What do you think?
Rate this book
The Unexpected Father
Pregnant and alone but not for long!
Samantha is facing a new life in a new town, widowed and pregnant. A man just isn't on her list of priorities until she meets Josh Hamilton.
As far as Samantha can tell, Josh is in no position to face either the complications of a relationship or a new baby. But neither can deny the deep emotional pull or the desire between them . Can Josh become the one thing Samantha has never expected: a father to her baby?
She's sexy, she's successful and she's PREGNANT!
Samantha is facing a new life in a new town, widowed and pregnant. A man just isn't on her list of priorities until she meets Josh Hamilton.
As far as Samantha can tell, Josh is in no position to face either the complications of a relationship or a new baby. But neither can deny the deep emotional pull or the desire between them . Can Josh become the one thing Samantha has never expected: a father to her baby?
She's sexy, she's successful and she's PREGNANT!
- GenresHarlequin Presents
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 1997
10 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Kathryn Ross
171 books46 followers Kathryn Ross is a professional beauty therapist, but writing is her first love. At thirteen she was editor of her school magazine and wrote a play for a competition, and won. Ten years later she was accepted by Mills & Boon, who were the only publishers she ever approached with her work. Kathryn lives in Lancashire, is married and has inherited two delightful stepsons. She has written over twenty novels now and is still as much in love with writing as ever and never plans to stop.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 6, 2019
Wow – Nurse heroine’s ex husband was just about the coldest creep I’ve come across in a romance and that’s saying something. This guy married her on the rebound because he needed a bedwarmer while he performed doctor heroics in Africa. When heroine turns up pregnant he is angry because she told him she couldn’t get pregnant. Then he asks for a divorce and tells her to get an abortion. What a prince.
Luckily a bomb falls on his section of the hospital* and heroine meets the hero, a childhood friend of her ex’s and a war correspondent for a London newspaper. They drive out of the war zone together and their one-sided romance begins.
Yes, one-sided. Heroine is a ninny. She never says what she means. She is prickly and annoying and jumps to conclusions. I barely tolerated her – but then I kept remembering cold creep and figured I should cut her some slack.
Hero also has an ex and a son from his first marriage. Ex did a great OW impression and really riled the heroine – but just about everything riled the heroine. They finally sort out their romance after heroine has a baby girl.
Boogenhagen has all the details in her excellent review.
*
Luckily a bomb falls on his section of the hospital* and heroine meets the hero, a childhood friend of her ex’s and a war correspondent for a London newspaper. They drive out of the war zone together and their one-sided romance begins.
Yes, one-sided. Heroine is a ninny. She never says what she means. She is prickly and annoying and jumps to conclusions. I barely tolerated her – but then I kept remembering cold creep and figured I should cut her some slack.
Hero also has an ex and a son from his first marriage. Ex did a great OW impression and really riled the heroine – but just about everything riled the heroine. They finally sort out their romance after heroine has a baby girl.
Boogenhagen has all the details in her excellent review.
*
April 23, 2019
Re The Unexpected Father - Kathryn Ross does a Just Visiting in HPlandia outing, book four of the Expecting series, with an African relief worker h and a war correspondent H.
These two meet just before the story starts, when the H shows up on the h's medical ward after being hit by shrapnel in a roadside ambush.
The h was initially very disapproving of the H's flirtatiousness with some of the other nurses. Then again, because her husband of two years had just told her to abort their child and that he wanted a divorce because he married her on the rebound after the real love of his life married another man, the h may have just been feelin' a bit cranky and angry that the H was so charming and good looking.
We learn all this in a flashback as the book opens with the h waking up in a hospital bed after rebels threw a mortar round into the emergency ward. The h has been in Africa for a few years and is currently working in a small aid hospital that is in the middle of a war zone.
The h is told her husband is dead and that she has to leave, she is now widowed, pregnant and literally suffering from shell shock.
The H is also injured from dragging the h out of the rubble from the bomb and can't drive, so he suggests that the h drive his jeep to the nearest town out of the conflict area that also has an airport.
The h wants to do what is best for her baby, she was in a bad car accident as a child and her parents were killed.
She was so injured she spent years in physiotherapy and she was told she would never have children, but a now miracle has occurred and the h is anxious to give her child the best life possible.
So the h has to weigh two days travel on a dangerous road with a man she doesn't really like versus hoping a plane can get through to land at the small village without being blown up. As this is HPlandia and road trips are always fun, the h elects for the driving the jeep option.
The H is very flirty and very probing in the questions he asks about the h and her marriage. The h doesn't feel like rehashing what a failure her marriage turned out to be and she doesn't mention she is pregnant.
