult for me to swallow.
April 8, 2013
read this a while ago, I think I got the revised novel because it was under a different title, or maybe it's just the UK release or something. Anyways, it was a good and entertaining read. Completely believable as well.
April 26, 2014
i finished reading this book. its really good.
September 4, 2015
3.5 stars!!!
October 31, 2015
Sweet.
Romantic.
& with a great HEA ending!
Romantic.
& with a great HEA ending!
July 29, 2017
Bought and finished last february 2002. A re-read
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews