Release Blitz and ARC Review: Not What I Expected by Jewel E. Ann

Not What I Expected
by Jewel E. Ann

Released – December 6, 2020

Available now!
Amazon US | Amazon Worldwide

Blurb

Are humans meant to mate for life?

After four kids and an unfortunate but fateful end to her twenty-two-year marriage, Elsie Smith meets the new guy in town.

Kael Hendricks is … a little younger, a lot sexy, and too confident for his own good. He also doesn’t believe in marriage and all that goes with it.

And …

He’s just opened a new business that threatens the livelihood of Elsie’s family’s store–just in time for the holidays.

The problem?

There’s an undeniable attraction that leads to out of control situations, a loss of inhibitions, and a lot of small town gossip.

As Elsie tries to redefine herself and convince her family she isn’t having a midlife crisis, she’s forced to answer the biggest question of all …

Can she love an enemy who will never surrender?

FInd Not What I Expected on GOODREADS

Review

5 stars!

“Unexpected things happen.”

Jewel E. Ann constantly blows me away with her words. She doesn’t give us what’s expected, she pushes boundaries and writes about real life. The ups and downs, the good and bad. Not What I Expected is that and more. Raw, real, and honest, it’s a read that makes you think about life and love in a different way. That relationships may look totally different on the inside as they do on the outside. It makes you realize that life isn’t always as it seems. It’s messy and it’s not perfect, and it’s what makes a story like this believable, relatable, and unputdownable!

Life can change when you least expect it and you can’t rewind time to do things differently no matter how much you wish you could. Elsie knows this firsthand. Her life is flipped upside down in a moment and she must face sudden challenges while navigating new roles and avoiding small town gossip. Her story is one full of grief and guilt, but mostly of strength, growth, healing, honesty, and love. It’s original and emotional, and a new fave of 2020!

Elsie is a forty-two-year-old mother of four who was married for over twenty years and Kael is a single thirty-year-old who doesn’t believe in marriage. Even though they live completely different lives, Elsie and Kael have a connection that is undeniable. From the beginning, their interactions are intense, and Kael offers her something she never considered. It’s not like her to jump into a casual, no strings-attached relationship with the new hot guy in town, especially since he’s her competition, but there is just something about Kael she can’t resist.

“Come here often?” Kael asked with a smirk as he tucked himself next to me in the corner of the crowded cafe to wait for his to-go order as well.
Pursing my lips, I tried to hide my grin, keeping my eyes focused on the busy employees prepping orders. “That sounds like a cheesy pick-up line, but I know you mean it very literally. So, yes. I come here a lot.”
“Nope. I totally meant it as a cheesy pick-up line.”

Kael swept me off my feet. He is the nicest, most genuine person, and I loved how secure he was in his beliefs, making you look at love in a different light. I enjoyed how he challenges Elsie and how they get under each other’s skin. The banter is gold and the sexual tension is palpable.

He knocked me off-kilter, barged into my passive dreams, and turned them into pure sin.

Elsie and Kael fit together so well. They are full of pent up need and passion, and they definitely bring on the heat, but I loved that it was more than just physical. They form a friendship that is so much more than they expect, and try as they do to keep things casual, there’s a point where everything changes.

He became my escape. And a stolen hour or two with him made it easier to breathe again. Smile more.

The best kind of characters are the ones who have flaws and are far from perfect, and those flaws are what makes them come to life. Elsie goes through so much growth after her loss and it’s her brutal honesty that fuels that growth. It’s not all pretty as she learns that being true to herself may be the hardest yet most important thing she can do for herself.

Kael saw the version of myself that I wanted to be long before I got there.

This book is the perfect mix of heavy and light. It’s humorous at just the right moments while still maintaining a serious and emotional story. I couldn’t put it down and was desperate to see what would happen. Honestly, I didn’t know which way the story would go as I approached the final chapters but, in the end, it was perfect. The epilogue was exactly what I needed, and it left me with a smile on my face and a heart full of love. I loved this story!

*ARC generously provided by the author and Valentine PR and Literary Management*

About the Author

Jewel is a Wall Street Journal & USA Today best selling author a with a quirky sense of humor. When she’s not saving the planet one tree at a time, you can find her role modeling questionable behavior to her three boys, binge-watching Netflix with her husband, and writing mind-bending romance.