Their Unexpected Plan

by Donna Hill

A surprise addition to their business plan…

Ascension Publishing’s newly minted publisher Morgan Chambers has to make the organization profitable or risk everything he’s ever worked for if it fails. Morgan doesn’t have time for distractions like pretty Noa Dunnavant. He’s only meeting with her to discuss her novel. Not the fact that he can’t stop thinking about her. 

Noa’s novel is the lightning rod the company needs. Her book’s success is good for her ego, and covertly spending time with Morgan is good for her soul. But that little pink plus sign changes everything. A baby was never part of their plans. Will this plot twist begin their final chapter, or seal their happily-ever-after? 

From Harlequin Special  Believe in love. Overcome obstacles. Find happiness.

A Lowcountry Promise Novel

Book 1: Their Unexpected Plan

269 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 25, 2026

Reviews

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 solid stars 🤩 🤩 🤩
- Slow‑burn romance
- Workplace proximity + power imbalance
- Marriage‑in‑motion
- Break‑up to make‑up
- Hero with trauma + fear of fatherhood
- Woman reclaiming her autonomy
- NOT a surprise pregnancy (despite the title, the cover, and whatever marketing wizardry was happening in that meeting)


📚 What the Plot Actually Is
So here’s the real tea: this book is not about a surprise baby. It’s about a woman who falls for a man with enough charisma to power the Eastern seaboard and then has to figure out how to breathe in the shadow of all that intensity.

Noa meets Morgan at a work event, and the chemistry is instant. They fall fast, they fall hard, and before she knows it, she’s living a life she never imagined: big house, big career, big love… and a man who quietly rearranges the world around her like she’s his favorite chess piece.

When Noa gets pregnant, Morgan’s trauma jumps out. He panics, he withdraws, he overcorrects, he tries to control everything and Noa starts to realize she’s lost herself somewhere between the book deals, the lifestyle upgrades, and the “I’ll handle it” energy he brings to every room.

She leaves. She breathes. She remembers who she is.

And that separation becomes the turning point. Morgan finally confronts his childhood wounds. Noa reclaims her power. They rebuild slowly, intentionally, and with a whole lot of honesty. Their child becomes the catalyst for Morgan to change! ,Noa is publishing different and other changes happen but I don't want to give it away.

It’s not messy‑baby‑drama. It’s grown‑folks healing.

⭐️ My Opinion
Listen… I enjoyed the story for what it actually is. The emotional beats? Solid. The character growth? Real. The romance? Slow, steady, and full of that “we’re grown and trying our best” energy.

But the marketing? Baby, the marketing is lying.

The title Their Unexpected Surprise and the cover are giving “oops baby!” when the book itself is giving “marriage counseling with a side of personal growth.” Readers are going to pick this up expecting one thing and get something completely different and that mismatch is going to whiplash folks right out of the experience.

So yes, I liked the book. But I’m also side‑eyeing whoever approved that title.Good story, wrong packaging.

[Turtleberry Turtleberry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Noa is an aspiring writer who pitches her book to the new head of publishing, Morgan, while she is working as a waitress at his welcome party. He is enamored by her immediately. He doesn't hear a word she says about her book. He just wants to see her again. They go out to dinner. She tells him more about the book, which is her master's thesis. He is an ass, but he takes a copy of her book. He eventually reads it and loves it.

Morgan is a control freak. He is the puppet master to Noa's success. She is uncomfortable with how she has lost herself. But she keeps moving forward with his plans. They end up getting married. She ends up pregnant. Then she decides she has had enough of Morgan being a controlling ass.

Noa is the reason I kept reading this book. I absolutely hated Morgan. I wanted to smack him. I wanted to find out what happened to Noa. The ending fell flat for me. I wanted him to have to work much harder to win her back. I wanted to see how he changed instead of just being told that he did.

If this is a series, I will probably read the next book. Although, it says something about the low country but we never actually went there. Noa just talked about being from there.

3 star read.

[Norell Alesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on the book’s summary, you’d think this was an unexpected pregnancy novel, but it isn’t. The pregnancy happens late into the book, and by then our FMC Noa, and MMC Morgan are already married. I don’t consider that to be a spoiler because the book is more focused on the journey the couple takes to get together. The pregnancy isn’t a big factor in the story.

I think the book summary and the book cover does this book a disservice because as a reader you go in expecting one thing, and can be turned off when it’s nothing like you’ve been told it would be.

I gave this three stars because it’s functionally well written, but beyond that it fell short for me. I never truly felt the romance between the characters. It felt less like a novel and more like a checklist of plot points that needed to happen. There was no heart here, the story was really dry.

Thank you to netgalley and Harlequin for the ARC.

[Natasha P]

Their Unexpected Plan didn’t work for me. The premise had potential, but I never bought into the romance.

My biggest issue was Morgan. He felt like a walking red flag for most of the book, and because of that, I couldn’t understand why Noa wanted to be with him. While I liked her more than Morgan, I never fully connected with her either, which made it hard to get invested in their relationship.

The third-act conflict was also pretty underwhelming, and the resolution felt rushed. We’re told things are better, but I didn’t see enough growth or changed behavior on the page to make the happily-ever-after feel earned.

Overall, this one was a miss for me. The romance lacked believable chemistry, and the emotional payoff just wasn’t there.
⭐️⭐️/5

#TheirUnexpectedPlan
#NetGalley

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Barbara Tobey · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a nice meet cute. The couple had a good physical connection. The mental connection was a challenge. Control freak versus do gooder. It was difficult to like the male main character. At times I expected him to behave even worse than he did, so I guess he really wasn't as bad as I thought. I skipped the intimate details. The supporting characters were interesting. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

[Shone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Getting Past Your Pass

4 Stars
Slow burn with a hint of intrigue.
Unique Met Cute
Workplace Romance
Hero has a fear of love
Heroine looking for love

Characters with ulterior motives, a controlling father. The Unexpected Plan was out of the ordinary.

Thank you, Donna Hill, NetGalley, and Harlequin Special Edition for the ARC. This is my honest review.

[Mx Phoebe · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like your romances messy then you need to run, not walk, and pick up Donna Hill’s upcoming Their Unexpected Plan.

“Thank you, Harlequin Special Edition, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.”