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Here Comes Baby:
An unflappable coffee shop owner.
A magnetic manager.
In one night, two lives blend irrevocably…
Liz Ainsley has life down pat. With her divorce — and hopes of babies — in the rear view mirror, her beloved cafe is thriving while she’s busy “mothering” her young staff and funny, sarcastic little sister.
And now that her handsome best friend Michael is her neighbor and shop manager, shouldn’t that be enough?
Then, on the night of their joint birthday party, Liz turning an uneasy 39, Michael an enthusiastic 30, an impromptu slow dance leads to a passionate night…that leads to a positive sign on a pregnancy test.
As she hurtles towards childbirth, and meeting the baby she never thought possible, Liz is thrown into navigating life as a pregnant (and oh so tired) boss babe. With Michael embracing his role as a dad-to-be and co-parent, Liz starts to think this upheaval might offer something wonderful.
But if even her ex-husband left, how could someone as special as Michael stay?
Scroll up and pre-order your copy today!
A magnetic manager.
In one night, two lives blend irrevocably…
Liz Ainsley has life down pat. With her divorce — and hopes of babies — in the rear view mirror, her beloved cafe is thriving while she’s busy “mothering” her young staff and funny, sarcastic little sister.
And now that her handsome best friend Michael is her neighbor and shop manager, shouldn’t that be enough?
Then, on the night of their joint birthday party, Liz turning an uneasy 39, Michael an enthusiastic 30, an impromptu slow dance leads to a passionate night…that leads to a positive sign on a pregnancy test.
As she hurtles towards childbirth, and meeting the baby she never thought possible, Liz is thrown into navigating life as a pregnant (and oh so tired) boss babe. With Michael embracing his role as a dad-to-be and co-parent, Liz starts to think this upheaval might offer something wonderful.
But if even her ex-husband left, how could someone as special as Michael stay?
Scroll up and pre-order your copy today!
- GenresRomance
368 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 10, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 11, 2024
I am a huge Emily Riddle fan so when I heard about her third book coming out, I was over the moon excited and jumped on the opportunity to be on her ARC team. Not only is she an amazing and wonderful writer, but she is also a very kind and delightful human.
I loved the concept for this book. Emily writes “clean” romance, or romance without explicit spicy scenes, and she has mastered the art of doing so. She always knows when to cut scenes to leave the reader with enough information to fill in the blanks, but not so much so that they are left guessing. This book focuses on a one-night stand, that ends in an unexpected pregnancy. I loved how she wrote the pregnancy and it still being a wanted pregnancy even though it wasn’t planned, because those things can co-exist. Emily handled the situation with care and balance which was needed and wanted.
Liz was a well rounded and wonderful woman. Just when she felt like she had everything in her life in order, she is hit with the truly unexpected and all her plans go out the window. I found her to be a strong character, but her flaws helped balance her out and made her well rounded and relatable. I also loved Michael and felt that he and Liz together balanced each other nicely. The reverse age gap is also nice to read about. Michael was also so wholesome and wonderful at dealing with the surprise pregnancy news, and I loved how present he was for Liz. Also, shout out to Liz’s aunt who may be my spirit human!
Emily’s writing is beautiful and eloquently done. I have always felt that her books draw me in and that I’m apart of the story. Pregnancy is not a trope I read often because of my own journey, but in this case, it was done with so much care, I am happy I trusted Emily to read it, it was worth it.
Please check this book out, it is so wonderfully done that you won’t want to miss it. This is part of a series; however, they are inter-connected stand alones. I highly recommend them all, but you do not need to read them all to have them make sense.
Thank you so much to @emilyriddlewrites for an ARC copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.
I loved the concept for this book. Emily writes “clean” romance, or romance without explicit spicy scenes, and she has mastered the art of doing so. She always knows when to cut scenes to leave the reader with enough information to fill in the blanks, but not so much so that they are left guessing. This book focuses on a one-night stand, that ends in an unexpected pregnancy. I loved how she wrote the pregnancy and it still being a wanted pregnancy even though it wasn’t planned, because those things can co-exist. Emily handled the situation with care and balance which was needed and wanted.
