There are three little words most guys don’t want to hear on the first date. Not those…I mean these… “knock me up.”

This single gal has had enough of the games, the BS and the endless chase. I know what I want most, and it’s not true love. It’s a bun in the oven, and I’m not afraid to hit up my sex-on-a-stick co-worker to do the job. Ryder is gorgeous, witty and wild — and he’s also a notorious commitment-phobe. That makes him the perfect candidate to make a deposit in the bank of me.

I won’t fall for him, he won’t fall for me, and there’s no way baby will make three. 
Right?

****
There are four words every guy wants to hear on the first date — “your place or mine?”

When my hot-as-sin co-worker makes me a no-strings-attached offer that involves her place, my place, any place — as well as any position — I can’t refuse. Besides, I've got my own reasons to take her up on her deal even with her one BIG condition.

There’s no way I’ll want more from one woman than any position, any where, any night? Except . . . what if I do?


Note: Be prepared to swoon and fan yourself from the heat! This full-length standalone contains lots of hot baby-making s-e-x, happy tears, naughty jokes and a hot, swoonworthy hero you will fall madly in love with. 

Ryder Lockhart and Nicole Powers are dueling dating gurus. They both have radio shows giving advice for love, sex, and relationships. Their personal interactions are full of dirty innuendo, witty banter, and plain old fun. 

Ryder's love life did not pan out as he expected so he has become more cynical and his show is discussing more about lust and hook ups than true love. His ratings are tanking, the sponsors are not happy, and he has lost his touch as a dating coach and speaker on love and relationships. Nicole's love life is non existent but she is much better at analyzing relationships and love and can fake it for her audiences if needed. 

They both could use some help. He needs her to help with trying out dates for a crucial assignment. She wants something more personal...as in his babymaking juice. She wants to be a single mom and she trusts him to make his deposit and give her what she needs.

They thought they were both getting what they wanted. They thought they were safe from emotions or getting too attached. He doesn't want to fall in love again and risk being hurt. And she thinks she is broken or immune to love. But what happens when all of their plans and decisions come into question? Sometimes getting what you think you want might not be what you really need.

I love that they came into their deal with honest expectations, trust, and respect. Their interactions were playful, passionate, and natural. They were truly friends with benefits shooting for a bonus for her. And she in turn was trying to help him get his career back on track. They invaded each other's lives, but started to realize that sometimes letting yourself be close to someone is not as scary as it seems. No expectations starts to feel more uncomfortable, they find they miss each other, and become more  afraid of overstepping boundaries.

I absolutely adored these two. Their banter and rapport were fun. and their chemistry was off the charts. They trusted each other and were honest with their expectations and respected each other. They had their personal goals, but the process became more enjoyable than they expected, and they began to become more invested in the other's outcomes as well.

But what really touched me was the underlying vulnerability, the slow burn towards feeling more, the admitting it to themselves, and the building intimacy. They both started to figure out their own needs, but were not sure of the other's. And there was so much at stake if they were wrong and ran the risk of losing their friendship or making things even more complicated and awkward. These relationship gurus could talk the talk, but were afraid to walk the walk. 

Will they be brave and take the risk of putting themselves out there? Or stay true to the no strings attached is safer theory?

This book and trope was unique.  It was different than an "accidental pregnancy" book, or just a friends-to-lovers book. It was all of it and more...more fun, more feels, more complications.  I liked that they had set plans, but it got all complicated and messy with unexpected feelings. I swooned and happily sighed so many damn times. My eyes would tear up, I might have even awwwwed outloud. I abso-freakin-lutely loved Ryder. He made me swoon so hard.

Ryder can melt panties and hearts. He is just that consummate good guy needing to see his full potential and get the most out of life...but he isn't sure he could get there. And Nicole is a perfect sassy match for him who knows what she wants. The way they interact, support, and take care of each other is sweet. Even if they do confuse themselves and each other at times, and sometimes have communication issues and fears.

There are opportunities for them to also show personal growth, adjust their attitudes and expectations. They are smart, and enlightened people who make their careers in selling love and intimacy, but it also makes them more cynical at times. So the road to them finding it and believing in it is bumpier for them

Ryder Lockhart isn’t interested in more than a bit of fun from women. His love life didn’t turn out how he planned and he isn’t interested in taking another go. Nicole’s proposition intrigues him, and as it turns out, he needs her help as well. As their arrangement progresses he finds himself questioning everything he thought about relationships.

