Erin Connell had an abusive childhood; she ran away and was homeless as a teen. All she has ever dreamed of was having a family and being a mother. When Erin arrived in Lake Tahoe it seemed like a dream come true when she fell in love and married James Connell. Once she was married becoming a mother became an obsession and in their quest to make a baby Erin and James used a fertility clinic. Flash forward to the present and Erin is a widow with a four month old son hoping to re-open the Connell Lodge. The day her first visitor arrives Erin receives a shock of a lifetime, it's a letter from an attorney talking about Party A suing Party B for the right to his child. Erin can't believe it according to the legal document her husband was not the father to her son. This party A was claiming that the sperm from another man was used by the fertility clinic. Terrified Erin tries to hold it all together for her son, Riley.

Sam Thornton arrives at the Connell Lodge as a guest but he plans to learn more about this woman who is the mother to his child and for the opportunity to see his son. Sam's wife died in a tragic accident on their way to the fertility clinic so Sam feels tremendous guilt and he feels claiming his son will right some of his wrongs. The moment Sam meets Erin he is drawn to her and he feels shame for longing for anyone after it was his fault his wife died. Sam believes the pain of his injuries and his self-imposed isolation is a proper punishment for causing his wife's death.

A FATHER'S SECRET is a remarkable account of a parent's love. I must admit that I rarely read Harlequin books, when I have I usually think of them as nice shorter stories to fill in for my much loved series from author's who only put out a book once every year or two. But I have to say that the author Yvonne Lindsay created a tale that had me riveted from the beginning to end. I had a lump in my throat through most of the story, silent tears and sniffling in several chapters and downright sobbing for the last chapters. I don't think I have ever used as many tissues as I did with A FATHER'S SECRET. It is a rare find that a book enraptures the reader from page one through the end but A FATHER'S SECRECT did just that for me. The reader craves to find out if Erin will lose her son, if Sam can let go of his past, and what will the future hold for baby Riley. Lindsay has sold me on Harlequin Desire and I for one will begin exploring more of her books as well as Harlequin's books.