Review: “Protecting His Pregnant Ex”
I chose this book from an ARC program because I was looking for a trope-filled romance read, and the blurb sounded interesting.
The Premise
Reeling with grief after his sister’s funeral, Navy SEAL Brock finds himself shacking up with his ex-girlfriend and recent one-night stand Monica. The circumstances are unusual: a caseworker brings over recently-orphaned baby Aaron, meant for his sister to look after; and Monica shows up at just the right moment to step in to help — right before a storm sets in.
With no other viable option, Brock and Monica settle in for a few days to care for the baby, waiting out the storm so that he can be safely transferred to his surviving relatives coming from abroad. But unknown to Brock, Monica had originally showed up to share her news: she’s pregnant, with his baby. As the storm rages on, she tries to find the right moment to tell him. Meanwhile, it seems like someone is out to harm baby Aaron — and Brock springs into action to defend them. Monica knows that Brock is ideal to hunker down with when danger’s around — but will he disappear from her life once the storm is over?
The Pros
This was a quick read with a simple though predictable storyline. I liked the dialogue and banter between the couple. I appreciated the flow of the story and the high points of suspense and action. I was also glad that the sex scenes were limited to include what was necessary rather than just being gratuitous overkill — it was a nice balance, and the romance between longtime-friends-and-lovers felt genuine and sweet. I also appreciated the small elements included to explain the characters’ motivations — her life in foster care and dedication to helping preemie babies, and his own stoic outlook based on his background.
The Cons
Though I enjoyed this story, I wished there was more character development. With such a great plot, I felt like it could have been written differently to get me more invested in their romance. The writing needed more fleshing out to bring the emotions to the forefront. There was a general sense of “information overload” in some moments rather than allowing the reader to be there in the moment. We are simply told a lot of facts and have to accept these — they had a one-night stand, they were each other’s soulmates in high school, he had a close relationship with his sister, etc. I wish there were flashbacks, or maybe better references to the past interspersed throughout… as it was, I felt like there was something lacking to really give this plot the expansive freedom to truly shine.
Conclusion
Despite some disappointment in the writing style and feeling like I wanted something “more”, I still enjoyed the story throughout and would not mind reading another book by the author. If you’re looking for a serious thriller, this is not it. I didn’t even want to call it “romantic suspense” because it’s not gripping in that way. I would class it as a nice, light read with enough mystery to keep you reading to the end to find out what happened, and believable characters that make you smile when they get their happily-ever-after.
