This was okay for me. The writing flowed well for the most part, but I like my stories with a little more steam. This was more of a clean romance, so if that's your thing, this is a great story for you. Jack and Daisy have good chemistry, and their story is an instalove situation. I liked that all their kids learned to get a long, and that Daisy finally realized that she deserved happiness. My main complaint with this story would be Daisy's refusal for any help. I don't expect, or like a weak heroine, but being able to accept help doesn't make you weak. I haven't read any of the other stories in this series, but it didn't make this one hard to follow. This was a first for me from this author, but I would read her again.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.

I'll be honest. This one took a lot more effort for me to finish than most other Entangled novels I've read. Oh, it was nice, sure! But I just didn't find myself enthralled and one hundred percent engaged by the storyline. After all, I'm not sure how many of us want to date a politician...
Overall:
This was cute, I will give it that. And was it a sweet, fun, light story that a lot of others would enjoy? Sure. It was all of those things. And I do have to say, I did love Daisy's independence and her refusal to be just dependent on Jack. But between all the characters, and the faking the engagement, and the paparazzi to the dog to the kids, I just felt a little overwhelmed. And perhaps the speed with which they fell into their relationship and its whirlwind nature - both the fake and the 'real' one, soured my opinion of it a little.
Characters:
It's always great to see an independent single mum, and to see Daisy refusing to rely only on Jack, and accepting all his several lavish gifts was nice to see - but it was also nice to see the nuance in her character that she didn't always refuse to do so - willing to accept help. I also loved her ability to dream to do more and to be more, setting up her own business (albeit with a little help from Jack - but then again, we all need help sometimes).
Jack, on the other hand, as lovely and sweet and cute as he was, I just didn't love his character as much as I enjoyed reading Daisy's story. Jack was nice, and serving his people as a politician, and that's all very well and good, but he didn't make me swoon, which I suppose is what all of us want out of a romance novel. I did like that he cared so deeply for his kid and for Daisy - that was really lovely to see, but I suppose that's just it - he was just nice. Just nice. And I would have loved to see some deeper fire, about what really drives him, conveyed more.
Storyline:
As far as fake engagements/relationships go, it's pretty by the book. And I do love those storylines, it's one of my favourites actually. The transition and confusion between what's real and what's fake, is always so fun to read about, and I love tagging along for the ride. So, in that respect, it was really lovely to read.

Overall, I did enjoy reading this novel, I just felt that I didn't quite connect with it as much as I'd like to have. I'm sure many others would have loved this novel, but for me, I'm not sure I clicked with the characters enough...

Note: I was very generously given an ARC of this novel by the publisher and the author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This was a great read. Well written with wonderful characters and an engaging storyline. The characters had great chemistry, passion and were great together. The story had drama, fun moments and the perfect HEA. Would totally recommend

Daisy is a single mom of three kids- Paul, Natalie, and Jenna. She also now has an ex husband who only acknowledges his kids when it is convenient for him in the last two years. Daisy had lost everything because of his lying cheating ex who had left her for a much younger woman. Daisy also won’t accept help from her friends and family. Daisy tries to prevent her kids from being disappointed but her ex husband is such an inconsiderate man even when it comes to his kids and only cares about himself. The he cancels a trip he was suppose to take the kids to Disneyland at the last minute and instead goes on vacation with his girlfriend. Daisy doesn’t have the money to take the kids to Disneyland but her sister- in- law does have a family vacation place on Lake Tahoe and offers its used to Daisy and the kids and also Aunt Glenda who Daisy takes with them. When Daisy gets to the house she finds a man already there the man is the soon to be governor Jack Harrison and his thirteen year old daughter Lily and the puppy Oliver/Ollie. Jack’s wife had died and left him with their daughter. Jack doesn’t date. Jack wants to spend time with his daughter and take her on vacation in a quiet secluded place where they can have peace. before their lives change with him becoming governor and all that goes with it. Somehow the paparazzi find out where Jack is and shows up at the house. Jack nor Daisy need a scandal to be started by the media. There is a hot chemistry between Jack and Daisy and makes Jack want things he hasn't wanted in a long time. Jack comes up with the idea for Daisy to pretend to be his fiance. When Daisy agrees jack will in turn will cosign a loan for five percent of the profits. As Daisy is a creative baker and her dream is to open a bakery but with little money, no assets or good credit rating she has little chance of getting the loan. She also desires never to depend on anyone but herself again.
This was a good book and I enjoyed it. I also liked the pace and plot. I do advise you to read the other books in this series for a smoother read. I thought Daisy was a little too stubborn at times like accepting at least some help from her family and friends. This was a fun easy romantic funny read. I did feel Jack was a little too quick to say he was all in as far as a relationship with Daisy goes. It takes a little longer to be in a full relationship. The kids and Ollie definitely added to this story. At times I did get frustrated with Daisy and/or Jack. I did chuckle at times while reading this. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I recommend.

Received in exchange for a honest review.

Loved Jack. At times he was coming off strong but I think it’s because he is so comfortable with himself and his feelings that he owns them and doesn’t apologize for it. He also has a desire to take care of those he loves. It is hard for him not to want to help Daisy when he can. Jack is kind, caring and sweet. I loved him with Daisy’s children and how he included them and his own daughter in everything he did. He didn’t pass them off to someone but want the to be a part of things. He was a great dad and an amazing person. So loyal and honest. He harbored some guilt but was learning to move on.

Daisy was struggling. Her ex was a true douchecanoe and she was really trying to keep things afloat while giving her children a sense of safety and love. So when she starts to feel on her feet and steady she doesn’t want any help from anyone. She is too afraid of losing herself to another. So afraid that she almost loses a wonderful romance because of it. Her fears dictated things and so did her stubbornness at times. She was a good character just afraid.

Her and Jack meet when a mixup occurs and they are both at the same time in the cabin of a family member. Only for Jack he didn’t see a problem only a solution. He was a fixer. He was attracted to Daisy as well. You could feel the chemistry between them. Jack though was in politics and it did have them in a precarious situation. The solution was a pretend engagement and this gave us such fun family moments. We see them shine when they are with their children. We also see them support and understand one another. We see them explore getting to know one another and their attraction. They feel safe with each other and confide in one another. Only things do escalate and Daisy does feel overwhelmed on things. But this doesn’t deter Jack. When they get home, he is overenthusiastic on some things and Daisy doesn’t take it well.

It breaks my heart when that happens because Jack is a good guy. Just a fixer. I love how in the end though he makes Daisy’s son day by keeping his promise. And Daisy finally realizes she won’t lose herself if she lets someone in to share her worries, burdens, fears and gets support from them in every way.

The story is sweet and fun. The characters have you smile and fall in love with them and their tale as they learn to be a family and be what the other needs.

Her Surprise Engagement was a sweet, simple love story that comes from a fake engagement that is all for show. Too bad Daisy and Jack's feelings didn't get the message that it was all fake.
The characters were likable and relate-able. The storyline was a bit slow paced in areas but it didn't deter me from reading to the end. It was enjoyable to read and I loved all the kids and the quirky aunt also.

Great read. Fast paced. Well written. Strong characters.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved how Daisy stood up for herself and her kids. Jack was a little over zelous about helping independent Daisy out.

I highly recommend this book. You won't want to put it down once you start reading.

Thank you netgalley and Entangled Publishing for allowing me to read this book for an honest review.

Read it you won't regret it

I loved this sweet book! It's perfect for a lazy weekend, sitting in the shade sipping sweet tea.

They make the perfect power couple! And I got hungry from just thinking about her cooking.

I loved this book as much as I've loved the others in the series! I know this is the last Sorenson sibling, but I want more! Daisy and Jack end up in a tricky situation, leading to helping each other out for a bit, until it becomes more. Daisy isn't used to good in net life, and it's hard for her to let someone in. Cute, fun, love the whole series!

Single mom Daisy Sorensen doesn’t believe in fairytale endings—at least not for her. All she wants is to enjoy a much-needed, stress-free family vacation at a friend’s Lake Tahoe home. So of course everything that can go wrong does. Including a gorgeous man and his daughter showing up in the middle of the night.

Soon-to-be Governor Jack Harrison has had a crazy week, but he’s sure nothing can top arriving to find a bathrobe-clad, beautiful stranger in the home he’s staying in for the week. He’s wrong. When things spiral out of control the next morning, Jack makes Daisy an offer she can’t refuse. She’ll pretend to be his fiancée and he’ll help her open the bakery she’s been dreaming about.

But in between late-night campfires and days on the lake, Jack finds himself falling for the strong, stubborn woman for real.

The Sorensen family series by Ashlee Mallory has been one of my favorites in the Entangled Bliss line of sweet romances. While I tend to gravitate towards steamier stories, as long as the characters interest me and there is a good dose of sexual tension I'm a willing reader. In this story, older sister Daisy Sorensen, a divorced mom of three finally finds a man worthy of being her partner.

A week at Daisy's sister-in-law Payton's family vacation home in Lake Tahoe sounds like paradise for Daisy and her children Jenna, Natalie and Paul, with Aunt Glenda along to help out. But in a surprising turn of events they aren't the only ones who've been given the security code to the house. Jack Harrison has one too. As the soon to be Governor of Utah, he's in need of some private vacation time with his 13 year old daughter Lily. When Daisy and Jack realize their predicament, they agree to share the house (it's certainly big enough for them all) and make the most of the vacation time they have.

Of course the press finds out! With all eyes on Jack and his upcoming career move, Jack and Daisy quickly agree to a fake engagement to keep away any scandal. While spending time together, it's not hard to start to have feelings for each other too. Daisy has her dream of starting a bakery and is fiercely proud of being able to do it on her own, though in return for agreeing to their fake engagement Jack's offered to help her get things on the right track. When their week together is up, will she have to choose between her future career and a place in Jack's very public life or can she have both in her happy ever after?

I really enjoyed seeing Daisy meet someone finally who treats her with respect! With three young children, her ex-husband's selfishness means she's essentially a single mom and trying to get her new bakery business off the ground, work full time and care for her family means she has her hands full. Jack comes across as a well respected and well liked politician and family man. He appreciates what Daisy is doing with her life. The conflict between them comes from Jack being overly eager to help Daisy with her plans, because he is in a much better financial position than she is, and Daisy being so used to doing things on her own that she has difficulty accepting help.

Daisy and Jack are definitely attracted to each other, and there are some kissing scenes that lead to more (closed door scenes). No problem with sexual compatibility for these two! Both Jack and Daisy are great parents and their kids have to adjust to living together in the vacation home and do so in age appropriate ways – Daisy's older daughter and Lily are somewhat at odds while the younger kids have a great time with the new guests. One can see that they will make a great blended family if Jack and Daisy can find a way to take a summer vacation romance into a real relationship.

If you haven't read any of the Sorensen family series yet, I highly recommend them all. They read well as standalones, and showcase a caring and friendly family. Her Surprise Engagement is a delightful single parent romance and a sweet and easy read.

Review has been posted at Amazon. It has been featured on the Straight Shootin' Book Reviews site and feedback updated with the link.

When Daisy and Jack meet and the chemistry explodes off the pages. I love Jack he knows what he wants and he's not afraid to let Daisy know. Daisy however after been burnt badly by her exhusband is less willing to trust herself much less someone else. She's determined to be independent. Jack and her family have to help her learn asking for help isn't the end of the world.
I enjoyed this story very much! The characters were well developed and mostly likable. If you enjoy a great romance with a protagonist with a bit of a stubborn streak I highly recommend Her Surprise Engagement.

I'm normally not drawn to books that deal with politics except small town mayors, but I'm so glad I read this one because I would have missed out on a good book. I enjoyed all the characters. Both Jake and Daisy both had gone through heartbreak with their previous marriages, but in different ways. A mix up on vacation may just lead to a bright happy future neither saw coming. I could relate relate to Daisy's children because I was in the same boat when my parents split when I was young. I could sympathize with them because I knew what they were feeling. Jake and Daisy are going to have their bumps along the way, but it's a beautiful love story.

Ashlee Mallory returns readers to Salt Lake City, Utah and the lovable, close-knit family of the Sorsensens. In the final installment of the series, oldest Sorensen sibling, Daisy finally gets her happily-ever-after.

Daisy Sorensen is a single-mom of three kids. For the past two years, she has been pretty much taking care of the kids alone, since her ex-husband only likes to acknowledge he has kids when it’s convenient for him. Daisy is headstrong, stubborn, full of pride, and doesn’t like to take handouts. While her family has often offered to help her, she consistently refuses. For months, Daisy’s ex has been promising to take the kids to Disneyland, only to cancel on them at the last minute to go on a vacation with his current girlfriend. Not wanting to disappoint her kids and at the insistence of her sister-in-law, she takes them to Lake Tahoe and the family cabin of the Vaughns.

Jack Harrison is a single father to a 13-year-old daughter. He’s currently the Lieutenant Governor of Utah. He’s just found out that the current Governor is taking a different position and he’s about to become the new Governor. Wanting to take a quick vacation with his daughter before the news breaks, he accepts the offer of Mrs. Vaughn to head to the Vaughn cabin.

Daisy and Jack are both surprised to learn that the other is at the cabin. They become even more surprised and shocked to discover reporters have learned of the government change and show up at the cabin. Things get a little out of hand. In order to save his reputation, Jack makes a business arrangement with Daisy. If she pretends to be his fiancée, he will help her secure funding to open her own bakery. Things get blurred when lines are crossed and a fake engagement turns into real feelings.

Her Surprised Engagement was the story that I’ve been waiting on. I’m not crazy about the setup. This is a standalone read, but honestly, what are the odds that four siblings will all find their happily-ever-after from what started as fake relationships? As characters, I liked both Daisy and Jack. And the kids definitely added to the story. While on this week vacation, they all actually became a family. I loved that the kids played a role in bringing them together in the end.

Loved, loved, loved this story! Quirky, funny, and oh so engaging from the beginning, this story is real treat.

Her Surprise Engagement is a sweet (read clean) romance. It was a little bland for my tastes, not just the heat level (low) but on the actual story. It moved kind of slowly and not much really happened. However, I enjoyed the hero and the 4 kids. I haven't read any of the others in this series, but it's easy to pick up on how close the Sorenson family is.

Daisy is a single mom of 3 preteens who is hoping to someday soon open her own bakery in Salt Lake City. She, her three kids, Jenna, Paul and Natalie, and her Aunt Glenda have accepted Daisy's new sister-in-law's offer of vacationing in her family's home in Lake Tahoe. For once, Daisy has accepted something from someone, and it's not quite sitting right with her. She's had to be so independent since her divorce, that accepting any kind of handout or hand up, is really difficult for her. But, because her ex husband let her kids down AGAIN when he bailed on taking them to Disneyland, she couldn't help but accept Payton's offer to allow them to vacation at her home. Only, Daisy doesn't expect to see a gorgeous man who looks a lot like the Lieutenant Governor of Utah in the house that night as she's coming downstairs. Ooops... Jack Harrison has accepted Payton's mother's offer of the use of her Lake Tahoe home so he and his 13 year old daughter, Lili can get in a vacation before Jack is appointed Governor, when the current Governor accepts a cabinet position with the President. Imagine his surprise when he comes upon a beautiful woman in the kitchen at the vacation home...

Thanks to some nosy reporters, and her children's loose lips, the next morning Jack and Daisy are faced with being the subject of gossip sites' speculations about Jack's new girlfriend and her children, who are obviously enjoying a summer vacation on the shores of Lake Tahoe. When Jack proposes a fake engagement to keep the reporters' speculation at bay, and in turn he'll cosign on a loan for her dream bakery, Daisy knows she needs to accept. Why wouldn't she? He's gorgeous, kind, great with kids and about to be the Governor. But, Daisy's hard won independence, her insecurities, and her own stubborn pride just may get in the way of anything meaningful and real happening between two people who are obviously attracted to each other and who are soon developing feelings for each other.

Though I enjoyed getting a peek into the lives of an obviously close family like the Sorensons, and Jack is an absolute dream, I'm afraid that Daisy put me off a little with her unnecessary pride and ridiculous refusal to accept a little help from people who love her. She came across as more than a little cold and prickly, and I found myself not enjoying Her Surprise Engagement as much as I probably could have, had she been a more likable character. I do like the rest of the characters and think the whole idea of this story is charming and sweet.

I love books that have people meet in odd ways, especially if they’re thrown together and have to try to come up with a plan so that everyone can make the situation work. I love fake marriages or couples or fake engagements. The building up to the eventual relationship always leads to a happy ending and who doesn’t like happy endings?

I’m a big fan of sweet books that are heavy on dialogue, attraction, and learning the complexity//depths of the characters and not read about their bedroom activities. While it’s implied that they were intimate, there isn’t any detail. There’s also mild language, but nothing coarse.

Daisy is such a wonderful mother to her children, even if her ex is a jackass. Her children come first in her life and she tries to give them the best she can with what she has to work with.

Jack is trying to navigate life without his wife and raising his daughter by himself. Added to the mix is the fact that he’s about to take office as the Governor. Jack is a good dad and I loved watching him interact with anyone.

Even though this is the fourth book in the series, you can read it as a stand-alone. I plan on purchasing the whole series to date to learn more about the Sorensen family.

DISCLAIMER: I requested a digital copy from Entangled Bliss via Netgalley for review purposes. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

I am sad that the Sorensen Family series is likely ending with Her Surprise Engagement, but it is a fabulous way to wrap everything up!

I had been so excited when reading the previous book, The Playboy's Proposal (Benny and Henry's story), and there was mention of the delicious dessert chocoflan! One of my best friends makes it and I hadn't heard about it anywhere else.

When I saw that Daisy was dreaming of opening her own bakery, I knew that there would be more delicious baked goods mentioned and I only wish there had been recipes at the end!

After loving Benny and Henry so much, I was worried I wouldn't enjoy Daisy and Jack's story as much. I was happy to be proved wrong, though.

Through a mix-up Daisy and Jack end up sharing her sister-in-law's family vacation home in Lake Tahoe. Daisy is there after her ex disappointed her kids by bailing on a promised vacation. Jack, the state's Lieutenant Governor, is there to spend time with his daughter before the press catches wind that he is about to take over for the current Governor.

As much as I love Henry, Dominic, and Cruz from the previous books, Jack definitely gives them a run for their money. He is kind, generous, and thoughtful. I especially enjoyed seeing his interactions with his daughter and Daisy's three kids.

Daisy is a strong character you can't help but admire. She really stepped up after her ex left her and the kids. I liked that she is level-headed and not afraid to stand up for herself.

The author did a great job with story threads that carried through all four books in this series. I highly recommend both this book and the series as a whole!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5.stars

A sweet and clean romance - strange for me - but I loved it.

Daisy is a strong single mum of 3 kids, she has big plans - she wants to open a bakery of her own, she is a doting mum too and is off on a holiday in a big house with her aunt in tow.

Jack is big in politics and things are about to explode for him as he runs for governor so a short break with his daughter is a welcome distraction.

The big house is double booked and Jack and Daisy, who have acquaintances in common but don't know one another are in a difficult predicament.

'When the thought had passed his mind a time or two of what it would feel like to run his fingers through this mass, he hadn't imagined he'd be digging out a wiggling worm as did so. He choked back a laugh.'

I really enjoyed this story, 2 families coming together, having fun. The spark between Jack and Daisy grows daily but they lead two different lives so you can understand Daisy being reluctant, Jack is persistent and even though I enjoyed this clean romance I did wonder if he was a gentleman in the bedroom!

'Daisy hadn't even heard his arrival, but she felt enormous relief when Jack climbed the front steps looking like her own Prince Charming. Sexy, panty-melting Prince Charming.'

Sweet, delightful read - will read more from this author.

ARC REVIEW