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Unexpected Love #1
An Unexpected Love
Alex doesn’t want anything to do with the crazy Mormon religion her sister belongs to— especially since it’s the same religion she blames for her father’s death. When she comes to visit Jamie and her husband, Steve, she warns them not to even talk about religion. But she doesn’t count on meeting the most attractive man she’s ever met— Steve’s business partner and best friend, Rich.
Alex McCarty never planned on falling in love with a Mormon, even if he does appear to be everything she ever wanted in a man. But Alex isn’t about to join his church to be with him, and she knows Rich would never leave his church for her.
An Unexpected Love. . . where a little romance means big surprises!
Alex McCarty never planned on falling in love with a Mormon, even if he does appear to be everything she ever wanted in a man. But Alex isn’t about to join his church to be with him, and she knows Rich would never leave his church for her.
An Unexpected Love. . . where a little romance means big surprises!
246 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
1 person is currently reading
244 people want to read
About the author
Michele Ashman Bell
43 books345 followersI grew up in St. George, Utah, where a lot of my family still lives, but now reside with my husband and family in the Salt Lake City area. My favorite thing to do is support my kids in their many interests. Between basketball, ballet and piano lessons we squeeze a lot into a week, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
December 13, 2011
do you like the winter, the snow, and romance? well if you do then this is the perfect book for you to read. i enjoyed this book so much that i just could not put it down. Michell Ashman Bell is a great writer and knows how to catch the readers attention. if i were to recommend this book to someone it would have to be to young adult or teenagers.
This book mainly two main characters. first is Alex. Alex lives in California but decides to go to Idaho to visit and help her sister while she is having her baby. Rich is Steve's best friend and was his mission companion. they by each other.
Alex decides to visit her sister in Idaho while her sister is having a baby. Alex meets rich but doesn't want anything to do with him because he is a Mormon. after spending so much time at her sisters house and with Rich, she decides to join the Mormon church. she then falls in love with Rich and they start dating. it is then time for Jami to have her baby but her pregnancy fails and her baby dies. Alex stays in Idaho for three months because she cant leave her sister now and especially not Rich.
this was an amazing book and i really enjoyed it. i love to read anything that is written by Michelle Ashman Bell because she keeps her books clean and they are realistic. sometimes people can relate to what the main character in the book is feeling. well i just loved this book.
This book mainly two main characters. first is Alex. Alex lives in California but decides to go to Idaho to visit and help her sister while she is having her baby. Rich is Steve's best friend and was his mission companion. they by each other.
Alex decides to visit her sister in Idaho while her sister is having a baby. Alex meets rich but doesn't want anything to do with him because he is a Mormon. after spending so much time at her sisters house and with Rich, she decides to join the Mormon church. she then falls in love with Rich and they start dating. it is then time for Jami to have her baby but her pregnancy fails and her baby dies. Alex stays in Idaho for three months because she cant leave her sister now and especially not Rich.
this was an amazing book and i really enjoyed it. i love to read anything that is written by Michelle Ashman Bell because she keeps her books clean and they are realistic. sometimes people can relate to what the main character in the book is feeling. well i just loved this book.
November 27, 2016
Just a week or so ago I was introduced to the book, An Unexpected Love, by Ashman Bell.
This book summary is, there is a girl named Alex who goes to visit her crazy Mormon sister and she blames that same religion on her fathers death. When shes with her sister she meets an attractive man. Alex never planed to fall in love with a Mormon. She has to make some decisions about this. (life lesson don't judge before you get to know that person.) I did like this book, because of the way the author wrote and how they described the parts of the book. I liked the different text the author used and how they worded the book. I liked the characters and what they had to go through. Things I didn't like, the fact that the book was short, was slow at times, and didn't give enough detail. In certain parts of the book the author didn't go in depth to explain the part better or to help the reader form a better picture in the mind.
This book is valuable because most books these days are not as clean as they should be. I also agree with the authors perspective in this book. I made connections throughout this book, when the sister felt she was not living her life good enough, being happy that's how it is sometimes. Over all this was a pleasant book to read and its fun to get away from life. The lesson in this book is, don't judge someone just because they believe in something you don't like, get to know the person first before judging.
