A.M. Madden

3.5 stars

My guilty pleasure is surprise baby books. They are usually my book palette cleanser after I read something heavy or just need a quick read. I had high hopes with this book. Unfortunately, even though there were some good elements to the story, I found that I struggled half the time.

I wanted more fluidity in the story. There were several moments that the transitions would pull me out of the story. I really appreciate this author and their hard work as I cannot even come close to doing what they do. There is a reason I am a reader and not an author. However, this book was not my favorite. The beauty with literature is that even though it wasn't for me, I am sure there will be someone else that loves this.… (meer)

DESCRIPTION, NOT REVIEW: A real hero can protect and serve, but a true hero knows how to love.

David Cavello is no longer in uniform, but the memories of combat still haunt his every waking moment. Driven to protect and serve, he accepts an undercover job he has to keep hidden from everyone. But David’s mission goes against orders the second he makes contact with gorgeous and spirited Maygen Whitney. The intense attraction he feels for Maygen drives him crazy—almost as crazy as he feels about hiding information from her.

After growing up with an overprotective father, Maygen feels like she’s finally claiming her independence. Sure, she’s been lonely, but David seems to make all her dreams come deliciously true—until the sting of betrayal sends her world spiraling. Now Maygen’s caught in a tragic web of lies, leaving her more vulnerable than ever to an enemy hidden in the shadows. But when Maygen most needs a hero, David leaps into action—intent on doing whatever it takes to save the woman he loves.… (meer)

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, so she forges on in seeking junior partner. Amy, as carefree and worry-free as she seems, is intelligent enough to see what Jade won’t and forces her to let loose once in a while. This baby presses on Jade, causing her to refocus her attention on some of those niggling thoughts in the back of her brain that she has so far been able to lock away. Max is in very much a similar situation. Not as far as being a workaholic in a sexist job, but in splitting his time in so many directions, desperately trying to be everything to everyone. He’s always been that way. So having two babies with two women is something he thinks he can simply force to bend to his will. Maybe not so simply though because babies never act according to plan. 😊 Working in his favor is the fact that Tracey (baby mama 1) has found who seems to be the love of her life. They were only ever going to be friends and their baby was an accidental consequence of one single drunken night. Tracey and Max always knew how things would play out with them and the baby, so there is no love triangle here creating a hot mess. Tracey and her boyfriend, Tristan, actually seem like decent human beings. Basically, there are a lot of factors that come into play in this sudden reality for our main characters and a lot of self-reflection must take place. Regardless of whether they are able to come together and make their relationship work, they have a responsibility to their baby to figure out their own lives so that they can provide the best life possible for this tiny life they created.

If you follow my reviews, you know that I have a new-found appreciation for the toggling POV approach within books. Such is the case for this book. But rather than an added bonus for this book, I would call it a necessary addition. With two individuals that lead such different lives and are now bringing a baby into the world, the switch between Max and Jade’s personal thoughts, turmoil, and actions had to happen. I can’t even begin to picture how difficult the story would have been to follow if everything was presented in third person POV. One super fun aspect was the fact that Max is one of a set. A set of three. Three identical triplets. Lordy! They may all look alike, but they couldn’t be more different in personality. Despite their dissimilarities, their sibling rivalry and brotherly love was a joy to experience. I’m sure I wasn’t the first to wonder how the triplet factor might influence each of the pregnancies, nor will I divulge the outcome. The family dynamic for Jade is completely different from Max’s and even though things are quite a bit more serious in her life, there was still a bit of levity provided in small things such as their names: Jade, her sister is Sapphire, and her mother is Ruby. I, myself can completely relate to Jade’s predicament as far as her family’s reaction to her pregnancy news. Let’s just say there were several similarities between Jade and myself in that respect. And my own personal shout out is to Max’s obsession with curling! Yes! I feel the exact way that Max does. It is my favorite winter Olympic sport, second only to ice skating. Ms. Madden either harbors like feelings or knows someone who does. Either way, my face lit up when I came across that fun addition to the story. Sure, there is quite a bit of heavy within these pages, but Ms. Madden does a fantastic job of balancing the serious with the lighthearted. Max is just about as perfect as a guy can get – imperfectly perfect would be a better description. I admire his determination to take care of his responsibilities while trying not to fail at any of it – even knowing that at some point something would have to give.

Overall, this is an engaging and entertaining read. Some will not be able to get past the fact that the male lead has two babies coming with two women in two different states within a matter of months. Even I was unsure if I’d be able to get past that crazy plot twist. And if you think you will get hung up on that detail, do this book a favor and just skip it. That said, I am glad that I stuck things out and even ended up relating to several aspects within both Jade and Max’s lives. I believe that many readers will be able to relate to at least some portion of either Max or Jade’s lives, which creates a bond with characters that cannot be faked. Ms. Madden also does a great job of bringing in both of Max’s brothers in just the right amount. Just enough to want to see more, and not nearly enough which left me hoping they’d get their own stories. Selfishly, their books would also likely allow me to revisit Jade and Max and I’d love to see how things were going for them down the road a bit. And let’s not forget Amy. She’s fun and quirky and reminds me of several of my friends all wrapped up in one. A story for an erotic romance author – especially given her outspoken, fun-loving personality – oh, the possibilities! When it’s all said and done, this is a story of two people who ultimately find themselves in one another, discovering everything they never knew they wanted is right in front of them. They are so caught up in the direction their lives were headed that they lost sight of who they truly were and it took this unexpected turn of events to shove them off course and allow them to recalibrate where they actually wanted to be in life. If that is not relatable, no matter the details of the circumstances, then I do not know what is. This romantic comedy took me on a memorable ride encompassing every emotion at one time or another. But beyond that, as my first experience with Ms. Madden, it made me a believer.

Kindle version provided by NetGalley/Entangled in exchange for an honest review.… (meer)