Love, Unexpectedly

Kat always stood in the shadow of her older scholarly sister Teresa, that's why she moved across Canada and is looking for her soulmate, but she has no luck with men. The only one who is a constant in her life is her best friend and neighbor Nav Bharani. What she doesn't know is that he wants to be more than her best friend. He sees a change to persuade her when she makes a train trip across Canada to go to her little sisters wedding. Will Nav's plan to show her a different side of him and win her heart be successful or not? Ms. Fox did a terrific job with this book. A train is a very little place and there is only a few things that can happen, but there isn't one slow and boring moment in the book. LOVE UNEXPECTEDLY is definitely character driven story. Kat has no luck when it comes to her relationships, because so far she hasn't realized that she simply goes for the wrong type of men. She just doesn't see that her soul mate lives next door. Nav is not the typical romance hero, because he is definitely not an Alpha hero, but I think that makes him so endearing. He is a normal guy and that makes the story so realistic. As so often with the stories by Ms. Fox it's easy to identify with her characters. LOVE UNEXPECTEDLY is the second book in Ms. Fox's new series Wild Ride to Love, the first one, Sex Drive, was released under her other penname Susan Lyons. LOVE UNEXPECTEDLY can be read as a stand-alone, because the plot happens parallel to the one in Sex Drive, but I bet you will want to pick up a copy of Sex Drive after reading this one. LOVE UNEXPECTEDLY is definite a keeper and I promise you that you will enjoy!

Nav Bharani has wanted to change his relationship with Kat Fallon from best friend to lover. However, she has always rejected his slightest move as she insists she does not wish to risk their friendship. Now he believes he has the perfect opportunity to persuade her otherwise as they travel by sleeper train across Canada to attend her sister's wedding in Vancouver. To convince her they belong together, Nav masquerades as different people with diverse personalities. As he makes snail progress, he runs up against her sexual issues, grudges and commitment fears. However, he soon realizes he has his phobias too that prevent the real Nav from simply saying to his BFF that he loves her. This is an enjoyable train ride across Canada as the lead couple begins to understand their feelings especially love and fear. Kat may seem like the one with all the commitment issues, but Nav and readers realize as he poses as "strangers" he has a major problem to confront also. With a throwback feel to the madcap romantic comedies of the 1930s, fans will appreciate Susan Fox's fine character driven tale of Love, Unexpectedly. Harriet Klausner

Love, Unexpectedly by Susan Fox (AKA Susan Lyons) Contemporary Romance March 30th, 2010 4 stars Love, Unexpectedly is the 2nd in a new series about sisters who find love while they travel to their youngest sister's upcoming wedding. The first book, Sex Drive was actually printed under a different name, Susan Lyons. In the first installment the oldest sister Theresa finds love on a plane trip. Theresa was a serious academic type who was unsure of her sensuality and sociability. In the second book, Love, Unexpectedly her sister Kat takes center stage. Kat is a totally different personality, a free spirited sister who is the social butterfly of the family. But with a long history of failed relationships with men. Kat has been looking for love but doesn't realize she goes for men with flash and style but unfortunately, no substance. The only person who is really stable in her life besides her family is her best friend Nav. And while she finds Nav attractive, he isn't really her 'type' and she doesn't want to ruin their friendship with her lousy track record. But what Kat doesn't know is that her best friend Nav is perfect. He loves her and he intends to make her see it, too! Tired of not being 'seen' Nav dresses up like one of her old boyfriends and surprises Kat on the train to her sister's wedding. At first Kat doesn't recognize him in his expensive clothes but does see an resemblance to her neighbor Nav. She is drawn to this compelling and 'new' Nav and before she knows it they are having the hottest sex of her life! Conflicted, Nav promises Kat whatever happens on the train, it will not affect their friendship after this 'fling.' Can Nav convince Kat to change her mind about them. Will she finally give him a chance past their train trip? There were 2 things I really enjoyed about this story. The first is that Nav is a beta hero (although he has his moments of being alpha!). He determinedly pursues Kat but he is a genuinely nice guy. Not a He-man, who tries to take over and overwhelm Kat. A normal guy that ANY woman would love to chase after her! I fell in love with Nav, sometimes he seemed too good to be true. The other thing I found original about this story is that Nav is a few years younger than Kat and although the author doesn't put too much emphasis on it he is East Indian so this couple is mixed. Nav is very westernized but it was interesting to see glimpses of his less westernized family (and conflict) and how it has shaped him. The book fluctuates between Nav's and Kat's point of views. I really enjoyed seeing Nav's point of view and intermediately liked him. The strange thing was it took me a bit longer to like Kat. Because I really loved Nav I soon became frustrated with Kat's refusal to see him as a potential boyfriend instead of just a friend. I kept wishing that Kat had succumbed to Nav's charms earlier. Although I understood why she was so hesitant take their relationship to the next level. I could understand her concern ab