This book summary is, there is a girl named Alex who goes to visit her crazy Mormon sister and she blames that same religion on her fathers death. When shes with her sister she meets an attractive man. Alex never planed to fall in love with a Mormon. She has to make some decisions about this. (life lesson don't judge before you get to know that person.) I did like this book, because of the way the author wrote and how they described the parts of the book. I liked the different text the author used and how they worded the book. I liked the characters and what they had to go through. Things I didn't like, the fact that the book was short, was slow at times, and didn't give enough detail. In certain parts of the book the author didn't go in depth to explain the part better or to help the reader form a better picture in the mind.
This book is valuable because most books these days are not as clean as they should be. I also agree with the authors perspective in this book. I made connections throughout this book, when the sister felt she was not living her life good enough, being happy that's how it is sometimes. Over all this was a pleasant book to read and its fun to get away from life. The lesson in this book is, don't judge someone just because they believe in something you don't like, get to know the person first before judging.
January 26, 2016
This is the first of a series of three books. I enjoy some romance novels, at least when they are clean, and this set fills that criteria. I also like believable and down-to-earth characters and on that point, the book doesn't quite measure up.
This is a book written by a Mormon and intended for Mormon audiences, so the church references are everywhere. Being a Mormon myself, I understood what was being said, but others might be a little less sure. I didn't mind the religious comments, though, as it is part of my daily life and fit in to what I would probably say or do.
The characters, though, were less interesting than I would have liked. Characters drive a book for me and these started out pretty flat and predictable and while there were some moments of greater depth, I don't think it was enough.
Alex is not a Mormon, but heads to Idaho to visit with her sister, who is. The sister is pregnant and needs help as she has already lost two babies before they were able to survive. On the way in a snowstorm, she crashes and is rescued by the handsome man, who is her brother-in-law's business partner and best friend. It is pretty obvious from the first moment where this romance will end up.
I enjoyed the book, but wasn't crazy about it. Just too predictable.
This is a book written by a Mormon and intended for Mormon audiences, so the church references are everywhere. Being a Mormon myself, I understood what was being said, but others might be a little less sure. I didn't mind the religious comments, though, as it is part of my daily life and fit in to what I would probably say or do.
The characters, though, were less interesting than I would have liked. Characters drive a book for me and these started out pretty flat and predictable and while there were some moments of greater depth, I don't think it was enough.
Alex is not a Mormon, but heads to Idaho to visit with her sister, who is. The sister is pregnant and needs help as she has already lost two babies before they were able to survive. On the way in a snowstorm, she crashes and is rescued by the handsome man, who is her brother-in-law's business partner and best friend. It is pretty obvious from the first moment where this romance will end up.
I enjoyed the book, but wasn't crazy about it. Just too predictable.
March 20, 2012
Saw this on display during Valentine's at our local library and grabbed it for a light read. It is a modern day LDS fiction story and deals with some heavy issues of eating disorders and conversion.
From the author's website:
Alex doesn’t want anything to do with the crazy Mormon religion her sister belongs to— especially since it’s the same religion she blames for her father’s death. When she comes to visit Jamie and her husband, Steve, she warns them not to even talk about religion. But she doesn’t count on meeting the most attractive man she’s ever met— Steve’s business partner and best friend, Rich.
Alex McCarty never planned on falling in love with a Mormon, even if he does appear to be everything she ever wanted in a man. But Alex isn’t about to join his church to be with him, and she knows Rich would never leave his church for her.
An Unexpected Love. . . where a little romance means big surprises!
From the author's website:
Alex doesn’t want anything to do with the crazy Mormon religion her sister belongs to— especially since it’s the same religion she blames for her father’s death. When she comes to visit Jamie and her husband, Steve, she warns them not to even talk about religion. But she doesn’t count on meeting the most attractive man she’s ever met— Steve’s business partner and best friend, Rich.
Alex McCarty never planned on falling in love with a Mormon, even if he does appear to be everything she ever wanted in a man. But Alex isn’t about to join his church to be with him, and she knows Rich would never leave his church for her.
An Unexpected Love. . . where a little romance means big surprises!
May 10, 2011
This is actually the second time I have read this series. This is first of 3 books in the series and as always Michele has a way of pulling you in and sharing herself through her stories. This book covers a lot of emotional ground, dealing with things such as miscarriage, demanding careers, and painful disease. But she pulls it off without overwhelming you, offending you, or burdening you with the pain of the characters. But you will appreciate her ability to touch on the touchy is a very wise and sensitive way. Way to go Michele! I'm next!!!
January 22, 2021
This book is a mess. Nothing any of these overly stereotyped characters experience in this very dated story (this book was published 1998) is believable. The only reason I checked this out of the library was because I was browsing the shelves and needed something to read and, why not, a cheesy LDS romance set in the late 90's where the main female character is NOT LDS while her male love interest IS sounded interesting. Forgot I already read "Timeless Moments" (published 2003) by this same author back in 2017 and wrote up another snarky review on that. Can't help it, this author makes it so easy!
So, let's go back in time and discover how young, twenty-something, LDS single adults in the late 90's managed to meet/cute without smartphones, dating apps or even Instagram. I know, the horror!
Alex McCarty (and if "Alex" is short for something like Alexandra or Lexi we are never told) is our unsuspecting, non-LDS, heroine who doesn't drink, smoke, swear, have any tattoos or piercings and has never cohabitated with a man. She thinks all Mormons are part of a cult and that if her father hadn't been driving home from the LDS ward he was currently attending while the rest of his non-member family stayed home that Sunday, he would NEVER have died in that car accident, therefore, the Mormon church is EVIL. That is her ONLY gripe about the church which means, deep down, we already know Alex is doomed. She's a golden investigator and once she meets her card carrying, return missionary love interest it will not take long for her to be sucked in by his tractor beam.
The book opens as Alex is driving through a terrible Idaho blizzard on her way to her married LDS sister's house in Island Park and, because Google Maps hasn't been invented yet, she crashes her car in a snowbank after getting lost in the whiteout. She wakes up to discover she has been rescued, carried through the storm, to be laid down on the couch in front of a roaring fire in the home of her (future) love interest, Richard or "Rich" and while this is not creepy at all, Rich is a total babe and for Alex the sparks are already flying. Lucky for her, Rich is already best friends with Alex's brother-in-law and knows her sister, he's practically a member of their family and, best of all, is not currently dating anyone here in this tiny community. I know what you're thinking, Hallmark should sue the author for copyright infringement.
Oh, and Alex also has a tiny problem with her weight. Think Anne Hathaway in the 2012 film version of "Les Misérables" which makes me wonder what Rich even sees in her as such anorexia is hardly attractive. Alex drove all the way here from California to help her pregnant sister who already lost her first baby and is going through a hard time with this pregnancy. Alex is determined NOT to to let her sister convert her or fall in love with any single Mormon guys. Guess it's already too late for that.
So while Alex cleans, organizes the house and gets roped into playing the piano for that weekend's Sunday meeting currently being held at the house (sis had to be rushed to the hospital, very unexpectedly, for pre-labor contractions which is why she wasn't there to play the piano for sacrament meeting) the guys run an outdoor recreational activity store and take tourist groups out on hiking and snowshoeing excursions to help promote their equipment sales (closed Sundays). If this story were set in today's time, they'd be completely online with their business. Alex also organizes their messy warehouse/store for them because that's "women's work."
Not too hard to see where this is going. Every time Alex finds herself swooning over Rich and his hotness, she remembers the big red flag-He's a MORMON!!!-and backs off while Rich is squeaky clean nice and attentive to Alex as can be-always showing up at the house to bring her something or dropping in to see how she's doing then sneaking a little kiss (and that's the extent of the kissing in this book). As business partner with his best buddy, with whom he served his mission, Alex can hardly avoid all these meetings with him.
Rich even drives Alex to the Idaho Falls airport in the severe weather to pick up her non-member mother to celebrate Easter with the two daughters she hasn't seen in over a year. Turns out deceased dad who died in the car accident was baptized by one of the now-married members of the branch who has been inactive for many years after he returned home from his mission and was about to divorce his wife for no real reason until Alex made this discovery and saved the marriage. Because any female competition, as any single LDS female in this church worth her salt knows, gotta be nipped in the bud, pronto!
Not to give away any spoilers but...Alex's sister ends up in the hospital (yes, again!) and loses the baby. Alex has also been doing some private investigating into the church (reading a few Ensign articles and all the way to Omni in the Book of Mormon-I very much doubt she made it past the Isaiah chapters!) and decides she wants to be baptized so she and Rich can take their relationship out of the "friend zone" and to the next level. Oh, and she's going to look into getting some counseling for her eating disorder.
I didn't know this book was the first in a three-book series until I read some of the other reviews. While I have no plans to read those additional books, or anything else by this author again, anyone looking for a clean, cheesy, far-fetched and badly edited romance from the last century won't be disappointed by this book.
So, let's go back in time and discover how young, twenty-something, LDS single adults in the late 90's managed to meet/cute without smartphones, dating apps or even Instagram. I know, the horror!
Alex McCarty (and if "Alex" is short for something like Alexandra or Lexi we are never told) is our unsuspecting, non-LDS, heroine who doesn't drink, smoke, swear, have any tattoos or piercings and has never cohabitated with a man. She thinks all Mormons are part of a cult and that if her father hadn't been driving home from the LDS ward he was currently attending while the rest of his non-member family stayed home that Sunday, he would NEVER have died in that car accident, therefore, the Mormon church is EVIL. That is her ONLY gripe about the church which means, deep down, we already know Alex is doomed. She's a golden investigator and once she meets her card carrying, return missionary love interest it will not take long for her to be sucked in by his tractor beam.
The book opens as Alex is driving through a terrible Idaho blizzard on her way to her married LDS sister's house in Island Park and, because Google Maps hasn't been invented yet, she crashes her car in a snowbank after getting lost in the whiteout. She wakes up to discover she has been rescued, carried through the storm, to be laid down on the couch in front of a roaring fire in the home of her (future) love interest, Richard or "Rich" and while this is not creepy at all, Rich is a total babe and for Alex the sparks are already flying. Lucky for her, Rich is already best friends with Alex's brother-in-law and knows her sister, he's practically a member of their family and, best of all, is not currently dating anyone here in this tiny community. I know what you're thinking, Hallmark should sue the author for copyright infringement.
Oh, and Alex also has a tiny problem with her weight. Think Anne Hathaway in the 2012 film version of "Les Misérables" which makes me wonder what Rich even sees in her as such anorexia is hardly attractive. Alex drove all the way here from California to help her pregnant sister who already lost her first baby and is going through a hard time with this pregnancy. Alex is determined NOT to to let her sister convert her or fall in love with any single Mormon guys. Guess it's already too late for that.
So while Alex cleans, organizes the house and gets roped into playing the piano for that weekend's Sunday meeting currently being held at the house (sis had to be rushed to the hospital, very unexpectedly, for pre-labor contractions which is why she wasn't there to play the piano for sacrament meeting) the guys run an outdoor recreational activity store and take tourist groups out on hiking and snowshoeing excursions to help promote their equipment sales (closed Sundays). If this story were set in today's time, they'd be completely online with their business. Alex also organizes their messy warehouse/store for them because that's "women's work."
Not too hard to see where this is going. Every time Alex finds herself swooning over Rich and his hotness, she remembers the big red flag-He's a MORMON!!!-and backs off while Rich is squeaky clean nice and attentive to Alex as can be-always showing up at the house to bring her something or dropping in to see how she's doing then sneaking a little kiss (and that's the extent of the kissing in this book). As business partner with his best buddy, with whom he served his mission, Alex can hardly avoid all these meetings with him.
Rich even drives Alex to the Idaho Falls airport in the severe weather to pick up her non-member mother to celebrate Easter with the two daughters she hasn't seen in over a year. Turns out deceased dad who died in the car accident was baptized by one of the now-married members of the branch who has been inactive for many years after he returned home from his mission and was about to divorce his wife for no real reason until Alex made this discovery and saved the marriage. Because any female competition, as any single LDS female in this church worth her salt knows, gotta be nipped in the bud, pronto!
Not to give away any spoilers but...Alex's sister ends up in the hospital (yes, again!) and loses the baby. Alex has also been doing some private investigating into the church (reading a few Ensign articles and all the way to Omni in the Book of Mormon-I very much doubt she made it past the Isaiah chapters!) and decides she wants to be baptized so she and Rich can take their relationship out of the "friend zone" and to the next level. Oh, and she's going to look into getting some counseling for her eating disorder.
I didn't know this book was the first in a three-book series until I read some of the other reviews. While I have no plans to read those additional books, or anything else by this author again, anyone looking for a clean, cheesy, far-fetched and badly edited romance from the last century won't be disappointed by this book.
April 16, 2008
I cannot find my copy of this book, the first of three. But I am putting it on the LDS fiction shelf since the other two belong there due to the amount of doctrinal information in them. Some books are about LDS people and just tell a story. Others try to send a message and contain a fair amount of counsel. Christian authors are the same way. If it starts to feel preachy, then it either belongs in LDS or Christian fiction for me.
July 23, 2014
The title and description of the book makes this story seem like a sweet, enjoyable, light romance. It's not. Hey, there was some romance and I guess it truly was an "unexpected love," but that was kind of a side note, with a lot of the focus on deeper, more serious topics like eating disorders, miscarriages, pregnancy problems, divorce, bad family relationships, ... Yea.
It was a great book, but in all honesty, I was kind of depressed by the end.
It was a great book, but in all honesty, I was kind of depressed by the end.
May 21, 2008
I think this must be one of this authors first books. It was really cheesy. I did like the references to eating disorders, but wished the author would have gone into more detail with that aspect of the story.
March 25, 2009
This book was okay. I didn't like how they shoved religion down the main character's throat. I felt that they were not normal people living their religion, but that they were making a point to show it at every point! I did like the love story
October 30, 2009
I realloy enjoyed this book and was excited to find out what would happen between Alex and Rich. I thought the ending was kind of thrown together but I already have the next book on hold from the library. Can't wait to read it and continue on with the story...
February 22, 2011
Very predictable but most romance novels are...and then put mormon romance novel and you know it's going to be even more so. I think she could have cut out some of the middle and put more at the ending, it seemed like it dragged and then boom all this stuff happened at once and it was the end.
July 26, 2012
It was a very good book, but I hated how abruptly it ended. And at the end, I was left with so many questions about the characters. It made me feel like there should be a second book to it, but I don't think that there is.
February 7, 2008
Absolutely loved it! The whole series is just amazing.
March 16, 2008
I like Michelle Bell; she's come into my class a couple of times and taught them about being an author. I liked this book; it really holds your attention.
March 20, 2008
An easy LDS read. Great CLEAN romance novel! Part of a 3-book series.
March 29, 2008
Really good, but the end is kinda predictable
June 5, 2008
It's good, but not so unexpected.
May 8, 2008
I got hooked pretty quickly by this story, being drawn in by the meeting of Rich and Alex. Being a hopeless romantic, I enjoyed seeing their developing relationship play out.
January 25, 2016
This was an okay LDS romance. I just couldn't connect with the main female character.
June 19, 2008
A good clean and fun romance novel.
July 3, 2008
I loved this book! Of course I am a total sucker for a good romance! But this did have a great story about someone joining the church and family and all that too! :-)
October 3, 2008
I liked that the main character was non-LDS so it came from an "outside" perspective. Then of course she's baptised and it goes on from there. I read it in one day, so it was pretty good. :)
November 10, 2008
I always love to love a love story. This is a great book I read it all in one day and started the next book. It is a very easy read and kept me wanting to know more.
January 15, 2009
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March 27, 2009Love It
March 29, 2009
Good love story, easy reading. Highly recommend.
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March 31, 2009Where a little romance means big surprises.
May 29, 2009
I always enjoy hearing someone's conversion story and this is a good one. It's also one of heartache and forgiveness--and, a great love story!
August 6, 2009
This is one of the few books that I have actually re-read. Really enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews