3.5 stars

Unexpectedly Hers was a good read.
The storyline was well written, the characters were likable and while they did hold my interest all throughout the book I failed to connect with Emma and Wyatt. This makes me sad as I was looking forward to Emma's story after reading the previous two books.

Jamie Beck is a talented author, I love her writing and storytelling. Her words capture your imagination and take you on a emotional journey while her characters go after their happily ever after.
And while I didn't enjoy Unexpectedly Hers as much as the previous books, it still was a good read and good addition to the Sterling Canyon series.
Each book can be read as a standalone, and I highly recommend them all.

*Thank you to Montlake Romance via Netgalley for the advance copy*

Kitty's review:

I am a little bit up in the air about Unexpectedly Hers. It took a little bit of time for me to become invested in the story. I wasn’t sure about either of the characters or what their end-game would be. In the end, everything fell into place but, it took a while to get there.
Let me start with both Wyatt and Emma’s mothers. Neither one of them warmed my heart the way a mother is supposed to. Wyatt’s mother blamed him for all that went wrong in her life. Emma’s was just an uptight, controlling, bitter person. They both made them into people who couldn’t trust and made them both feel like they had something to prove and feel bad for. Wyatt felt nothing but guilt over his brother’s accident and Emma constantly felt like she was lacking and couldn’t trust men.
Wyatt’s brother Ryder was the high point in this story. Jamie Beck did a wonderful job of bringing his story of life after a major accident and TBI to life. I honestly felt like I knew him and his struggles better than the main characters and totally fell in love with him. He was actually the driving force behind Wyatt finally letting up on his guilt-trip.
Wyatt was a whirl-wind. Kind, sexy and sweet at times. Bitter, guilty and frustrating at others. He’s a wham-bam-thank you ma’am kind of guy but he’s drawn to Emma. He’s training and can’t get distracted by a woman but there is something about her that has him trying to spend time with her and getting her to like him. He has no idea why she gives him the cold shoulder or doesn’t treat him as she does the others. When he finally breaks through the ice, he finds exactly what he thought he would – a fiery, passionate woman that wants to give up control. Until he finds out the truth and can’t get away from her fast enough.
Emma is living the life her mother wants her to have. Safe, solid and free of men. But, she’s torn. She’s tired of being the “nice” person. The one everyone can depend on. Is her legacy really heading in the direction of her mom’s … running the B & B and living a solitary life? She’s taken some chances, she’s trying to break free but she can’t with her mother’s constant disapproval. When the truth of what she is doing comes out, her friend’s stand beside her, her mother is a bible-beating shrew and Wyatt runs away. Now what?
Trip and Kelsey, Grey and Avery are back from the first two Sterling Canyon books and I loved catching up with them. Trip was a trip in this story and the reason for them finally giving in. And, Mari … she was just a bitch. I felt like she was out for herself and didn’t give a damn who she walked over to reach her goals. I wish that Jamie Beck went a little further with Emma’s father. He was a side-note in the story and was skimmed over. It would have been nice to know his side and why things happened with him. In fact, I don’t think she even put a name to him.
Unexpectedly Hers turned out to be a sweet story with a beautiful ending. One that was totally expected since it was hinted at through most of the story. True love finally shown through and distrusting, guilt-laden mothers were put in the back-ground.

I love Jamie Beck and I loved the first two books in this series, giving both those books 5 star ratings, but this one just didn't do it for me. I really liked Emma in the other 2 books and I was looking forward to her book, but I just didn't care for her in this one. The biggest problem I had with Emma was the way she was with her mother. Emma is a 31 year old woman and in this book she acts like a child afraid of getting in trouble with mommy. It drove me crazy. Her childish behavior threw her whole character off for me and I didn't connect to her.
And can I just say that I really really didn't like Emma's very bitter, selfish and judgmental mother. I would have loved for Emma to stand up to her and grow up but instead the whole book Emma was like the naughty child hiding things from mommy so she wouldn't get grounded. I mean my god her mom calls her and chastises her 31 year old daughter for kissing a guy. Kissing a guy, 31 years old I mean come on! Even at the end of the book she still lived with mommy and was still trying to please her mom by using her own money to fix her mom's Inn.
Wyatt was okay for me but he didn't really stand out. It really bothered me that Wyatt and Emma had a one night stand years ago and he never remembered her. Talk about a blow to the pride. Now Wyatt's brother Ryder I loved him. He had depth and I would have loved to see Emma with him! Truly I would read Ryder's book in a New York minute. I really connected to him, totally got invested and I want more Ryder!
Now because I never connected to Emma I never got invested in her and Wyatt's relationship. I didn't feel any chemistry between them. That colored my whole outlook on the book. So the whole read for me was kinda bland. I did really enjoy the parts with Ryder but other than that it was just an okay read for me. I didn't even like the ending. The HEA was just kinda whatevs. He is just moving to town. They aren't moving in together. Not getting married and she is still living with her mom at 32 years old. I still love Jamie Beck and I will still read her books, but this one was a miss for me.

I enjoyed reading Unexpectedly Hers, the third book in the Sterling Canyon series, by Jamie Beck. Ms. Beck truly knows how to create a wonderful story between two people with Emma needing to figure out how to balance the demands of her life and the inner desires she has for her own future, without embarrassing her mother or not living up to her demands. Then there is snowboard hotshot, Wyatt, who just wants to repair the relationship with his brother, and mother, after his brother is injured in a snowboard accident. While staying at Emma’s mom’s bed and breakfast, all the recording for a documentary about Wyatt’s comeback ends up infringing on Emma’s need for privacy. There’s all of this while these two find love along the way despite the many obstacles. I love how supportive Emma’s friends were in helping Wyatt in his comeback and her girlfriends having her back. I also loved the kindness and insight Emma shared with Wyatt and his brother.

This was a fun and entertaining story with loveable characters that you want to support and cheer on hoping for that happy ending. The characters were well written and complex. The story line was riveting and kept my attention to the very end. I genuinely enjoyed reading this book and had trouble putting this book down. I highly recommend this book to other readers and can’t wait to read the next book in this series.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Beneath the timid dutiful daughter lies a vixen waiting to break free. Jamie Beck's mixes the element of surprise with sweet sensations of love in Unexpectedly Hers. Emma has a dream that wants to keep hidden from the people in her small town. However, a chain of unfortunate events may expose her secrets before they get the chance to come true. Can a stranger from her past be the hero of her dreams and save her from ruin? Unexpectedly Hers uses a light hearted way to emphasis an important motto. Happiness can only shine through, only if a person to themselves stays true.

Secrets have been known to damage the best relationships. Emma has a big one but it's an important secret that will change how people view her. She runs the family inn but when a big shot snowboarder and his crew spend a month her little world goes awry. Wyatt has a lot riding on this training session along with the new film about his career change. The dynamic between Emma and Wyatt is a slow burn but the fireworks never really sizzled once it ignited. The relationship they share is one of friendship first, quietly influencing each others decisions, and then blossoming into something more intimate. The respect they give each other is wonderful to read in a story. Most books start off too hot and seem to fight to keep it going. This was intriguing and a joy to read from the beginning. I have read and reviewed this book voluntarily after receiving a copy from Netgalley.

Emma is a kind, conservative, and honest person who has lived her life afraid of doing anything that could hurt the people she loved, the foremost being her mom.
But there is a secret she been keeping from everyone, she has written an erotic romance novel, a novel inspired by a one night stand with Wyatt.
The same Wyatt is now back in her life, staying at her B & B, while shooting his comeback documentary.
Wyatt doesn't remember Emma, but there is something about Emma that has him intrigued and interested. But what will happen when her secrets come out ?
Unexpectedly hers was an enjoyable read that had love, humor, heartache , emotions and drama. The anguish felt by the characters felt real, and made them believable. Overall a good read.

Emma has always been a "good" girl but three years previously had a hot one night stand with a champion snowboarder in Aspen. The encounter led to her writing an erotic romance based in part upon her experience but she knew her mother would be horrified by the book and she would be the subject of salacious gossip in her small town if word got out and so she kept quiet about the fact that her book was to be published. Her mother goes on a month long holiday and Emma is pleased as she has promotional work to do plus a deadline for her sequel novel however unbeknownst to Emma, her mother has booked the Inn which they own and work in, to a film/documentary crew and she is expected to cook and look after them for the duration of their stay. Emma is a bit disgruntled about this but worse is to come when she finds out that the star of the show is Wyatt, with whom she had the one night stand. I enjoyed this story, though found it a bit slow about one-third of the way through and it was interesting to have three separate story threads running through the book; the secret novelist, the snowboarding comeback and the recovery of Ryder (Wyatt's brother) from a life-defying accident. Though I liked all the characters I didn't really feel the connection between Wyatt and Emma, hence the 4 stars. HFN ending.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

This may be a case of me and not the book. I just didn't feel a connection between Emma and Wyatt. There were times that the story peaked my interest but for the most part it just fell flat. I love the author's writing but for whatever reason, this story didn't wow me like the previous two books did. I was very excited for Emma's book after her friend's Avery and Kelsey had theirs. I'm just sorry that I couldn't love Emma and Wyatt like Kelsey and Trip and Avery and Grey.

In the third book of the Sterling Canyon series, we follow Emma & Wyatt's story.

Emma is the quietest of the three friends, but she's also got a secret she doesn't want anyone to know. While working at her family's Inn, she's taking care of hotshot snowboarder, Wyatt. What Wyatt doesn't remember is that he & Emma had a one night stand awhile back. But Emma looked much different. Will Wyatt remember? Will Emma's secret be revealed?

Honestly, I didn't enjoy this story as much as the other two. Even though I relate to Emma personality wise, I'm not sure why the story didn't click for me. It almost seemed like this relationship was forced. Maybe it was because Wyatt was an outside. It was fine, but in my opinion not the best of the three.

I have read the first two books in this series and was very excited to get to read Unexpectedly Hers. After I got over the shock (and bit of disappointment) of the hero not being who I was expecting/hoping it would be, I settled in to read more about the shy and quiet Emma Duffy. I wavered back and forth between enjoying the story and struggling with some of the things that happened.

Emma helped her mother run the bed and breakfast, The Weenuche, in Sterling Canyon by day and, by night, she donned the pen name Alexa Aspen while writing romance novels. Emma’s writing was in secret because her mother would not approve.

“It’s lovely to know I can count on you, perfect girl. You always make me proud.”


As Emma’s mother left for a trip, Wyatt Lawson, along with his brother, Ryder, and a film documentary crew, rented the inn to film a comeback for Wyatt’s snowboarding career. And the twist? In a completely rare moment, three years earlier, Emma had an anonymous one night stand with Wyatt. Emma was shocked to see Wyatt at her inn, but Wyatt did not remember her.

As their “romance”, which at first was really just about attraction, began, I had a hard time getting past the fact that Wyatt had zero memory of her. It really put a damper on any connection they were building. I don’t know if I could be with someone that was with so many people that they didn’t remember their faces or what they were like in bed, including myself.

I really related to Wyatt in this story and felt a lot of compassion for him. He was harbouring a lot of guilt over an accident that had permanently changed and damaged his brother, Ryder. It didn’t help that his mother, quite openly, blamed Wyatt for the accident, despite it not being his fault at all. I felt for him each time he tried, and failed, to make things better for Ryder. It was truly Emma, in her annoyingly interfering way, that helped the two finally communicate and work towards healing their relationship.

Ultimately, aside from Wyatt not remembering Emma throughout the story, I also struggled with Emma, who was 31, still being treated by her mother like a teenager, to the point where Emma felt like she couldn’t date or reveal her love for writing. I felt so bad her, being caged in by her her mother’s tainted opinion on men. It also broke my heart that it caused Emma to not have a real relationship with her father.

“What did it feel like to be so independent and free? To take off on a whim and meet up with a lover, or travel, or do anything unexpected? A swell of resentment toward Emma’s mother surfaced, followed by guilt. Her moralistic mother had only ever loved her and sought to protect her from pain.”


Without giving away any spoilers, when the “truth” about Emma came out, I was seriously angry with how the chips fell and with who felt they had the right to fell anger and hurt. I also felt a little bit of whiplash at how quickly and without any real chance for amends or explanation of how the heroine and hero’s points of view on where their lives were heading had changed, the story resolved itself with a happily ever after.

As usual, though, Jamie Beck’s writing was wonderful and her stories were rich with, not only romance, but well written characters I loved to get to know. Though I didn’t love the story, I did really like it.

