The Biological Bond

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The Biological Bond is the story of Rebecca Martinson who meets the daughter she gave away for adoption when the girl develops aplastic anemia and needs a bone marrow transplant. This could have been a very interesting plot, but it ended up anemic instead.

Sam Winslow and his wife had adopted a baby in the hopes of saving their marriage. It didn’t work. She left them when Melanie was only six, and since then Sam has been mother and father to the girl. When Melanie developed aplastic anemia and needed a transplant, he petitioned to have the adoption records opened and tracked down Melanie’s biological mother, Rebecca Martinson.

Rebecca is an attorney specializing in family law. She is divorced, a workaholic and all but estranged from her family for reasons that will become clear as the story progresses. Sam comes to Rebecca’s office and tells her of the situation. Sam is surly and defensive – determined that no one will come between him and his daughter. As for Rebecca, her old feelings and deep hurts that have been long supressed come up to the surface. She wants to see her daughter – not take her or even come forth as her mother, but simply see her. Reluctantly, Sam agrees.

The transplant is a success. During the convalescence, Rebecca stays at Sam’s home. He runs a large grain operation in a small town in North Dakota, and Rebecca, who is used to Los Angeles, suffers from culture shock. But propinquity has its way with Rebecca and Sam and they begin to fall for each other. But Rebecca is harboring a Big Secret that could spoil everything.

Rebecca is absurdly inept. So she can’t cook – that I can believe but when the author lets us know that she can’t even turn on a stove, well really! Then to top it off when Rebecca finally figures out how to turn on the stove, she puts meat in a pan, and then goes to sleep leaving it to burn and fill the house with smoke. I assume this was to show what a true city girl Rebecca is, but she very soon switches from “you mean you actually eat Bambi!?” to loving rural life as smooth as silk. Rebecca isn’t totally hopeless, she isn’t hateful or silly, she is warm and understanding with Melanie, but the sexual tension between her and Sam is tepid at best and when it comes right down to it, I simply didn’t think she was all that interesting.

This book wastes a potentially very interesting story with Sam Winslow. He had gotten a scholarship to Notre Dame and had dreams of being a veterinarian, but had had to give up college when his father died and he had to come back and take over the family farm. Sam is a successful farmer and loves the land, but his lost dream of a college education is introduced and then dropped – I wanted to know more. Like Rebecca, Sam is not especially interesting. Tall, dark and handsome – a good father and a nice guy and that’s about it.

The Biological Bond was a fast read, but not a memorable one. I can think of a number of series romances that I have read and loved and that resonated with me. Years after I finished them, I can recall them vividly. This is not one of them.

Reviewed by Ellen Micheletti

Grade: C-

Book Type: Series Romance

Sensuality: Warm

Review Date: 13/09/01

Publication Date: 2001/09

Review Tags: North Dakota adoption

Recent Comments …

  1. excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.

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