Devon’s review of The Baby Plan by Kate Little
Contemporary Romance released by Silhouette Special Edition 1 May 08
Oy vey, it’s time I gave in and embraced my love for baby/pregnancy books. I always profess to disdain them, but somehow, some way, they just keep jumping into the TBR pile. As I said in an earlier review, not a big fan of secret babies, but I am a sucker for a failed condom. You read that right. I love those books where two people succumb to (a usually ill-advised) passion, and find themselves having to deal with unexpected consequences. Baby consequences.
Really, when you think about it, accidental pregnancies are not particularly romantic, and certainly not the best path to true love. I’m a bit uneasy about the message sent by romanticizing irresponsible sex, but (so help me) I find this plot hook totally compelling. And thus I found myself reading The Baby Plan. It was a typical SSE, a quick read with compelling characters. There were things I loved about it and things I hated about it, which averages out, I guess.
This is definitely a heroine-centric book, and I started out loving uptight realtor Julia Martinelli. She was definitely a bit rigid, and business-like, but in a sympathetic way. She had a wry sense of humor, and was a loving daughter to her flighty, romantic mother, who is about to embark on her fifth marriage. Her mother’s sudden engagement to the guy who fixed her garbage disposal is disturbing to straight-laced Julia not only because it’s sudden, but also because it brings her into close proximity with fiancé #5’s hottie son.
Therein lies my major problem with the book. Sam Baxter, charming chef extraordinaire, remained a cipher throughout. They had a lot of chemistry at the beginning, but after their initial encounter, Sam was offstage for awhile. He comes back, seems like a great guy, then goes back to Boston. Julia’s angsting about him seems very contrived and based on assumptions that the reader sees no evidence of. In fact, Julia seems to become downright unhinged after she gets pregnant. Sam never seems like anything more than a nice, if undistinguished fellow, so I’m not sure why Julia was so sure it wouldn’t work. Maybe it was the hormones.
Kate Little writes with a light, sure touch. I enjoyed the small town Vermont setting and secondary characters like Julia’s mother, her fiancée Lester, and Julia’s friend Rachel. I liked Julia as well, and was disappointed she turned into an idiot. This book started of very strong, but grew less and less satisfying. Never fear, I have plenty more “Oops! I’m pregnant, now what?” books to try.
Grade: C+
From the back cover:
Expecting the unexpected
Real estate entrepreneur Julia Martinelli planned her entire life-and was proud of it. She was the polar opposite of her four-times-married mother, who was about to be swept down the aisle by her newest soul mate. Her fiancé seemed to have honorable intentions, but Julia couldn’t help but worry.
And then there was his son
A soon as Julia laid eyes on Sam Baxter, the attraction was electric. And the successful chef knew his way around Julia’s heart as well as he did her kitchen. But when by-the-book Julia became unexpectedly pregnant with Sam’s child, would it be a recipe for disaster…or for true love?
Read an excerpt here.