These two have a lot in common, starting with their jobs. As they are each radio hosts, though looking at sex and relationships from different filters, they see each other often and have noticed a spark. Their working relationship is important though and they haven’t crossed any lines beyond casual flirting. Nicole’s proposition is the first crack in the wall between them and as the crack widens, the chemistry ignites.

But even as Nicole and Ryder are readjusting their individual hopes for the relationship, they fear that the other may not feel the same. Because they started with a formal arrangement, keeping things in line is important. They need to be able to work near each other. They need to be adult about their interactions. I loved that even as things started the change, they were continually learning things about themselves and modifying expectations (even if they didn’t always share right away).

This is a great story as it both stands alone and continues to follow a familiar group of characters. Readers can enjoy The Knocked Up Plan even if this is the first Lauren Blakely book they have ever picked up because everything one needs to know is contained here without vague references or a series storyline. A few characters from previous stories play minor roles, so fans of Lauren’s will love seeing those cameos, but they don’t drive the story.

Once again, Lauren has written a story that had me reading in every spare minute. It is a grown-up twist on a baby driven plot with humor and heart woven throughout.

“How does it work?” I ask. “The whole donation process.”

She stabs a carrot slice, chews, and swallows. “Well, there’s this thing guys do when they’re horny. It’s called”—she glances furtively from side to side—“jacking off.”

“I’m well aware of how the protein shake is made. What I mean is, are we talking about one of those little rooms you go into?” I ask, since what man doesn’t have an image of a jerk-off chamber? “With magazines or porn or whatnot?”

“Yes, they schedule the donors for forty-minute sessions in them.”

“I’m more efficient than that, but that’s good to know.” I take another bite and chew. I set down the burger. “So, a nurse or orderly would escort me to a special room, and then I’d need to drop my

drawers and whack off. Into a cup, right?”

“A plastic sample cup. With a top,” she says, and I’m kind of amazed that she’s answering every question like a champ. No blushing, no stammering.

“What do they provide for entertainment? Laptops? Computers? Or is it old school with Playboy?”

“They provide pornographic material in printed form as well as video on a TV screen.”

“Awesome. So I just choke the chicken in a room with a ton of other dudes going at it in their own rooms, too. Hand a cup to the nurse. She seals up the goods. Then, what’s next?”

“They do tests on your swimmers.”

“They’ll pass. Then you come in, maybe the same day, maybe a few days later?”

“Same day. We’d have to time everything to my cycle and when I’m ovulating.”

“Fine, so they undress you, prop you up on an exam table, and stick a turkey baster into you?”

“You paint a lovely picture of the process.”

I hold up a hand, waving her off. “Wait. I’m not done. You’re in nothing but a hospital gown. The doc tells you to put your cute little feet in stirrups, and they stick that baster up inside what I am sure

is an absolutely gorgeous and heavenly home,” I say, because if she can complement my tadpoles, I can say something nice about the paradise between her legs. She mouths a thank you. “After the boys

make the upstream trip, they send you home.” I mime patting her on the rear and then sending her out the door.

“I think you’ve got the basic idea.”

“And after that?”

“That’s all,” she says. “That’s all I’d want you to do. I don’t expect or want any involvement. I’d have all the paperwork drawn up in advance saying there are no legal rights, responsibilities, or expectations of parenting, and no financial commitments required.”

I’m almost ashamed to admit it, but that’s the clincher for me—the lack of involvement. If I’m ever going to raise a child, I’m damn well going to do it right. The whole nine yards, two parents, just like my mom and dad raised my brother, my sister, and me.

Nicole isn’t asking me to sign up for daddy duty, though. She doesn’t want me to help with diaper detail or midnight feedings.

She’s a friend asking for the help she needs so she can then do those things on her own.

And helping a friend seems like something I should consider.

Fine, she’s asking for a hell of a lot more than a dude to put together an IKEA TV stand, and those things are beyond Da Vinci Code-level cryptic. I’d like to see Robert Langdon decipher some IKEA assembly instructions. Good luck with that, Harvard symbologist.

I like Nicole. I respect the dickens out of this woman. I want to take her request as seriously as she’s asking it. “Can I have a few days to think about it?”

A #1 New York Times Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that's hot, sweet and sexy. She lives in California with her family and has plotted entire novels while walking her dogs. With fourteen New York Times bestsellers, her titles have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists more than eighty times, and she's sold more than 2 million books. In June she'll release THE KNOCKED UP PLAN, a standalone contemporary romance. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter! laurenblakely.com/newsletter