More Than One Night
3 Stars

After sharing one night of passion, Rhys Walker and Charlie Long never plan on crossing paths again. However, it soon turns out that their one night stand has some more serious consequences, and Rhys and Charlie will have to get to know one another better and more quickly than they originally thought…

A common enough story about unplanned pregnancy between strangers who then get to know one another and fall in love.

The problem is that Rhys and Charlie’s chemistry is rather lackluster and neither is particularly appealing. Rhys’s reaction to Charlie’s bombshell leaves much to be desired and places him firmly in the anti-hottie harem category. Charlie’s low self-esteem and lack of self-worth is irritating. Why should the reader think well of a character if she cannot think well of herself?

All in all, an OK story but their romance is not believable. ( )

This was such an excellent read. I loved how real the actions and reactions of the characters were. The awkward first meeting between heroine and his family, the uncertain feelings about impending parenthood on both sides, etc. I especially loved the friendship between the heroine and her best friend. It was spot on for a real life friendship. Sadly, we don't see strong female friendships often enough in romance.

THe heroine's lack of self-esteem was sad and started to grate on my nerves toward the end. But watching her accept herself was heartwarming.

Overall a stellar read. Mayberry delivers again.

( )

Two very strong lead characters. Few secondary characters except for Gina, Charlie's best friend. Both Rhys and Charlie move in some kinda of universe all of their own and it works because it kinda mimics the situation they find themselves in. What to do with an unexpected pregnancy after one night of passion when you took every precaution and were a responsible adult.

This is more Charlie's journey from alone only counting on herself to walking side by side with someone and trusting him to be there. Both Charlie and Rhys have issues with family, with how to dealt with The Bean as Charlie has nicknamed the baby growing inside her.

It's a bit claustophobic in a way because the story entire focus is on both of them 90% of the time. The other 10% is focused on either one or the other.

Sarah Mayberry writes good contemporary love stories, that usually do not fit the usual mold and she tackles issues, sometimes hard issues in her 'romance' novel. This one is no exception. What do you do when you are faced with a huge change in your life? Especially if you made sure you were responsible and adult. How does your own upbringing influences how you deal with it?

Not my favourite of hers but well worth reading and it does turn the surprise baby cliché for an unexpected spin. ( )

Just some quick thoughts while I mull my review:

- Loved the characters. The plot may be a Harlequin staple, but the two leads reacted to the events with pitch-perfect realism and honesty. They had weak moments to go with their heroic ones.

- Cleverly written as any Mayberry book. I enjoyed the bit of Chekhov's Gun with that box from her father. Well done.

- I don't know if I enjoyed the romantic conflict, but it suited the heroine's character. I wanted her to be more confident and fucking snap out of it, but not everyone can be perfect like me.

- This was in 5-star territory, but parts of the ending bothered me. Making a grand gesture at a large party to an insecure, anxiety-prone, private woman like Charlie seemed to suit genre conventions more than this particular book and its characters. Also, I would have liked it if there was some mention of Charlie getting help for her problems besides hugs and good sex. She did that with the epilogue to [b:One Good Reason|10674726|One Good Reason|Sarah Mayberry|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327911006s/10674726.jpg|15584351] and I thought that made the book, honestly. ( )