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Million Dollar Baby
Compassion, danger and love—the perfect combination for a classic hit from #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson!
When Chandra Hill is awakened by a cry in the night, she is shocked to discover an abandoned newborn in her barn. She rushes him to the hospital, but as a former pediatrician, Chandra finds her instincts have already kicked in. Before she knows it, she’s discussing options for the baby with emergency room doctor Dallas O’Rourke.
Dallas finds himself bonding instantly with the baby—and with the intriguing woman who brought him in. Though Chandra and Dallas try not to get attached, as days pass without a blood relative coming to claim the baby, it becomes difficult to imagine their lives without the little boy. And when the baby’s story becomes national news, the two could realize that all they want is the family they’ve found.
When Chandra Hill is awakened by a cry in the night, she is shocked to discover an abandoned newborn in her barn. She rushes him to the hospital, but as a former pediatrician, Chandra finds her instincts have already kicked in. Before she knows it, she’s discussing options for the baby with emergency room doctor Dallas O’Rourke.
Dallas finds himself bonding instantly with the baby—and with the intriguing woman who brought him in. Though Chandra and Dallas try not to get attached, as days pass without a blood relative coming to claim the baby, it becomes difficult to imagine their lives without the little boy. And when the baby’s story becomes national news, the two could realize that all they want is the family they’ve found.
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 1992
268 people are currently reading
840 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Jackson
271 books9,583 followersLisa Jackson is the number-one New York Times bestselling author of over ninety-five novels, including the Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya Series, the Pescoli and Alvarez Series, the Savannah series, and numerous stand alone novels. She also is the co-author of One Last Breath, Last Girl Standing, and the Colony Series, written with her sister and bestselling author Nancy Bush, as well as the collaborative novels Sinister and Ominous, written with Nancy Bush and Rosalind Noonan. There are over thirty million copies of her novels in print and her writing has been translated into twenty languages.
Before she became a nationally bestselling author, she was a mother struggling to keep food on the table by writing novels, hoping against hope that someone would pay her for them. Today, neck deep in murder, her books appear on The New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly national bestseller lists.
With dozens of bestsellers to her name, Lisa Jackson is a master of taking readers to the edge of sanity—and back—in novels that buzz with dangerous secrets and deadly passions. She continues to be fascinated by the minds and motives of both her killers and their pursuers—the personal, the professional, and the downright twisted. As she builds the puzzle of relationships, actions, clues, lies, and personal histories that haunt her protagonists, she must also confront the fear and terror faced by her victims and the harsh and enduring truth that, in the real world, terror and madness touch far too many lives and families.
Visit http://www.LisaJackson.com where you can find a Media Kit with photos and more information.
Before she became a nationally bestselling author, she was a mother struggling to keep food on the table by writing novels, hoping against hope that someone would pay her for them. Today, neck deep in murder, her books appear on The New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly national bestseller lists.
With dozens of bestsellers to her name, Lisa Jackson is a master of taking readers to the edge of sanity—and back—in novels that buzz with dangerous secrets and deadly passions. She continues to be fascinated by the minds and motives of both her killers and their pursuers—the personal, the professional, and the downright twisted. As she builds the puzzle of relationships, actions, clues, lies, and personal histories that haunt her protagonists, she must also confront the fear and terror faced by her victims and the harsh and enduring truth that, in the real world, terror and madness touch far too many lives and families.
Visit http://www.LisaJackson.com where you can find a Media Kit with photos and more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
January 16, 2012
An ok story. Not entirely believable. Find an abandoned baby, get married to someone you just met within weeks, adopt the baby.
July 16, 2022
Soooo, the version of this I read was published in 2021, but turns out it’s a republication of a book from 1992. You can definitely tell by the not so subtle misogyny that permeates the whole thing. If you choose to read it, level set your expectations accordingly. Otherwise, skip this one. It didn’t age well.
August 8, 2023
The rough and tough Chandra finds a baby in her barn in the middle of the night, calls 911, and takes him to meet an ambulance down the road. She follows them to the hospital, where she barges her way in and slips (blows) past the stubborn nurse, off to find the baby she had found in her barn just a little while earlier. Dallas is introduced as the babies doctor. he’s tired, on edge, mysterious. Drawn in by Chandra’s medical knowledge he’s not sure if he buys her story about how she found the baby. He finds her to be attractive, but he hasn’t loved anyone since he was married to his ex wife, Jennifer, who broke his heart and trust. He doesn’t have room for women in his life, just his career.
Chandra doesn’t have room for men, either. She’s too busy running from her past life in Tennessee. Where she was married, with no children. A doctor, married to another doctor (a plastic surgeon), they had it made! She ran her own practice until she lost a little boy, Gordy. He had pneumonia and they caught it too late. The boy died, and Chandra blamed herself. The family sued her for malpractice. Her name was smeared. Her ex husband tried to push her to keep practicing medicine but she walked away, from her husband, her life, medicine, and left the state.
Now Chandra and Dallas meet, both with the same thought in their head. “Who’s baby is this? and where did he come from?”
Don’t worry because you’ll never figure that part out.
The book was not very in depth on the story behind the baby, only that Chandra very clearly wants this child. So much so she doesn’t want his parents to come back at all. The doctor is so hot and cold, one second he’s all over Chandra and the next he’s just over her and doesn’t care. On one page he doesn’t want to see her, on another he wants to own her in the most intimate of ways? She is a water guide, and takes Dallas’ half brother (unbeknown to her) on a trip, where he purchases a gift certificate for a river trip that he gives to his brother (Dallas) so he, too, can go on the trip of his life! and of course he goes, so he can learn more about Chandra. She’s clearly using him to get to the baby (or that’s how he sees it.) They end up spending the night together, camping. Sporadically about to do each other or fight each other in the middle of the woods. They go back and forth until they ultimately end the trip on bad terms for no reason other than they both let their emotions get the best of them and can’t think or communicate like adults. But don’t worry, Chandra goes back to the hospital, Dallas sees her and suddenly everything is normal and fine again. he still wants to gobble her up like a thanksgiving dinner, but now Chandra jokes about getting a husband to make it easier to adopt ‘J.D.’ (as she’s named him, because she didn’t like Baby John Doe) and Dallas is really thinking about it. Why not? He’s always wanted a family, and after his ex wife aborted his (wasn’t his) baby because she didn’t want a family and left him for her boss, he’s been left with nothing but his career. He wants more. He’s already hired a private investigator to dig into Chandra’s life, he’s insanely sexually attracted to her, why not marry her and get the kid too?
After some more sexual tension, a vain attempt to walk away and a good orgasm in the woods, they come up with this grand idea to get married to each other to gain custody of the child and raise him together, since neither were afforded the chance to have a family of their own, this was perfect. Chandra gets cold feet the next morning, but they work it out. (Shocker. I know.) People start inquiring about the lost infant, families wanting to adopt him. Chandra realizes the chance is slipping out of her hand and her and Dallas run to Vegas and get married in the middle of the night. Followed up with a “honeymoon” (a morning spent in a hotel, devouring each other.) before they return they are faced with photos from their interview with the press being plastered on newspapers everywhere of her and the doctor together, and people referring to JD as the ‘million dollar baby’ because he’s so wanted by people everywhere. A woman shows up claiming to be the birth mother, stating she wants her child back. Dallas and Chandra are heartbroken, but wait for the results of the blood test. Chandra wasn’t losing this baby, she already had an attorney, a husband, a house, and even a dog. All she needed was JD…. and Dallas, she soon realizes. What would she do if they didn’t adopt JD? Would they stay together? She thinks… she loves him. But she doesn’t want to tell him that and look foolish. After all, they got married for the baby. She finds the PI report on herself that Dallas asked for while snooping through his office at work, he walks in asking her why she’s snooping (to which she responded with something along the lines of being married made it okay, lol) and promises to tell him about her past when she’s ready. I don’t even know why it was relevant because it wasn’t that deep.
The ending hits kind of fast.
Dallas leaves and Chandra ends up going home and waiting.
He comes home, and tells her the woman was a fraud, paid by the rich to claim the baby as her own. But that now they can foster the baby til they can adopt him.
She tells him she loves him and would have stayed even if they hadn’t had gotten JD.
and then around Christmas she finds out she’s pregnant with his baby. They all get to live happily ever after in the end. JD has parents, Dallas has a wife, and Chandra has the child(ren) she wanted. Optimism at its finest.
The book could’ve been a lot better. The story lacked a lot, and so did the characters. It almost seemed worth reading until I realized the main story line means basically nothing. The only reason I finished it was because I kept hoping there would be a little more on the baby.
Chandra doesn’t have room for men, either. She’s too busy running from her past life in Tennessee. Where she was married, with no children. A doctor, married to another doctor (a plastic surgeon), they had it made! She ran her own practice until she lost a little boy, Gordy. He had pneumonia and they caught it too late. The boy died, and Chandra blamed herself. The family sued her for malpractice. Her name was smeared. Her ex husband tried to push her to keep practicing medicine but she walked away, from her husband, her life, medicine, and left the state.
