Did not finished the book. I find it from the very beginning very disturbing, and I knew that something bad will happen. I just do not like those kind of books.

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Kat and her husband, Nick, want, very desperately, to have a baby. They have tried everything they can think of to make this happen, but nothing worked. Not even adoption. Kat does not know how much more heartache she can take. I am sure some people can relate to Kat and feel her pain. When it seems as though there is no chance of ever achieving their dreams, Kat runs into Lisa, an old friend from the past. And Kat and Lisa have a past, one they are both trying to forget. When Lisa agrees to be a surrogate for Kat and Nick’s baby, it seems as if their prayers are answered. But things are not always as they seem. You know that old adage be careful what you wish for? That definitely applies to Kat and Nick.

The author is very talented in writing an intriguing suspenseful story that has so many twists and turns that you will think you are on a roller coaster ride. I figured that I knew what was going to happen a couple of times, but I was way off. I was afraid I was going to get whiplash trying to keep up with all of the action taking place.

The characters were well developed and well rounded, and not very likable. They all had secrets and things in their past that they are not proud of. And they are all consummate liars and I soon learned that no one was to be believed. But this did not really detract from the story for me because it was so suspenseful. I felt like the whole story was a bit far fetched but that was alright because with most of the books that we read, we have to suspend some reality.

I would recommend this book to any one who enjoys a well crafted psychological thriller. But make sure that you have a lot of time because you will not want to put this book down.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title*

Kat desperately wants to be a mother. But she and her husband, Nick, have tried unsuccessfully to become parents and Nick is ready to give up. Then Kat encounters her best friend from childhood, Lisa. The meeting appears to be happenstance. But is it? Despite their shared history that left the two of them estranged for many years, Lisa offers to serve as a surrogate for Kat and Nick.

At the outset, readers must suspend disbelief in order to accept that Lisa and Kat would enter into such an arrangement sans reconciliation of the dark history they share. After all, whatever happened all those years ago pulled them apart for many years and, under normal circumstances, the two would not just rekindle a friendship -- much less enter into a surrogacy arrangement -- without reconciliation. However, there is nothing normal about the characters author Louise Jensen creates or the world they inhabit.

Jensen navigates readers through jaw-dropping revelations about the characters' pasts, their motivations, and what is really happening as opposed to what appears to be occurring. Every character is far more complex and, in some instances, sinister than they seem. And as Kat realizes that Lisa has misrepresented her current circumstances, actions, and motivations, she is forced to finally confront her fears about past events and how those fears can the power to impact her future. She muses, "You know that feeling? When you want something so badly, you almost feel you'd kill for it?" Lisa tells her several times, "We always get what we deserve." Jensen demonstrates through fast-paced plot twists and unpredictable character developments that nothing has occurred randomly. The quest to learn whether all of Jensen's characters indeed get what they deserve compels readers to suspend disbelief and keep reading. The Surrogate is thoroughly escapist entertainment.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

This is the second book I've read by Louise Jensen and the second time I have been floored by the crazy twists she comes up with in her psychological thrillers...she certainly knows how to craft tense, engaging stories that you just cannot put down until you reach the end.

This book took on an emotional hook for me, being that it deals with surrogacy, and of course having dealt with infertility myself, I am always sensitive to these issues, but it never got too heavy for me. Rather, the book deals with secrets - hidden secrets - and that becomes the basis for the entire story.

This book kept me guessing as to what was really going on and whether there were any ulterior motivations at play - and believe me, as soon as you meet all the players, you can't help but start second guessing what's behind everyone's actions. The story moves back and forth in time and I really felt that every time we learned more about each of the characters, I was left with more questions than answers. Everyone, and I mean each and every character, is so complex, that you can't help but wonder what is really going on with them and whether they could really be trusted. And what's even more remarkable is that these are characters that aren't even all the likable...some are, but most aren't.

This book starts off with a sense of dread and that sense stays with you all the way through. It kept me on my toes and scratching my head as I tried to guess where it was heading...and I certainly did not see that ending coming! This is one author who I love to read and I cannot recommend enough!