(The h is convinced she will have to go it alone, her husband's parents never liked her and the h is just hoping that she manages to make it back to London safely.)
We get two days of dangerous travels on very narrow cliff hanging roads and a really tense moment as a group of rebels camp a few yards away from the hidden H and h. There is a breathless, maybe we are facing death kissing moment and the h is shocked at the powerful attraction she feels for the H.
The next morning the rebels leave without discovering them and the h and H are able to make it to the safe zone. There is another almost lurve club moment after the H and h reach the safe town, before the h calls the H by her dead husband's name and the H backs off because he thinks he is taking advantage of the h.
The h is bewildered by her feelings, but really anxious to get back to London and sort out her life. The H learns the h is pregnant as she is getting on the plane to leave, but promises to look her up if he makes it back alive from his next assignment in an even more dangerous area.
(He also asks the h to mail a letter to his eight year old son who lives with his fashion model ex wife. The h agrees and figures she will probably never see the H again, tho he has totally imprinted on her brain.)
The h gets to torment herself with unfavorable comparisons of pregnant widows to fashion models, and to her great surprise, the H looks her up almost as soon as he gets back to London six weeks later and asks her out to dinner.
The h's boss at the relief agency, where she now works as an office assistant, is also interested romantically in the h, but she only has eyes for the H.
There is some interesting undercurrents and the h finds she is jealous of the H's ex wife, who shows up to petition the H over dinner for a second chance and the H is jealous of the h's boss and tries his best to warn her off of him.
The ex wife makes short work of laying out to the h about how she is going to resnare the H, using his son to manipulate him. The h has a few mopey moments as she tries to concentrate on growing her baby and forget her burning attraction to the H. But as the H keeps asking the h out and she eventually agrees, it isn't too long before she and the H are having a purple passion moment.
The big night o' love ends in a dud tho as the H gets a very secretive phone call and the h drives herself nuts thinking the H is reconciling with his ex wife. The h winds up sleeping by herself at the H's house and is getting ready to go to work in the morning when the ex wife and the H's son show up.
The h is shocked to learn the H is heading back to Africa in a few days, he hadn't mentioned it to her and the ex wife is being a witch and trying to taunt the h, but the h calls her bluff and then pretends to the H that she is okay with their big night being just a fling.
The H disappears for the next several months and the h's pregnancy is coming to term. The h has a few more mopey moments and then the H calls the h up to tell her that her husband was taken hostage by rebels and isn't dead. The H got the news during the seekrit phone conversation and that was why he was avoiding telling the h, he went back to Africa to find her husband.
The H shows up just as the h is going off to confront her husband for a divorce and the H is wondering what on earth is up - he had thought the h was only with him on the rebound after being widowed. He asks the h what is she doing alone at her flat when her husband has been in London a his parent's house for over a week.
The h is forced to confess that her marriage was on the rocks even before she met the H, she never said anything to the H because she thought he was just using her as a substitute before he went back to his ex-wife.
The H explains that he will be changing jobs and will get custody of his son, but the h gets angry that he is still trying to pursue her when it sounds like he is resuming family life with his ex wife. The angry h takes a taxi to see her husband and the confused H shows up to offer moral support.
The ex husband is a jerk and tells the h he is back with his true love and going to work in Africa again, he wants nothing to do with his child and the h demands a divorce. The H tells the husband that he is a fool and a snot snarfer, the husband starts getting nasty and the h leaves the two of them to argue about things.
The h is walking back to the main road to call a taxi when the H comes chasing after her, he tries to get the h to get into his car, but the h has to stop and sit down because she is going into labor. The H holds the h's hand as she gives birth in the ambulance and the h has a little girl.
The next day the H shows up with flowers and a proposal. He is getting full custody of his son so his ex can pursue her modeling career and he loves the h and her daughter and can't wait to make a family of four or more.
The h confessed she loved the H as she was giving birth, but she reaffirms her pledge as the H looks on adoringly and we leave them making wedding plans for the cute HEA.
This one was very different. The H and h were regular people and while the ex-wife's machinations were typical HP OW happenings, nothing else about this story was.
It was a very interesting and very fast paced story, but the usual HP drama was lacking and so if you want a trainwreck HP outrageous angstfest, you will want to choose another HPlandia voyage over this.
These two meet just before the story starts, when the H shows up on the h's medical ward after being hit by shrapnel in a roadside ambush.
The h was initially very disapproving of the H's flirtatiousness with some of the other nurses. Then again, because her husband of two years had just told her to abort their child and that he wanted a divorce because he married her on the rebound after the real love of his life married another man, the h may have just been feelin' a bit cranky and angry that the H was so charming and good looking.
