there are some romantic tropes that I love to see in books. accidental pregnancy is one of my top three, so of course I’ve read a lot of romance books about accidental pregnancy.
Actually, I didn’t like the trope right away. once I got into the secret baby romance trope and searched for more books with him, I found many with accidental pregnancy mislabeled below. and he has grown on me, becoming one of my favorite tropes.
You are reading: Romance books with pregnancy
then if you are looking for novels with this plot device, I have some good recommendations for you!
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what is the accidental pregnancy trope?
A book is considered to have the accidental pregnancy trope, also called the surprise pregnancy trope, if two people who are not in a relationship have sex and it leads to an unintended pregnancy. since they are now in charge of a budding human, they have to get involved in each other’s lives and fall in love.
technically, even if the main characters are already in a relationship and get pregnant without trying, it’s an “accidental pregnancy”. but I don’t consider it a romantic trope because it’s not a major factor that leads them to fall in love with each other.
the accidental pregnancy romance trope is a heightened form of the forced proximity trope, but one where both characters have to be mature and make decisions, and I’m totally on board with that. .
It also makes for some really good bonding moments: with doctor’s appointments, pregnancy milestones, and the man taking care of the woman. and pregnancy hormones kick things up a notch too 👀
note: I’m generalizing the characters to be male and female because I haven’t read an accidental pregnancy romance book where they are of other genders.
1. the billionaire legacy by reese ryan
“just for tonight.”until their chance to reunite takes a sharp turn…to the twins.tech billionaire benjamin bennett can’t resist a steamy weekend with sloane sutton: his crush on her goes back. but when he tracks her down, she is pregnant – with twins! now her adventure needs confidence to survive. benji wants a wedding; his family claims that she is a gold digger. but sloane will not be bought or married. Can they find common ground…and a chance forever?
This is a short and exciting book with the billionaire accidental pregnancy trope. the main characters knew each other as children and have always been attracted to each other. they have an affair with no future plans, but the pregnancy finally brings them together.
there is a slow development of the relationship because both have problems to solve and have some missteps along the way.
2. surprise, baby of lex martin and leslie mcadam
There’s a fine line between lust and hate.I don’t care that drew merritt has spent the last year transforming himself from dirty bum to sexy playboy. With messy dirty blonde hair and beautiful eyes, his looks aren’t the issue. his mouth is. and the stupid things that come out of it. …let’s just say there’s one thing we don’t crash on. And it doesn’t involve talking. I have despised draw ever since I met him years ago. a weekend can’t change us that much, can it? spoiler alert: it doesn’t. except he left me a little souvenir. And in nine months, I’ll have a surprise for Portland’s most famous player.
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I chose this book because of the title, assuming it has the secret baby romance trope. it didn’t, which was a bit disappointing, but I really enjoyed the book itself!
We see two people who clearly don’t like each other, but are simply attracted to each other, brought together by an unexpected pregnancy. it’s really nice to see how their relationship develops over the 9 months and it’s a book about how people can change.
3. pregnant by playboy by jackie lau
I have a pretty good life, if I may say so. I made a fortune when I sold my new tech company, and it’s been years since I’ve partyed, drank, and invited a pageant of women to my bed. I should be happy, but I feel an annoying lack of satisfaction, and there’s no way I’m going back to the work I did before. At a friend’s party, I run into Marissa. we have hot sex against the door and agree to spend the weekend together. just one weekend. I don’t expect to see her ever again, except that she is now pregnant with my baby… and I think this is the solution to all my problems. This is what will give meaning to my life. I am going to be a devoted father and husband. Marissa, whose last name I don’t know yet, wants me to get involved, even though she rejects my marriage proposal. But before the baby comes, I’m going to show her that I can be more than just a playboy. and the rare times that I set my mind to something, I don’t fail…
I loved this underrated romance book. this is the first accidental pregnancy book i have read where both characters are of asian descent. her heritage plays a role in her character arcs, which makes the book even better.
but the highlight of the book was vince, our main character. I love the charm, personality and dedication of him. It’s also really fun to read about his family.
4. scoring the player’s baby by naima simone
After divorcing her cheating ex-football player, prodigy Kim Matlock would rather stick a pine tree in her walled heart than work at the Seattle Wedding Expo. and the last thing she expects is to be grabbed and breathlessly kissed by a hot giant of a man looking to fend off a stalker. she doesn’t want emotional entanglements, but she can’t say no to a steamy night with the sexy stranger. .but nothing could have prepared her for her response…
This sports romance book has loads of chemistry! Kim and Ronin meet in an unconventional way and the sparks between them nearly fly off the pages. I loved both the characters and the dialogue between them.
It’s a nice begrudging romance where the woman doesn’t want to get involved with an athlete again, but an unplanned pregnancy forces her to consider ronin, and ronin jumps at the chance.
5. one moment please for amy daws
that awkward moment when an ER doctor has to tell you that you’re pregnant…with his baby.lynsey jones knows three things about the sexy doctor: he’s grumpy, an arrogant asshole, and weirdly obsessed with foot. three things dr. dick knows: she doesn’t talk about her past, she doesn’t hook up, and the crazy girl from the hospital cafeteria who ate a handful of french silk cake… is irritatingly irresistible. after a chance meeting in a bar and a heated taxi ride together, things come to a head and now, instead of hating each other, they’re lying on a bed. dick’s house as a burglar in the night, he ends up as his patient in the ER after her tinder from hell date. dr dick is poised to keep you cool and professional. that is until his blood test reveals that she is pregnant. what really baffles him… is that the surprise baby… is his.