What a great book! Right from the start you are pulled into the characters lives. The book is full of romance, secrets, & fun. Emma appears a quiet, somewhat shy homebody but her secret is a doozy! Wyatt comes across as arrogant, slightly self absorbed & sure his way is the right way. Ryder is fighting for a life of his own by trying to not get involved. The interactions between these three & with the supporting characters are great. Fun, flirty, sassy, anger, disappointment - all tones are there & pull you further into the story. The descriptions of the scenes have you picturing the scenes in your mind & feeling right at home. It was an entertaining read.

I received a copy from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review!

Unexpectedly Hers is a short and sweet contemporary story your inner romance lover will enjoy.

Left in charge of the family B&B whilst her mother micromanages from her trip *ahem* holiday, manager extraordinaire, Emma works hard to keep the business afloat. She struggles to live up to her mothers high expectations and wholesome demands. In secret Emma has been writing a romance novel based on a rare naughty night she spent with a handsome stranger aka snowboarder Wyatt years ago.

Thanks to her mother, Emma suddenly finds herself hosting an entire documentary film crew, along with Wyatt who is trying to make a big snowboarding comeback. Who btw doesn't remember his night with her (not that she's going to remind him) and his injured former boarder brother.

I liked Emma and felt she handles things really well. I REALLY wanted her to stand up to her mother and the small minded people living in the town, to go out and live a little.

I did feel that the secret romance writer element was a little overdone at times because I've seen this on numerous occasions recently. I did enjoy Emma's personal struggle - both wanting to share her secret with Wyatt and her family and friends but not wanting to be judged for it.

Wyatt oscillated between being really sweet and funny, to stroppy, demanding and hugely in denial about his brother, but I liked him and wanted him to remember his night with Emma.

I'm not always the biggest fan of this type of chick-lit but the snowboarder in me is always going to like a romance about a handsome pro-boarder!

3.5 Stars in my Sky!

Unexpectedly Hers is the third book in the Sterling Canyon series by Jamie Beck. Ms. Beck is a first-time author to me. This book can be read as a stand along novel, and it is not necessary to have read the first two books to be caught up with this one. Hopefully, the other two books were better than this one but at this point, I really am not interested in finding out.

I am usually very excited to give new authors a chance but this book really disappointed me. So much to the fact that I skimmed almost the entire book.

Emma is a 31-year-old mama’s girl working at her mother’s B&B in the mountains. What her mother doesn’t know is that Emma is writing erotica under a pseudonym right under her nose. Her entire story is based on a one night stand she had with Wyatt when she was pretending to be someone else.
Wyatt ends up staying at the inn while her mother decides to leave town, leaving Emma to run the entire B&B. Wyatt has no idea Emma is the girl from the one night stand a few weeks back. He is in town filming his comeback story as a professional snowboarder.

The relationship between Emma and Wyatt is just strange. She is mad because he doesn’t remember her, yet she wants him to remember her. Emma stays away from Wyatt as much as possible but yet goes out of the way to help his brother, Ryder, who obviously wants nothing to do with his brother or this movie being filmed. Wyatt is all about getting into the pants of the girl who does nothing but ignore him. Now you know they finally get together and have sex. Even that is strange.

Needless to say, everything comes to a head and things don’t go as Emma planned. I honestly found myself hoping that Wyatt kicked her to the curb or that Emma hooked up with someone else by the end of the story. I just did not feel this story, at all.

Well, I had high hopes for this book, since I am a fan of Ms Beck’s St James series.
Sorry to say, I was disappointed.
The premise of the story is that Emma and her flaky Mother own a rundown Bed and Breakfast. Her mother is leaving town to take a cross country trip with her sister, and as she leaves , Emma is informed the B and B has been reserved for a month as a training facility for a snowboarder. Emma, a gal who, unbeknown to her mother , writes erotic novels and has been trying to work on one at the moment, is shocked. Especially , when said snowboarder, is her one night stand a couple of years ago . He doesn’t recognize her because at that time she was dressed up in her “ alter ego” character. On an aside, she is 6 years older than Wyatt.
I didn’t particularly connect with the main characters and almost didn’t finish the book.
Emma , for me , was not a likable individual, Wyatt was arrogant and just not my cup of tea.
That said, I wanted more on Ryder , to whom I was drawn from the beginning. Will he have a story of his own?
I was gifted this copy. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

This is the second book of Ms. Beck's that I have read. I enjoyed this book a lot. The characters were all very complex. Several different issues in the book made for many side line stories. The family dynamic aspect of it was very relatable. The main characters of Emma and Wyatt were very likeable. I really enjoyed the relationship Emma developed with Ryder. I have to admit I didn't like Emma's mother very much! But that didn't detract from all the other likable characters. I will continue to look for more books by Ms. Beck. She is a new to me author that I have just started reading. This book is part of a trilogy but can easily be read as a standalone! I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did!

A nice addition to the Sterling Canyon series. Emma, Wyatt, and Ryder were all fantastic characters each dealing with their own issues. I really connected with each of them and I enjoyed how the relationship between Emma and Wyatt developed. I hope Ryder returns to Sterling Canyon and we get his story to enjoy. This is a book I recommend for the must read list.

3.5 Stars

We first meet Emma Lawson in Accidentally Hers the first book in Jamie Beck’s Sterling Canyon series. Emma was always the “good girl” of her two best friends, Avery and Kelsey. She helps her mother run the family inn and takes food to the care center. But Emma is hiding a secret; one that could turn her whole world upside down. And now that secret just happens to be knocking on her front door in the form of snowboard extraordinaire Wyatt Lawson.

Wyatt stumbled into Sterling Canyon hoping to get his career back on track after taking time off to help his brother recover from a horrific snowboarding accident. He needs to be laser-focused to make the transition from slopestyle to freeriding “big mountain” competitions, especially with a camera crew led by dictatorial journalist Mari documenting his journey back to snowboarding. What he didn’t count on was a distraction in the form of a sweet innkeeper.

I was super excited about this book. With her friends Avery and Kelsey settled down with their fiancées, it was only right that it was Emma’s turn. She was the quiet one who I really admired for being the mediator in her friend group, which was especially hard with two strong personalities like Avery and Kelsey. For me, this book was good. Not stellar, re-read every couple months fantastic, but a good conclusion to the series nonetheless.

Because they already knew each other intimately (even if Wyatt seems a bit remiss in remembering that particular fact), the chemistry between Emma and Wyatt was like a slow simmer that seemed to grow as time passed.

“Wyatt, then. What can I do for you?”
“What are my choices?” His slow smile caused her spine to stiffen as she steeled herself against the empty flirtation. He held up his hands in surrender somehow sensing her discomfort, which embarrassed her. “Just kidding. It’s going to be a long month around here if you don’t relax a little. I don’t bite…unless I’m asked.”

Then, like any good not-watched pot, it turned into a full-grown boil, explosive and hot.

“Emma.” He came right up to her and cupped her face “Stop thinking for a few minutes. Just let go and give me control.”
And just like that, she dropped her shoes to the floor and gave in to his kiss.

Wyatt had a great mouth, with full ips and a very skilled tongue. Within seconds she’d abandoned all sense of right and wrong and let herself melt against him, her arms looping over his shoulders. A fallen woman…but, at the moment, a very happy one.

Whew! Don’t we all just want a Wyatt in our lives to loosen us up every once in a while? He provides some levity and sexual tension to their encounters that Emma refuses to acknowledge due to her secret. However, she had no problem getting involved with Wyatt and his family problems, sometimes in ways that rubbed me the wrong. Granted, her nosiness was just the kick in the pants Wyatt needed to mend some relationships.

Stubborn, thy name is Wyatt. There were points when I just wanted to shake him for not getting his head out of the sand. Shouldering some guilt over his brother Ryder’s accident, Wyatt hopes they can reconnect through the making of the documentary. Because Wyatt was moving at full-speed ahead, it took him a while to come to the realization that maybe being around snowboarding is not what is best for his brother. Their relationship was one filled with lack of communication but ultimately turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the whole book.
Despite my early annoyance with Emma, Jamie Beck did a wonderful job of allowing her to grow throughout the book. It’s not easy going after her dreams when Emma’s mother has constantly told her to make her family proud and not trust men. Considering Emma’s dreams are centered around men, one in particular, it was very difficult for her to learn to fight for what she wants.

Emma and Wyatt’s relationship was by no means easy, but when life hands them a second chance, they stuck to it like a blanket of fresh powder to the ground.

~ Megan

Unfortunately, I cannot write a positive review for this book because I did not like it at all.

Good book it's some points seem to drone on and on but overall a good read