Liz was a well rounded and wonderful woman. Just when she felt like she had everything in her life in order, she is hit with the truly unexpected and all her plans go out the window. I found her to be a strong character, but her flaws helped balance her out and made her well rounded and relatable. I also loved Michael and felt that he and Liz together balanced each other nicely. The reverse age gap is also nice to read about. Michael was also so wholesome and wonderful at dealing with the surprise pregnancy news, and I loved how present he was for Liz. Also, shout out to Liz’s aunt who may be my spirit human!
Emily’s writing is beautiful and eloquently done. I have always felt that her books draw me in and that I’m apart of the story. Pregnancy is not a trope I read often because of my own journey, but in this case, it was done with so much care, I am happy I trusted Emily to read it, it was worth it.
Please check this book out, it is so wonderfully done that you won’t want to miss it. This is part of a series; however, they are inter-connected stand alones. I highly recommend them all, but you do not need to read them all to have them make sense.
Thank you so much to @emilyriddlewrites for an ARC copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.
September 12, 2024
3.5 ⭐️ ARC Review: I didn’t think the ‘accidental pregnancy’ trope would be included in the books I read (because I know it is not a favorite amongst many readers) but I’ve read 2 in the last month and I have really enjoyed them. With that said, there were couple of things about this book that bothered me.
I wanted to shake Liz’s shoulders the entirety of this book. Everyone saw Michael’s feelings for her except her, and I was just dying. She was just so dumb. SO DUMB! I get her past trauma and all that, thinking no man would ever really love her enough to stay, but come on. It dragged till the very end.
And they wanted to talk most of the book as well, but they never ended up talking or communicating. Like they had the intention but chickened out. It was all so frustrating. Like just talk! Yes, the book would have been significantly shorter, but still.
Now on to more positive things. The reason why I gave it 3.5 stars still is because of the supporting cast of characters, the plot itself, and Michael. The workers at the bakery, Liz’s sister Ashley, and Michael all had common sense. I was so grateful for Ashley’s bluntness. I am much like her, so I related very much so. And if Michael isn’t the sweetest man to grace the pages of a book I don’t know who is. The only problem I have is that he didn’t have more page time. I wanted more from his character and more of Liz and him being together and communicating. And more of that romance. He deserved the world and Liz kept pushing him away.
Ultimately, I just wanted more. And that is a compliment to the author really. You want more of these sweet characters they have written about. And more of their romance. Anyways, it was cute, and I would recommend it to those who enjoy a slow burn. Cause that’s what it was.
*Thank you to the author, Emily Riddle, for the complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read if you enjoy:
- Reverse age gap
- Accidental pregnancy
- Closed-door romance
- Friends to lovers
- Boss x employee
Content 💋:
- Implied intimacy/kisses only (not explicit)
- Infrequent mild language throughout (a couple uses of a** and h**l, and a few uses of d**n)
- Mild innuendo
I wanted to shake Liz’s shoulders the entirety of this book. Everyone saw Michael’s feelings for her except her, and I was just dying. She was just so dumb. SO DUMB! I get her past trauma and all that, thinking no man would ever really love her enough to stay, but come on. It dragged till the very end.
And they wanted to talk most of the book as well, but they never ended up talking or communicating. Like they had the intention but chickened out. It was all so frustrating. Like just talk! Yes, the book would have been significantly shorter, but still.
Now on to more positive things. The reason why I gave it 3.5 stars still is because of the supporting cast of characters, the plot itself, and Michael. The workers at the bakery, Liz’s sister Ashley, and Michael all had common sense. I was so grateful for Ashley’s bluntness. I am much like her, so I related very much so. And if Michael isn’t the sweetest man to grace the pages of a book I don’t know who is. The only problem I have is that he didn’t have more page time. I wanted more from his character and more of Liz and him being together and communicating. And more of that romance. He deserved the world and Liz kept pushing him away.
Ultimately, I just wanted more. And that is a compliment to the author really. You want more of these sweet characters they have written about. And more of their romance. Anyways, it was cute, and I would recommend it to those who enjoy a slow burn. Cause that’s what it was.
*Thank you to the author, Emily Riddle, for the complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read if you enjoy:
- Reverse age gap
- Accidental pregnancy
- Closed-door romance
- Friends to lovers
- Boss x employee
Content 💋:
- Implied intimacy/kisses only (not explicit)
- Infrequent mild language throughout (a couple uses of a** and h**l, and a few uses of d**n)
- Mild innuendo
September 11, 2024
4.5
This is a “clean” or, should I say, closed-door romance. It flows effortlessly with an authentic storyline and characters who feel like real people.
Liz was such a kind and caring person, and her faults and insecurities were relatable. Michael is the ultimate cinnamon roll book boyfriend—he’s wonderful! I may have squealed when he first showed signs (that jaw clench!) that he cared for her as more than a friend.
This is one of the best slowburns I’ve read in a long time. I’m not usually a fan of slowburns, but this one was perfect. It gave the characters time to work through the surprise pregnancy after a one-night stand and their age difference.
🥧 friends to lovers
🥧 boss/employee
🥧 neighbors
🥧 small town
🥧 one night stand
🥧 accidental pregnancy
🥧 age gap
🥧 he falls first
🥧 slowburn
🥧 first person-single POV
🥧 closed door romance
🥧 available on KU
This is a “clean” or, should I say, closed-door romance. It flows effortlessly with an authentic storyline and characters who feel like real people.
Liz was such a kind and caring person, and her faults and insecurities were relatable. Michael is the ultimate cinnamon roll book boyfriend—he’s wonderful! I may have squealed when he first showed signs (that jaw clench!) that he cared for her as more than a friend.
This is one of the best slowburns I’ve read in a long time. I’m not usually a fan of slowburns, but this one was perfect. It gave the characters time to work through the surprise pregnancy after a one-night stand and their age difference.
🥧 friends to lovers
🥧 boss/employee
🥧 neighbors
🥧 small town
🥧 one night stand
🥧 accidental pregnancy
🥧 age gap
🥧 he falls first
🥧 slowburn
🥧 first person-single POV
🥧 closed door romance
🥧 available on KU
September 5, 2024
Here Comes Baby is my first book by Emily Riddle. It's also the first time I've read a romance with the surprise pregnancy trope. I am thrilled to say I loved everything about this book.
It was closed Door but not overly sweet and innocent. It was absolutely perfect.
The chapters were short (LOVE) and written in such a way you had to keep turning the page. I loved the atypical age gap, the main characters were amazing. Michael might be the best book boyfriend out there. The supporting characters were so well developed.
This is the perfect rom com that just bought more joy to my life as I read it.
It is also the very best friends to lovers I have ever read.
It was closed Door but not overly sweet and innocent. It was absolutely perfect.
The chapters were short (LOVE) and written in such a way you had to keep turning the page. I loved the atypical age gap, the main characters were amazing. Michael might be the best book boyfriend out there. The supporting characters were so well developed.
This is the perfect rom com that just bought more joy to my life as I read it.
It is also the very best friends to lovers I have ever read.
September 10, 2024
Unexpected pregnancy + almost middle-age angst + tall, dark & handsome hottie??? Sign me up!
As I approach my, ahem, middle years, I so appreciate romances that deal with struggles I can relate to.
Feeling like the passage of time has slowly robbed you of opportunities in life is a real struggle, and Emily's book handles this universal plight with humor and heart.
Pick this book up if you're looking for a heart-warming bedtime read.
As I approach my, ahem, middle years, I so appreciate romances that deal with struggles I can relate to.
Feeling like the passage of time has slowly robbed you of opportunities in life is a real struggle, and Emily's book handles this universal plight with humor and heart.
Pick this book up if you're looking for a heart-warming bedtime read.
September 10, 2024
Liz Ainsley does nothing by chance. Everything is planned like a science. She has definitely earned respect for those around her as she has built a successful coffee shop at a very young age. She also survived a nasty divorce which has affected her more than she wants to admit.