This book made me laugh out loud. it’s a romance of rivals to lovers in which they succumb to lust one night and it leads to so much more. both characters are endearing and I liked seeing their growth in the book.
It can be a bit repetitive in the middle due to the push and pull between the couple, but it’s worth it.
6. julie hammerle’s pregnant cinderella
i’m a walking contradiction.school principal who generously drops the f-bomb.fiercely independent but willing to auction off for charity.serial monogamist who’s up for a no strings attached one night stand.except now i’m gone from a functional ovary to one parent in the time it took for a stick to turn blue.f. bomb.ian donovan may be a venture capitalist richer than hell, but he’s not a prince charming ready to blow my mind. Good thing I don’t need it. he’s been doing fine on my own for forty years, and I’m not going to start changing that now. ultrasounds, swollen feet, midnight cravings? bring. it’s. on.but why is it that when you finally give up on men, find yourself with one who is too sexy and determine that we can make it work?f. bomb.
another book that made me laugh out loud. follows two characters in their forties (the oldest compared to the characters in other books on this list) who decide to have fun and take precautions, but it didn’t work out.
There is a slow growth of relationships and a lot of character growth. she especially loved erin for her personality and confidence. the romance between them was really nice.
7. i think i need you by christina c. jones
joia love is about… well, joia. Her main interests at the moment are how creative she can be with her video camera, how much weight she can bench press, and her branding on social media. boyfriend promised to become her next boyfriend. Teddy’s charm and funny demeanor are not limited to videos of him, and he is fully prepared to go to any lengths to rekindle his college romance. to secure his place beside him. she may not want a rerun with teddy, but it turns out… she might need it after all.
what makes this book different is the professions of the characters and the unique growth they have thanks to it. joia and theodore are influencers with their own brands, and they’re ex.
One night of relapse leads to a second-chance romance due to an accidental pregnancy. they make good use of this opportunity for love.
8. three little words from melissa blue
“we need to talk”. There’s only one reason a woman says that three months after a one night stand. she is pregnant and plans to keep the baby. Ella Porter can handle that: She always planned to be a father and do better at work than her own father. Sure, he always envisioned the wife and then the kids, but he’s used to fixing things that are broken. Unfortunately, this is not just any woman. she is the best friend of her sister: iris. and three months ago, she wasn’t looking for anything from him except his body, and that’s all she wants now. bend enough to let him in. but iris has learned one thing in her life: you can’t bend for anyone, because once you start, you won’t stop until you break.
porter and iris never considered a relationship, even after spending a night together. mainly because iris is best friends with her sister and she really messed things up with her sister.
but a surprise pregnancy changes everything and forces both characters to take into account. their romance was not smooth or easy, but it was realistic and enjoyable. Porter especially has a lot of growth in this book.
9. a convenient girlfriend of cheryl ann smith
A headstrong beauty proposes to an unlikely highwayman in this delightful historical regency romance.In search of his runaway sister, Lord Richard Ellerby stops a suspicious carriage at gunpoint and is shocked. being mistaken for a highway robber. When the attractive woman inside her makes him an offer to woo her for pay, Richard refuses and fires her. but the determined lady soon finds him again and proposes an even more scandalous offer: to marry her off in a marriage of convenience. Desperate to find love with a man of her choosing, Lady Brenna Harrington will do anything to hold on to her freedom, even if it means proposing to a dangerous highwayman. If she can distract her father with a future husband who only wants to marry her for her fortune, Brenna will have time to do things her way. while her plan may be crazy enough to work, her inadequate suitor has other more pleasurable strategies in mind.
This is the first book about accidental pregnancy that I liked, and one that made me consider reading more books with the plot device. I even reread parts of this book sometimes because the growth of their relationship is so nice.
This is a historical romance with two headstrong characters who are perfect for each other. They got married because Richard felt guilty and they were going to get an annulment until Brenna showed up at her house with the news.
The book also has a small element of plot danger that brings out all of Richard’s protectiveness and causes him to faint.
10. being played by emma chase
dean walker is about keeping life simple. He is talented and effortlessly smart: he spends his summers playing drums in the local band and the rest of the year teaching high school in the same Jersey town where he grew up. he also likes the simplicity of his love life, enjoying the no-strings-attached relationships that his good looks and his sexy charm have always made so easy. he then he meets lainey burrows. and his simple and easy life is turned upside down. A wild one night stand was all it was supposed to be, so Lainey is shocked when he finds out that his steamy summer fling is also his son’s new math teacher. But that’s nothing compared to the most unexpected twist of all: His sexual connection left Lainey pregnant, and now they’re about to become parents. together. what follows is an addictive, insatiable, sweet and tender romance that won’t be easy, but will be worth fighting for.
This book was so good! the main guy is a sexy drummer in the summers and a nerdy math teacher the rest of the time. i loved how the book showed nerd as cool, especially with dean being the best teacher for smart kids.
lainey is a blogger who makes things very interesting with unplanned pregnancy. the book has a realistic depiction of how her work sometimes takes over the mundane things of her life. the family and supporting characters were great too.
want more romance book recommendations?
check out my other romance book lists!
- best adult romance novels
- queer adult romance books
- college romance books
- single parent romance books
- secret baby romance books
- best unlimited romance books for kindle
let’s chat!
what are your favorite tropes to read about in books? Do you have a “guilty pleasure” trope? Leave me some recommendations in the comments!
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