Not According to Plan by A.M. Madden

For one night of my life, I dared to do something reckless.

My birthday. A bar. Karaoke. And a man so hot he could melt the sun.

Sparks flew. Lust took over. For one night of my life, I felt alive.

Then I was back to my “boring” life. Career-driven. Goal-oriented. Always planning ahead.But nothing could have prepared me for the positive pregnancy test. We weren’t that reckless.

There goes my “boring” life. And what happens when I tell the father?

 

Publisher: Amara/Engtangled |  Genre: Contemporary Romance | Source: Publisher | Rating: 1 Cups

Challenges Read For:  - Literary Pickers  -  Salad

 

Ummm, okay….wow—not a good wow, either. I’m just over here scratching my head trying to figure out if anyone actually liked this book. Okay, I’m actually over here wondering why I finished the bloody book. I should have DNF’d it after the second chapter but I’m blaming my insomnia—people do weird things when they can’t sleep.

 

The blurb sounds interesting but it left out one huge plot point: Max has impregnated two women—in two different states—within 5 months of each other. So there’s Jade—whom he met at his brother’s bar—then there’s the first woman Tracey—she’s his best friend with benefits who lives in Miami with her fiancé.

 

There’s no chemistry between Jade and Max. Even though they’re happy little shaggers, they just lack any emotional connection. It almost seemed like Jade was his second choice. His priorities were definitely tied up in Miami—the impending arrival of baby number one and his new gym. He wasn’t willing to give an inch yet Jade was ready and willing to give everything up for him. And it was just strange that both women were okay with the situation.

 

I feel like the author could have made this work. I mean, it’s not an ideal plot device but I’ve have seen it work in historical romance/ historical fiction. There’s one book in particular—a Scottish historical fiction—that’s one of my favorite books. It can be done; however, this one was just a train wreck.

 

Overall, given the premise of this one, the author needed to sell me on the fact Jade and Max had earth shattering, I can’t live without you, you’re the only one for me chemistry/connection and that just wasn’t there. What was there was a self-centered man and a woman happy to be treated like a doormat.