10 Accidental Pregnancy Romance Books

There are a few romance tropes that I love seeing in books. Accidental pregnancy is one of my top three, so of course, I've read many accidental pregnancy romance books.

what is the accidental pregnancy trope?

A book is considered to have the accidental pregnancy trope, also called surprise pregnancy trope, if two people who are not in a relationship have sex and it leads to unintentional pregnancy. Since they are now in charge of a budding human, they have to be involved in each other's lives and they fall in love.

Technically, even if the main characters are already in a relationship and become pregnant without trying, it is "accidental pregnancy." But I don't consider that a romance trope because it is not a huge factor that leads them to fall for each other.

The accidental pregnancy romance trope is a heightened form of the forced proximity trope, but one where the two characters have to be mature and make decisions, and I'm ALL FOR THAT.

It also makes for some really good bonding moments—with the doctor appointments, pregnancy milestones, and the man having to care for the woman. And the pregnancy hormones take things up a notch too ?

Note: I'm generalizing the characters to be men and women because I haven't read an accidental pregnancy romance book where they are of other genders.

1. The Billionaire's Legacy by Reese Ryan

“Just for tonight.”

Until their chance reunion takes a sharp turn…toward twins.

Tech billionaire Benjamin Bennett can’t resist a steamy weekend with Sloane Sutton—his crush on her goes way back. But when he tracks her down, she’s pregnant—with twins! Now their fling needs trust to survive. Benji wants a wedding; his family claims she’s a gold digger. But Sloane won’t be bought—or married. Can they find common ground…and a shot at forever?

This is a short and steamy 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 a fling with no future plans but the pregnancy eventually brings them together.

There is slow relationship development because both of them have issues to work through and they do have some missteps along the way.

Steam level: Average.

2. Surprise, Baby by Lex Martin and Leslie McAdam

There’s a fine line between lust and hate.

I don’t care that Drew Merritt spent the last year transforming himself from grungy slob to sexy playboy. With messy, dirty blond hair and gorgeous eyes, his looks aren’t the problem.

His mouth is.
And the stupid things that come out of it.
But after an emergency strands us together, and he does his damnedest to take care of me…
Let’s just say there’s one thing we don’t clash on.
And it doesn’t involve talking.
I’ve despised Drew since I met him years ago. One weekend can’t change us that much, can it?
Spoiler alert: It doesn’t.
Except he left me a little keepsake.
And in nine months, I’ll have a surprise for Portland’s most notorious player.

I picked this book up because of the title, assuming that it has the secret baby romance trope. It didn't which was slightly disappointing, but I highly enjoyed the book itself!

We see two people who clearly don't like each other, but are just attracted to each other, stuck together due to an unexpected pregnancy. It's really nice to see their relationship develop over the 9 months and is a book about how people can change.

Steam level: Average.

3. Pregnant by the Playboy by Jackie Lau

I’ve got a pretty great life, if I do say so myself. I made a fortune when I sold my tech start-up, and I’ve spent the years since partying, drinking, and inviting a parade of women into my bed.

I should be happy, but I feel an annoying lack of fulfillment, and there’s no way I’m going back to the work I did before.

At a friend’s party, I meet Marissa. We have hot sex against the door and agree to spend the weekend together. Just one weekend. I never expect to see her again.

Except now she’s pregnant with my baby…and I think this is the solution to all my problems. This is what will bring meaning to my life. I’m going to be a devoted father and husband.

Marissa—whose last name I still don’t know—wants me to be involved, though she rejects my marriage proposal. But before the baby arrives, I’m going to prove to her that I can be something other than a playboy.

And the rare times I set my mind to something, I don’t fail…

I absolutely LOVED this underrated romance book. This is the first accidental pregnancy book I've read where both the characters are of Asian descent. Their heritage does play a part in their characters arcs which makes the book even better.

But the book's highlight was Vince, our main guy. I love his charm and personality and dedication. His family is also really fun to read about.

Steam level: Average.

4. Scoring the Player's Baby by Naima Simone

After a divorce from her cheating football player ex, PR whiz Kim Matlock would rather drive a pine tree through her walled-off heart than work at the Seattle Wedding Expo. And the last thing she expects is to be grabbed and kissed breathless 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 one scorching night with the sexy stranger.

To her shock, she finds out afterward that a) he’s a pro football player, aka her kryptonite, and b) she’s pregnant.

But nothing could have prepared her for his response...

This sports romance book has so much chemistry! Kim and Ronin meet in an unconventional way and the sparks between them almost flew off the pages. I loved both the characters and the dialogue between them.

It's a nice reluctant romance where the woman does not want to get involved with an athlete again but an unplanned pregnancy forces her to consider Ronin, and Ronin snatches up the chance.

Steam level: Average.

5. One Moment Please by Amy Daws

That awkward moment when an ER doctor has to inform you that you’re pregnant…with his baby.

Three things Lynsey Jones knows about the hot doctor: he’s grouchy, an arrogant jerk, and strangely obsessed with pie.

Three things Dr. Dick knows: he doesn’t talk about his past, he doesn’t do relationships, and the crazy girl in the hospital cafeteria who ate a fistful of French silk pie…is annoyingly irresistible. After a chance meetup at a bar and a heated cab ride together, things come to a head and now instead of hating each other, they’re horizontal in a bed.

Three months later, the weird cafeteria stalker who crept out of Dr. Dick’s house like a thief in the night, winds up as his patient in the ER after her Tinder date from hell. Dr. Dick is prepared to keep it cool and professional. That is until her bloodwork reveals that she’s pregnant.

What really throws him for a loop…is that the surprise baby…is his.

This book had me laughing out loud. It is a rivals-to-lovers romance where they succumb to lust one night and it leads to much more. Both the characters are endearing and I liked seeing their growth in the book.

It can be a little repetitive in the middle because of the push-and-pull between the couple but it's worth it.

Steam level: Average.

6. Knocked-up Cinderella by Julie Hammerle

I’m a walking contradiction.
School principal who liberally drops the F bomb.
Fiercely independent yet willing to auction myself off for charity.
Serial monogamist who’s down for a no-strings one-night stand.

Except now I’ve gone from one-working-ovary to co-parent in the time it took a stick to turn blue.

F. Bomb.

Ian Donovan may be a richer-than-hell venture capitalist, but he’s no Prince Charming ready to sweep me off my feet. Good thing I don’t need him. I’ve been doing fine on my own for forty years, and I’m not about to start changing that now.

Ultrasounds, swollen feet, midnight cravings? Bring. It. On.

But why is it when you finally swear off men, you meet one who’s too sexy—and determined we can make it work?

F. Bomb.

Another book that had me laughing out loud. It follows two characters in their forties (oldest compared to the characters from other books in this list) who decide to have some fun and take precautions but it didn't work.

There is slow relationship growth and a lot of character growth. I especially loved Erin because of her personality and confidence. The romance between them was really nice.

Steam level: Low.

7. I Think I Might Need You by Christina C. Jones

Joia Love is all about… well, Joia. Her primary interests right now are how creative she can get with her video camera, how much weight she can bench press, and her social media brand.

A man doesn’t even factor into her top five.

Especially not Theodore Graham, the ex-boyfriend committed to becoming her next boyfriend. Teddy’s charm and funny demeanor aren’t limited to his videos, and he’s fully prepared to pull out all the stops to rekindle their college romance.

In the midst of a shocking revelation, Joia is just trying to process it all, while Teddy is trying to secure his place at her side.

She may not want a replay with Teddy, but as it turns out… she might need him after all. 

What makes this book different is the characters' professions and the unique growth they have because of it. Joia and Theodore are influencers with their own brands, and they are exes.

One night of relapse leads to a second-chance romance due to an accidental pregnancy. They make good use of this shot at love.

Steam level: Average.

8. Three Little Words by Melissa Blue

“We need to talk.”

There’s only one reason a woman says that three months after a one-night stand. She’s pregnant, and she plans on keeping the baby. Porter can handle that — he’s always planned on being a father, and doing better at the job than his own dad ever did. Sure, he's always envisioned the wife then kids, but he's used to fixing things that are broken.

Unfortunately, this isn’t just any woman. She’s his sister’s best friend: Iris. And three months ago, she wasn’t looking for anything from him but his body, and it’s all she wants now.

Porter has always wanted the real deal, and he’s starting to think he could have it with Iris, if she’d just 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 till you break.

Porter and Iris never considered a relationship with each other, even after spending a night together. Mostly because Iris is his sister's best friend and he royally messed things up with his sister.

But a surprise pregnancy changes everything and forces both characters to consider each other. Their romance was not smooth and easy, but it was realistic and nice. Porter especially has a lot of growth in this book.

Steam level: Average.

9. A Convenient Bride by Cheryl Ann Smith

A headstrong beauty propositions an unlikely highwayman in this delightful Regency historical romance.

On the hunt for his runaway sister, Lord Richard Ellerby stops a suspicious carriage at gunpoint and is shocked to be mistaken for a thieving highwayman. When the attractive woman inside makes him an offer to court her for pay, Richard refuses and sends her on her way. But the determined lady soon finds him again and proposes an even more outrageous offer: wedding her in a marriage of convenience.

Desperate to find love with a man of her own choosing, Lady Brenna Harrington will do anything to hold on to her freedom, even if it means propositioning a dangerous highwayman. If she can distract her father with a prospective husband who only wants to marry her for her fortune, Brenna will have time to do things her way. While her plan may be just crazy enough to work, her unsuitable suitor has other more pleasurable strategies in mind.

This is the first book with 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 at times because their relationship growth is so nice.

This is a historical romance with two headstrong characters who are perfect for each other. They did get married because Richard felt guilty and they were going to get an annulment until Brenna showed up at his home with the news.

The book also has a small danger element in the plot which brings out all the protectiveness from Richard and makes him swoon-worthy.

Steam level: Low.

10. Getting Played by Emma Chase

Dean Walker is all about keeping life simple. He's effortlessly talented and intelligent—spending 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 likes his love life simple too, enjoying the commitment-free hook-ups his good looks and sexy charm have always made oh so easy.

Then he meets Lainey Burrows. And his simple, easy life gets turned upside down.

One wild one-night stand was all it was ever supposed to be, so Lainey is shocked when she discovers that her sizzling summer fling is also her son's new math teacher. But that's nothing compared to the most unexpected twist of all—their hot hook-up left Lainey knocked up, and now they're about to become parents. Together.

What ensues is an addictive, insatiable, sweet and tender romance that won't be simple, but it will be more than worth the fight.

This book was so nice! The main guy is a sexy drummer in the summers and a nerdy math teacher rest of the time. I loved how the book showed nerdiness as cool, especially with Dean being the BEST teacher to smart kids.

Lainey is a blogger which makes things very interesting with the unplanned pregnancy. The book has a realistic portrayal of how her job takes over mundane things of her life sometimes. The family and supporting characters were also awesome.

Steam level: Average.

want more romance book recommendations?

Check out my other romance book lists!

• Best Romance Novels for Adults
• Queer Adult Romance Books
• College Romance Books
• Single Parent Romance Books
• Secret Baby Romance Books
• Best Kindle Unlimited Romance Books

let's chat!

What are your favourite tropes to read in books? Do you have any "guilty pleasure" tropes? Leave me some recs in the comments!