Scrambled Eggs
By Cynthianna Appel
Triskelion Publishing
Sept. 2005
219 pages
$5.99
ISBN: 1-933471-23-9
Fiction
Sharlene was swept off her feet by Jeffrey Pincher and his talk of love and starting a family. Three years later they are still trying to start a family and the luster has begun to fade with Jeffrey's increasingly selfish acts. They have turned to a fertility clinic and their prayers have been answered, with a catch. The sperm used weren’t Jeffrey's. Apparently there was a mistake made in the lab and an anonymous sperm donor's sample was used. When Sharlene tells Jeffrey about this she is appalled to realize that her hopes of Jeffrey wanting a child for the child's sake instead of as a way to get money from his Uncle Bart, are dashed. She knows now that this is her baby, Jeffrey has no claim on it and she has got to raise this child with love, not the indifference that Jeffrey has shown her. However, she needs to talk to Uncle Bart and let him know that she is not absconding with the Pincher heir.
Zack cannot believe that he let his foster brother, Keith, talk him into this. It had seemed a good idea when he was trying to find ways to pay for his classes and books, but it just isn't right. He cannot, in good conscious, donate sperm again. Who knows how many of his children could grow up not knowing he was their father? He just cannot reconcile his Catholic upbringing and donating sperm. He is struggling to keep his father's shop afloat and go to school for his degree at the same time. Now that he has decided against donating sperm as a money making idea he needs to rent out the upstairs to keep from drowning in debt.
Sharlene is looking for a quiet little apartment that will be her home for awhile while she has the baby and gets her life together. Thanks to Uncle Bart and his appreciation for her honesty, she does not have to work, but she does not want to squander the nest egg that he so generously endowed her with. So she's looking for a nice place that's relatively cheap as well. Finding Zack's ad is a godsend, not only can she afford the apartment, but it has a beautiful view and is the perfect size for her and her child. Not to mention that the gorgeous landlord doesn't hurt.
Sharlene and Zack fight their attraction to each other and try to be 'just friends.' What would Sharlene want with a broke college boy trying to keep things together? Why would any young man want to carry the burdens of another man's child? They find themselves caught up in a number of situations that make being 'just friends' entirely too hard.
I was impressed by Cynthianna Appel's ability to take a mistake in a lab and create a touching story. She wrote the characters in a believably sweet way that made you cheer for them. The plot was fun and at times a little predictable, but I don't think that it took away from the story that was told. The different characters were well written and made a great support cast for Zack and Sharlene. I enjoyed Uncle Bart and Aunt Edwina and their personalities. They were a great counterpoint for the selfishness of Jeffrey and the playfulness of Keith. There were quite a few subplots that wove in well with the main romance between Jack and Sharlene. All in all I have to say that this was an all around good book. I give Scrambled Eggs 4 test tubes out of 5.
--Serena Polheber, gottawritenetwork.com
January 17, 2006
copyright Serena Polheber and GWN
