Professional basketball had always been Nico Maxwell's dream -- but a life-altering diagnosis changed his plans. When his goals were crushed, it took him some time to realize he had to live life fully and spontaneously. Instead of planning for the future with a career, wife, & family--he's taking life one day, one woman at a time.
Marketing Expert, Destiny Harlow, thought her girlfriend title would soon be upgraded to wifey. That was until her boyfriend broke her heart. She was crushed and found an old friend, Nico Maxwell, the perfect guy to help ease her heartache.
A growing baby bump was not what either expected. But was what they needed to help change their perspective on their life goals.
J. Nichole is an African American Romance author who lives in the Northern Virginia area with her real-life muse, her husband, and her outer body heartbeats, her daughter & son. When she's not battling the hustle and bustle of the DMV, she's enjoying both sketchy and fancy restaurants with her husband, and experiencing life as a child again with her kids.
Find her on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok: by_jnichole on all the things!
This was a cute story about friends that hung out on occasion….until Destiny met her boyfriend and after a 2 year relationship that didn’t work….Destiny & Nico linked back up one night in order for each of them to vent….which resulted in the two of the having sex….A relationship of more than friends develop over the course of the pregnancy….
Love wasn’t the goal was a good book! I loved the unexpected pregnancy trope and the fact that the two characters were well acquainted with each other. Who knew one night together would change both of their lives.. Nico is a sports journalist, he is not into relationships or having children. He surprised me with how swiftly he stepped up and embraced his new role. He took care of home, in spite of his insecurities about being a father. My heart poured out for Destiny. She had so much hope for her relationship but life had another plan for her. She definitely dodged a bullet with her ex because he wore me out. Between her ex and her mother, I was ready to throw my phone. Whew. 😩 I loved how realistic Destiny’s pregnancy was- she was emotional, was on bed rest, and battled postpartum and insecurities about her body. I loved the growth of Nico and Destiny. This was a good testament as to why, “it takes a village” because they definitely needed their support system. It wasn’t pretty but I loved the growth and maturation of Nico and Destiny’s relationship. It was a beautiful story. I may have shed a tear about little Nash- he gave Nico and Destiny a run for their money in a few pages lol. I enjoyed all of the sports references and what life is like for an athlete that does not make it to the big leagues. Good work!!
Love wasn’t the goal was a good book very realistic. From the growth of Nico and Destiny relationship and trying to figure out what they are and how they would be parents. I loved that we got to see a glimpse of them handling parenthood. I wish we got more deep with Nico and Destiny relationship I would have liked to see the chill and playful side they had as friends before it changed.
I’m a sucker for a secret/surprise pregnancy trope w/ a splash of second chance! One night changes a lot for Destiny and Nico, both having to grow from their norm in a new environment. Nico has a certain condition that cause him to live life on the edge and never settle down. That changes with Destiny. Destiny has to decide will she let her mother’s belief ruin the one chance at a family of her own. I enjoyed how the author showed the characters development even how realistic it was to backslide to your comfort zones. This book felt realistic and I loved that! I also loved the inclusion of Jackson State as one of the schools Nico visited. This book was just good and I look forward to reading more from this author.
Also s/o to Shar also known as ReadnLiftWithShar for putting this book on my radar!
I love an opps pregnancy. This may be my favorite trope. This one was cute. I didn't have much faith in Nico becoming the man she needed but the author did a good job of bringing him around. Very cute.