We learn all this in a flashback as the book opens with the h waking up in a hospital bed after rebels threw a mortar round into the emergency ward. The h has been in Africa for a few years and is currently working in a small aid hospital that is in the middle of a war zone.
The h is told her husband is dead and that she has to leave, she is now widowed, pregnant and literally suffering from shell shock.
The H is also injured from dragging the h out of the rubble from the bomb and can't drive, so he suggests that the h drive his jeep to the nearest town out of the conflict area that also has an airport.
The h wants to do what is best for her baby, she was in a bad car accident as a child and her parents were killed.
She was so injured she spent years in physiotherapy and she was told she would never have children, but a now miracle has occurred and the h is anxious to give her child the best life possible.
So the h has to weigh two days travel on a dangerous road with a man she doesn't really like versus hoping a plane can get through to land at the small village without being blown up. As this is HPlandia and road trips are always fun, the h elects for the driving the jeep option.
The H is very flirty and very probing in the questions he asks about the h and her marriage. The h doesn't feel like rehashing what a failure her marriage turned out to be and she doesn't mention she is pregnant.
(The h is convinced she will have to go it alone, her husband's parents never liked her and the h is just hoping that she manages to make it back to London safely.)
We get two days of dangerous travels on very narrow cliff hanging roads and a really tense moment as a group of rebels camp a few yards away from the hidden H and h. There is a breathless, maybe we are facing death kissing moment and the h is shocked at the powerful attraction she feels for the H.
The next morning the rebels leave without discovering them and the h and H are able to make it to the safe zone. There is another almost lurve club moment after the H and h reach the safe town, before the h calls the H by her dead husband's name and the H backs off because he thinks he is taking advantage of the h.
The h is bewildered by her feelings, but really anxious to get back to London and sort out her life. The H learns the h is pregnant as she is getting on the plane to leave, but promises to look her up if he makes it back alive from his next assignment in an even more dangerous area.
(He also asks the h to mail a letter to his eight year old son who lives with his fashion model ex wife. The h agrees and figures she will probably never see the H again, tho he has totally imprinted on her brain.)
The h gets to torment herself with unfavorable comparisons of pregnant widows to fashion models, and to her great surprise, the H looks her up almost as soon as he gets back to London six weeks later and asks her out to dinner.
The h's boss at the relief agency, where she now works as an office assistant, is also interested romantically in the h, but she only has eyes for the H.
There is some interesting undercurrents and the h finds she is jealous of the H's ex wife, who shows up to petition the H over dinner for a second chance and the H is jealous of the h's boss and tries his best to warn her off of him.
The ex wife makes short work of laying out to the h about how she is going to resnare the H, using his son to manipulate him. The h has a few mopey moments as she tries to concentrate on growing her baby and forget her burning attraction to the H. But as the H keeps asking the h out and she eventually agrees, it isn't too long before she and the H are having a purple passion moment.
The big night o' love ends in a dud tho as the H gets a very secretive phone call and the h drives herself nuts thinking the H is reconciling with his ex wife. The h winds up sleeping by herself at the H's house and is getting ready to go to work in the morning when the ex wife and the H's son show up.
The h is shocked to learn the H is heading back to Africa in a few days, he hadn't mentioned it to her and the ex wife is being a witch and trying to taunt the h, but the h calls her bluff and then pretends to the H that she is okay with their big night being just a fling.
The H disappears for the next several months and the h's pregnancy is coming to term. The h has a few more mopey moments and then the H calls the h up to tell her that her husband was taken hostage by rebels and isn't dead. The H got the news during the seekrit phone conversation and that was why he was avoiding telling the h, he went back to Africa to find her husband.
The H shows up just as the h is going off to confront her husband for a divorce and the H is wondering what on earth is up - he had thought the h was only with him on the rebound after being widowed. He asks the h what is she doing alone at her flat when her husband has been in London a his parent's house for over a week.
The h is forced to confess that her marriage was on the rocks even before she met the H, she never said anything to the H because she thought he was just using her as a substitute before he went back to his ex-wife.
The H explains that he will be changing jobs and will get custody of his son, but the h gets angry that he is still trying to pursue her when it sounds like he is resuming family life with his ex wife. The angry h takes a taxi to see her husband and the confused H shows up to offer moral support.
The ex husband is a jerk and tells the h he is back with his true love and going to work in Africa again, he wants nothing to do with his child and the h demands a divorce. The H tells the husband that he is a fool and a snot snarfer, the husband starts getting nasty and the h leaves the two of them to argue about things.
