Not According to Plan

Full review appeared at Reader's Edyn on 04/25/20 Jade is a career-driven, workaholic. One of a few women brought into the law office and vying for the junior partner position, she doesn’t have time for any fun. All she does is eat (when she remembers), sleep (once she collapses from exhaustion), and right back to work – a glaringly opposing lifestyle to that of her best friend, Amy, an erotic romance author. If their careers are a complete contrast, their personal lives are even more so. Jade may not need an angel on her shoulder because she keeps herself on track just fine, but she does need the devil in the form of Amy, coaxing her outside of her confining box once in a while. Knowing her responsibility in their friendship, keeping Jade from becoming too straight-laced, Amy dares her to do something crazy for her birthday. After much deliberation, she finally capitulates and has the best sex in her life with Max. But it’s right back to the buttoned-up workaholic … until she realizes she’s pregnant. Max is more than supportive, but he’s got a lot going on as well. He promises to be there for her, but with everything she is trying to accomplish and all of Max’s irons in the fire, Jade is less than confident that there isn’t a distaster waiting up ahead. And even with the odds stacked against them, she begins to hope they could have a future together. With her job losing a lot of it’s luster recently and Max filling her head with possibility, could this workaholic have another option? Because enjoying her baby, Max, and taking a break while she figures out if this is the direction she still wants to head in seems more like an unattainable dream. Max is completely thrown when Jade tells him about the baby. He’s not precisely upset. Excited, in fact. He’s wanted Jade since the first time he saw her at his gym, but was unable to uncover her identity. Thinking he’d never see her again, then acting on his brother’s ridiculous scheme to pair him up with her at Kismet Karaoke, now he’s having a baby with her. But he’s also got a baby coming with his best friend. In another state. At the other end of the country. Stupid recalled condoms. He had absolutely no idea. Plus, he’s opening a new gym and the grand opening is right around Jade’s due date. He knows they have a special connection; that once in a lifetime thing everyone searches for. The circumstances are definitely less than desirable for their fledgling relationship, but Max is determined to make things work with Jade. He’s been given a chance with her and he will not waste it. He’s also got to work around the fact that her family isn’t exactly being supportive and that’s without the knowledge of all the alarming details of his life. How will they react when they find out about his other baby? But Max can’t overly stress about that. He’s got to focus on Jade, his babies, and his new gym – and pray for a miracle that everything comes together while he desperately tries to juggle it all. I have to admit that initially when I realized that Max was expecting two babies with two different women within a few months of one another, I wasn’t sure I’d hang in there with the book. It all seemed a bit too much. Max really does have a ton going on in his life and I myself began to envision a train wreck of the worst sort headed directly for this couple. But then I began to get to know Max and Jade a bit more and while I was a bit annoyed by the fact that he created this situation in which he had to split his time up so carefully, I found myself cheering this couple on. Jade has been in a power struggle at work since probably the first day she arrived. The chauvinistic partners of the firm do not value her – only the time she frees up for them by pulling such a heavy load. She’s only a woman, after all. And they are the names of the business. Ugh. I disliked them from the beginning. Basically, she needs a change but isn’t going to allow herself that thought, let alone realize how necessary such a step is, ...