Yas, Mrs. Nichole I hate to say it but I enjoyed Nico and Destiny's story more than Nova and Harmony. Just when I thought I had figured out the plot it was another twist and curveball thrown. It was engaging and I was glad to finally learn of Nico's heart condition. He was still a success and famous after his diagnosis. His actions throughout the book gave me pause because he was living "freely." I know part of if not the majority was because of his illness. I think his living "freely" caused him to be more immature and develop insecurity. The way Destiny's mom was able to punk him down was disheartening. I understood her reasoning behind not trusting a man but she was a little more aggressive than she needed to be. Her aggressiveness spoke to Nico's insecurities. I was glad that everything worked out for the best. The "oops" was a blessing to all parties. Nico finally matured and had an epiphany about the real definition of living. Destiny started a family with a man that truly loved her not a ground zero-like Jensen. It may have been unplanned however it started a beautiful wave of love. Of all the women that Nico encountered Destiny was his one and she was right under his nose the whole time. They had already established what most couples don't have a solid friendship.
This was a wonderful book. I highly suggest it. This is my second favorite book by this author this year. "Influenced by Love" is still in the number one slot. Mrs. Nichole if you start to get into the holiday spirit towards the end of the year a novella on this family would be lovely. It would be great to catch up with the brothers and their expanding families. I would love to know if Nico convinced Destiny to go beyond the family of four.
I’m a sucker for surprise babies and books with kids. They just bring an element to a story that I really enjoy.
Let’s get into Nico! 😒 My boi had me side eyeing him during like 85% of the book. Nico was a once rising basketball star that met the end of his career early on after being diagnosed with a genetic heart condition. He eventually found the next best thing as an interviewer of other rising sports stars but chose to focus on their contributions off the court and that was something I really enjoyed reading. Nico was a heaux tho….a heaux of all heaux. He was a “he don’t wife em he one nights em” kinda heaux.
Then we had Destiny. She was one of those women that had her life planned to the letter and knew that her and long time bf Jensen were on the right track to marriage a house and babies, that was until he broke up with her out the blue.
Now trying to mend a broken heart she was led to one night of fun with long time friend Nico. They often hung out on a platonic tip and even tho she wouldn’t have minded something serious with Nico, it was a hard no for him. Well that one night changed their lives forever!
I really didn’t like Ms Harlow. She triggered me something seriously on a personal level😖🥴. I get she wanted to protect her daughter but it often seemed like she wanted her daughter to be a single mother. I also hated how Nico refused to stand up to her. She kept dismissing him and I needed him to man TF up!!!
Im glad these two got it together in the end because if Nico had me stressed I can only imagine how Destiny felt!
The story was a fresh look surprise baby plot. Even though Nico was a Playboy in every facet, he was respectable. I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but it's true. Nico and Destiny connected after her man changed his mind about a few things. And for some reason, that did not bother me. As the story unravels, Nico and Destiny's friendship resurfaces, and the best possible outcome is the cutest ending they could have asked for and received twofold. I recommend this story.
While interesting, I could've done without Destiny's meddling mom. She was weird and really didn't give Nico a chance to have a solid reason for not liking him. I get wanting what's best for your child, yet she was doing the most😒.
I actually liked Destiny. I didn't care for her pining over her ex, who clearly didn't want her. I was hoping for more on why he really broke up with her bc that little run in at the cafe wasn't enough.
Destiny seemed to have a great job and was apparently a beautiful woman, so I don't see why she wasted time on her ex, when Nico clearly was the place to be. I get he didn't want marriage, yet I think had Destiny truly laid out her feelings, things between them could've popped off much earlier.
I was waiting for Destiny to put her mom in her place when it came to Nico. He didn't deserve her mother's hate and disrespect. Although it was brief, I'm glad Destiny said something at the delivery.
Nico was a great guy. I was glad we got more on his story, since it wasn't clear in his brother Nova's story, exactly what had happened to Nico for Nova to start 'HealthScare'. I hate that Nico turned to reckless sexual encounters to feel his life, yet I like that it brought more between him and Destiny.
When Nico was approached by Destiny's mom, I wish he'd spoke up and handled it better. I get it, yet I'm glad he was trying to be respectful. The way he was with Destiny was super sweet and I'm so glad he stuck with it. I loved seeing him in dad mode and hope we get more of these two soon.
This surprise pregnancy romance was everything! Nico and Destiny were friend goals but I knew they would come around. I loved the plot. It was a well written story!
