Unexpected Choices

Cape Cod Series #5

by Kimberly Thomas

Charlotte Hamilton Ricker's life is a survival act in the shadows of loss—until a bold choice sends her spiraling into the heart of what it means to truly live.

As the world shifts around her—her mother's romance, her sister's leap into medicine, and her best friend's rocky path to motherhood—Charlotte stands at a crossroads. Grief's tight grip has left her on autopilot, but the stirring tides of change beckon her to wake up.

In a daring twist of fate, Charlotte steps into the role of surrogacy for her best friend Addison, a decision that reverberates through her family and challenges everything they thought they knew about sacrifice and love.

"Unexpected Choices," the fifth book in the series, is a tale of courage, self-discovery, and the unexpected friendships that become our lifelines. In Unexpected Choices, Charlotte and Libby, a foster mother fighting her own battles, weave a new tapestry of connection that promises to redefine the essence of family and joy.

Get ready to witness Charlotte's journey from surviving to thriving, from the sidelines to the forefront of her own life's drama. Dive into book five where the leap into the unknown is the first step to finding your place in the world.

Genres: Womens Fiction

226 pages, Paperback

Published July 3, 2025

About the author

Kimberly Thomas has a passion for writing heartfelt stories that resonate with her readers. With two adult children and a loving husband, she understands the complexities of family dynamics and uses this knowledge to create relatable characters. When she's not writing, she loves to travel and explore new cultures. She finds inspiration in the people she meets and the places she visits, and often incorporates her experiences into her stories.

Kimberly specializes in feel-good women's fiction, clean and wholesome contemporary romance. Her stories focus on love, loss, and the everyday situations that families face. Her writing style is engaging and relatable, and she has a talent for drawing readers in and keeping them hooked until the very end.

Reviews

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another great addition to the Cape Cod series. This book is about choices that Charlotte makes that will totally affect her life. Since her father died, she's felt like her life was in a rut. She spent more time taking care of other people and telling her sister how she should be living her life, that there wasn't any happiness in her life.

Charlotte was teaching and that was about it. She wasn't dating and only had one good friend. Addison was a cancer survivor and she and her husband longed to have a baby but the chemo for her cancer ended her chances of having a baby. Charlotte has decided that her life has been lived on auto-pilot for too long and it was time to do something drastic so she decided to be a surrogate mother for Addison. Her sister is appalled that she is making this decision and feels like she'll ruin her life but Charlotte knows that it's the right thing for her to make. There is a small problem, she has been flirting with the science teacher and she really hopes that their friendship will turn into something more. But how is he going to feel about her being a surrogate? and is there a chance for their relationship?

I really enjoyed going back to Cape Cod for the fifth book in this series. Charlottes was a great character and I could totally understand her reasons for deciding to be a surrogate for her best friend. There are bits of information about many of the people in the Wilson clan but this book is primarily about Charlotte and her decision to give the greatest gift to her best friend.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing in a series, Kimberly Thomas brings us a story about Charlotte. She thought she was in a good place in her life, after the death of her father. However, as she watches her family (mom's new romance, sister going to medical school) and friends lives change, she wonders if she is stuck.

Her friend Addison is struggling to conceive after cancer. In a bold act, Charlotte decides to be her surrogate. Will she be able to make Addison's dreams of a family come true?

Charlotte is also grappling with feelings for a friend and fellow teacher, Patrick. Did they miss a chance at becoming more than friends?

Charlotte's story is one of courage, love and selflessness. Will she help her friends and feel more purpose in her life? Ultimately, will she find love?

[Pam Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of family and friend support and interaction in this one. Two story lines with Charlotte looking for something to make her feel worthwhile, as she struggles after the death of her father. She wants to support the fertility struggle of her friends Addison and Mason Lilly is also struggling with her building a relationship with her foster daughter Annie.

Charlotte is having disagreements with her sister Savannah as they disagree about future plans. Charlotte also is worried about her interest in co-worker Patrick. Lilly has trouble trusting Annie to make good decisions. Dynamics change as the plot develops.

Thank you to the author for this ARC. This review is my honest opinion.

[Jennie Fortna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unexpected Choices is book 5 in Cape Cod series by Kimberly Thomas.

This story is about Charlotte, her struggles after her father passes, supporting her friends through their struggles, family issues, attraction in a coworker, emotions and more

I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy (ARC) of this book from the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were definitely some unexpected choices in this book, some of them I wasn't so sure about. It seemed like Charlotte had too much already going on in her head to be even considering being a surrogate. And then with Libby following her foster daughter, that can only lead to trouble. I know being a surrogate is a big step but this one was just hard for me to get into.

[Mary Sanford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unexpected Choices

This book was filled with so much sadness and then joy. Charlotte becoming
a surrogate for her best friend. Her sister finally accepting it. Patrick and her getting together. Lilly adopting Annie after their trials. I am looking forward to the next book.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlotte is at a crossroads in her life - trying to figure out what she's doing and if she's happy. Her mom is in a new relationship, her sister is starting medical school but she is alone. She and her sister are struggling in their relationship too. And her best friend Addison is struggling with fertility and only wants to have a baby. Lilly enters the story - she's the receptionist at the fertility office but also the foster mom to a teen who Charlotte teaches. Charlotte gets closer to both her and the student as she wrestles with the decision to be a surrogate for her friend. This was a more intense book than Thomas' others but I felt like it really highlighted some of the struggles that women face today.

[Pam Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

human kindness

This was a harder read than the others but well written because human decency and sacrifices are one of The reasons life has its ups and downs but good intentions don’t go unnoticed

[Martha A · Rating 3 out of 5]

What happened?

This seems so far from the story line that began the stories. I really didn’t expect anything like this. I was looking forward to finding out what happened with Lily’s mother.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sisters

I just finished book 5 of this series and I must say that this was so repetitive that I had difficulty finishing it. Sorry for this review because I think this series has been mostly a pleasure to read.

[Karen Hrdlicka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great addition to the family saga.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story

This was a great story of love of family and friendship. We all should take a lesson from this book into our own lives. Follow Charlotte Annie Libby Madison story

[Idolina garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unexpected Choices

This is the fifth book of this series. This book is very ,very good! It's been great from beginning to end! I can't wait for the next one!

[Donna Kale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another good book in this series. The characters are all experiencing different issues and emotions. I can’t wait to see where this series heads next