Now Chandra and Dallas meet, both with the same thought in their head. “Who’s baby is this? and where did he come from?”
Don’t worry because you’ll never figure that part out.
The book was not very in depth on the story behind the baby, only that Chandra very clearly wants this child. So much so she doesn’t want his parents to come back at all. The doctor is so hot and cold, one second he’s all over Chandra and the next he’s just over her and doesn’t care. On one page he doesn’t want to see her, on another he wants to own her in the most intimate of ways? She is a water guide, and takes Dallas’ half brother (unbeknown to her) on a trip, where he purchases a gift certificate for a river trip that he gives to his brother (Dallas) so he, too, can go on the trip of his life! and of course he goes, so he can learn more about Chandra. She’s clearly using him to get to the baby (or that’s how he sees it.) They end up spending the night together, camping. Sporadically about to do each other or fight each other in the middle of the woods. They go back and forth until they ultimately end the trip on bad terms for no reason other than they both let their emotions get the best of them and can’t think or communicate like adults. But don’t worry, Chandra goes back to the hospital, Dallas sees her and suddenly everything is normal and fine again. he still wants to gobble her up like a thanksgiving dinner, but now Chandra jokes about getting a husband to make it easier to adopt ‘J.D.’ (as she’s named him, because she didn’t like Baby John Doe) and Dallas is really thinking about it. Why not? He’s always wanted a family, and after his ex wife aborted his (wasn’t his) baby because she didn’t want a family and left him for her boss, he’s been left with nothing but his career. He wants more. He’s already hired a private investigator to dig into Chandra’s life, he’s insanely sexually attracted to her, why not marry her and get the kid too?
After some more sexual tension, a vain attempt to walk away and a good orgasm in the woods, they come up with this grand idea to get married to each other to gain custody of the child and raise him together, since neither were afforded the chance to have a family of their own, this was perfect. Chandra gets cold feet the next morning, but they work it out. (Shocker. I know.) People start inquiring about the lost infant, families wanting to adopt him. Chandra realizes the chance is slipping out of her hand and her and Dallas run to Vegas and get married in the middle of the night. Followed up with a “honeymoon” (a morning spent in a hotel, devouring each other.) before they return they are faced with photos from their interview with the press being plastered on newspapers everywhere of her and the doctor together, and people referring to JD as the ‘million dollar baby’ because he’s so wanted by people everywhere. A woman shows up claiming to be the birth mother, stating she wants her child back. Dallas and Chandra are heartbroken, but wait for the results of the blood test. Chandra wasn’t losing this baby, she already had an attorney, a husband, a house, and even a dog. All she needed was JD…. and Dallas, she soon realizes. What would she do if they didn’t adopt JD? Would they stay together? She thinks… she loves him. But she doesn’t want to tell him that and look foolish. After all, they got married for the baby. She finds the PI report on herself that Dallas asked for while snooping through his office at work, he walks in asking her why she’s snooping (to which she responded with something along the lines of being married made it okay, lol) and promises to tell him about her past when she’s ready. I don’t even know why it was relevant because it wasn’t that deep.
The ending hits kind of fast.
Dallas leaves and Chandra ends up going home and waiting.
He comes home, and tells her the woman was a fraud, paid by the rich to claim the baby as her own. But that now they can foster the baby til they can adopt him.
She tells him she loves him and would have stayed even if they hadn’t had gotten JD.
and then around Christmas she finds out she’s pregnant with his baby. They all get to live happily ever after in the end. JD has parents, Dallas has a wife, and Chandra has the child(ren) she wanted. Optimism at its finest.
The book could’ve been a lot better. The story lacked a lot, and so did the characters. It almost seemed worth reading until I realized the main story line means basically nothing. The only reason I finished it was because I kept hoping there would be a little more on the baby.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2018
Short....OK....but not quite what I expect from Lisa Jackson.
September 9, 2024
And me sucked in from the very first pages. Quick pace made it hard to put down.
March 24, 2022
I was expecting a good mystery story. Don't even bother with this one.
This is boring and predictable, as most of these short, sappy romance type things are. Newborn baby left in a barn? Kind of out in the middle of nowhere. Girl finds baby, meets a man, gets involved, predictable sex, decides to get married so they can adopt the baby, wins the baby, makes their own baby, but the book ends with no answer to where the baby came from. I ended up speed-reading to get to the end and find out where the baby came from and come up blank.
I'm embarrassed for Lisa Jackson having written such a thing.
