And Baby Makes Five

Monterey Peninsula #1

by Gail Gaymer Martin

This is not what Felisa Carrillo envisioned when she left her home in Guadalajara. Sixteen, married to a handsome guy, handing to America. Who could have know her husband would turn abusive and "America" would mean migrant work and impoverished living? But here she is, years later, wiser but still in trouble. Chad Garrison is on a routine visit to his fields when he sees a young migrant worker double over in pain. He hurries to help, only to find she is about to deliver a child there in his field. He rushes her to the hospital, then finds himself drawn to her. Is Chad being taken in by a scheming, dishonest immigrant, as some of hsi friends suggest? Should Felisa be concerned that Chad has ulterior motives in his generosity toward her? Is this relationship God's doing or just a big mistake?

Genres: Romance

176 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 17, 2007

About the author

Multi-award-winning novelist, Gail Gaymer Martin writes Christian fiction for Winged Publications with many books published by Love Inspired and Barbour Publishing, where she was honored by Heartsong readers as their Favorite Author of 2008. Gail has 77 published novels or novellas with over four million books in print. She is the author of Writers Digest’s Writing the Christian Romance and a founder of American Christian Fiction Writers, a keynote speaker at churches, libraries and civic organizations and presents workshops at conference across the US. She was named one of the four best novelists in the Detroit area by CBS local news. Gail loves to hear from readers through her website contact and adds the reader's name to her bi-monthly drawing for a free book or two.

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

And Baby Makes Five was an okay story, very predictable but still a somewhat enjoyable read. It certainly wasn't the best Heartsong Presents book I've read and for a book that is under 200 pages it did seem to take forever to read.

[Zinta · Rating 3 out of 5]

And Baby Makes Five was the second of two Christian romances sent to me by the author, Gail Gaymer Martin, for review. I had already read Garlic and Roses, so came to this book with a certain expectation in place. As stated in my review for Garlic and Roses, I am by no measure a "romance" reader.

And yet, I do try to keep an open mind whenever opening the cover of a yet unread book, doing my best not to judge by cover or even by genre. That said, certain stereotypical assumptions for the genre of romance held. The main characters were attractive, young people, pitted against seemingly insurmountable odds, but driven by their growing passion one for the other. What differentiates this book, however, from the usual expectation for a romance paperback, is that the passion is more one of faith than heaving bosom. Indeed, this is what saved the book for me. Are we not all weary of cliche by now? Perhaps not. Perhaps there are those readers who like their literary diet predictable, like to know exactly what they are getting, like the comfort and reassurance of routine. I am not one of them. I enjoy a surprise. A sudden twist. An a-ha moment. Looking for that? I would suggest passing up this genre entirely.

Still here? Okay. If you are still interested, this little paperback isn't bad. While I have extremely slim pickings for comparison, I found the opening scene intriguing. Felisa Carrilo is doubled over with pain while working in the fields in the hot southern sun. Chad, young and wealthy owner of these fields, happens by and notices. The young woman seems to be hiding something ... and then he realizes it is her belly. The pretty young Mexican woman is pregnant, and he is horrified at her predicament, convinces her to let him help her (no easy feat, but as a migrant worker, she has grown to distrust her employers if not men in general) and takes her to the hospital.

What follows is, let's face it, something of a Cinderella story. Prince Charming saves the poor, downtrodden woman. He brings her and her baby to live in his mansion, exposes her to the life of the wealthy, the two fall in love and, yes, there is that happily ever after part coming. This is, I would suspect, the general outline of most romance novels. What makes this one different is that, as mentioned earlier, it is based more on passion of faith than passion of flesh. There are prejudices to overcome, not the least of which is the slow pace of their cautious courtship in a society that has all but forgotten the art of courtship. There are also racial and ethnic prejudices, class prejudices, and not only from the upper class looking down. The lower class looking up has its own set of stereotypes and expectations to overcome. All of this does add an element of interest to the storyline.

For all its lack of surprise or plot twist, I have to say I enjoyed the quick and easy read. Much as one does a quick, sweet snack between gourmet meals. While I was eager to return to my usual more literary choices in reading material, a bite of chocolate now and then isn't all bad. I was reminded, in reading both of Martin's books, of what a tragedy it is that modern society has indeed forgotten the art of courtship. The glance from afar. The shy first conversation. The touch of fingertips. The longing and wondering. The waiting. With our modern life pressures to skip the wait and go immediately to instant gratification ... the sad truth is that the gratification is made empty. Passion of the flesh when separated from passion of the heart is cotton candy. It melts in a moment, leaving nothing behind but empty calories and an unsatisfied hunger.

For this reason, I commend the author for the two books I've read, and the many others she has written that I have not read. Light reading, yes, but it serves a need, it is a valuable reminder that romance is often the last thing secular "romance" novels address. If at all.

[Marren · Rating 4 out of 5]

With most of these heartsong short novels, it is very predictable what would happen but actually reading to the end enjoyable. Plus I love when a stranger plays the hero role to a damsel in distress.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light reading; doesn't take long to finish. Sweet tale of love and acceptance without prejudice.