A PERFECT FATHER
LAURA IDING
ISBN: 0-378-06542-6
February 2006
Harlequin Enterprises Ltd.
225 Duncan Mills Road, Don Mills, Ontario CanadaM3B 3K9
Paperback, $4.25
185 pages
Medical Romance
Rating: 3 Cups

Anesthesiologist Dr. Moriah Howe has come to Peru partly to escape memories of Dr. Blake Powers. Replacing another doctor who had developed cancer, Moriah spends her time there assisting in surgeries for children with serious birth defects such as cleft palate. The last person she expects to see is Blake himself. How can she work with him and forget him at the same time?

Blake is also a last-minute substitute, taking a friend’s place at the special clinic. He is only a little happier to see Moriah than she appears to be to see him, but they must work together to make the project succeed. It isn’t long before the attraction that had once flared briefly between them resurfaces. They are wrong for one another because Moriah wants a family while Blake is determined never to father a child or even try to raise one. Then a pair of Peruvian orphans enter the picture, adorable children in need of a stable home.

At times Blake’s angst over possible parenthood seems a little overblown but he is generally a sympathetic character. Moriah is a paragon of a heroine, caring, strong and courageous. The setting is clearly defined and vivid, bringing the reader into the midst of the action and the atmosphere of an exotic foreign land.

Although I have not read a medical romance since the days when they featured student nurses going “ga-ga” over handsome young doctors, I enjoyed this story. The author is obviously knowledgeable in the medical field and wove authentic detail into the story with a deft touch. While the developing relationship was the main plot, the setting and events supported and sustained it. A Perfect Father is a pleasant read, especially for fans of medical romance.

Alegria
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
Reviewer for Karen Find Out About New Books