He, she, baby bottle and Baby B...A twist on the trope of a handsome but slightly wild single man with a homely best friend ready to come to his rescue when a baby girl arrives on his doorstep in a basket with a note. Mostly the book follows the trope, although a few things are different...
First of all, I wouldn't call Ben Dalton a playboy. Yes, he is a successful (read: rich) businessman, but it all came from a ridiculous amount of hard work and sound planning. I loved the way Ben's father commented on his personality: "Oh, Ben. You've spent your entire life strategizing. You did it as a kid in every endeavour, from baseball to freaking Halloween. I remember you mapping out the streets, figuring out the quickest routes to cover the most houses and make sure you didn't miss the ones that gave out the best candy." Ben has been in love with his best friend Aurelia for years, fearing he has been friendzoned, secretly taking dancing lessons and hoping that when the right moment arrives he'll make his move. An old adage says, you are what you do with your free time. Aurelia spends all her free time with Ben, listening to him, wathcing movies, cooking for him, going to parties with him, spending nights on his sofa and the list goes on. Are you surprised their friends and relatives have been treating them as an old married couple? Aurelia decides to buy a book store and move to a town nearby, and Ben is finally ready to profess his undying love when.Baby B makes her appearance in a basket in front of Ben's luxurious bachelor pad.
The trope wants you to keep guessing if the baby is his or not his. The story isn't usually about the baby, but about how the playboy in question becomes an adorably cute and clueless Dad which totally makes the girl swoon. 'Call her mine' is about insta-parenthood rather than the two besties finally taking their relationship to the next level. Ben's tirade on why there are never any changing tables in men's bathrooms is hilarious and shows perfectly well how seriously he's taken to the task of becoming the best father possible. What about Relsy.?...well. she, kind of, disappears from everybody's focus, exhausted by midnight feedings and working on opening her new business. Luckily, Ben's parents and sisters are only willing to give the brand-new parents a hand, while Ben is busy trying to locate the irresponsible mother.
This light-hearted, fun book is essentially family-focused (despite a few very hot and steamy romantic scenes). I might have enjoyed it more if it were slightly shorter. The ending was a bit melodramatic, but, ultimately, you do want a happy ever after for Baby Bea and this one brought everything to conclusion.
This was my first book by this author and now that I have met the Daltons brood, I would like to read the previous books about Ben's sisters as well as any future ones in the Harmony Pointe series. Am I right in guessing that one of them will be about a sexy single doctor? Only Melissa Foster and time can answer, but I'll be looking forward to whatever she writes.
3.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake romance for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.