Harlequin Superromances tend to have a bit more realism than the average series romances, and Baby Makes Three is no exception; it has realism in spades. A broken marriage, two miscarriages, a hero whose mother abandoned him, and a heroine with an alcohol problem – all in one book. It’s a lot to cope with, but much of it works. What ended up disappointing me was the hero’s attitude.

Gabe Mitchell is about to open his upstate New York inn, the culmination of a lifelong dream. There’s only one problem: He has no chef. When he turns to his ex-wife Alice, it is only out of sheer desperation, and with the provision that her employment will be temporary. Sadly, Alice is just as desperate as he is. After the divorce, she owned her own acclaimed restaurant that ended up failing. She’s now a grouchy cook in a chain restaurant, drowning her sorrows in liquor every night. Even so, she’s determined to turn down Gabe’s employment offer – until she’s fired. She agrees, but only because the situation is temporary. She’ll get Gabe through the initial opening and an important wedding, then pack her bags and head out.

Even with these parameters, the arrangement gets off to a rocky start. Gabe is concerned about Alice’s drinking and doesn’t think she’s trustworthy. Alice is dubious of Gabe’s ability to put the past behind him, and she’s tired of the way all the men in the family refuse to discuss their absent mother, an issue she considers the proverbial elephant in the room. And predictably, Alice and Gabe find their attraction resurfacing. They soon begin a sexual relationship, even though they both know that their relationship is doomed to failure.

Or is it? Both of them wanted a family, and when Alice suffered two miscarriages, it tore them apart. But Alice is starting to think there might be other options out there. Part of the allure is that the inn was not just Gabe’s dream, but Alice’s as well. The kitchen was built to the specifications she laid out years ago during happier times. Even so, both Alice and Gabe wonder whether they can really trust each other again. Do they have what it takes to make a marriage work the second time around?

Well, after reading the book, I wasn’t entirely sure. There are definitely some things I enjoyed about it. The inn setting was fun and almost idyllic, and the interactions between Gabe and his family felt realistic. As this book is the first in a series, no doubt we’ll be seeing plenty more of them all.

I also found that I liked Alice quite a bit. Her alcoholism certainly humanizes her, and though it’s certainly a common enough problem in real life, I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with an alcoholic heroine. Even alcoholic heroes are rather thin on the ground (off hand, I could only think of the heroes in Putney’s Rake and Reformer and Brockmann’s recent Force of Nature). Though Alice’s drinking problem did seem to be easily overcome, it did stand out as something different. Alice also grows in general throughout the book. She becomes a happier, nicer person as she shares her cooking talents with others.

So where does the book go wrong? In a word – Gabe. He’s every bit as flawed as Alice – perhaps even more so. His mother’s abandonment clearly affected him deeply, and his problems are not easily overcome. In fact, I was pretty skeptical that they were overcome. He treats Alice poorly for some time, and his apologies were too little, too late. Eleventh hour apologies are a little like deathbed repentance; it’s hard to believe them entirely.

And just a side note: This is one of the few books I’ve ever seen where I would consider the title to be a complete spoiler. I know titles are often generated by publishing houses (rather than authors); whoever thought of this one really blew it.

I’ve enjoyed some of O’Keefe’s books in the past, but this is not really one I’d recommend. The churlish hero just didn’t cut it for me. Perhaps his brothers will learn from his mistakes, and the series will improve overtime. I’ll keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best.