Reviewed by Violette

A few weeks ago, I ran a search on Amazon, and pulled up a title, “An Illicit Affair” by Zena Wynn. After reading the short story, which was very good, I decided to give another story of hers a try. At the whopping price of a buck, my Kindle, which has been putting a serious dent in my account, demanded I purchase The Question. The cover was interesting, the blurb definitely an attention getter, but the price was...shall we say, priceless? Two hours later, on a Thursday evening, I couldn’t put the Kindle down despite the fact that I had work the next day, and my hand was hurting something fierce from holding the Kindle. From the beginning of this story, to the very last page, Zena Wynn masterfully crafts such an engaging story you can’t help but read with a smile, tears, anger, hope, and so many other emotions. This book is definitely one of my favorites, and here are the reasons why.

The Question is unlike any romantic tale I’ve read before. For one, The Question has two main characters, Gail Henderson and Rashid Al Jabbar, and two very important supporting characters, Greg Richmont and Crystal Al Jabbar. And two, how it starts is completely different from how it ends. As you read on, you’ll see what I mean.

The Question opens with two best friends discussing a potential pregnancy. Crystal Al Jabbar can’t carry a baby to term, but she desperately wants one, mainly to appease her husband Rashid, so she asks her Gail Henderson, her best friend since school days, to be her surrogate. Of course, Gail is taken aback. Two years back, Gail lost her husband and young son in a car accident, and she’s not certain she’s ready to have another pregnancy—especially one where she’ll have to give the baby up. Crystal is adamant. She wants Gail specifically to be her surrogate because she trusts her, and she wants to use Rashid’s sperm to give him a biological child. In the end, Gail caves and agrees to seriously consider it.

Within the next months, contracts are drawn up, mainly with Gail agreeing to give the baby over Crystal and Rashid, and Gail is inseminated with Rashid’s sperm. From here on out, the story just grabs you and refuses to release its hold. The original agreement was that Crystal would be at all of the doctor’s appointments with Gail, but Crystal begins to skip out and Rashid asks to be present at each one.

Rashid Al Jabbar is a very interesting character. He’s a very dominant male, and tries to deal with Gail the same way he deals with Crystal: by being demanding and expecting his demands to be met. He’s met his match in Gail though, and there’s a scene in there where she lets him have it. Gail basically tells him that while the baby inside her belly is his, she’s not. It’s a scene where I cheered and began talking to my Kindle because it’s so well written and Rashid has had it coming for a long time. Despite his dominant alpha gene, Rashid is amazing. As Crystal’s husband, he’s understanding, and loving, and although he wants a child of his own, he refuses to put his wife through a pregnancy that could kill her. Still, when she tells him of the surrogate plan, he’s excited. This man was meant to be a father. He has an innate protective and nurturing gene, and that soon begins to extend Crystal, the carrier of his babies.

Yes, babies. At some point, they find out Gina is carrying not one, but two children, and Rashid is ecstatic. Gina is shell-shocked, and Crystal grows jealous. Crystal has always had another scheme she’s working on, and this comes to a head when Gina is ready to deliver Rashid’s babies.

Before we get there, we’re introduced to Greg Richmont, who has it bad for Gina. Greg is a divorce lawyer, one of the best, and he’s half-way in love with Gina before she even gives him a chance. When she explains to him that she’s carrying babies for her best friend, Greg is understanding. This book made me fall in love with Greg. Everything about Greg is awesome, and if you read this book, which I hope you do, you will recognize that.

Just a few days before Gina is ready to deliver her twins, Crystal disappears, breaking two of the most important promises she made to the two people who loved her: her husband and best friend. Rashid is heartbroken, and so is Gina, but the babies come, and Rashid asks Gina to stay with him and help with the babies until he can find a nanny. What follows has been brewing in undertones for the first half of the book. These two share an attraction, and with Crystal gone, and joined by a mutual love for their children, the inevitable happens. That it happens while Rashid is trying to ‘help’ Gina makes it a very hot scene.

The Question is one of those stories you can read over and over again. The characters are believable, relatable, and definitely one-of-a-kind. You will find yourself so invested in this story. I highly recommend this story to anyone looking for something different with romance, love, and forgiveness at its heart. It also has some truly funny moments, and the love scenes are very hot.

Quote: “You walked her through your business looking like this?” – Greg, The Question (to understand this bit of hilarity, you’ll have to read the story)

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