On the Sixth Day of Christmas
SIX SECRET BABIES
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, secret babies are a staple of the romance plot. And they aren’t just for contemporaries anymore. In the last couple of years there have been a gaggle of secret babies from some of our favorite historical authors. Anne Gracie had one (or her heroine did) in His Captive Lady. Loretta Chase had one (or her heroine did) in Not Quite a Lady. And the heroine of Jo Beverley’s A Lady’s Secret turned out to be a secret baby in her own right! Here a secret baby, there a secret baby—secret babies for everyone!
So, gypsies, as we roast chestnuts on an open fire, as Jack Frost (or in my case Jack Humidity) nips at our collective noses, let’s talk about these secret babies we love so much. What is it about secret babies that so intrigues the romance reader? Is it the secret? Is it the baby that is a very tangible blending of the hero and heroine (or in some cases the cad who left the heroine in the lurch)? Tell me about your favorite secret babies…One lucky commenter will win an autographed copy of Jennifer Crusie’s Manhunting!
And Congratulations to Caffey who is the winner of the Jacquelyn Frank ARC from Monday. Email me your snail mail addy and I’ll send it out to you!
Let’s see…Liz Carlyle did three back to back secret baby plots a few years ago. They were One Little Sin(the twist in this one did surprise me), Two Little Lies, and Three Little Secrets. Rachel Gibson has done the secret baby plot twice. One of them was in Daisy Carlyle is Back in Town and the other’s title escapes me- she actually has stated that she loves the secret baby plot and that’s probably why she does it so well. Susan Mallery did a secret baby in The Marcelli Princess. That’s all I can think of.
Great blog!
One of my recent favorites is “The Bride’s Baby” by Liz Fielding, but my all time favorite is “Honest Illusions” by Nora Roberts. Luke was in the shock of his life when he came back years later to find Roxy with a kid.
I am not a fan of the secret baby and I think this is because I imagine the poor kid growing up without a father. There are some Presents stories, one by Lucy Monroe, where the heroine is pregnant and the hero doesn’t know or he assumes the child is not his. I enjoy a secret baby where everything is sorted out before the child is old enough to miss having a father.
I loved Loretta Chase’s take on the Secret Baby in NOT QUITE A LADY. Of course, that secret baby wasn’t the hero’s. I think that’s the only part of the secret baby trope that’s hard for me to get over – the idea that the heroine would keep her child and the father apart. Unless she thinks he’s dead or has some other REALLY good reason, I find that hard to forgive. But then, a truly great author can make me buy into just about anything!
Actually, I think I am going to surprise you, but I am not a fan of secret abbies, I usually skip books where there is one in them!
I think Simply Irresistible was the other Rachel Gibson title, Kelly.
I’m not a big fan of the secret baby plot, but like most things, in the hands of a great writer it works. Mary Balogh’s Christmas Belle, SEP’s Fancy Pants, MJP’s Dearly Beloved, Barbara Freethy’s Daniel’s Gift are all on my keeper shelves, and they all have secret babies. I think Jo Bev’s A Lady’s Secret is my favorite secret baby book though. I was totally caught by surprise at that revelation.
Thanks I’m thrilled!!!
Most I recall with secret baby theme is contemps. I was too trying to remember one of a historical and the heroine was a governess to her own baby. This is going to bug me until I remember the title!!
I think you named my favorite secret baby book, NOT QUITE A LADY by Loretta Chase. That book actually made me cry in parts! That darn talented Loretta!
As Kelly said, Liz Carlyle have a trilogy about secret babies. But I love Liz Carlyle’s Two Little Lies the best.
wtg cathie