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Genius physics professor Dr, Jane Darlington desperately wants a baby. But finding a father won't be easy. Jane's super-intelligence made her feel like a freak when she was growing up, and she's determined to spare her own child that suffering. Which means she must find someone very special to father her child. Someone...well..stupid.The Target
Cal Bonner, the Chicago Stars' legendary quarterback, seems like the perfect choice. But his champion good looks and down-home ways are deceiving. Dr. Jane learns too late that this good ol'boy is a lot smarter than he lets on — and he's not about to be used and abandoned by a brainy baby-mad schemer. The Explosion A brillant, lonely woman who dreams only of motherhood...A take no-prisoners tough guy who'll settle for nothing less than surrender...Can passion and physical attraction propel two strong-willed yet vulnerable people to a totally unexpected love?
Author Biography:
Susan Elizabeth Phillips, soared into the New York Times bestseller list with her 1998 smash Dream A Little Dream, and remained there through two subsequent novels, Lady Be Good and First Lady. In addition to being the only two-time recipient of the Romance Writers of America's prestigious Favorite Book of the Year award, she also holds Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. Susan delights fans by touching hearts as well as funny bones with her wonderfully whimsical and modern fairy tales. A resident of the Chicago suburbs, she is a wife and the mother of two grown sons.
From the author of It Had to Be You comes a deliciously, sexy contemporary romance. Former pro-football star Bobby Tom Denton has agreed to lend his fame and his name to a movie. But when he doesn't show up, the film company sends straight-laced Gracie Snow to bring him to the set--with surprising results. Original.
Susan Elizabeth Phillips has found fans all over the world with her warm and wonderful contemporary love stories that manage to touch both hearts and funny bones. She's the only four-time recipient of the Romance Writers of America's prestigious Favorite Book of the Year and was also honored with their Lifetime Achievement Award. A resident of the Chicago suburbs, she is a wife, the mother of two grown sons, an avid hiker, and—unlike some of her characters—notoriously inept at any sport requiring a ball.
Such sass is Phillips' calling card, and since her 1994 football romance It Had to Be You, she’s been stitching threads of humor into her romance novels.
"I'm not a particularly funny person in person. I can't tell jokes, but it just seems like it happened when I started to write," she told The Romance Reader in 1997. "It wasn't anything that was planned. I'm a very intuitive writer; I just sort of let the characters talk to me, and they started saying funny things, so I wrote them down."
A schoolteacher until her first son was born, Phillips began writing in the early 1980s with her best friend and neighbor. The two were both regular readers and decided to try their hand at a book of their own, plotting their story during nightly bike rides with their toddlers in tow. They got the name of a publisher at Dell who liked the book and published it under the pen name Justine Cole.
Her friend moved into a legal career, but Phillips continued writing and publishing, this time under her own name. She released what she calls her "big books," titles like Fancy Pants and Honey Moon featuring Hollywood starlets and jet-setting London socialites.
Her stories, she has said, moved outside of the mainstream after that. She gives her romantic characters emotional wounds and personal difficulties that often impede their inevitable happy endings. But without such obstacles, there would be no story.
"I've grown increasingly interested in writing about family dynamics and much less interested in sticking a psychopath with a gun in any of my books," she said in an interview with the web site iVillage. "Technically, I've simply learned how to capitalize on my own distinctive voice and how to be a better storyteller."
The healing process that the characters go through is what makes the novels work. "Creative plotting adds sparkle, and entertaining, well-drawn secondary characters round out the novel, but it is the growing, healing relationship between the protagonists and how they finally form a family that touches the heartstrings and makes this contemporary romance an unforgettable read," the Library Journal wrote in a review of Phillips' 2000 book First Lady.
The dialogue, she has said, is also important. The exchanges in romance novels are satisfying to women who love to communicate, she told USA Today. "Women really like to talk. That's one of our processes. We talk to gather information. Women love the connection that comes from conversation," she said. "My husband says we broadcast. He thinks through things before he talks, but he says women just kind of broadcast until they zero in on what they want to say."
Phillips has also disputed the notion that romance novels are nothing more than books about "throbbing thighs." They aren't about sex, she told the Chicago Tribune in 1992, but are instead complicated fictions about women taking charge of their lives and being the stories' heroes.
"The woman always wins the man," she said, "and he always gets tamed in the end."
Though two of her books -- It Had to Be You and This Heart of Mine -- have football plots, Phillips doesn't consider herself much of a sports fan. "In my mind, if you don't have to wear mascara to do it, it doesn't count as recreation," she told Book Page.
Her family helps her keep the details straight. Husband Bill was her technical adviser on describing Dallie Beaudine's golf game in Fancy Pants, and son Zach's interest in knives, guns, and dead insects surfaced in Teddy, the son of the novel's leading lady. He also wrote and recorded a companion CD to her title This Heart of Mine, which is available from her web site.
"Let me get this straight," Jodie Pulanski said. "You want to give Cal Bonner a woman for a birthday present."
The three offensive linemen, who were spending the November evening sitting in the back booth at Zebras, the DuPage County sports bar favored by the Chicago Stars football players, all nodded at once.
Junior Duncan gestured toward the waitress for another round. "He's going to be thirty-six, so we wanted to make this extra special."
"Bull," Jodie said. Everybody who knew anything about football knew that Cal Bonner, the Stars' brilliant quarter back, had been demanding, temperamental, and generally impossible to get along with ever since the season started. Bonner, popularly known as the "Bomber" because of his fondness for throwing explosive passes, was the top-ranked quarterback in the AFC and a legend.
Jodie crossed her arms over the form-fitting white tank top that was part of her hostess uniform. It didn't occur to either her or any of the three men at the table to consider the moral dimensions of their discussion, let alone notions of political correctness. This was, after all, the NFL. "You think if you get him a woman, he'll ease up on all of you," she said.
Willie Jarrell gazed down into his beer through a pair of thickly-lashed dark brown eyes. "Sonovabitch been kickin' so much ass lately, nobody can stand being around him."
Junior shook his head. "Yesterday, he called Germaine Clark a debutante. Germaine!"
Jodie lifted one eyebrow, which was penciled several shades darker than her brassy blond hair. Germaine Clark was All-Pro and one of the meanest defensive tackles in the NFL."From what I've seen, the Bomber already has more women than he knows what to do with."
Junior nodded. "Yeah, but, the thing of it is, he doesn't seem to be sleepin' with any of them?"
"What?"
"It's true." Chris Plummer, the Stars' left guard spoke up. "We just found it out. His girlfriends have been talking to some of the wives, and it seems Cal's not using them for anything more than window dressing."
Willie Jarrell spoke up. "Maybe if he waited until they were out of diapers, he could get turned on."
Junior chose to take his remark seriously. "Don't say things like that, Willie. You know Cal won't date 'em till they're twenty."
Cal Bonner might be getting older, but the females in his life weren't. No one could remember him dating anyone over the age of twenty-two.
"Far as anybody knows," Willie said, "the Bomber hasn't slept with anybody since he broke up with Kelly, and that was last February. It's not natural."
Kelly Berkley had been Cal's beautiful twenty-one-year old companion until she'd gotten tired of waiting for a wedding ring that wasn't ever going to come and run off with a twenty-three-year-old guitarist for a heavy metal band. Since then, Cal Bonner had been concentrating on winning football games, dating a new woman every week, and kicking his teammates' asses.
Jodie Pulanski was the Stars' favorite groupie, but although she hadn't yet turned twenty-three, none of the men suggested that she offer her own body as Cal Bonner's birthday present. It was a well-known fact he'd already rejected her at least a dozen times. That made the Bomber Public Enemy Number One on Jodie's personal hate list, even though she kept a collection of blue-and-gold Stars' jerseys in her bedroom closet, one jersey for every Stars player she'd slept with, and was always eager to add more.
"What we need is somebody who won't remind him of Kelly," Chris said.
"That means she needs to be real classy," Willie added. "And older. We think it would be good for the Bomber to try someone maybe twenty-five."
"Sort of dignified." Junior took a sip of beer. "One of those society types."
Jodie's wasn't known for her brains, but even she could see the problem with that one. "I don't think too many society types are going to volunteer to be a man's birthday present. Not even Cal Bonner's."
"Yeah, that's what we was thinking, too, so we might have to use a hooker."
"But a real classy one," Willie said hastily, since every one knew Cal didn't go for hookers.
Junior gazed glumly into his beer. "Problem is, we haven't been able to find one."
Jodie knew some hookers, but none of them were what she'd call classy. Neither were her friends. She ran with a group of hard-drinking, party-loving women, whose single goal in life was to sleep with as many professional athletes as they could. "What do you want from me?"
"We want you to use your connections and find somebody for him," Junior said. "His birthday's coming up in ten days, and we got to have a woman for him before then."
"What's in it for me?"
Since all three of their jerseys already hung in her closet, they knew they'd have to go out on a limb. Chris spoke cautiously. "You got a particular number you're interested in adding to your collection?"
"Other than number eighteen," Willie quickly interjected, eighteen being the Bomber's number.
Jodie thought about it. She'd rather screw over the Bomber than find him a woman. On the other hand, there was one particular number that she wanted real bad. "As a matter of fact, I do. If I find your birthday present, number twelve's mine."
The men groaned. "Shit, Jodie, Kevin Tucker's got too many women as it is."
"That's your problem."
Tucker was the Stars' backup quarterback. Young, aggressive, and sublimely talented, he had been hand-picked by the Stars to take over the starting position when age or injury prevented Cal from getting the job done. Although the two men were polite in public, both were fierce competitors, and they hated each other's guts, which made Kevin Tucker all the more desirable to Jodie.
The men grumbled, but eventually agreed that they'd make sure Tucker did his part if she found the right woman for Cal's birthday present.
Two new customers entered Zebras, and since Jodie was the bar's hostess, she got up to greet them. As she made her way to the door, she mentally sorted through her female acquaintances, trying to come up with one of them who would qualify, but she drew a blank. She had a lot of female friends, but not a single one of them was classy.
Nobody's Baby But Mine. Copyright © by Susan Phillips. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.Anonymous
Posted Thu Jan 26 00:00:00 EST 2006
Loved this book, the characters, the romance, you can see it playing in your head! I gave it to both of my sisters and a friend and they all loved it. Highly recommended.
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Wed Apr 09 00:00:00 EDT 2003
I loved all the books in the Chicago Stars series, but this was my favorite. Jane and Cal were a terrific couple. I loved their personalitiies. I laughed so hard when Jane took all the marshmallows out of Cal's Lucky Charms. It was also funny when Cal sat outside the cottage with a shot gun so that Jane couldn't leave. The book is very sexy and romantic. I know I'll read it again.
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Tue Nov 27 00:00:00 EST 2012
Great book! Strong headed man vs. a stubborn woman. I liked this book a lot! It got a little cheesy but I really got into it. Read it!
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Tue Apr 17 00:00:00 EDT 2012
Great book. Had a wicked amount of humor. It is amazing how a woman so smart can be so clueless. I laugh so hard i cried about the cereal bit. It was so cute. I won't give it away, just read the book.
3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Tue Mar 27 00:00:00 EDT 2012
I really liked the characters of this story, but it took a long time to really get to the heart of what was happening. It was nice to see old characters from previous books pop in, and the smaller support characters grow, and find their own love, always one of my favorite features of SEP books! Worth the read, but find out about & read iher books in order - makes it more interesting, even though they could stand alone.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Thu Sep 12 00:00:00 EDT 2013
I have not read a book like this since First Date by Karen Kendall in early 2000. Icould not stop reading it. I tead it the whole night only because I read every word by word. No scipping boring scenese here. Loved it!!!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Wed Dec 08 00:00:00 EST 2004
I fell in love with this book. Between the humor and the ups and downs of the relationship between Jane and Cal this book is one of my favorites.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Tue Jun 18 00:00:00 EDT 2013
LOVE this book. I love all of her books, but this is my favorite! It's funny....It's romantic....It's emotional.....It's simply the best.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Fri Jun 07 00:00:00 EDT 2013
I loved this book. My mom recomended it to me when i was 17 and I have read it twice since. Im thinking about reading it again. Its one of those books that will have you laughing out loud. Must read!!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Wed Sep 05 00:00:00 EDT 2012
was a greatly entertaining book to read and reread.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Fri Jun 20 00:00:00 EDT 2014
Great read. Lots of humor!
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Posted Sun Feb 23 00:00:00 EST 2014
I loved this book! I enjoyed the backdrop of Heartache Mountain and feisty Annie. It was fun reading Cal and Jane's attempts to fit into one another's life! I'm looking for the rest of the books in this series.
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Posted Thu Nov 21 00:00:00 EST 2013
Not my favorite, but still a good book. Might have liked it more if I didn't read the series out of order.
Hope you like it!
Anonymous
Posted Mon Jul 22 00:00:00 EDT 2013
This book is awesome i first read it when i was in high school its on of those types that will make u want to read it over n over n never get tired of it
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Posted Wed Apr 25 00:00:00 EDT 2012
Really enjoyed previous books, but this one wasn't up to her normal standard.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Wed Apr 11 00:00:00 EDT 2012
What a good story true enjoyment to read highly recommend
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat Mar 24 00:00:00 EDT 2012
I LOVE THIS SERIES, WAS A GREAT BOOK. I KEPT WANTING TO READ AND READ
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Wed Mar 14 00:00:00 EDT 2012
This book was in the top ten romance books of all time, my favorite part was when he was trying to figure out how to get her to stay after she was so done she couldn't take it anymore, he basically lost his mind and I found it so adorable , to love someone sooo much
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Posted Wed Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 2012
Funny, contemporary, down-to-earth, clean romance. I enjoyed it.
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Posted Fri Jan 06 00:00:00 EST 2012
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Overview
Genius physics professor Dr, Jane Darlington desperately wants a baby. But finding a father won't be easy. Jane's super-intelligence made her feel like a freak when she was growing up, and she's determined to spare her own child that suffering. Which means she must find someone very special to father her child. Someone...well..stupid.The Target
Cal Bonner, the Chicago Stars' legendary quarterback, seems like the perfect choice. But his...