The Surrogate by Penelope Ward Published by Penelope Ward on February 26, 2024
Pages: 335
Genres: Romance
Amazon
From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward comes a new, STANDALONE novel…
ABBY:
I’m falling for the father of the baby I’m carrying.
The problem is: it’s not my baby.
And the broody widower is not looking for a long-term partner.
As a surrogate, the deal was that I’d only be in England long enough to give birth.
At first, the man seemed as pretentious as his name: Sigmund Benedictus.
He and I butted heads.
Sig challenged my intentions, accused me of just wanting to do this for the money.
Gradually, he learned to trust me.
He even became protective.
Over time, our heated animosity turned into fiery chemistry.
I was falling in love with him.
But my time here had a limit.
I needed to protect my heart from the devastatingly gorgeous older man who’d end up breaking it.SIG:
When my in-laws told me they wanted to use my dead wife’s eggs to conceive a grandchild, I wasn’t immediately on board.
They swore that on her deathbed Britney told them it was what she wanted—but only if I fathered the baby. Her parents insisted they would be the ones to raise it.
Against my better judgment, I agreed.
I vowed to keep my heart out of it, though.
I’d continue to pretend it wasn’t happening and live the empty, single life I’d become accustomed to the past five years since Britney died.
And despite the fact that a certain younger American named Abby Knickerbocker had awakened things inside me that I thought were long dead…
I most certainly wouldn’t fall in love with the surrogate.
The plot of The Surrogate sounded just messy enough to pique my interest but not so outlandish as to be implausible: dead wife and frozen eggs, grieving husband, in-laws who want a grandchild, and a surrogate who falls for the husband.
I was worried the in-laws would be unreasonable, demanding, or territorial, but they are delightful. The fact that Sigmund (now there’s a name) is reluctant to become a father leads to interesting conflicts. Abby is just a kind, directionless soul who wants to do something good for others.
The story fast forwards weeks and months at a time, which caused a disconnect within me. I was hoping to experience Abby’s pregnancy right along with her, including all the firsts involved. Skipping over milestones robbed me of sensing that she was growing gradually in love with the baby–and with Sig. Keeping the couple separated for long periods of time failed to create the type of slow burn that I enjoy. Nonetheless, I was rooting for them all to be one big happy family.
This drama is wrapped in a heartwarming and romantic package.
Recommended for fans of:
Dead spouse tropes
Pregnancy
Men who cook
About Penelope Ward
Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.
She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.
With over 2-million books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over twenty novels.
In 2014, Penelope’s fourth novel, Stepbrother Dearest, became the #1 bestselling independently published Kindle ebook of the year on Amazon.com and was credited with igniting an entirely new subgenre of romance.
Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.
Penelope can often be found chatting live with her readers in her private Facebook group, Penelope’s Peeps.
I have been waiting for someone to review this because I have been interested in hearing if it was good. It sounds like it could have used some additional scenes. I’m sorry it didn’t hit the way you wanted it to. I’m not sure if I will read it or not now.