I’m a sucker for a surprise pregnancy!! This story was so good. I loved Nico and Destiny together. They started as friends and built from there. Destiny dodged a bullet, Nico was an upgrade from Jensen.
Both Nico and Destiny have had huge disappointments to face in their lives. Destiny's father and ex-boyfriend abandoned her with no explanation, causing huge trust issues. And Destiny's overbearing mother causes more problems than she solves!
Nico's genetic heart disease has totally decimated his professional basket ball future. So now after a one night hook-up, what on earth is Nico and Destiny going to do with a surprise baby?
surprise pregnancy is one of my favorite romance tropes. I had high hopes going into this book but soon realized that I wasn't going to get the romance that I wanted out of this one. I think it has to do with the author's writing style. For one, there are not a lot of details, descriptions of the characters. All I know is that they're black. Dassit. I know some authors like to leave it up to the reader's imagination but I'm not that type of reader. Vague descriptions of the characters does not work for me.
It was hard for me to root for Nico and Destiny's romance despite their shared history. I didn't see them enough as a twosome to believe that by the end of the story, they loved each other. Also due to the author's writing style I completely missed when the declaration of love happened and had to go back and re-read a couple of times.
Everything felt rushed as if the author was trying to fit the story within a certain page limit. IMO it definitely would have been better if the book was longer. The story was okay but this author's style isn't my cup of tea. Definitely a case of the 'it's me, not you'.
Side note: It really bothered me that Destiny was driving her friend, Monroe, home after being on bedrest for 6 weeks. Why couldn't Monroe drive herself? Or drive Destiny? What kind of friend is that?
I really enjoyed story and seeing that Nico and Destiny were able to make their relationship work. It seems appropriate that the heroine is named Destiny because she was Nico’s destiny. I enjoyed their journey even though at one point I was side eyeing Nico. I didn’t care for Ms. Harlow and her dismissive attitude towards Nico without ever fully giving him a chance to show he could do right by Destiny and the baby and I definitely didn’t like Destiny’s ex. I loved Nico’s evolution as a man and growing to feel comfortable being vulnerable with Destiny.
I also love how this author focuses on the relationship of the main characters and how their relationships evolve and how they work through their struggles themselves without having too much interference and intervention by the secondary and supporting characters.
It was ok! Good story line! Kept me interested enough to finish it. Wasn’t all that steamy and Nico was a jerk for most of the book. The way he put her out after they slept together turned me off even if he didn’t commit and slept around. Their old friendship didn’t really mean too much to me because if they weren’t talking about sports then they didn’t really have much to speak on. The way he listened to her mother and disappeared on her over the things her mother kept saying pissed me off to the max. Her mom told him to leave the hospital so he left. She told him he could leave the delivery so he was about to. Like, be a man! He was annoying and definitely selfish and never really redeemed himself. I never faulted her mom because she could see in him how he really was. She was just trying to protect her daughter.
Destiny and Nico's relationship was destined. Destiny was actually the only woman that Nico enjoyed hanging out with and considered a friend. And Destiny was the only woman that Nico had any type of relationship with besides his mother and SIL. Nico was single and definitely living the bachelor life and trying to make a path for himself. Unfortunately he went about it by having sex with every woman he met. Destiny was crushed when her relationship ended because her dreams of having a husband were gone. Destiny and Nico's hookup led them to having to make some serious adult decisions. The journey they both went on to find happiness, love and family was all worth it. I will definitely be reading this book again.
Love may not have been the goal, but they sure enough got there. This book had a one night stand, meddling mama, two MCs thrown into a situation neither was looking for, and a few steamy moments. I loved seeing them change their outlook on how life should be and also, I appreciated the author showing that stuff can get rocky, especially where an unplanned pregnancy is concerned. The chemistry between the characters was ok, but not off the charts. Still I enjoyed this book and can’t wait to check out more.
This was a short read with a beautiful ending, but too many unresolved issues/plot points. The conversation between Nico and Destiny’s mom never addressed, the run in with Jensen and his attitude towards someone he didn’t want was weird and never circled back to. At a certain point I was like get on with it. Also post-partum depression is an issue that should have been explored more. Not my favorite book by the author but it was just ok.
I didn’t appreciate the way Nico basically kicked Destiny out of his bed after their night together. And I hope he knows he may have a whole lot of babies out there due to his string of one night stands bc if anything, this unexpected baby with her should be a reminder that condoms are NOT 100% effective.
Destiny’s mom was annoying at times when it came to Nico. I get where she was co8mg from but she was overstepping
At the end of the day I didn’t feel the connection between Destiny and Nico. They weren’t able to draw me in
This book was so amazing! I’m a sucker for a good sports themed book and the synopsis caught my eye. I’m so glad I found it! I’ve read J. Nichole’s Love 101 series, so I know how great of a storyteller she is. She didn’t disappoint! Flawed but a good guy, Nico was definitely bae! And Destiny was the woman he needed to run up against. Without giving away the story, I have to say that Destiny’s mama worked my nerves! I’m all for wanting to protect your children but she needed some hard boundaries established for her. I definitely can see a little series here around SportsOne characters.
This book started off very good to.me! Then it took a turn in which the author didn't make us privy to. We weren't told that the condom broke but yet was lead to believe that having sex with a condom produced a baby more so than having g unprotected sex. How the baby was Nico"s I didn't understand. Then both characters got on my last nerve. Destiny always taking about how she'll be alright by herself but really wasn't and Nico letting Destiny"s mother tell him what to do. He didn't man up until the end.
This was super sweet and relatable. Some times plans in life don’t always go the way you plan them. I loved the raw, real and unfiltered emotions that came as Nico and Destiny navigate through this life changing experience. I loved the interview scenes with the players and Nico’s genuine love and passion for sports. Ms. Harlow got on my nerves a lot but I loved how respectful Nico was. She was overbearing but within her rights as a parent. I really enjoyed the journey with these characters and the ending warmed my heart.
This was a good read….Destiny was looking for her HEA with Jensen but it seemed that both of them were settling and forcing a relationships now Jensen wasn’t wrong for ending things it’s just how he did it because he had a valid point to me but he was still an asshole……now Nico and destiny were just organic friendship that blossomed to love Nico had some soul searching and reality checks ……on to the next read
lol I knew I didn’t like the surprise pregnancy trope but I was tryna see if I’d changed. Spoiler: nope, still the same
I don’t think I’d have rated it higher though had I liked the trope though. The writing just didn’t do it for me, the characters just seemed flat, I don’t think there was any depth to the story. And even the challenges that should have added that depth, just fell flat. I didn’t and couldn’t connect to the main and side characters
And again never disappointed. It wasn’t what I expected but it is a very good book. I just knew it was going to be about a basketball star and his numerous one night stands. Thanks for bringing Daddy to his senses. Now for that Maternal GrandMama she was a messy hurt woman. Trying to make generational curses come alive. Can’t wait for the next book to come out.
They didn’t start off as a regular couple! They hung out a few times and had sex one night that changed their lives forever ! He had to give up his ways and insecurities to let go and let love in! They made a decision to make it work and raise their love child together.
Nico just knew he would never fall in love😂 Destiny has his eye from the beginning. He didn't see it but he was in love from the beginning. Jensen was wack for the way that he treated Destiny, but he wasn't what she needed in her life anyway. She needed a real man like Nico. Her mom was a piece of work smh
I love a slow burn romance and J.Nichole doesn’t disappoint with this one. Nothing like a bad boy having to decide whether to turn his player card in and Nico is definitely bad boy bae. This story has it all friends who have a one night stand and an unexpected pregnancy. Loved the way it all unfolds - just like life never no what is going to happen next.