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Bar Down Baby!: A Surprise Baby Hockey Rom-Com
Not yet published
Expected 18 Jun 26For janitor Hannah Harvey, cleaning up messes is the family business. Literally. When she finds herself pregnant from a one night stand with a stranger, she decides that a baby is one mess she’ll take on alone.
Out of her depth, but determined, Hannah decides to save herself the drama of ever telling the father. This seemed easy enough when he was only Barry Wright, hockey all-star living across the country, but becomes impossible when he gets traded to her city and trains in the very facility she cleans.
After crossing paths with a very pregnant Hannah, Barry is eager to help. But how do you help someone hellbent on proving they can take care of everything alone?
Desperate to keep him at arms length—but failing more with each of his attempts to care for her—Hannah will have to decide if love is worth the mess.
Out of her depth, but determined, Hannah decides to save herself the drama of ever telling the father. This seemed easy enough when he was only Barry Wright, hockey all-star living across the country, but becomes impossible when he gets traded to her city and trains in the very facility she cleans.
After crossing paths with a very pregnant Hannah, Barry is eager to help. But how do you help someone hellbent on proving they can take care of everything alone?
Desperate to keep him at arms length—but failing more with each of his attempts to care for her—Hannah will have to decide if love is worth the mess.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication June 18, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 4, 2026
In recent years, I’ve become more of a fan of accidental pregnancy storylines-especially when the MMC is a simp like Barry. Like this man… Down Bad and EVERYONE knew it. Even the FMC did, but she was lying to herself (which was super drawn out & annoying btw). Overall, this book was fine. I liked her family’s dynamic and how he helped her renovate her house. There just wasn’t a lot of plot here. Which meant I thought the characters would be well fleshed out but… the FMC was so flat to me, guys. And that bums me out BIG TIME!!! I wanted to love her so much. Barry would say things about her character and I’d think, “Wow she sounds great! But when did I ever see that on the page?” There was a lot of jumping around and telling instead of showing. The ending was really strong though and I loved it. The book as a whole wasn’t balanced for me.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an e-arc for review.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an e-arc for review.
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June 5, 2026RTC !!!
June 8, 2026
kath richards knows how to write down bad men.
her ability to make the next mmcs more of a simp than the last one always impresses me.
her ability to make the next mmcs more of a simp than the last one always impresses me.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I can’t believe I’m swooning over a man named BARRY.
***
Hannah gets pregnant from a one night stand and decides not to tell the father, thinking it would be fine since he’s a famous hockey player living across the country.
But then he gets traded to her town and works in the facility that she cleans at. He sees a very pregnant Hannah and wants to help, even though she is stubbornly telling him not to.
They move in together, feelings arise, and it unravels from there!
***
What a sweet sweet story. One where the MMC was just absolutely obsessed with the FMC.
Barry was the epitome of a perfect man. He was so kind, so supportive, so precious. I adored him and his big open heart. Literally felt myself falling for him with every page!
Hannah’s character development was very well written. I had a hard time reading a few times, wanting to yell at her to just let Barry in and let him help, which just goes to show how amazing of a writer Kath is!
I could also resonate with Hannah, not wanting to let someone in for fear of getting hurt. Cutting losses to avoid future pain. Watching her open herself up to that vulnerability was so beautiful.
I was incredibly invested in this book, and it did not disappoint! The build up, the tension, the roommates to friends to lovers was EVERYTHING to me. And the spice?? Best of the best.
Also, I am super invested in the siblings and their potential for love stories. Kate and the professor? Chloe and O’Neil? I need more!!! I’m on my knees begging for more!!!
Tropes:
Surprise baby
Hockey player x janitor
Forced proximity
Lovesick MMC x Stubborn FMC
Thank you Kath for allowing me to ARC read in exchange for an honest review!
***
Hannah gets pregnant from a one night stand and decides not to tell the father, thinking it would be fine since he’s a famous hockey player living across the country.
But then he gets traded to her town and works in the facility that she cleans at. He sees a very pregnant Hannah and wants to help, even though she is stubbornly telling him not to.
They move in together, feelings arise, and it unravels from there!
***
What a sweet sweet story. One where the MMC was just absolutely obsessed with the FMC.
Barry was the epitome of a perfect man. He was so kind, so supportive, so precious. I adored him and his big open heart. Literally felt myself falling for him with every page!
Hannah’s character development was very well written. I had a hard time reading a few times, wanting to yell at her to just let Barry in and let him help, which just goes to show how amazing of a writer Kath is!
I could also resonate with Hannah, not wanting to let someone in for fear of getting hurt. Cutting losses to avoid future pain. Watching her open herself up to that vulnerability was so beautiful.
I was incredibly invested in this book, and it did not disappoint! The build up, the tension, the roommates to friends to lovers was EVERYTHING to me. And the spice?? Best of the best.
Also, I am super invested in the siblings and their potential for love stories. Kate and the professor? Chloe and O’Neil? I need more!!! I’m on my knees begging for more!!!
Tropes:
Surprise baby
Hockey player x janitor
Forced proximity
Lovesick MMC x Stubborn FMC
Thank you Kath for allowing me to ARC read in exchange for an honest review!
June 7, 2026
Bar Down Baby! is a delightful accidental pregnancy read with lots of yearning!
Hannah Harvey is currently working as a janitor in her family business. After discovering that she's pregnant from a one night stand and that the hot stranger she had it with is a famous hockey player, she decides to keep the baby and not tell the father. Throwing a wrench in her plans, the father, Barry Wright, gets traded and runs into her, discovering the pregnancy.
I really enjoyed this! Between this novel, Out on a Limb, and Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake, the accidental pregnancy plot line is starting to grow on me in books. I loved the pining and yearning between the leads of this! Barry Wright is a great male lead - he definitely is in the dictionary next to "pining." He pulls out all the stops and makes it his mission to win Hannah over. Hannah is very resistant to his overtures, but the author does a good job of setting up why. Her internal conflicts both make you want to bang your head against the book and give her a hug. There's also some fun family dynamics (& I'm hoping for more of this universe!)
This was a quick and sweet novel about a girl scared of love and a boy willing to go the distance for love.
All in all, Kath Richards still hasn't missed (for me) and I cannot wait to see what she writes up next! Many thanks to the author for the eARC!
Hannah Harvey is currently working as a janitor in her family business. After discovering that she's pregnant from a one night stand and that the hot stranger she had it with is a famous hockey player, she decides to keep the baby and not tell the father. Throwing a wrench in her plans, the father, Barry Wright, gets traded and runs into her, discovering the pregnancy.
I really enjoyed this! Between this novel, Out on a Limb, and Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake, the accidental pregnancy plot line is starting to grow on me in books. I loved the pining and yearning between the leads of this! Barry Wright is a great male lead - he definitely is in the dictionary next to "pining." He pulls out all the stops and makes it his mission to win Hannah over. Hannah is very resistant to his overtures, but the author does a good job of setting up why. Her internal conflicts both make you want to bang your head against the book and give her a hug. There's also some fun family dynamics (& I'm hoping for more of this universe!)
This was a quick and sweet novel about a girl scared of love and a boy willing to go the distance for love.
All in all, Kath Richards still hasn't missed (for me) and I cannot wait to see what she writes up next! Many thanks to the author for the eARC!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Bar Down Baby! is a swoony accidental pregnancy story that is packed with yearning and not a lot of traditional angst. It's sweet and heartfelt and comes with the most down bad MMC (which I am a total sucker for) I've seen in a long time!
There's a lot of love in this book that made it such a joy to read, with the support from the two families, their friends, and each other really shining through and creating an environment these two characters could thrive in. The only real 'villain' of the story, and the main source of conflict, comes from the uncertainty the FMC Hannah feels about commitment and long term relationships. She's scared to open her heart and potentially get hurt, and she attempts to keep the MMC Barry at arm's length (you can imagine that doesn't go quite as planned).
I love stories like this, ones that make me grin and kick my feet and want to dance around because of the love we get to see on the page. There's relationship progression for our two characters but the low angst and minimal conflict really make what I think is a perfect story. After reading the acknowledgements I also felt really moved by this particular story from the author, especially because there's so much joy around welcoming the unexpected baby girl into the world from her parents and all of their loved ones. I was moved and impressed like I usually am by this author's writing, and I flew through this book but simultaneously wish I could have kept reading it forever.
Thank you to Kath Richards for the eARC!
There's a lot of love in this book that made it such a joy to read, with the support from the two families, their friends, and each other really shining through and creating an environment these two characters could thrive in. The only real 'villain' of the story, and the main source of conflict, comes from the uncertainty the FMC Hannah feels about commitment and long term relationships. She's scared to open her heart and potentially get hurt, and she attempts to keep the MMC Barry at arm's length (you can imagine that doesn't go quite as planned).
I love stories like this, ones that make me grin and kick my feet and want to dance around because of the love we get to see on the page. There's relationship progression for our two characters but the low angst and minimal conflict really make what I think is a perfect story. After reading the acknowledgements I also felt really moved by this particular story from the author, especially because there's so much joy around welcoming the unexpected baby girl into the world from her parents and all of their loved ones. I was moved and impressed like I usually am by this author's writing, and I flew through this book but simultaneously wish I could have kept reading it forever.
Thank you to Kath Richards for the eARC!
Review of advance copy received from Author
What a BEAUTIFUL story!
The journey from their one-night stand to Hannah finding out about her pregnancy, to Barry finding out about Hannah's pregnancy, to them moving to a co-living arrangement, to them not being able to keep their hands off each other, to (finally) being lovers while slowly falling in love throughout was amazing to experience.
I absolutely LOVED Hannah's character. She was hilarious and witty, and she spoke everything that was on her mind most of the time. Her reactions and responses to everything happening around her, her going through all sorts of emotions in certain situations—it was all AMAZING! She made me laugh so many times. I LOVE her for it! And she felt so relatable, tbh. Her guarding her heart, her insecurities, her resistance to accepting help (!!!!), her internal monologue—it all felt so human and valid. It really felt good to see her finally let Barry in, to love and care for her.
And Barry! Oh God—this man!! He was down BAD. I loved how stubborn and patient and lovely he was when it came to Hannah. I absolutely loved how easily he said yes to all the things Hannah asked for (or didn't ask for), and how easily he mixed with Hannah's family. The way he time and again re-assured her and gave her space and time to make decisions and process, the way he made sure she was in-charge....TOO GOOD.
I loved the side charcaters also, their parents and their siblings, their friends always were so sweet!
The journey from their one-night stand to Hannah finding out about her pregnancy, to Barry finding out about Hannah's pregnancy, to them moving to a co-living arrangement, to them not being able to keep their hands off each other, to (finally) being lovers while slowly falling in love throughout was amazing to experience.
I absolutely LOVED Hannah's character. She was hilarious and witty, and she spoke everything that was on her mind most of the time. Her reactions and responses to everything happening around her, her going through all sorts of emotions in certain situations—it was all AMAZING! She made me laugh so many times. I LOVE her for it! And she felt so relatable, tbh. Her guarding her heart, her insecurities, her resistance to accepting help (!!!!), her internal monologue—it all felt so human and valid. It really felt good to see her finally let Barry in, to love and care for her.
And Barry! Oh God—this man!! He was down BAD. I loved how stubborn and patient and lovely he was when it came to Hannah. I absolutely loved how easily he said yes to all the things Hannah asked for (or didn't ask for), and how easily he mixed with Hannah's family. The way he time and again re-assured her and gave her space and time to make decisions and process, the way he made sure she was in-charge....TOO GOOD.
I loved the side charcaters also, their parents and their siblings, their friends always were so sweet!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Hello- I am wrecked by Bar Down Baby!
.
.
This book is a beautiful love letter for anyone who doesn’t feel they are good enough to love, how hard and scary pregnancy is, and to those golden retriever boys who love so deeply. I didn’t know what I was getting into when I saw hockey romance but I didn’t think I’d be up crying at 2 a.m. in all the good ways.
As someone who had a high risk pregnancy within the last year, I connected with Hannah on a deep level. The anxiety, the feeling of being an incubator, not wanting help- yikes- did Kath get in my head???
Seeing how Barry was throughout the book also reminded me of my husband during our pregnancy. He’s a green flag all the way. We Stan a good man.
These characters, along with the supporting cast, were wrote brilliantly! There was enough fleshing out that each character made sense and was memorable. It also was a great show versus tell of how many people did care about Hannah, not just the baby. The ending was wrapped up with a pretty bow but I’m definitely wanting more. This was definitely a top 2026 read for me.
Thank you Kath and her team for providing me this amazing ARC 🫶🏻
.
.
This book is a beautiful love letter for anyone who doesn’t feel they are good enough to love, how hard and scary pregnancy is, and to those golden retriever boys who love so deeply. I didn’t know what I was getting into when I saw hockey romance but I didn’t think I’d be up crying at 2 a.m. in all the good ways.
As someone who had a high risk pregnancy within the last year, I connected with Hannah on a deep level. The anxiety, the feeling of being an incubator, not wanting help- yikes- did Kath get in my head???
Seeing how Barry was throughout the book also reminded me of my husband during our pregnancy. He’s a green flag all the way. We Stan a good man.
These characters, along with the supporting cast, were wrote brilliantly! There was enough fleshing out that each character made sense and was memorable. It also was a great show versus tell of how many people did care about Hannah, not just the baby. The ending was wrapped up with a pretty bow but I’m definitely wanting more. This was definitely a top 2026 read for me.
Thank you Kath and her team for providing me this amazing ARC 🫶🏻
Review of advance copy received from Author
Did I ever think I’d fall for an mmc named Barry?? Absolutely not. Thank you Kath for an arc of this book!!
Barry was a classic golden retriever, so down bad, being sweet and just wanting to take care of Hannah. Hannah was so very stubborn and got into her own way the entire time. While I understood her fears, I yearned for her to take a leap of faith and trust Barry a bit sooner.
I love an accidental pregnancy and the sweet moments we got between these two were adorable. Their nightly routines of snuggles had me melting - Barry really said I’m here to stay and you will learn to trust. Barry is also our Canadian king which I loved + I enjoyed his OCD diagnosis woven into the story and the importance of therapy (a short but meaningful section)
I have a few suspects of who I think the next book (should there be another) is about - my notes app receipts are ready to prove my theories in time.
Barry was a classic golden retriever, so down bad, being sweet and just wanting to take care of Hannah. Hannah was so very stubborn and got into her own way the entire time. While I understood her fears, I yearned for her to take a leap of faith and trust Barry a bit sooner.
I love an accidental pregnancy and the sweet moments we got between these two were adorable. Their nightly routines of snuggles had me melting - Barry really said I’m here to stay and you will learn to trust. Barry is also our Canadian king which I loved + I enjoyed his OCD diagnosis woven into the story and the importance of therapy (a short but meaningful section)
I have a few suspects of who I think the next book (should there be another) is about - my notes app receipts are ready to prove my theories in time.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Look. This was so well done. I can't actually say all I want to say without spoilers, so I will say this is heartwarming, meaningful, and has real human conflicts that fits so well with how each character is written that I felt for them. And I resist feeling. Another really well done book. Brava.
Want to Read
May 23, 2026Kindle Expected publication June 18
Audiobook TBD
Audiobook TBD
Review of advance copy received from Author
rtc!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Ugh I loved this so much. I wouldn’t say I’m a huge fan of surprise pregnancy but I think when it’s the main plot I love it more. Barry was DOWN BAD and I loved reading their story.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews