Ready or Not

Bastone (When We First Met) enchants with this luminous contemporary about a one-night stand that results in an unexpected, but not unwelcome, family. After Brooklyn-based nonprofit worker Eve Hatch has an out-of-character hookup with bar owner Ethan Rise, she discovers she’s pregnant—despite the condom she and Ethan used—and decides to keep the baby. Her decision sparks the wrath of Ethan’s on and off girlfriend, Eleni; envy from Eve’s bestie Willa, who has been trying and failing to get pregnant; and a growing attraction between Eve and her longtime friend (and Willa’s lovable brother), Shep Balder, who is there for her through thick and thin. Shep proves utterly swoonworthy as his unreserved emotional support provides a lifeline for Eve. Pregnancy hormones and on-again, off-again coparenting conversations with Ethan make things tense at times, but readers will gladly go along for the friends-to-lovers journey between Shep and Eve. This is a gratifyingly modern take on the accidental pregnancy trope that acknowledges a family can come in many different configurations. The nuanced, believable characters and depth of emotion make this warmhearted romance a keeper. Agent: Tara Gelsomino, One Track Literary. (Feb.)