More Than He Expected by Andrea Laurence

More Than He Expected by Andrea Laurence
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Back Cover:
The Exception to the Rule  Playboy Alex Stanton likes his relationships short and without strings. But his fiery fling with Gwen Wright left him craving more. So when a holiday weekend getaway provides an opportunity for another taste of the tantalizing woman, he grabs it. Only, things have changed since their last encounter.... Besides being noticeably pregnant, Gwen insists she's sworn off men. As if the challenge weren't tempting enough, Gwen's enticing new curves have made the sexy spitfire even more appealing. But how can the footloose bachelor hang on to his heart when he can't stop longing for the soon-to-be mama?

My Review:
'More Than He Expected' is an endearing love story!

This book picks up at Will and Adrienne’s wedding reception, right about where “What lies beneath’ by Andrea Laurence left off. Though this is a stand-alone book I will recommend reading WLB to better understand the secondary characters that are an essential part of this book.

Alex and Gwen met at Will and Adrienne’s wedding and embarked on a two week long mutually satisfying fling before they parted and went their separate ways. Now 8 months later they are both invited to spend the July 4th holiday at their friends retreat in the Hamptons; Alex hasn’t been able to forget about Gwen and is excited to pursue fling 2.0 so imagine his surprise when he finds Gwen is 5 months pregnant.

Alex and Gwen’s characters are beautifully written, Alex is not interested in marriage and relationship, never has been but he can’t seem to stay away from Gwen constantly worrying and caring about her health and safety.

You can sense Alex’s totally frazzled and confused feelings and emotions where Gwen is concerned. You will fall in love with Alex’s character. Not only does Alex surprise Gwen with a day at the spa but he actually hangs around at the Spa while she gets pampered, in my books that makes him a definite keeper.

‘More Than He expected’ is a beautifully written love story, without too much angst and melodrama between the main characters. This book exceeded my expectations and is definitely worth a read. 

What Lies Beneath by Andrea Laurence

What Lies Beneath by Andrea Laurence
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Back Cover:
They say she's Cynthia Dempsey, fiancée of media mogul Will Taylor. But try as she might, she can't recall their high-society life or the man sitting by her hospital bed. Though her body certainly remembers him. Even as she senses the distance between them, the electricity when they touch is undeniable.

Will can hardly believe Cynthia's transformation. Gone is the ice queen who betrayed him, and in her place is a woman who seems genuine and warm. But can he risk his heart again, not knowing what might happen when her memory returns?

My Review
'What lies Beneath' is a fast paced emotionally satisfying read. This book had a unique spin on the “Amnesia trope” with the added dimension of “mistaken identity”.

Heroine wakes up in the hospital with no memory following a deadly plane crash and a series of facial reconstructive surgery to be greeted by her family and aloof fiancé Will all of whom are strangers to her.

Will takes Cynthia home to recuperate, where she discovers that Will had actually broken off the engagement before her trip and that he is no longer in love with her and hasn’t been for a while,  however Will decides to support her during her on going recovery.

Cynthia is no longer the cold hard hearted bitch she used to be, she is warm and loving; Will realizes he actually likes spending time with this new Cynthia but is also afraid that her memory will return and she will revert back to being her old hurtful selfish self. He has been hurt before and wants to stir clear from all the resulting heartache.

There’s more heartache and drama that follows and tares Will and Cynthia apart and threatens their HEA. All of which you will need to read the book to find out more about :)

What I liked about this story is that when Will and Cynthia decide to give their relationship another chance they don't fall into bed right away, they decide to start over, date and get to know each other all over again taking it a day at a time; As the story progresses you can see Will work through his feelings for Cynthia and start to fall in love again.

What Lies Beneath is an emotional read, with great characters and an engaging storyline. This was Andrea Laurence’s first book and I have to say it was pretty impressive.