So For Real

Sugar Baby #3

by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Even the best laid plans can go completely off the rails…

After pulling off the perfect wedding, Kayla Davis, now Kayla Bradbury need only sit back and enjoy her wonderful life with her amazing husband, internet billionaire and NBA franchise owner, Michael Bradbury. The two are so head over heels for each other that finding creative ways to extend their honeymoon a whole year seems like the only logical next step in their fool-proof plan for happiness.

Too bad life has other ideas for the newlyweds. With personnel hiccups in her small business, a husband balancing dual CEO responsibilities, and news that there will be not one, but two unexpected additions to the Bradbury crew, Kayla needs to totally reconfigure her life if she has any hope of keeping things afloat.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Novella, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Queer, Erotica

89 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2016

About the author

After years of meddling in her friends’ love lives, Rebekah Weatherspoon turned to writing romance to get her fix. Raised in Southern New Hampshire, Rebekah Weatherspoon now lives in Southern California where she will remain forever because she hates moving.

Her BDSM romance At Her Feet won the Golden Crown Literary Award for erotic lesbian fiction. Her novella FIT (#1 in the FIT Trilogy) won the Romantic Times Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Erotica Novella, SATED (#3 in the FIT Trilogy) was nominated for the the Romantic Times Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Digital Erotic Romance and most recently SOUL TO KEEP VSS#3 won the 2017 Lambda Literary Award for Best LGBTQ Erotica.

Her 2018 romantic comedy RAFE: A Buff Male Nanny received praise from both Entertainment Weekly and the New York Times. You can look for her most recent romantic comedy XENI : A Marriage of Inconvenience now, and a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, A COWBOY TO REMEMBER, late February 2020 from Kensington Books. In the meant time, you can find Rebekah and her books on twitter at @rdotspoon and her website www.rebekahweatherspoon.com,

Reviews

[Mónica BQ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have finished reading this and to be honest I have so many negative things to say that I probably won't even cover half of them.

The main problem I had with the whole thing was that it was all tell and no show. I felt that the story went something like this:
Well, we got married and my dress was like this, and the reception was like that. And I was sooooo stressed about having to decide between a pale rose hue or a chalk white dress. And then we went on our honeymoon that was in the best place ever, but I was still soooooo stressed about my wonderful, privileged, luxurious life. And then we fucked. And then we went back to our very busy life were I work my ass of doing basically nothing. It's all travel, travel, travel. In our private jet, but still soooooo tiring. And we fucked. And then I realised I was 2 and a half months pregnant already and I felt soooooo stressed. And then I cried. And we fucked. And then my husband who's like the caricature of a saint, made me cry even harder by being even more impossibly perfect than any other man that has ever existed on the planet. And we fucked. And then I was soooooo stressed about the job I hadn't shown up for in weeks (months?), because my life is so hectic and difficult. And oh man, I felt like the first person in the world to be pregnant. And I cried. And I was soooooo tired from spending the days away watching videos of home births that I felt guilty for neglecting the job and the friends I hadn't paid attention to anyways in a very long while. Seriously, I was sooooo stressed with my life. And we fucked. And then, we had twins. And my husband kissed me. The End

I'm not exaggerating much if I tell you that if you read the paragraph above, you've basically read the book.

Maybe I'm in a bad mood or something, but this was painful to read. There's very little dialogue and what there is lacks the witty banter and smart remarks the previous two books had. The rest of it, feels like reading the badly written diary of a conceited, whiny teen. The woman cries, or is about to cry, or gets weepy or feels tears in her eyes, or feels an emotion overwhelm her about 10 thousand times during the course of a very small novella. I stopped counting after 21. The words "my husband this/that" are repeated ad nauseam. There's no plot whatsoever, just a series of boringly described day to day happenings in the life of an extremely lucky woman who feels stressed and overwhelmed 99% of the time for no actual reason that I could find.

Finally the thing that made me just give up and skim the rest of the book was the blatant display of privilege with regards to the job. The unprofessional attitude of it all just got to me. Several things were already rubbing me the wrong way, but a certain scene just made me roll my eyes so hard that I probably saw the inside of my soul.

This was bad. Like awful. I made several more noted on things to say about the book- have examples and everything- but it's just not worth it. This was horrendous. That's all.
________________________________________________________
Around the 50% mark:
I haven't even finished it (though I will!), but it truly is that bad already.

[Shira Glassman · Rating 4 out of 5]

So For Real by Rebekah Weatherspoon is a frothy little romance novel that follows plus-size keeping-it-real Kayla and her billionaire husband Michael from their wedding through a surprise pregnancy, ending four months after she gives birth. There are a fair amount of graphic, affectionate sex scenes, especially in the beginning when they're on their honeymoon in Scotland--but the primary theme of the book is Kayla's reaction to the pregnancy--her physical sensations (many of which are unpleasant) plus being overwhelmed by responsibilities both present and future.

Kayla's got one of the most endearing narrative voices I've ever encountered in my indie lit wanderings. She's casual enough to start giving her overly-cheerful and condescending OB snarky nicknames--narration only, not to his face--that change every time she brings him up to the reader (ex. "Dr. Assface") when pregnancy discomfort erodes her chill. She also comes out with stuff like "There was some gloppity-gloop about staying awake until that evening so we could get on Scotland time, but that wasn't happening."

The fun in these books is fairly episodic, more like "here's another mini adventure in Kayla's Real Girl Turned Rich Wife trajectory" than a novel with a real climax, although there was a climax of sorts in the form of Kayla and her bestie Daniella realizing their small business doesn't have to entirely kill them if they don't want it to. It's a very light book, which is fine, because sometimes you need a very light book--just don't go into this expecting it to give you the literary experience of a lifetime or anything.

I don't think I've read a pregnancy-centered romance novel before, and romance novels that start with a wedding instead of ending with one (or one far-off) aren't the usual trope, either. It was neat to get to experience both those things in such a queer-friendly and "it's okay to have sex before marriage" space, because I can extrapolate that both those tropes might be features of more conservative romance this. (Kayla is bisexual, which I didn't see referenced in this one but is stated on-the-page in So Sweet, her best friend Danielle with whom she owns a queer greeting cards business is trans, and there is nominal mention of a m/m couple.)

By the way, I'm not sure reading the other books before this one are really necessary to follow the plot if there's some reason the "married and then pregnant" aspect of the book specifically appeals to you.

TW emetophobia a lot, Because Pregnant.

[namericanwordcat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This continues to be a really hot and sweet series with a great couple at the center.

Here we get the rough go of balancing friendship, work, and relationship along with the truth of how difficult a pregnancy can be.

Very romantic as always. Can't wait for the side characters to get their romances.

[Laura||GandyFangirl♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're looking for a cutsie read and a fast read, this trilogy is for you. There's no heavy drama's, it's all very much on one sweet level and I really enjoyed both lead characters and their relationship blossoming from sugar baby, to marriage to babies.

[Claire Louise¤°.¸¸.•´¯`» · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read all three books in this series yesterday and found it to be cute, completely fluffy and endearing. If you're looking for high drama, high angst then you'll be disappointed because this series is pretty much one tone, but if you want something really nice between an age-gap interracial couple who genuinely adore each other ( he's mega hot and they fuck like demented bunnies throughout each book ) then you might enjoy these.

I was glad to have met Kayla and Micheal and enjoyed their HEA. I'll kind of miss them.

[goesbyaf ୨୧⋆ ˚｡⋆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

- 2 Stars ✰

I already forgot what happened in this novella.

[Elisabeth Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEST SERIES. I read this ages ago when it first came out but apparently failed to mark it read. This is the sweetest, most romantic, most real (in a cool chick meets a billionaire kind of way) romance I've read. Just all that is gooey and good.

[Aleksandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 3.5

I liked this novella, just as sweet and adorable as the previous ones, but topics such as marriage and pregnancy aren't my thing so I was as into the story as before.

Anyways, it was good and I'm excited to read the companion novel/novella about Danielle and Duke.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michael is the perfect man because he knows Kayla is a bad bitch and she's perfect for him and he gives her whatever she wants and needs.

There was a preview for Duke/Daniella's books but I can't find them anywhere and yes I already messaged Rebekah Weatherspoon on Instagram to ask about it. I'm not sure I want to read because a big reason why I don't like rockstar romances is the jealousy/groupies and from the preview it looks like there's been a lot of that since they broke up a few years ago (during this book).

[Jessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

My only issue with the finale to this trilogy of novellas is that I was hoping for a complete play-by-play of their wedding and didn't get it. But, that ended up not being the main plot line, so I guess I understand. Anyways, overall this whole series was low-angst and high steaminess, so I really enjoyed it. If you like Rebekah Weatherspoon, you should definitely make sure to read these!

[Romance is my Jam||Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

These three books could have easily been one, so each one is a quick novella read. I truly enjoyed Kayla and Michael's life. So happy it ended with marriage and babies from their change sugar baby meeting.

[Elke · Rating 3 out of 5]

i liked this one the least, but that has more to do with my personal interests and feelings (or lack of them) on certain topics. I still loved Daniella and her sister and i did like the graphic design/greeting card thing.
All in all a very enjoyable novella series, though the first one really took the cake (he, get it)

[Turtleberry Turtleberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awwwwwww

This was absolutely the cutest ending to Kayla and Michael's tale. Fluffy and sweet and low drama. I adore it.

[Nic West · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the worse things I’ve ever read

[✿~Danielle~✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

MICHAEL BRADBURY
KAYLA DAVIS

Read 16/2/19 | 4 stars

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Book synopsis: Even the best laid plans can go completely off the rails...

After pulling off the perfect wedding, Kayla Davis, now Kayla Bradbury, need only sit back and enjoy her wonderful life with her amazing husband, internet billionaire and NBA franchise owner, Michael Bradbury. The two are so head over heels for each other that finding creative ways to extend their honeymoon a whole year seems likes the only logical next step in their fool-proof plan for happiness.

Too bad life has other ideas for the newlyweds. With personnel hiccups in her small business, a husband balancing dual CEO responsibilities, and news that there will be not one, but two unexpected additions to the Bradbury crew, Kayla needs to totally reconfigure her life if she has any hope of keeping things afloat.

[Melissa Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not a reviewer nor do I play one on TV. I purchased this entire series with my hard-earned dough. Yup. I so know the author because you can’t spit in this industry without hitting someone you’ve joked with on Twitter.

To the books. (This is a review for the whole series, fyi.)

First you have to understand. I have the attention span of a gnat and my one-click finger is trigger happy. So if I don’t read a book right then and there they will languish on my TBR pile. But So Sweet hit me at the right time. Twitter-hive buzzed about how cute and dirty and funny this book was. The premise was a young-ish African American heroine who finds herself with a sugar daddy.

I had to read this.

I’m a sucker for humor. (I know I say that in all my reviews but it’s the truth.) Like you will own my reader-soul if you can make me laugh. I’m yours if you can make me blush while reading your sex scene. And the writing—lawd, the voice of the author drew me in. The chemistry between the hero and heroine was off the charts. She made the age gap work. I hated the characters I was supposed to hate.

The author had me. She did. So I was only slightly disgruntled (read: very) that So Sweet ended on a cliffhanger. The moment I could buy So Right, I was on it like flies on shit. I got to visit the characters who were slowly becoming my favorite, cute and sweet and utterly dirty in the bedroom couple. This time we see them navigate their relationship—his money and everything that comes with the responsibility, their families, their friends, her fear in rocking the boat.

So that brings us to SO FOR REAL. I admit, I was cheesing through this entire book. We got to see them get married. We got to see them be Husband and Wife. Everything should be unicorn rainbow farts and Iloveumore, but the thread of this series is change. She fought for her independence in a relationship that could have so easily gobbled it up, did what she thought was right and good with friends, family and work—more importantly her life in general.

But right and good keeps changing its tune. That’s the Sugar Baby series at its core for me. I was so on board for that.

And this right here is where I should give a warning. These books aren’t plot heavy. I won’t tell that lie. So Sweet, So Right and So For Real are books that peel back the curtain so you can watch a couple handle everything thrown at them and cross your fingers this won’t be the thing that breaks them. It works. I don’t think any other author could get away with writing books that are more like snippets into two lovers’ journey from hai, you’re cute to I do WHILE I continue to give a shit.

The Sugar Baby series is wrapped in humor, hot sex and sequel bait that makes me go all grabby hands. I recommend the fuck out them.

[Annie ~ Queer Books Unbound · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish these were loooonger because I don't want to say goodbye to Michael and Kayla. Loved to follow these two on their journey and CAN'T WAIT for Daniellas book.
The whole time I read these books I was like "Please let her get a book and then I found out she will have her own story. YES!! :D Now I'm counting down the days until I can read it.
Definitely recommend this series. :)

[ariana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Again I recalled tried to like this book but the story telling was awful. She basically just told us what happened instead of showing us. And again why do these two talk about butt stuff so damn much. It’s like every dang page! Then sis owns a business and isn’t holding up her end of the deal? Just traveling around with her rich husband.

[J.R. Hart · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this story had far less wedding than I was hoping for and expecting from a book with a wedding cake on the cover, I genuinely loved the way it wrapped up Kayla and Michael's love story so neatly. This story did return to some of the issues I had with the first book, primarily the way it told so much of the story off-the-page rather than actually sharing those details within the context of the story. I feel like a little bit longer of a word count, and this story could have been so much richer. Still, I fell in love with the characters here, and was truly sad to see their story end. Even the side characters were fun and relatable (and I wish that the teased spinoff would have come to fruition, because Daniella and Duke's on-again-off-again is a YES PLEASE). Ultimately, a fun ending to a beautiful series that was full of little fun surprises ;) but it left me wanting a lot more, either from these characters or others we met along the way.

[Weekend Reader_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this is the last book in the series and I'm sad that I don't get to read about Kayla and Michael anymore 😞 But this was the predictable end to their lovestory- date, adopt puppies, marry, and have kids. How American dreamisque. I think this book felt different bc they are definitely out of honeymoon stage. Life is getting in the way so we don't get to read as much sexy time. Michael is still a gem but Kayla has transitioned into overwhelmed mom to be. I kept thinking wow I wonder what it's like to overwhelmed and pregnant without help 😒 so you get what I'm saying. Kayla read like whiny rich people problems 🤷🏾 Overall, I loved this series bc this is pinnacle HEA. I loved that the power dynamics of the sugar daddy/baby trope felt like an everyday couple rather than gross old man controlling his younger partner. Bravo!

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The typical pregnancy surprise trope that I rolled my eyes at, because with how many times they drank and had sex, she'd have been pregnant long before it was convenient. This felt like a wrap up to meet all the romance tropes since the two of them had discussed babies in the second book. I didn't care for this one, I didn't care for Kayla's privileged ass whining all the time about how she was going to take care of twins when we all know in real life she'd have gotten a nanny and call it a day. This one was just meh. I would have given it 3 stars, but the ending timeline didn't make sense so either the author didn't do her month or she just wasn't specific on how long the maternity leave actually lasted.

[Brandan WH · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short perfection

This novella was the perfect conclusion to Kayla and Michael’s love affair. You definitely need to read the first 2 books to appreciate their full story and to truly acknowledge how perfect they are together.
It’s amazing to read grown people doing grown people things. Not only doing those things but living a life with complications and conflict but also love, compassion and understanding. I rooted for Kayla and Michael’s relationship even more and truly believe their HEA was well earned and deserved.
And, because it’s Rebekah, the sex is hotter than hot, super playful and (bizarrely) fun to read!
You could read all 3 novellas in a day. They’re that short and you would not feel slighted in the least. This was definitely time well spent!

[Lara Kareem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extended Epilogue.
Happily ever after x2
Get more of this wonderful couple have for each other.
Sadly I can't remember their names.
New surprises here and there, that made me smile
But in general a nice tidying
If you're looking for a short insta love, sweet read.
With smut, of course, this series is for you.
Also, this book is written by a POC Author.
Female MC is also Black.
Good for Diversity Bingo 2k17 I guess lol.

[Helga · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 - I wasn't into it. I don't know why I picked it up after being a bit underwhelmed by the second book. But I just skimmed the last 40% of the book and found it pretty boring. The first book was the best and I kind of wish each book the series had focused on a different couple instead of the same one, because despite this being the third book, I feel like the characters have had no development.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great

What a fun series. What was great was that we didn't have to read through a bunch of angst where they can't make up there minds whether they want to break up or are constantly fighting. Those type of stories get old very quickly. It was defiantly sappy, but I was ready for a sappy book.

[Carly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know why I read all three of these when I was only eh on them, but there you have it. This one has a delightful easter egg appearance of Adam, Blake, and Tina from Courtney Milan's Cyclone Series which absolutely delighted me. But other than that, still eh.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

Yes, I did exercise some restraint and waited until morning to start this... and finish this. Our third book takes place after the wedding and during the first months of a surprise where Kayla needs to learn how to manage all the chaos: she's a new wife, a dog mom, a small business owner... and she and Michael have to make some very large life decisions. Throw in a couple little surprises and she's at her wit's end. Luckily for her, she's got a ton of people on her team, headed by her favorite cheerleader, Michael. I love that we have one final look at Kayla and Michael after the initial glow and get to look at the realness of their HEA. Honestly, that makes me believe in an HEA for everyone even more. Weird? Probably. I'm good with that, though.

[Cora Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loooved the conclusion to Michael and Kayla's story! She is happy in her marriage, then of course BABIES!!! and a great career with her bestie. What an amazing way to finish this series.
Everything any girl wants. I love the awareness their business brings and how diverse the characters are.

[Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked that this series let us follow Kayla and Michael through their various highs and lows without putting us through a huge major wringer of angst. These novellas are quick and sexy and were an overall good journey.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun read!

Michael and Kayla are now pregnant with twins and they must navigate their busy lives around their businesses but also accommodate the changes that twins will bring.

Overall an enjoyable read, I really love Michael and Kayla’s relationship so much.