OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Life Unplanned" by Rose Von Barnsley.]

A Life Unplanned by Rose Von Barnsley is a fiction set in the romance/mystery genre. It is 260 pages long.

Clara is a single mother. Naturally, she didn't plan her life this way. While at a party during her last semester of college, Clara hooks up with Trent, an infamous playboy. She thinks nothing of it until she realizes that she is pregnant. After a couple of choice encounters with Trent, she realizes that she has no interest in this man ever being in her life.

From there, we fast forward about three years. Clara's mother is driving her nuts, pestering her to have another child while Tyler (her son) is still young. Clara doesn't want to appear as a hussy, with children by different men, so she hits on a grand idea. She decides to hunt down Trent and simply have another one-night stand. Simple enough, right? Only, things get complicated really quick.

Should Clara allow Trent into her life and the life of her son? Has he changed, or is he just the same arrogant jerk that he was before? And what about all of the other women from his more promiscuous years? Surely she isn't the only one to end up with a baby from Trent?

After a great many things happen, strange things begin to come out about Trent's past. Is someone hunting him? And if they are, is he really guilty? Is it safe for Clara to be with Trent? When the truth finally come out, it may very well destroy any hope of a happy ending.

This book covers a long period of time. Without providing spoilers, I can't really go into the story more than I already have. Suffice it to say, a lot of things happen. I do mean a lot. Right when you think that surely this can't get any more worse or more complicated, it does. There are so many twists and turns in this story, that it can be a bit overwhelming.

While I enjoyed this book, I am only giving it a 2 out of 4 stars because in my opinion, there was too much going on, and much of it is very unrealistic. The characters were very two-dimensional. Again, I can not explain better without providing spoilers. The storyline is very good, and is written from a first person narrative. This works well, but does make the reading seem a bit choppy at points. Still, once you get used to the style of writing, it is fine. The main thing is that there are too many climactic points. While they do all tie in together in the end, I feel it would have been better to split this into two books, or at the least, to fill the story in more instead of jumping from one high-drama situation to another. Overall, this was still an enjoyable read and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a quick, mystery/romance.

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A Life Unplanned
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This story sounds interesting. This was a good review.

I liked your review. You peeked my curiosity. Thank you.

Very insightful review! Too bad it didn't seem worth a better rating.

The story seems interesting, though.

That was a very honest review. I find the premise very promising and the plot seems interesting enough. I agree with you, though, about books with 'too much going on'. They can be very frustrating. Good job on the review.

Nice, insightful review. It sounds like the book has potential, but the plot was just too busy.

This was a great review! The plot seems interesting. I will maybe read this one. thanks!

Thank you all for your responses!