A fun sweet read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

If you’ve read a lot of books, you might end up confusing stories. I actually thought that I had read A Risk Worth Taking and that I would read on in The Best Man’s Baby.

Turns out that I confused that story with another book. You can, however, read The Best Man’s Baby as a standalone.

Victoria James’ stories are coze and heartwarming. But she is also not afraid to tackle some more serious topics. In this one, it is about bullying and eating disorders. Although these are not the most fun topics, it will give the chracters a lot more depth. And therefore, a moving and wonderful story.

So, thanks Victoria, for another wonderful story. Four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

I was provided a copy of this book to read and provide my honest review. This is a re-released book but I’m not sure if had any major edits from the original release.

I have read a few book by Victoria James and she continues to be an author that writes stories that are right up my alley. Most of her books are rated PG and leave situations to the reader’s imagination.

I enjoyed this story about Claire and Jake. Claire has had a major crush on Jake since they were teens. They finally take a walk on the wild side the night of Quinn and Holly’s wedding. But as luck would have it, Claire ends up pregnant! So much drama ensues after that. This book actually made me laugh out loud! I would’ve given it a 5 star rating if there was more info about their wedding!

Claire owns her own successful floral shop. She has been in love with Jake Manning her entire life. If only he would have given her the time of day. When her best friend Holly marries Jake's brother, she reflects on how she wants what Holly has. She is lonely and would love to have a family of her own to cherish.

Jake Manning is a master with his hands. He is a very talented builder working for his brother Quinn at Manning Construction. He has it all. He is good looking, talented and has no problem with the ladies. But he harbors some dark secrets of his own and doesn't believe he is worthy of love.

On the night of his brother's wedding, Jake takes notice of Claire. He has noticed her before and knows it is a bad idea, but he can't seem to help himself. And that my friends is how you get into hot water.

Pregnant and alone Claire is determined to raise the baby on her own and Jake can just fall off the earth. Can Claire forgive and forget??

This book was a wonderful story written with so much emotional baggage. Claire has emotional problems just like Jake does. Together these two will embark on a journey to healing the beautiful souls they have. In doing so they will find the ultimate happiness. I am not saying the journey is happy and fun, because it is far from it. It is full of sadness and disappointment.

If you are looking for a meaningful romance, then this is for you. It is a well written heartfelt story of healing and forgiveness. There is a hint to a bigger story with the brother Evan towards the end, so prepare for book 3.

Loved this one! I'm usually not into unexpected babies, but the story was cute and wasn't dragged out.

This book was super cute but really short. I wish it was a bit longer. I also wasn't expecting it to be fade to black but it worked.

Judge me all you want, but I am drawn to accidental baby stories like a moth to a flame. And Victoria James writes good, solid stories (even if her titles are a little uncreative…). So I didn’t hesitate to request this book from NetGalley!

The Best Man’s Baby (just like its title) was a fairly simple and uncomplicated story. After watching her best friend get married, good girl Claire makes an alcohol-infused pass at alcohol-influenced “bad boy” Jake, who takes her up on her offer. It was an unforgettable night for both of them.

But then Jake hightails it out of the hotel room like his backside is on fire and disappears for six weeks. Once he gets back to town, he’s met with the fury of his one-night-stand and the announcement that he’s going to be a father.

This book was going along great - I love a heroine who sticks to her mad even though the hero thinks he can talk his way back into her good graces - when BAM, the author totally leveled up and threw in a health issue from the past. Then she doubled down and added more heartbreak from the past for both characters to turn this into a more compelling story than I thought I’d be getting.

My only complaint is that I would have liked a little more story and plot development. The characterizations were great, but as I said, this was a fairly simple story where not a whole lot happened. Still, it was an enjoyable read and a good way to spend an evening!

* thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC, Entangled: Bliss for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Claire and Jake have known each other for years. Both think that neither is good enough for the other. After one night at her best friends'/his brothers' wedding Claire winds up pregnant. Jake is willing to do what ever it takes to prove to her that he is in it for the long haul. Jake had a rough childhood, which was different from his brothers' who were shown love and support. Jake received the opposite. Jake is one of the best builders' in the area and his brothers know it. But Jake knows that his dad would never want him to be a part of the business because of something awful that happened in the past that was completely out of Jake's control.

Claire is a florist with a flourishing business. She is the daughter of a preacher, and a mother who was always on her about her looks and weight causing an eating disorder. When Claire and Jake go to the first doctor's appointment together her doctor brings it up, and the conversation Jake and Claire have afterward is the start of their deeper relationship.

Claire didn't tell Jake she was pregnant in the traditional sense. She was upset/angry at the time and ended up taking the pregnancy stick and sticking it in the burger at her best friends' BBQ and walking off. I wish we could have been a fly on the wall and watched the mayhem happen after the news.

I read this book in one night, I thought it was an easy read and really cute. Claire and Jake are both strong characters. They have had to be and it has made them good people. This was a cute, fun, sweet, romantic, and sad book to read.

Received ARC in exchange for voluntary honest review

I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Claire's always been a good girl. She's the local minister's daughter and owner of a thriving flower shop, but she's always had a crush on bad boy Jake Manning. One drunken night at a wedding is all it takes for "baby makes 3." And honestly, the way Claire tells Jake she's pregnant is absolutely hysterical. I had to bite my tongue and cover my mouth while I was reading to keep from laughing aloud. (it was 4 in the morning, and my husband was sleeping!)

Both Claire and Jake have shadows and hurts in their past that keep them from being the people (and the couple) they are meant to be, and it keeps them from fully and truly committing to each other. Jake wants to immediately get married, which is so old and antiquated, but she is a minister's daughter and all. Claire's secret past is hurtful and shaped everything about her growing up, while Jake's is gut wrenching, and I actually gasped and clutched my throat when he confessed his secret to Claire.

I loved their banter, and I adored how determined Jake was to be with her. The sexy times are "fade to black" so there isn't a lot of detail. I'm okay with that, and I like that this book is driven by story, not just descriptive sex.

It's the second book of a series, and I love the characters of this small town enough to read more!

The Best Man’s Baby by Victoria James, book two in her Red River series, is a beautiful story about how two successful people come out of terrible childhoods with few, or no, issues. Claire is the maid of honor to her life-long crush, Jake, being the best man at his brother’s wedding. Being the last to leave shouldn’t mean she should go off with him, but given the chance why not break all the rules; if only for one night. After Jake takes off for six weeks, Claire is positive that Jake is unable to settle down and be responsible. Pregnancy hormones and the fact that she's just plain pissed off lead to quite a hysterical scene when Jake finally comes back to town. Jake is shocked to find out that he is going to be a daddy and furious that Claire seems to have written him out of their lives before he even know his child existed. Jake has an uphill battle to fight in order to gain Claire's trust and to prove to her that he can be everything she needs. Claire needs to let Jake in enough to give him a chance, and to help him finally deal with some very deep childhood demons.

Claire and Jake brought different strengths to their patched-together relationship, in addition to their impending parenthood. Claire's reactions were realistic and Jake's painful past was downright heartbreaking. Their journey is a wonderful mixture of emotions, swoon worthy moments and passion. The emotional, magnetic, and sizzling chemistry between them is perfect. Their banter is flirtatious and snarky. The secondary characters are endearing. I highly recommend The Best Man’s Baby to other readers and look forward to the next book in this series.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

The Best Man’s Baby is the second book in Victoria James’ Red River series. It can definitely be read as a standalone title as this is the only book I’ve read in the series, and there was just enough backstory from book one that I was not confused regarding how characters were related to each other, nor was I confused regarding the plot and how it connected with the first book. Victoria Jams is not a new-to-me author, but I’ve only read a few of her books to date. However, I’ve yet to be disappointed in any of the ones I have read. And this one was no exception.

I adored Claire from the beginning. She’s confident (now), spunky, and knows what she wants and doesn’t want. And getting to that point was a hard-fought battle. Jake seems like the typical handsome fellow on the outside. But looks can be deceiving, and his hides an incredible hurt. Claire’s pregnancy is the catalyst he needs to come to terms with who he is and learn to love himself. There were some funny moments, but this story was chock full of emotion from the beginning to the very end. I really enjoyed my time spent in this world and will be reaching for the next book in the series soon!

Claire Holbrook has always played things safe. She is the minister’s daughter, runs her own thriving floral business and has had a lifelong crush on “bad boy” Jake Manning. When they are maid of honor and best man at Jake’s brother’s wedding, they end up hooking up. Jake slinks out in the morning, and doesn’t come back for six weeks. When he shows up at his brother’s barbecue with Claire’s high school tormentor hanging all over him, she walks up to him and jabs a positive pregnancy test into the middle of his hamburger. This is the set up for Jake having to convince Claire that they should get married, but Claire wanting a marriage based on love, not obligation. Both Claire and Jake have a lot of leftover trauma from their youth (her, body issues and bullying; him emotional abuse from his parents), to get to their happily ever after. Well told story, with some tears. NetGalley provided a copy of this book for my review.

Claire has always had a crush on Jake, but a one night stand at a wedding leaves her with more than she expected. He wants to marry her, but she is having none of it. can he convince her to give him a chance?
A great read.

Loved the MC's and their journey to happiness. Jake and Claire both had secrets they kept from friends, family and each other. They had to learn to trust one another in order to find their love. I cried for the pain Jake felt at not being loved by his parents. It was heartbreaking to think of a child being blamed for what happened. I found Claire to be strong and felt she really had come into her own after her horrible teenage years. Altogether, a great read.

Oh, and every time Jake was standing across the street looking at Claire all I could see was the end of Sixteen Candles (Jake & Claire!!!).

This is a sweet romance that focuses on the emotional development of a relationship, rather than the physical side. Both of the main characters have experienced difficult childhoods, so a lot of healing needs to happen before they let their guards down. There are references to a historic, traumatic event which could be triggering for some, but it is handled very sensitively and without going into the details. The characters are relatable and their developing relationship feels genuine and uncontrived. I enjoyed this book and will be looking out for more from this author.

I have read this long ago but when I received the second look for this title I did not recognize it immediately.

When I started reading I was like omg this book! This was one of the books I was trying to recall from my past reads...

What a read this was...

Jake and Claire both strong yet vulnerable, have had difficult past. Them coming together and wading through all the issues - was a beautiful journey.

It takes us on a emotional rollercoaster 🙃... I loved every thing about this book.

4.75 stars for an amazing read.

The Best Man's Baby is a sweet story of two people falling in love after fate brings them an unexpected gift. There was a lot more depth to this than I expected and a bad situation that was treated with lots of respect and love by everyone involved, but it can easily be a trigger for people so definitely check the reviews. It is part of a series but can easily be read as a standalone.

This one is a winner! I loved the characters and how they came together. Both Claire and Jake are complex characters with painful pasts. When they come together, neither believes the other could really be interested in them. When a baby results, they are forced to deal with each other - with painful and poignant results.

I found myself fully invested in the characters and wanting them to get their HEA ending. Fans of the genre will love this book. The author is on my must read authors' list.