This is boring and predictable, as most of these short, sappy romance type things are. Newborn baby left in a barn? Kind of out in the middle of nowhere. Girl finds baby, meets a man, gets involved, predictable sex, decides to get married so they can adopt the baby, wins the baby, makes their own baby, but the book ends with no answer to where the baby came from. I ended up speed-reading to get to the end and find out where the baby came from and come up blank.
I'm embarrassed for Lisa Jackson having written such a thing.
May 23, 2023
This book was not great. First of all, judging by the cover (and that's why I bought this book) I thought this was a THRILLER! It was a steamy romance novel. The main character finds a baby in her barn and falls in love with the ER doctor. Of course, the two of them fall in love, right? And then they argue because they're both hot-heads. Then they fall in love again, then they fight, then they get married in Vegas. The main character, Chandra, is hardly ever home to take care of her two horses and dog. I guess if you knew going in that this was a romance novel, you would probably enjoy it. Me? Not so much. I only wanted to find out what happens with baby John Doe.
February 15, 2024
Chandra is awakened by a noise. She can't figure out if it is a hurt animal or baby? She us surprised when it is an abandoned baby in her barn. Dallas is the doctor in the emergency room.
Both are hurt souls. Both by spouses.
As Chandra fights to adopt, Dallas tries to stay away from her. She is lime a magnet that keeps attracting him to her.
This was a good read. I was hoping for a wonderful ending and I wasn't disappointed.
I will read more by this author.
Both are hurt souls. Both by spouses.
As Chandra fights to adopt, Dallas tries to stay away from her. She is lime a magnet that keeps attracting him to her.
This was a good read. I was hoping for a wonderful ending and I wasn't disappointed.
I will read more by this author.
July 11, 2024
If you’re looking for a romance, you might love this book. I feel like the cover and the description of the book is very misleading and causes you to think the book is more than what it is. I was expecting a great suspense novel with just a little romance thrown in, but honestly the whole mystery of the book doesn’t ever get answered and that bothered me. I was hooked at the beginning, loved the setting and the main character. Then after 100 pages in, the romance comes and stays for a long time & the characters start to make irrational decisions that just didn’t seem very realistic. This one just definitely missed the mark for me, and I hate it because the plot sounded so good!
July 1, 2017
Chandra finds a baby in her barn in the middle of the night. She feels a connection with him from the start. Dallas is the doctor at the hospital who is assigned to take care of the baby. Both Chandra and Dallas feel a connection to each other and the baby, but they have to overcome their issues if they want to have any chance for a life together and with the baby.
It did take me a little while to get into this book. I found Chandra and Dallas' relationship frustrating at time but it works out.
It did take me a little while to get into this book. I found Chandra and Dallas' relationship frustrating at time but it works out.
July 9, 2023
Chandra Hill was rebuilding her life and one night someone leaves a baby in her barn. When she finds the baby she calls the police and then examines the baby. She was a pediatrician and when the baby is examined by Dr. Dallas O’Rouke in the emergency room. Dr. O’Rouke is intrigued by what Chandra had diagnosed the baby. He at first thinks Chandra is the baby’s mother or that she had stolen the baby. He ends up helping her where the baby is concerned. They get married to get custody of the baby.
July 25, 2024
This started off strong..a hallmark meets lifetime lil romance! A nice, easy, don't have to think kind of read.
When Chandra finds an abandoned baby in her barn.
She immediately takes him to the hospital where she meets doctor O'Roark.. A bit predictable as they fall in love with each other and also baby john doe. While this fast read did have me a hooked, I was disappointed with the ending, which just kind of wrapped up without much depth with the storyline they'd been building up about thousands of people wanting to adopt the baby and their "fight " to adopt him...just felt rushed!
When Chandra finds an abandoned baby in her barn.
She immediately takes him to the hospital where she meets doctor O'Roark.. A bit predictable as they fall in love with each other and also baby john doe. While this fast read did have me a hooked, I was disappointed with the ending, which just kind of wrapped up without much depth with the storyline they'd been building up about thousands of people wanting to adopt the baby and their "fight " to adopt him...just felt rushed!
March 4, 2022
Million Dollar Baby
A newborn baby boy was abandoned in a barn. The lady that lived there on the land found the John Doe baby and assessed his condition and called an ambulance to take him to hospital. The baby was admitted to hospital and because of the publicity a large number of people wanted to adopt him. They was offering to pay money to adopt him. He became known as the million dollar baby.
A newborn baby boy was abandoned in a barn. The lady that lived there on the land found the John Doe baby and assessed his condition and called an ambulance to take him to hospital. The baby was admitted to hospital and because of the publicity a large number of people wanted to adopt him. They was offering to pay money to adopt him. He became known as the million dollar baby.
July 9, 2023
I really enjoyed this book, it’s been awhile since I read a book where I didn’t want to put it down.
Chandra finding the baby in her barn I think encouraged her to start her life over. Leaving Tennessee she was really in a bad place with her life and career. The doctor, Dallas, treating the baby and meeting Chandra also made him realize that marriage couldn’t really be as bad as his first marriage.
The book was alittle bit of a mystery and romance put into one.
Chandra finding the baby in her barn I think encouraged her to start her life over. Leaving Tennessee she was really in a bad place with her life and career. The doctor, Dallas, treating the baby and meeting Chandra also made him realize that marriage couldn’t really be as bad as his first marriage.
The book was alittle bit of a mystery and romance put into one.
June 18, 2023
Chandra finds a baby in her barn and falls in love with him! She determine to adopt him and raise him as her own! Dallas is the ER doctor when the baby is brought in and has many questions for Chandra! Sparks fly between these two! Will they fall in love? Will they marry to have a better chance at adopting the baby? A great romance story!
October 26, 2023
Preposterous premise. Unrealistic events. Toxic relationship. Creepily obsessive woman.
I mistook the author's name for one I do like (actually her first and her last happen to be those of two different authors I like) when I saw this in the Goodwill Outlet bins. It's where it belongs. I'm glad I'm only out 25 cents, and the time it took to read.
I mistook the author's name for one I do like (actually her first and her last happen to be those of two different authors I like) when I saw this in the Goodwill Outlet bins. It's where it belongs. I'm glad I'm only out 25 cents, and the time it took to read.
October 17, 2024
This book was alright. It started out with a strong story line and had the potential to be a great book but it turned sappy and main stream. The ending was pretty unsatisfactory. They built so much hype around it i wish they had made it a bit longer with a bit more of a glimpse into the future. Too many questions left unanswered
March 20, 2019
Ich bin mit der Geschichte nicht warm geworden. Die beiden Hauptcharaktere haben sich ständig getritten und total widersprüchlich für mich verhalten. Auch kamen ihre Sinneswandel immer extrem plötzlich und abrupt. Ich hoffe andere Bücher von Lisa Jackson sind besser.
August 19, 2019
Finding a baby and a new love.
Lisa Jackson never lets me down. This book was different than her other novels I have read. No one murdered but action from beginning to end. Couldn't put it down. A heroine, a new love interest, and fun rolled into one.
Lisa Jackson never lets me down. This book was different than her other novels I have read. No one murdered but action from beginning to end. Couldn't put it down. A heroine, a new love interest, and fun rolled into one.
May 31, 2021
The plot revolves around an abandoned baby, but is another one of those books where the main character starts out deploring the man she will eventually (albeit quickly) fall head over heels in love with.
April 19, 2022
Million dollar Baby
Such a wonderful story. A baby found, A woman finds him, A woman loves him beyond belief. Marries a man who ends up loving her and the baby. Obsticals in the way with adoption of the baby.
But everyone wins
Such a wonderful story. A baby found, A woman finds him, A woman loves him beyond belief. Marries a man who ends up loving her and the baby. Obsticals in the way with adoption of the baby.
But everyone wins
June 27, 2023
For a couple that wanted nothing to do with other men and women, then instantly being thrown together by an abandoned infant would make them realize the love was always there even for each other. It couldn't have been a much happier story.
September 28, 2023
I was entertained reading this book, but disappointed with the ending. I feel like no questions were answered. We were left hanging so bad that there should really be a second book. Also super repetitive.
November 27, 2023
I liked the book overall. I read it pretty quick easy read. I normally like more thriller or mystery, but I felt like it kept me wanting to know if the baby would ever be adopted or what was going to happen to him.
December 29, 2025
I'm torn. I really enjoyed the writing of this book and the story, it was a fast and enjoyable read. On the other hand, I always associate Lisa with "thriller" type books and this was just a long drawn out love story.
January 3, 2020
An early romance book from Lisa Jackson, it was cute, a little unbelievable. I prefer her mystery series better.
July 24, 2020
I love Silhouette Desire and Lisa Jackson is a must read - always!
*Donating my books and updating Goodreads.
*Donating my books and updating Goodreads.
October 14, 2020
Great book love Lisa Jackson and this has a great narrator.
July 12, 2021
it was a struggle - i couldn't do it. not the Lisa Jackson book I was expecting
August 31, 2021
Romantic Feel Good story
A fun read, and an original story with a happy ending. I read this straight through and throughly enjoyed it.
A fun read, and an original story with a happy ending. I read this straight through and throughly enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews