A Little Bit Pregnant

by Susan Mallery

Uh-oh. Nicole Beauman had overcome a lot of obstacles in her life, and she sure as heck had never backed down from a challenge. But her boss, Zane Rankin, presented an entirely new sort of dilemma. Sexy and charming, he was like chocolate--sinfully good, but bad for her health. Nicki knew Zane didn't want to settle down, particularly not with a girl like her, and she didn't plan to lose her heart to a temporary fling. But when a friendly date got a little too friendly, things got a little bit steamy...and Nicki wound up just a little bit...pregnant. What was a girl to do?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Harlequin, Disability, Friends To Lovers, Ebooks

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 2003

About the author

#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming and humorous novels about the relationships that define women's lives—family, friendship, romance. She's best known for putting nuanced characters into emotionally complex, real-life situations with twists that surprise readers to laughter. Because Susan is passionate about animal welfare, pets play a big role in her books. Beloved by millions of readers worldwide, her books have been translated into 28 languages.

Critics have dubbed Mallery "the new queen of romantic fiction." (Walmart) Booklist says, "Romance novels don't get much better than Mallery's expert blend of emotional nuance, humor, and superb storytelling," and RT Book Reviews puts her "in a class by herself!" It's no wonder that her books have spent more than 200 weeks on the USA Today bestsellers list.

Although Susan majored in Accounting, she never worked as an accountant because she was published straight out of college with two books the same month. Sixteen prolific years and seventy-four books later, she hit the New York Times bestsellers list for the first time with Accidentally Yours in 2008. She made many appearances in the Top 10 before (finally) hitting #1 in 2015 with Thrill Me, the twentieth book in her most popular series, the Fool's Gold romances, and the fourth of five books released that year.

Susan lives in Washington state with her husband, two ragdoll cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur. Her heart for animals has led Susan to become an active supporter of the Seattle Humane Society. Visit Susan online at www.SusanMallery.com.

Reviews

[Jennifer Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Not one of Ms. Mallery's better books. I did not like the way Nicki treated Zane, especially after she learned everything. I'm not saying to give in to him, but she could've talked to him better. Contains some steamy scenes.

[Langleigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Y’all this was nothing like the other two Susan Mallery books I’ve read 😭 the other two I read were very family friendly and light hearted. This one?? Straight porn until over half way through the book she got pregnant and her boyfriend started being an asshole to her. The fact that he had been married before and almost had another kid and they both died never came up is crazy!! Also she told him she was pregnant and he immediately was like nah bitch I’m out. But then the next day he came and was like, let’s get married but I don’t love you! 😭 this book was so strange and not what I was expecting. 4/10

[Desi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leído el 25/09/2010

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic friends to lovers story with an interesting twist. Nicki has worked for Zane for three years and has developed a great friendship with him as well as a great working relationship. There's a lot of good natured teasing between them, but they also know that they have each other for support if it's needed. What she has kept buried deep is the crush that she has on her playboy boss.

I loved Nicki. She's smart, she's independent, and she's got challenges rarely seen in a romance novel heroine. When she was fourteen she was involved in a skiing accident that left her unable to walk, so she has been in a wheelchair ever since. She has a wonderful "can-do" attitude about almost everything, and rarely lets her handicap get her down. At the beginning of the book, Zane is giving her a hard time about her latest boyfriend, who hasn't impressed him. When she gets stood up for an office party, Zane suggests that they go together, as he's between women right now.

Zane likes Nicki. She's pretty, she's fun to be around, and he feels like he can be himself around her. When he picks her up for their "date" suddenly there's an extra kick to the way he's looking at her. In an effort to demonstrate to her what a loser her boyfriend is, he begins treating her the way he would treat any of his other dates. When he takes her home after the party, an effort to show her how a good night kiss should be done suddenly gets out of hand.

That night together was off the charts hot, and suddenly Zane is looking at her in a whole different way. But Nicki is afraid that becoming lovers will wreck their friendship, so she backs off. She's sure that getting involved with him will end up with her getting hurt. After all, she's nothing like his usual woman. They work to get past the awkwardness and make it back to their old relationship just in time for a business trip together that sends their chemistry rocketing out of control again. Just as she's considering the possibility of continuing with the affair, she discovers that she is pregnant.

Zane is stunned by the news. He had planned to never have children. He had been blissfully married five years earlier, when he and his wife were both Marines. When she got pregnant, he insisted that she transfer back to the States, where she and the baby would be safe. When the helicopter she was on malfunctioned and crashed, he held himself responsible for her death, and swore he'd never risk his heart and someone's safety again. Having Nicki become pregnant sends him into a panic.

I have to say that Zane was pretty amusing with the way he reacted. Once he got past the shock, his first reaction is that they should marry so that he can keep Nicki and the baby safe. His protectiveness goes into overdrive and he becomes quite obsessive in that determination. At first Nicki believes it is because he thinks she can't handle it because of her handicap, and that makes her really angry as well as hurting her feelings. Once she realizes that's not it, she gets a little more patient with him, but still has to work at keeping him under control.

Nicki keeps rejecting Zane's proposals since she won't settle for anything but love as a reason to marry. She loves him, but believes that he can't love her in return. Zane's fears are overwhelming to him, and keep him from seeing the truth about his feelings for her. When he actually takes the time to face those fears, he is stunned by the realization of what he has been doing. I loved his "aha" moment, and seeing the advice he gave his friend Jeff get turned around and applied to him. Seeing him finally open his heart and show Nicki how he felt was great. I loved how the chapter ended with words of love and some of their usual banter. The epilogue was different with it taking place so far in the future.

One of the things I liked best about the book was the treatment of the heroine. I loved that her handicap was treated so realistically. She has dealt with it for a long time and has accepted it, but also has moments where it gets her down or frustrates her. I really loved her frustration as she dealt with the hassles of travel because it was so true to life. I understood her need to be seen as a person outside her handicap. Seeing the way that Zane dealt so easily with her challenges while still seeing her as a woman made him just about perfect in my eyes.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this story. Maybe I was just not in the mood for a contemporary romance, but I was underwhelmed for sure. The characters were fine. I liked Nicki a lot for most of the book, and Zane was ok although a bit one dimensional. I spent a lot of the book thinking it was set in the 80s because it had that kind of Harlequin vibe to it. Zane's sudden about face in the last 10 pages was probably the thing that drove me the most nuts because he spent so much of the book wrestling with his demons to have them go away with one second on the bridge ....

[Paula Legate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the way Nicki, and Zane picked on one another. The banter back and forth was fun, and entertaining. The two worked together, and were close friends. Zane had a play boy reputation, and Nicki was dating someone that made excuses why he couldn't see her. When Nicki, and Zane found out they would both be going to a office party single, they decided to go together. Zane treated it as a real date. A lot of Champaign, a few laughs, and the two felt sparks. That night their friendship changed from friendship to lovers.

Nicki had come a long way in dealing with her disabilities. She was a very independent lady. The book described how she could drive herself, and how her house was set up, so she could get around in her wheelchair. The book also went on to let us know the challenges one faces when they are in a wheelchair. For instant travel, or hotel.

Zane was grieving the death of his wife. He vowed he would never love again. It hurt too much to lose the one you love. He may be grieving, but it was cute to see how he was falling for Nicki. I know some fathers to be freak and want to protect, but you will have to read to see how Zane went over the top. I would have wanted to choke him. He did it because he loved and cared, and wanted to protect mother and baby, but still...

This is a fun book that you will just have to read.

[Sonali Rakesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the reasons I enjoyed this book is because of the main character being handicapped. The author has written about her frustrations, anxiety, and insecurities along with her love of life and her Independant streak. The story is completely unlike any I have read before. I enjoyed this book thoroughly.

[Christy Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the characters but it is very hard to believe that people who are supposedly SO smart have no idea how babies are made...

[Susinok · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silly name for a book, but it's the follow up to Shelter in a Soldier's Arms.

I wonder if these books would get more attention with better covers and better names.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review for A Little Bit Pregnant


A couple things did give me a little pause in terms of accuracy of Nicki's portrayal as a wheelchair user. Nicki has a collapsing wheelchair that is very low-profile (mentioned in the scene where she's having lunch with Zane) and light weight. That is very uncommon, especially amongst active longtime users. Most low profile and lightweight chairs are rigid and the back folds down. I personally also wish a wheelchair cushion were mentioned because all full time wheelchair users should (and most do) use a cushion. The scene in her van was cool. I like the idea that she has a high tech lock down system and can get behind that. I was a little confused as to why she can't get in/out of a car. Since she was in the gym and got on (transferred to) the recumbent bike independently and from the other equipment back to her wheelchair it would theoretically possible for her to get in and out of a regular car. Perhaps not an SUV, but since she can stand and walk in braces and also has mobility to use a manual chair a person with that level of ability may have the flexibility & strength to transfer into an SUV.

All that said, one of things that made me smile and felt seen was the conversation between Nicki and Al and the party. I feel like I've had almost an identical one multiple times.

I love the perspective Nicki has about her accident and her disability. Although it might be flawed at times, it is very human and realistic.

I also freaking love Nicki’s love and acceptance of her wheelchair.

“When my parents bought me my first wheelchair, I saw it as a defeat. No way was I going to give in. Then one day I sat in it and I was amazed at how lightweight it was and how easily I could move around. Once I figured out i could outrun anyone and be involved in sports, I never looked back.”
This resonated with me and it is fantastic representation.

Something that bothers me a little is that Zane seems to have PTSD (or should have PTSD, given the circumstances) and it isn’t really acknowledged as such and treated as only grief and not both grief and trauma. Nicki should have had therapy of some sort following her accident (most people do, following traumatic events like her accident at a young age) and would at the very least recognize the signs and as his friend (and someone who loves him) recommend he talk to someone because love doesn’t fix trauma or mental illness. I am very glad he’s moving forward in his life and romance, but generally most people need help, if that makes sense.

Overall, the book was really enjoyable, and it was great to have representation in Romance. Thank you!

[ButtonsMom2003 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook review:
Overall – 5
Performance – 5
Story – 5

An enjoyable and quick listen.

I love books by Susan Mallery but have to admit that I haven’t read one in a while. When I got the opportunity to review an early copy of the audiobook for A Little Bit Pregnant I jumped on it and I’m glad I did.

This book was first published back in 2003 so I expected it to be a little bit dated as that was 18 years ago. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn’t dated at all. In fact, the female lead was a strong character who just happened to use a wheelchair for easier mobility after a devastating accident.

This was a really good friend-to-lovers, accidental baby trope romance and I really enjoyed listening to it. Tanya Eby did a great job with the audio. I’m pretty picky about female narrators as I think most of them don’t really do a credible male voice. This was not the case at all with Tanya Eby’s performance of this story. I’m sure I will be listening to more of her audiobook performances.

A complimentary copy of this audiobook was provided to me at my request but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author and/or narrator.

[Romance · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book focuses on 2 work buddies, the heorine (handicapped in a wheelchair from an accident when she was a teen) who has an unrequited crush on the hero, a former military man who is a playboy (who is hiding the crushing emotional loss of a wife and child). This couple flirts and it’s cute. The endless navel gazing and chip on her shoulder because she’s in a wheelchair may be realistic but not very frothy harlequin romance. It also seems both are TSTL to forget where babies come from…no protection so she ends up pregnant. Big surprise. She becomes weird about it…self doubting and suddenly every comment he makes must be a rejection because she’s handicapped. It got annoying. The one redeeming feature is his humorous trying to be helpful and protective when he learns of the pregnancy. That portion of the story is very cute rom com and bumped my rating a point. Ends ties quickly and then epilogue is…25 YEARS later as she writes a family update in a Christmas card…perfect life apparently. 🙄

[Manda Marigold · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75 stars. In this book, we meet Nicole, also known as Nicki, and her friend Zane. Nicki has faced many obstacles in her life due to having a disability. Zane is an ex-marine who is now Nicki's boss. Nicki and Zane's crushes on each other are apparent through their flirty banter. To show Nicki that she can do better than her flaky boyfriend Boyd, Zane offers to be her date at a work party. Their flirting kicks up a notch. They return to her house one thing leads to another, and things become steamy between the pair. Nicki suddenly develops stronger feelings for Zane. The pair end up becoming intimate again. Nicki finds out shortly after that she is pregnant. Now, Zane and Nicki must navigate the growing complexities of their relationship. Zane must also work through his past trauma. My overall thoughts on the book are that I loved the disability representation because it is rarely seen in books. Unfortunately, I found the characters to be one-dimensional and bland. This book contains moderate levels of spice.

[Booklover · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zane & Nicki

I found the characters to be a bit too stubborn, and more of caricatures than "real" people. She's impossibly beautiful but has a disability that gives her "character". He's a total beef cake whose tragic past gives him "character". It played a bit one note for me.

I also found the story to revolve around the heroine's disability far more than her pregnancy. Which was honestly a bit of a turn off for me, from the chip she carried, to the insecurities she harbored, to the convenient situation it placed the two in while staying in a hotel that ran out of accessible rooms. It just didn't work for me, but maybe a person with a disability would find this wonderfully refreshing?

Overall it was ok.

[Sharon]

steamy romance worker Nicci and Zane her boss are friends that become lovers. they book don't have a partner to go to a work event and go together and what follows is their romance. Many scenes of them having romantic moments. How she realizes she is pregnant. she doesn't accept Zane's proposal at first since he be ver mentions he loves her only wants to be there for the child. Nicci gets Zane to tell her more of his past death of wife who was pregnant and he blames himself for the helicopter accident. of course eventuality Zane speaks to his business partner friend and realizes he does live Nicci. He asks for a second chance to show his love and they marry.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Susan Mallery romance novel featuring a leading lady who uses a wheelchair for her mobility! That alone is worth 5 stars. Representation matters. Talking about disability matters. And Susan Mallery did not shy away from talking about disability in this book, and did so successfully without it being the premise of the entire book. This was still a romance novel. Also, 5 stars for a male lead who didn’t shy away from a leading lady who uses a wheelchair.

4 stars because this isn’t one of Susan Mallery’s best, but that is because she has gotten better over time.

[J. Grayland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicole Beauman had overcome a lot of obstacles in her life, and she sure as heck had never backed down from a challenge. But her boss, Zane Rankin, presented an entirely new sort of dilemma. It was great to see a character with a physical disability in a book, not something you see too often. I enjoyed this book it was a change of pace for me, the story line was interesting, the characters were sweet and the sex was mildly done. It was a normal two friends have sex and a pregnancy results that now changes their friendship, but all over this book was a pleasant, sweet read.

[Jeanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

The banter between the main characters were really good in the beginning. Cute and romantic. But gotdang, the melodramatic plot, everyone just getting so emo over everything, and every conflict gets resolved at hyper speed. I understand how this author managed to publish so many books. She probably spend little to no time developing the plot, fact-checking details, or even developing character personalities. There were cameos by characters in other books, and even they have generic personalities.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicki and Zane do not only work together, he is one of her bosses, but are best friends. She has seen his revolving door of women for years. That has not stopped her from wanting him. So when their friends to lovers does not work she backs off to trying to just friends again. That does not work when she finds herself with a lasting reminder she has to rethink her whole plan. There are stumbling blocks to overcome both people. His past and her own are obstacles that need to be addressed.

[Debby · Rating 4 out of 5]

While a good read, there are a few pesky problems for me. The endless ‘he can’t love me because of my wheelchair’ got old. Conversely, ‘I can’t love anyone because of the terrible thing in my past’ got old, too. And, of course we don’t find out what that thing is until almost the end of the book. Duh. But, I am a sucker for this type of story, so, I still gave it four stars.

[Thirteen Orange Ivy Designs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a 3 star, more a 3.5. Closer to a 4.
I accidentally came across this while I was looking at another book and I thought why not. Interesting title haha.
It was very standard romance I’d say, you know the typical arcs of these things, but I ended up actually really enjoying it. Loved the representation of a FMC in a wheelchair. I just enjoyed my time here and with these characters!

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just refuse to believe Susan Mallery wrote this book. 😭

I have really enjoyed everything else I have read by her, which is over thirty of her books, but this one just missed in every possible way.

I’m so sad, because these are some of my favorite tropes, but this was just…..I don’t even know how to describe it.

[Dawn Holliday · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet romantic book

I love that they were friends before they were romantically committed to each other. I love the humor through out the book too. I'm happy that they found each other and got their HEA in the end too. Highly recommend you read this too. There's some sexy scenes too through out the book.

[April Louviere · Rating 2 out of 5]

I played a random number game with amazon's last chance books and landed on this one. I really hated it for so many reasons. "Doing the wild thing" was said quite a few times and it is cringe inducing. I felt like the dialogue was from the 50's. It was very old fashioned and off putting. The MMC was just a total mess of mixed signals. I give him -9999999 stars.

[Ioana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Otra historia tipico-tópica que en mi opinión ha ido perdiendo fuelle a partir del ecuador del libro.
He disfrutado con todos los acontecimientos pero aún así estos no han tenido la suficiente fuerza e impacto para emocionarme, hacerme revivir o aprender de su relato.

[Alexandria Street · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. love and family for someone in a wheelchair. never read this type of love story before, mainly because most of my romances involve aliens. but this was a great pallet cleanser. great heart warming story. This was a great book idea.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute story

It's interesting to learn about the difficulties faced by persons who are handicapped. I was glad to read of the Bahrain connection. Susan's skill in crafting a great book is without comparison.

[Cynthia Hernandez · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story itself wasn’t bad, it was kinda entertaining but after the half way mark. The story started off slow and then rushed to the ending. It could have used some more development but I guess the epilogue can be enough. Overall not a bad story but could be better.

[Casey Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome Friends to Lovers love story.
Love Susan Mallery's work

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!! great story!! love this author's books!!