Michael is her shop manager and soon to be next door neighbor. They are also very close friends. They even share a birthday. Michael will be 30 and Liz will be 39. After their joint birthday party and a slow dance, things go in a direction Liz never planned. She is mortified the next day. Whereas Michael is delighted. She sees so many things wrong with this entire situation and just wants to forget about it. That is not to be when she finds out two months later that she is pregnant.
According to Liz there are so many things wrong with this situation. Mainly she is older, and she is his boss. Michael, on the other hand, is delighted. He truly cares for Liz as much more than a friend, and is determined to be everything she needs him to be, even if she thinks she needs nothing from anyone.
This is a journey of pregnancy with its ups and down, as well as two friends who will work through a time which should be joyous. Poor Liz needed to get out of her own head. She was self-destructive in so many ways. As you learn more about her past, you will appreciate her reasons for being so large and in charge. Michael was a sweetheart in every sense of the word. He handled the news with effusive joy. He was incredibly kind and caring to Liz. He wanted to take care of her in any way possible. It was a slow burn romance, but the intense chemistry between these two was evident in every scene. They just had to figure it out for themselves and get out of their own way.
This was a different type of romance than I usually read, but it was truly a delightful book. It had some true emotional depth that will tug on your heart strings. This was my first read by this author, but it will not be my last.
Thank you to the author for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Michael is her shop manager and soon to be next door neighbor. They are also very close friends. They even share a birthday. Michael will be 30 and Liz will be 39. After their joint birthday party and a slow dance, things go in a direction Liz never planned. She is mortified the next day. Whereas Michael is delighted. She sees so many things wrong with this entire situation and just wants to forget about it. That is not to be when she finds out two months later that she is pregnant.
According to Liz there are so many things wrong with this situation. Mainly she is older, and she is his boss. Michael, on the other hand, is delighted. He truly cares for Liz as much more than a friend, and is determined to be everything she needs him to be, even if she thinks she needs nothing from anyone.
This is a journey of pregnancy with its ups and down, as well as two friends who will work through a time which should be joyous. Poor Liz needed to get out of her own head. She was self-destructive in so many ways. As you learn more about her past, you will appreciate her reasons for being so large and in charge. Michael was a sweetheart in every sense of the word. He handled the news with effusive joy. He was incredibly kind and caring to Liz. He wanted to take care of her in any way possible. It was a slow burn romance, but the intense chemistry between these two was evident in every scene. They just had to figure it out for themselves and get out of their own way.
This was a different type of romance than I usually read, but it was truly a delightful book. It had some true emotional depth that will tug on your heart strings. This was my first read by this author, but it will not be my last.
Thank you to the author for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
September 1, 2024
Here Comes Baby is the third book in The Kissing Series. I had not yet personally read the previous books in the series and found I was able to enjoy this just fine as a standalone.
Talk about a slow burn! While yes, Liz and Michael are best friends and have that one night very early on in the story... it still takes them awhile to figure it all out. I'm not going to lie, Liz had me wanting to shake some sense into her so many times throughout their story. Stubborn does not begin to cover it... she certainly had some baggage she had to work through and while it might have taken her awhile to get there, I did really enjoy her growth throughout the story. Poor Michael is so very patient and just the absolute sweetest. He definitely had me rooting for him to finally get that happily ever after... and the payoff was absolutely 100% worth it in the end. While admittedly, pregnancy tropes aren't always my go to favorites, I did think this one was done very well and it kept me invested from start to finish. I really enjoyed several of the side characters as well... yes, even her mean aunt!
Here Comes Baby is a closed-door romance, with implied intimacy off the pages. There is some minor language throughout as well.
**ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own.
Talk about a slow burn! While yes, Liz and Michael are best friends and have that one night very early on in the story... it still takes them awhile to figure it all out. I'm not going to lie, Liz had me wanting to shake some sense into her so many times throughout their story. Stubborn does not begin to cover it... she certainly had some baggage she had to work through and while it might have taken her awhile to get there, I did really enjoy her growth throughout the story. Poor Michael is so very patient and just the absolute sweetest. He definitely had me rooting for him to finally get that happily ever after... and the payoff was absolutely 100% worth it in the end. While admittedly, pregnancy tropes aren't always my go to favorites, I did think this one was done very well and it kept me invested from start to finish. I really enjoyed several of the side characters as well... yes, even her mean aunt!
Here Comes Baby is a closed-door romance, with implied intimacy off the pages. There is some minor language throughout as well.
**ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own.
September 5, 2024
3.5⭐️ but rounded up
this is the third book in the kissing series (an interconnected series) but it can be read as a standalone which is how it was for me.
here comes baby is such a quick and easy read and i really enjoyed it. i have also been really enjoying the surprise pregnancy trope lately as well, which is surprising to me because i haven't enjoyed them in the past. emily did such a great job at showing all the emotions that i could only imagine comes with a surprise pregnancy.
the fmc, liz is definitely a stubborn one. there were a few times i wanted to yell at her. it honestly made me love michael, the mmc more since he was so patient with her. also liz's aunt is such a character and i love her 😂
read if you enjoy:
- closed door romance
- surprise pregnancy
- he falls first
- slow burn
thank you so much emily riddle for this arc copy and for having me be apart of your wonderful arc team.
this is the third book in the kissing series (an interconnected series) but it can be read as a standalone which is how it was for me.
here comes baby is such a quick and easy read and i really enjoyed it. i have also been really enjoying the surprise pregnancy trope lately as well, which is surprising to me because i haven't enjoyed them in the past. emily did such a great job at showing all the emotions that i could only imagine comes with a surprise pregnancy.
the fmc, liz is definitely a stubborn one. there were a few times i wanted to yell at her. it honestly made me love michael, the mmc more since he was so patient with her. also liz's aunt is such a character and i love her 😂
read if you enjoy:
- closed door romance
- surprise pregnancy
- he falls first
- slow burn
thank you so much emily riddle for this arc copy and for having me be apart of your wonderful arc team.
September 12, 2024
I love Emily B Riddle’s writing style. Her characters always feel very authentic to me. And that cover is so cute!
I liked Liz and Michael. I loved how much they wanted the baby and how they were so excited to be parents even though the pregnancy wasn’t planned. Michael was such a sweetheart and watching him stay calm and supportive in the face of everything Liz went through was precious.
I did struggle a bit with Liz’s tendency to overcompensate for her trauma and insecurities by pushing Michael away. It happened the entire book. She made decisions for him and told him what he needed and wanted. It was a bit tough to watch. I understand where she was coming from, but I wish they had figured it out sooner. The lack of communication along with the multiple side characters and storylines at their work, it seemed like their actual relationship development stalled a bit until the last few chapters.
Overall, this was cute and Riddle will continue to be an auto buy author for me.
I liked Liz and Michael. I loved how much they wanted the baby and how they were so excited to be parents even though the pregnancy wasn’t planned. Michael was such a sweetheart and watching him stay calm and supportive in the face of everything Liz went through was precious.
I did struggle a bit with Liz’s tendency to overcompensate for her trauma and insecurities by pushing Michael away. It happened the entire book. She made decisions for him and told him what he needed and wanted. It was a bit tough to watch. I understand where she was coming from, but I wish they had figured it out sooner. The lack of communication along with the multiple side characters and storylines at their work, it seemed like their actual relationship development stalled a bit until the last few chapters.
Overall, this was cute and Riddle will continue to be an auto buy author for me.
September 10, 2024
This is such a lovely book, it's like a delicious cake in your favourite chair with your favourite friend. Emily creates such realistic characters in all her books but these were particularly gorgeous and it was a tense but satisfying read, following along on their unexpected journey. I always want to know what happens next to Emily's character and I love how characters from her first two books pop up here too and side stories overlap. I was worried having read all three of Emily's books that the characters or stories would be too similar but they have all been so distinct, each with their own voice and story to tell. Well done Emily, another great book! Looking forward already to the next one.
August 29, 2024
This was a cute & easy read! I don’t mind the surprise pregnancy trope & I feel like this author did a really good job of showing all the emotions that I’m sure would come with it. The MMC was sweet & I loved that he fell first. It was easy & enjoyable & clean. 3 stars!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews