I'm normally not one for the "baby" trope but this was certainly charming. I was expecting it to be a bit sexier but it's sweetness made up for this and if you are looking for something comfortable then this definitely works. I would say the only thing I noticed is that some phrasing was repetitive, almost exact lines only paragraphs apart.

3.5/5 stars

🐻 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this e-arc!


✨Hot af but dull at times

3.5 stars

Yes, I do tend to read Leslie North books - partially for the titles. The titles are so ridiculously absurd that they tend to draw me in - chuckles.

This book is about Max, a SEAL home on leave for Christmas. He isn't a part of his family's bakery - unlike the rest of his siblings and father. When he gets home, all he hears about is a new bakery opening in town and how they are going to steal all their business. It doesn't matter that the new bakery focuses on desserts (pastries, cookies, etc.), while Max's family's bakery focuses on cakes and breads. Two totally different markets - but Max's sister is still spun up about the new bakery and her father seems to follow suit.

Amelia is the owner of the new bakery. She moved to a new town to start over - she has no family after all as she grew up in the foster care system. One night she decides to go to a bar on Halloween really just to overhear what people are saying about her - she has never had a lot of confidence and she feels by being "in costume" she can listen to people more freely. She didn't expect to meet someone that she had a one night stand with. And ended up pregnant. Without knowing his full name or the fact that his family owns the bakery that seems to be at war with her.

When weird things happen to her bakery (rude notes left demanding she leave town, exploding microwaves, oven doors that fall off, a fire, etc.), Max must choose between the mother of his unborn child or his family. I really did enjoy this book - it's a quick read and enjoyable.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions stated above are mine without biases.

This was a nice easy Christmas read. I enjoyed it and liked the characters. The setting was good and the rivalry between the two bakeries, solid 3 star read.

Pretty good book.... Talk about coincidences lol..... Amelia also known as Wednesday Adams lol.... And Max also known as g. I. Joe lol... Had a little bit of everything for me... I really enjoyed reading this book..

Amelia and Maxwell's story. Overall, not a bad story, but it frustrates me when hurtful things are forgiven too quickly, especially when they shouldn't have been said in the first place. A quick read, so quick emotions, quick everything. A bit more details would have helped. But would still recommend.

This was a sweet and spicy romance mixed with a little danger and mystery. What turned from a one night stand for Max and Amelia to a baby on the way and a hot relationship. This book has it all.

A quick insta love story! The book describes a SEAL who gets pregnant a bakery girl in a Halloween party and for Christmas he gets to know BUTT his family is the competition and the girl is treated!!
Actually the story is bizarre but is a good read to pass the time :)

A big thank you to NetGalley and Relay for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. this was a crazy book! I had a love/hate relationship with it. I liked the hard working baked Amelia. I thought her rivals.we're terrible! Maxwell was an odd dichotomy of sweet and strong. His family was horrifying. Amelia forgave them way to quickly!! Overall a quick silly read. I liked it because it was light and silly. 3 stars

A cute romantic read, bit far fetched and silly at times, but no less cute. Lovely lead couple and nice family characters, lovely warm read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Amelia grew up in foster homes so when she could save back enough money to buy her own bakery she did and then one Halloween night she slept with a man and six weeks later realized she had more than bread baking in the oven. But as soon as she told the father things started to go wrong and multiple amounts of trying to kill her happened.

This book could not decide what it wanted to be: military suspense, surprise baby, small town, or holiday cute. It really needed a stronger editor to pick one of the paths and refine throughout - without that it ended up feeling like a Beta draft vs a ready for publication ARC. The writing wasn't bad, but the characters were inconsistent and their growth arcs (including supporting characters) were not well enough developed. In particular, the heroine punished the hero for not perfectly hitting the balance of alpha protective and sharing his feelings. Yet with one half-hearted apology, she completely forgave his absolutely awful family who had treated her horrifically. I had the 'bad guy' figured out at the 40% mark and would have DNF'd at 50% (could not care about either MC) if I had not agreed to write a review. I'm usually in for any one of these tropes (military suspense, surprise baby, small town or holiday novella) but this was just a mess of all of them that didn't work together in tone.

A great story full of sweet love. I loved this book. The story was well done and easy to read. You will get pulled into the story and hate to see it end.

Okay, so this time we actually have a story somewhat. First, the two main characters meet at a Halloween party and have a one-night stand. Six weeks later she finds out she is with a child. Amelia who owns a bakery in town is dealing with the other bakery which is upset that she opened and feels that they should be the only one really? When Max the baby daddy comes home on leave and must decide on to return or not to the Seals. He finds that Amelia is pregnant and also that not only is his family bad-mouthing her business but he thinks they are also sabotaging it as well.
The more you get into the story the more I found to actually like Amelia and her strength her fight and her grit. As for Max and his family other than his mother his family didn’t really act like one. Overall, it was a good book and was much better than the last Seal book I read from this author. Worth the read.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. There was love, danger, suspense, and yummy baked goods! The only way the book would've been better is if sample baked goods come with the book! I definitely plan to reread this book again in the future.

Oh that title! With my new appreciation of holiday romances I couldn't pass up reading this book. The title pretty much says it all. This is a quick read, brain candy romance. Amelia and Max hook up after a Halloween costume party. Max is a navy seal and when he is home for Christmas they meet again and she tells him she is pregnant. He takes it well but unfortunately his family is out to shut down Amelia's bakery because it is a rival to their own. Dangerous accidents start happening.

I am giving this 4 stars based on this type of book and not compared to everything I read. The characters have background and are thought out. The mystery (not hard to figure out) is diverting. And you know there is going to be a cheesy happy ever after.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I snagged this book because I absolutely love Leslie North and because I was looking for something Christmas-y. While it isn't super-loaded with a Christmas feel, it's a wonderful romance.

I absolutely loved Max and Amelia! From the one night stand on Halloween to all the crazy stuff that happens ... it was so sweet watching them fall for each other. I have quite a bit of respect for Amelia, deciding she's going to go it alone when she finds out she's pregnant. But the way she and Max connected almost instantly, I was hoping for a happy ending for both of them.

This book has not only romance but a mystery. Shortly after Max and Amelia start spending time together, bad things begin happening. An exploding microwave, an oven that tries to crush her, and more! I spent a good portion of the book trying to figure out who was attacking her and narrowing down my own list of suspects. Let me tell you, I was surprised in the end who it turned out to be. Not expected.

The SEAL's Pregnant Christmas Lover was the perfect addition to my Christmas reading list and I hope we hear more from Max and Amelia in the future!

Okay…… We need to talk about the name of this book….. Who the hell thought this was a good idea??? Seriously, this is literally why they say “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. Luckily I was in the mood for a cheesy book, because there was no way I would have ever read the description for this book otherwise.

Wondering why I picked it? Guys, its called “The Seal’s Pregnant Christmas Lover”, why wouldn’t you pick it. I mean, seriously like I said how do you not pick that when you are craving a Cheestastic Hallmark Style book on a Sunday.

I got what I asked for. This book was like watching a 5 year old Hallmark Movie (not the new ones, they are legit now). The whole time you are shaking your head and smiling. At times wondering why you are liking it, because it well…. Its not really good, but its so good at the same time. You know who the bad guy is from the beginning and you spend the whole time trying to figure out why they don’t know.

Also I love when an author can call her main characters an “Alpha” and then has his internal dialogue say……

“His own smile grew like a flower in the sun, and Max couldn’t fight it anymore.”

In the end, it was utterly ridiculous and stupid, but I actually enjoyed the entire thing. It only took me a few hours to read it, and it was just what I needed. The last few reads were so good, and I really needed to just have something light and fun with no expectations.

On a side now, this author definitely needs a new proofreader/editor though, man I don’t think I went a chapter with out an error or 5.

The SEAL's Pregnant Christmas Lover is a heart-warming story about two people who fall in love against all odds. Max (a tough Navy SEAL) and Amelia (a down-to-earth baker) meet at a bar and after what seems like a one night stand, Amelia discovers that Max got her pregnant. Amelia assumed that she would never meet Max again and ultimately have to raise their baby by herself, until one day he happened to walk into Sweet Cheeks, her bakery, and they meet again. Over the next few weeks Amelia has to deal with the fact that some unknown culprit is clearly trying to destroy her livelihood, all the while she is falling farther and farther for Max. While the two try to pin down the villain, they become closer and their love starts to blossom.

I'm going to be honest and say that I enjoyed this book way more than I thought I would. Amelia and Max seemed like a very unlikely pair but they ultimately ended up being a perfect match! Their witty banter and obvious chemistry made the story very heart-warming and enjoyable. Add in the mystery element, and the suspense surrounding the attacks on the bakery and this story is the perfect winter read. I was able to figure out who the villain was about halfway through the story so that was a bit disappointing, but I'm normally good about that so it's not too big a deal! I would definitely recommend this story to anyone who enjoys light romance in a wintery setting, with a bit of suspense involved.

I received an advanced reader's copy of The SEAL's Pregnant Christmas Lover by Katie Knight and Leslie North from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first book by Katie Knight or Leslie North that I had read and I was pleasantly surprised to find two enjoyable new authors to follow.

The Good: The storyline was interesting and the characters were well written. I quite liked the dynamic and chemistry between our protagonists - bakery owner, Amelia Cafferty, and Navy SEAL, Maxwell Bloom. Their interactions with one another and with secondary characters were well constructed and had depth/layers.

The Not-So-Good: The pacing of the ending action/plot conclusion was a bit uneven.

Overall though, I thought this novel was fun to read.