TEST
Prepare to swoon, because Lauren Blakely has delivered another top-notch romance. The Knocked Up Plan is the perfect blend of humor, passion, and love, and you’ll grin from start to finish.
Nicole Powers and Ryder Lockhart are friends, co-workers, and ping-pong partners, and they have an easy-going relationship and playful repartee founded on a genuine fondness for each other. They both have radio shows and regular columns at Hanky Panky Love, a lifestyle media company, where each dish out advance and tips on dating, sex and romance to male and female audiences. Ironically, neither are too keen on marriage or the forever-kind love for themselves. Nicole has never experienced butterflies in her stomach or a weakness in her knees; she’s convinced she’s not capable of falling in love, and she’s perfectly fine with never marrying. Ryder used to believe in fairy tale endings and was even married, but his beliefs were crushed when his wife cheated on him and broke his heart. He has no desire to ever be in love or married again.
While Nicole is fine without a significant other, she has always wanted children, and she’s decided that it is the right time to have a child now that she’s thirty. After researching the sperm donor route, she realizes she wants to know more about the father of her baby than the statistics and bullet points found on a sperm bank’s website – she doesn’t want the father to be anonymous but she also doesn’t want him involved. Ryder immediately comes to mind when she has the idea, and she’s convinced he has the perfect DNA. He’s smart, funny, compassionate, and incredibly handsome, and that’s just a few of his best qualities. Although it’s not easy to ask a man to donate his sperm, Nicole is fearless in her desire to have a child and boldly asks him if he’ll help her out.
It’s understatement to say Ryder is surprised, but he’s not freaked out by the notion. He’s understandably conflicted, but he truly likes and respects Nicole and realizes he has the power to give her something incredibly special that would mean everything to her. He doesn’t want a child right now and assumes he never will; therefore, he is comfortable with the idea of being a donor and not a dad. What he’s not too excited about is in-vitro fertilization’s sterile approach, and he doesn’t see why he and Nicole can’t make this baby the old-fashioned way. They’re friends, but there’s always been a potent attraction between them, and he figures why not make this fun rather than clinical? He presents his idea to Nicole, and she’s on board, although she worries about it causing future complications in their relationship.
Of course, Nicole and Ryder are experts in the game of love, and they confidently agree that their sexual relationship will be solely for the purposes of getting her pregnant and that they’ll return to co-workers and friends afterwards. Each agrees to this crazy plan with the belief that their physical relationship will lead nowhere, and they’ll be able to regulate their feelings, which makes it seem like their hearts will be safe. They think they have it all figured out, but emotions are never predictable or controllable.
Ryder and Nicole are the type of characters that you’d love to be friends with. (Well, I’d like Ryder to be more than a friend.) Nicole is confident, strong, and brave as she lives her life without regret, making the complicated decision to become a single mother. Ryder is irreverent, genuine, and compassionate, and he’s incredibly sexy when he’s vulnerable talking about his ex-wife and former marriage. He’s seriously dreamy. His and Nicole’s relationship is based on a solid foundation when it is jolted alive by amazing sex, and then evolves gradually and tenderly into something more.
The Knocked Up Plan is unadulterated romance with lighthearted moments, a sigh-worthy love story and scorching hot sex. It will leave your heart feeling full and a smile on your face.
Buy Now: Amazon/Barnes and Noble/Apple Books/Kobo
Grade: A
Book Type: Contemporary Romance
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 22/06/17
Publication Date: 06/2017
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.
Every year I experience a wave of sadness when I realize I am too old to attend summer camp. I used to be a CFO, but I can never escape accounting because someone always needs a number cruncher. I am a Texan happily living in California.
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I really think the Sensuality rating needs to be fixed on this one. Warm it is not. It is Hot. The f-word is used multiple times. As a verb.
That’s par for the course in much CR these days – all the books by this author I’ve read or listened to use it. The sex scenes in the book take place between two adults and as far as I’m aware, it’s vanilla sex – nothing kinky. Ten years ago, it would probably have rated hot, but not now.
I have listened to a number of books over the years and periodically try again, and when I used to commute quite a bit, they were handy. I just always have the experience where I find that if I really like a book, I want to see it in print. I have lots of students though who are audio learners and I record my feedback for them so that they can hear it in addition to seeing it.
On the other hand, I would be tempted to listen to Richard Armitage read just about anything ;)
Blackjack–I absolutely adore Lauren Blakely but I don’t think she’s for everyone. The books of hers I’ve read have been mostly (not all) in the male protagonist’s first person POV and they can be crude. But unlike other books I’ve read that do this, it’s not juvenile or sexist. Her heroes have confidence but they’re charming and able to poke fun at themselves.
Looking forward to this book. I still haven’t read Joystick so a bit behind on my Blakely tbr.
I’ve listened to several of her stories as audiobooks, and have enjoyed them, although I’m not sure I’d like them as much if I read them . Many of her most recent books – including Mister O., which I reviewed HERE are narrated by Sebastian York, who is simply wonderful at bringing those confident, funny, self-aware heroes to life.
I’m not a big audiobook fan but I’ve heard so many good things about this narrator!
Same! I’m a visual reader and have difficulty with audio books. I too though keep hearing about Sebastian York, who, btw, has a fabulous name :)
I’m also a very visual learner – I like to see things written down in order to really understand them. That said, I adore audiobooks. I think if you find the right narrator(s) the first few times out – and I’m more than happy to advise! – you will slowly get hooked. But I understand for some that it needs a bit of effort to make the transition. (And maybe the fact that I’m a musician by training, so therefore HAVE to be able to process things aurally gave me an advantage.)
Sebastian York is very, very good in this sort of material, and you could do much, much worse than dipping your ear into the world of audiobooks than listening to him.
Caz- I can’t even remember the last time I tried an audiobook. I think Richard Armitage reading Heyer while I made the ~6.5 hour drive down to NC. I will see if my library has any Sebastian York narrated books.
Another author I’ve never read but is on my radar. I always like to premise of couples or one person in a relationship determined to hold part of themselves back. Watching it all backfire is so much fun.