"THE BEST LAID PLANS" by author Sarah Mayberry--What you have always wanted may not be what you get, but after a long while of being denied, you may end up with much more than you ever imagined!

The Best Laid Plans

by Sarah Mayberry

 

 

Boundaries. The key to how corporate lawyer Alexandra Knight manages her busy life. However, lately all her precisely drawn lines are getting blurred. Blame it on her out-of-control biological clock that is ignoring her single status...and on Ethan Stone.

Because her sexy, no-strings colleague has posed an outrageous solution to her dilemma--he'll be her baby daddy. This from the guy who avoids all commitment? Okay, so they're attracted to each other. Really, really attracted. But crossing the line from coworker to co-parent with Ethan could ruin Alex for all other men. After all, when you've had the best...

 

 

MY REVIEW:  Sarah Mayberry is a very talented writer who creates unique characters and story lines that offer "something extra". I knew that "The Best Laid Plans" would be good, I just didn't know that it would be great! I love the age of these characters, a woman in her late thirties and a man in his early forties. Oh, yeah! We don't stop living when we turn 30--we actually start living a fuller life once we let go of a fixation with youth. Being young at heart and appreciating each day is the key to vitality in life. It's not the years that matter--it's the moments in the days that make all the difference. Something else that the author touches on here is one of the great ironies of life: some people who really want children have a very difficult time in becoming parents, and others who don't want children seem to become parents with very little effort. The longing to have a child is a particular heartache, one that both the heroine and hero experience in "The Best Laid Plans". Alexandra Knight is a corporate lawyer who very early on in life had to accept adult responsibilities in order to care for her mother after a serious accident. Alex has worked hard to survive, and to thrive, but her heart's desire continues to elude her, and that is her dream of becoming a mother. Her one serious romance ended because her live-in partner refused to share her plans for a family. More than a year after their breakup, Alex has a chance meeting with her former love, and he has become a parent with a beautiful baby son. Hearing that the birth was an "accident" does not lessen the pain for Alex, who begins to think of seeking out the means to become a single parent. Her coworker, Ethan Stone, seems to be the quintessential playboy, with looks, money, and an apparent carefree lifestyle. Alex and Ethan have a weekly racquetball "date", and they have always been just casual friends. However, when Alex breaks down and reveals her inner turmoil, Ethan surprises her by telling her that he has always wanted to be a father. His bitterness over the breakup of his marriage has kept in the bachelor lifestyle, on his own and commitment-free. Complications arise when he volunteers to become the donor for Alex's planned pregnancy. He wants to be full-fledged father, and he and Alex put their lawyer's minds together and come up with an "acceptable arrangement". When it comes down to the actual clinical conception, both have second thoughts about the coldness of the act, and they question their own motives. A held-at-bay passion breaks free, and then the friendship changes. This is an exceptionally well-characterized story, and when we learn the truth of Ethan's ex-wife's cruelty, we truly feel his torment. There are no easy answers here, and I applaud the author for the many sensitive issues she touched on in bringing this story to life. What you have always wanted may not be what you get, but after a long while of being denied, you may end up with much more than you ever imagined! A recommended romance read for those embrace love stories with "something extra". 

 

 

SARAH MAYBERRY 

 

 

 

Sarah Mayberry was born in Melbourne, Australia, and is the middle of three children. From the time that she first “stole” paper from kindergarten and stapled it together to make “books,” Sarah has always wanted to be a writer. In line with this ambition, on graduation from high school she completed a bachelor of arts degree majoring in professional writing, then sat down to write a book. When inspiration didn’t strike, she began to wonder if, perhaps, she needed to live some life first before writing about it.

This still left the burning question of how to pay the rent. She found her way into trade journalism, working off the principle that it was better to write anything for a living than nothing at all. Her time there lead to the opportunity to launch a new decorator magazine for one of Australia’s major retailers, an invaluable and grueling experience that she found very rewarding.

But the opportunity to write fiction for a living soon lured Sarah away. She took up a post as storyliner on Australia’s longest running soap, Neighbours. Over two years she helped plot more than 240 hours of television, as well as writing freelance scripts. She remembers her time with the show very fondly — especially the dirty jokes and laughter around the story table — and still writes scripts on a freelance basis.

In 2003 she relocated to New Zealand for her partner’s work. There Sarah served as storyliner and story editor on the country’s top-rating drama, Shortland Street, before quitting to pursue writing full time.

Sarah picked up a love of romance novels from both her grandmothers, and has submitted manuscripts to Harlequin many times over the years. She credits the invaluable story structuring experience she learned on Neighbours as the key to her eventual success — along with the patience of her fantastic editor, Wanda.

Sarah is revoltingly happy with her partner of twelve years, Chris, who is a talented scriptwriter. Not only does he offer fantastic advice and solutions to writing problems, but he’s also handsome, funny and sexy. When she’s not gushing over him, she loves to read romance and fantasy novels, go to the movies, sew and cook for her friends. She has also become a recent convert to Pilates, which she knows she should do more often. 

 

http://www.sarahmayberry.com/