The h is walking back to the main road to call a taxi when the H comes chasing after her, he tries to get the h to get into his car, but the h has to stop and sit down because she is going into labor. The H holds the h's hand as she gives birth in the ambulance and the h has a little girl.
The next day the H shows up with flowers and a proposal. He is getting full custody of his son so his ex can pursue her modeling career and he loves the h and her daughter and can't wait to make a family of four or more.
The h confessed she loved the H as she was giving birth, but she reaffirms her pledge as the H looks on adoringly and we leave them making wedding plans for the cute HEA.
This one was very different. The H and h were regular people and while the ex-wife's machinations were typical HP OW happenings, nothing else about this story was.
It was a very interesting and very fast paced story, but the usual HP drama was lacking and so if you want a trainwreck HP outrageous angstfest, you will want to choose another HPlandia voyage over this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2025
It was cute. And I'm going to go ahead and give details because this book has been published for thirty years and it's a Harlequin romance with a HEA--there's no such thing as a spoiler here.
The beginning of this book definitely gave "Out of Africa" vibes, but for a book with more than half set in London, you'd never know it. There was very little description of London itself besides the cherry blossoms outside of her flat (which was very "Mary Poppins" of the author, but I digress). I honestly had no idea that Josh (the MMC) was British until more than halfway through the book. The amount of times his "drawl" was mentioned made me think he was an American Southerner who had perhaps lived in London for a while. I lived in London myself and I have never once heard a British person with a drawl.
The moment in which she decided she was in love with him came far too rapidly with absolutely no reasonable basis, and the fact that she didn't even meet him until after the pregnancy hormones would have started swarming her brain gave all kinds of red flags. What if she doesn't even actually like him and it was all hormones? The interactions she'd had with him were so limited that I really did find it difficult to buy into their "romance," as it were. Can we also talk about the fact that her labor for her first child apparently took what was very likely less than an hour, and practically in the front drive of her ex? That was all kinds of weird. There was no epilogue, either--she had the baby, they finally confessed their love, and that was it. So their entire romance truly could have lasted nine months (the FMC was already a few weeks pregnant when they met and she did comment towards the end that the baby wasn't due yet) and not much longer and we'd never know.
The only thing that made me happy to read this is that an actual person would've had to write it in the 90s--no AI involved. But it was very surface-level, and I can't see myself wanting to read it again. If anything, I want to rewrite it myself just to give it some depth. It was fluffy and an interesting perspective--an aid worker nurse becoming a widow and then falling for a reporter in Africa before they both return to London--but if you're looking for actual emotional depth, this is not it. Three stars--and the third star is for the fact that I didn't catch any typos in this, which was a breath of fresh air!
The beginning of this book definitely gave "Out of Africa" vibes, but for a book with more than half set in London, you'd never know it. There was very little description of London itself besides the cherry blossoms outside of her flat (which was very "Mary Poppins" of the author, but I digress). I honestly had no idea that Josh (the MMC) was British until more than halfway through the book. The amount of times his "drawl" was mentioned made me think he was an American Southerner who had perhaps lived in London for a while. I lived in London myself and I have never once heard a British person with a drawl.
The moment in which she decided she was in love with him came far too rapidly with absolutely no reasonable basis, and the fact that she didn't even meet him until after the pregnancy hormones would have started swarming her brain gave all kinds of red flags. What if she doesn't even actually like him and it was all hormones? The interactions she'd had with him were so limited that I really did find it difficult to buy into their "romance," as it were. Can we also talk about the fact that her labor for her first child apparently took what was very likely less than an hour, and practically in the front drive of her ex? That was all kinds of weird. There was no epilogue, either--she had the baby, they finally confessed their love, and that was it. So their entire romance truly could have lasted nine months (the FMC was already a few weeks pregnant when they met and she did comment towards the end that the baby wasn't due yet) and not much longer and we'd never know.
The only thing that made me happy to read this is that an actual person would've had to write it in the 90s--no AI involved. But it was very surface-level, and I can't see myself wanting to read it again. If anything, I want to rewrite it myself just to give it some depth. It was fluffy and an interesting perspective--an aid worker nurse becoming a widow and then falling for a reporter in Africa before they both return to London--but if you're looking for actual emotional depth, this is not it. Three stars--and the third star is for the fact that I didn't catch any typos in this, which was a breath of fresh air!
July 24, 2021
Este libro no lo leí pero el que leí se llamaba igual pero no esta en goodreads así que califico este como si fuera el que acabo de leer.
July 18, 2022
This book has great lessons to learn from
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews