Bridesmaid For Hire by. Meghan Quinn | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Bridesmaid for Hire

Author: Meghan Quinn

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 448

Publication Date: 4/2/24

Categories: Adult, Romance

Sometimes the wedding of the century calls for desperate measures.
And sometimes those desperate measures are to pretend the person you hate most is actually your boyfriend.

After years of working her tail off at her event-planning business, Maggie Mitchell is ready for a vacation. With nothing on her mind but R & R, she’s enjoying the warm weather of Bora Bora when in saunters Brody McFadden, her brother’s best friend and also her sworn enemy. Thanks to years of tension between the two—kicked off by a make-out session at her brother’s wedding that ended horribly—Maggie has sworn to stay away from the man. That is, until she finds out he’s in Bora Bora for his boss’s daughter’s wedding, hoping to use the trip to win a real future at the company.

Maggie promised herself she wouldn’t even think of work on the island, but as word spreads about the “wedding of the century” taking place in the midst of her vacation, she realizes offering her services as a bridesmaid and planner could bring her business to the next level. The only catch? She needs to pose as Brody’s girlfriend to get the job…while letting him stay in her peaceful bungalow.

Tensions rise, irritation flairs, and despite years’ worth of bickering behind closed doors, Maggie can’t quite squash the sparks building between her and her new fake boyfriend, especially when she learns the real reason their first kiss was cut short. But as the wedding day draws closer and everything starts to go wrong, it just might be Brody who sends Maggie’s business crashing down—and her heart along with it.

Content Warning:

This one started off strong. Maggie, and her brother’s best friend, Brody, had a moment during her brother’s wedding. But he left her hanging and she put that bad experience out of her mind. They meet again coincidentally in Bora Bora where Brody is trying to get in good with the head of the company he works for. Maggie, is a wedding planner and wants make some connection with Brody’s boss also, so she can further her goals for her company.

There are a lot of fun tropes in this one: fake dating, forced proximity, and mutual pining.

Maggie and Brody bicker so much and it’s really fun and funny at the beginning of the book. Then it just becomes a bit immature. Clearly the physical attraction between them is there and I love that Brody likes things about Maggie like her being driven, social, and just always making people feel comfortable. But I think Maggie only likes Brody for his looks because honestly…there wasn’t else much there about him to be attracted to. He seems like a fun guy, and with her brother Gary, they are ridiculous together. I felt like at times Maggie went overboard with trying to humiliate him too – even if it wasn’t “on purpose”, I was like okay…that seemed uncalled for? When they finally take things to the next level though, it gets steamy. They have good chemistry in bed and when they aren’t fighting.

I did think the book was too long. I was hoping for a quick, romance read and I thought it would be with how fast everything was happening in the beginning but by 60% in I was kind of losing interest. Also there were some typos in the beginning of the book which threw me off a little.

My Final Thoughts:

This one is a fun romp on an island with two characters who are trying so hard not to fall for each other but it’s so hard when they are physically attracted to one another and forced into one room for a few days. There is a lot of sex humor in this one. It’s a spicy romantic comedy that’s easy to read but for me it fizzled out at the end.

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A Not So Meet Cute by. Meghan Quinn | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Highland Fling by. Meghan Quinn | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Well Matched by. Jen DeLuca | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Well Matched (Well Met #3)

Author: Jen DeLuca

Format: paperback (own)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 10/19/21

Categories: Romance, Contemporary, Series

Single mother April Parker has lived in Willow Creek for twelve years with a wall around her heart. On the verge of being an empty nester, she’s decided to move on from her quaint little town, and asks her friend Mitch for his help with some home improvement projects to get her house ready to sell.

Mitch Malone is known for being the life of every party, but mostly for the attire he wears to the local Renaissance Faire — a kilt (and not much else) that shows off his muscled form to perfection. While he agrees to help April, he needs a favor too: she’ll pretend to be his girlfriend at an upcoming family dinner, so that he can avoid the lectures about settling down and having a more “serious” career than high school coach and gym teacher. April reluctantly agrees, but when dinner turns into a weekend trip, it becomes hard to tell what’s real and what’s been just for show. But when the weekend ends, so must their fake relationship.

As summer begins, Faire returns to Willow Creek, and April volunteers for the first time. When Mitch’s family shows up unexpectedly, April pretends to be Mitch’s girlfriend again… something that doesn’t feel so fake anymore. Despite their obvious connection, April insists they’ve just been putting on an act. But when there’s the chance for something real, she has to decide whether to change her plans — and open her heart — for the kilt-wearing hunk who might just be the love of her life.

An accidentally in-love rom-com filled with Renaissance Faire flower crowns, kilts, corsets, and sword fights.

I didn’t read book two in this romance series because I really wanted April story which is told in Well Matched. I found April an interesting character in Well Met because of her accident and also being a single mother. I’m so happy she gets to find love in this book.

Her so-called lover is Mitch, who is a friend and the school’s gym teacher! April decides to help Mitch out by going home with him and be his fake girlfriend in front of his family. The faking turned real in the bedroom when they realize that they are really attracted to one another. And who can blame April for falling for Mitch? He’s a good guy, a nice guy and he wears a kilt in the Ren Faire and has an accent!

My favorite parts of this series is always the action taking place in the Renaissance Faire. This time April decides to join in the fun and she realizes even though it’s grueling how much fun it is being with friends and working at the REn Faire.

There is a little hiccup between April and Mitch but it gets resolved in a timely fashion and they get their much deserved happily ever after.

Tropes: fake dating, single mother/gym teacher

Why you should read it:

you like the other books in the series
April and Mitch have great chemistry

Why you might not want to read it:

you didn’t like the other books in the series

My Thoughts:

It took me awhile to finish this paperback but only because May has been a crazy, busy month for me. I’m glad I finally finished it and I can see why it is so loved. Now I have to read the other two books in the series!

Book Links:

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Well Met by. Jean DeLuca | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tokyo Dreaming by. Emiko Jean | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Tokyo Dreaming

Author: Emiko Jean

Format: audiobook (borrowed) /hardcover (own)

Pages:

Publication Date: 5/31/2022

Categories: Romance, Contemporary, Coming of Age, Princess, Family

When Japanese-American Izumi Tanaka learned her father was the Crown Prince of Japan, she became a princess overnight. Now, she’s overcome conniving cousins, salacious press, and an imperial scandal to finally find a place she belongs. She has a perfect bodyguard turned boyfriend. Her stinky dog, Tamagotchi, is living with her in Tokyo. Her parents have even rekindled their college romance and are engaged. A royal wedding is on the horizon! Izumi’s life is a Tokyo dream come true.

Only…

Her parents’ engagement hits a brick wall. The Imperial Household Council refuses to approve the marriage citing concerns about Izumi and her mother’s lack of pedigree. And on top of it all, her bodyguard turned boyfriend makes a shocking decision about their relationship. At the threat of everything falling apart, Izumi vows to do whatever it takes to help win over the council. Which means upping her newly acquired princess game.

But at what cost? Izumi will do anything to help her parents achieve their happily ever after, but what if playing the perfect princess means sacrificing her own? Will she find a way to forge her own path and follow her heart?

Return to Tokyo for a royal wedding in Emiko Jean’s Tokyo Dreaming, the sequel to the Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick and New York Times bestseller Tokyo Ever After

I listened to this as an audiobook and then read the last few chapters (because I read faster lol). But I finally read book two of this series and it follows Izumi who is the daughter of the Crown Prince of Japan. After the events of book one, we find out her mom and dad still had feelings for each other so her mom agrees to go to Japan to see where the relationship would go.

Back in Japan Izumi and her mother have to adjust to royal life and it seems to be going well until some things catch up to them. I don’t know that I loved the love triangle. I think Eriku is a great guy and everything was easy and fun with him but her heart was still with Akio even though he basically disappeared from her life. I didn’t quite feel it for her and Akio though like I did in book one.

But I think Izumi grows a lot and she tries to figure out what she wants to do – college or not? And her mom tries to figure out if the royal life is for her. I did like that Izumi became friendly with her cousins.

Tropes: fake dating, love triangle

Why you should read it:

because you enjoyed book one
It’s like The Princess Diaries but set in Japan

Why you might not want to read it:

love triangle

My Thoughts:

I think this one was a sold sequel and if you are into The Princess Diaries type of stories, you may enjoy this one. I also love that it’s set in Japan and we get a peek into the culture and the royal life. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Tokyo Ever After by. Emiko Jean | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Upside of Falling by. Alex Light | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Upside of Falling

Author: Alex Light

Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 288

Publication Date: 2/18/20

Categories: Contemporary, Romance, Fake Dating, Young Adult, Teen

It’s been years since seventeen-year-old Becca Hart believed in true love. But when her former best friend teases her for not having a boyfriend, Becca impulsively pretends she’s been secretly seeing someone.

Brett Wells has it all. Being captain of the football team and one of the most popular guys in school, he should have no problem finding someone to date, but he’s always been more focused on his future than who to bring to prom. When he overhears Becca’s lie, Brett decides to step in and be her mystery guy. It’s the perfect solution: he gets people off his back for not dating and she can keep up the ruse.

Acting like the perfect couple isn’t easy though, especially when you barely know the other person. But with Becca still picking up the pieces from when her world was blown apart years ago and Brett just barely holding his together now, they begin to realize they have more in common than they ever could have imagined. When the line between real and pretend begins to blur, they are forced to answer the question: is this fake romance the realest thing in either of their lives?

This is a very light young adult romance book. I think the writing is more for teens than young adults with some cursing here and there (not a lot).

It’s a typical fake dating scenario: Becca is pretty unknown on campus, she loves losing herself in romance books (even though she is a cynic about real life love) and Brett is the star football player so they decide to get together for their own reasons – not very serious reasons, but they seem to think fake dating would be a good idea.

Becca doesn’t believe in love because her parents got divorced. Brett believes in marriage and true love because his parents have the perfect one – or so it seems. This is the only time the book gets heavy when Brett finds out his perfect life isn’t so perfect. Also Becca deals with some issues about her dad and his new family as well. In this aspect, Becca and Brett had each other for support, dealing with the mistakes of their parents.

As a couple, I thought Becca and Brett were cute and somewhat innocent about dating. Neither of them have dated before so they take things really slow. I like that they become friends, even as they are fake-dating, before admitting their feelings had grown.

Content Warnings: cheating, divorce

One thing that I thought was cheesy was Brett always pouting haha – I guess some girls would find that cute. It made me feel like I was too old to be reading this story, probably because I am! lol…but I read it anyway, it’s nice to reminisce.

Becca and Brett did get along very well, even if she was new to being in the spotlight or a fake relationship. I think they got together on the fake-dating plan way too quick – there was no real lead up and bam, they agree it’s a good idea. It would’ve been nice if that scene was developed a bit more because Becca and Brett weren’t exactly strangers to one another, but they had no history with one another at all. I can’t say I connected to either of them but the parental issues are very relatable.

The story is predictable and doesn’t have any big surprises. The story is short, under 300 pages, so I finished this rather quickly.

Why you should read it:

very quick, cute, light teen romance
fake-dating
relatable issues

Why you might not want to read it:

predictable, nothing that stands out
more for teens than young adults or adults

My thoughts:

There isn’t much that makes it stand out but I did like that Becca and Brett each had different family issues to deal with. The fake-dating part was easy compared to the family drama, which was sad to see for both of them. But the problems sort of work themselves out in their own different ways and Becca and Brett are stronger because of it. If you like a light contemporary romance with a fake-dating trope that’s under 300 pages then you will fly through this one.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Accidentally Engaged by. Farah Heron | Book Review

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Title: Accidentally Engaged

Author: Farah Heron

Format: eBook (borrowed)

Pages: 357

Publication Date: 3/2/21

Publisher: Forever

Categories: Romance, Cooking, Family, Fake-Dating, Muslim/Indian Representation, Contemporary

Reena Manji doesn’t love her career, her single status, and most of all, her family inserting themselves into every detail of her life. But when caring for her precious sourdough starters, Reena can drown it all out. At least until her father moves his newest employee across the hall–with hopes that Reena will marry him.

But Nadim’s not like the other Muslim bachelors-du-jour that her parents have dug up. If the Captain America body and the British accent weren’t enough, the man appears to love eating her bread creations as much as she loves making them. She sure as hell would never marry a man who works for her father, but friendship with a neighbor is okay, right? And when Reena’s career takes a nosedive, Nadim happily agrees to fake an engagement so they can enter a couples video cooking contest to win the artisan bread course of her dreams.

As cooking at home together brings them closer, things turn physical, but Reena isn’t worried. She knows Nadim is keeping secrets, but it’s fine— secrets are always on the menu where her family is concerned. And her heart is protected… she’s not marrying the man. But even secrets kept for self preservation have a way of getting out, especially when meddling parents and gossiping families are involved.

First off I liked that this book had characters that are Muslim and Indian, but Indians who have “double” immigrated, as Nadim in the book pointed out to Reena. Their parents left India, move to Tanzania and then to Canada. In Nadim’s case he triple immigrated because he also went to boarding school in London. So it was very eye opening for me to learn about Tanzania, even though this story is set in Canada.

Learning about the culture also means getting to read about the foods these characters were always eating. Reena is obsessed with making sourdough, it’s her greatest passion right now and she needs a passion when she finds her job as an accountant so dull. Outside of the sourdough though, Reena and her mom is constantly making Indian food, some with a Tanzanian twist because of Nadim – but yes I loved all the foodie content in this story. Yum! But yes, Reena enters this cooking contest (where she needs a partner), because she wants to win and go to a cooking school – it’s where the magic between her and Nadim happen.

Reena is Indian and her family is very involved in her life, there is so much pressure to be successful which in her parents minds means married and with a good job. They try to set her up with Nadim, but Reena isn’t down with her parents finding her a husband. There is also a lot of family drama with Reena’s sister – the two had some issues in the past and haven’t resolved them yet. For parents that are very involved in their children’s lives, there are a lot of secrets in this family and they only get closer as a family once the truth is out.

The romance between Nadim and Reena goes from fake-dating to casual dating to happily ever after. Nadim is very charming, sweet, and so easy going. Reena is the same as well so their relationship always felt light and not too stressful even when a secret about Nadim is revealed. They made a cute couple that seemed to get along well and bonded over food and understanding family drama.

Triggers: family pressure

I don’t know the Islam religion very well but there were a few things in the story that made me pause and think…oh okay – so this family doesn’t follow strict rules? Or is this normal? I’m not sure because I’m not Muslim. After I read the book, I read some reviews on it and at least on Goodreads, I saw many Muslim readers who did not approve of how they were portrayed. I understand no one is perfect and these characters are portrayed as being very real, imperfect people – but I did need a little clarity on that and glad those readers spoke out in their reviews.

The beginning was a little slow, I think it picked up when secrets started being revealed but before that, it seemed just light and easy going.

Maybe a little spoiler? But there a lice situation and maybe a foot fetish on Nadim’s part? For me it was weird and awkward haha – I think it was supposed to be funny lice? No…not sexy! You know Nadim is charming, very flirty but I just felt like I couldn’t trust him even by the end of the story. Maybe because the romance never got super deep for either of them and the secrets of course.

Some mental health issues are mentioned in the book but super quick. Would have like to learn more about that.

I definitely enjoyed all the mentions of food and cooking scenes. Also learning about Indians from Tanzania was eye-opening! Getting to know Reena and her family was interesting and her friends are great. I think the romance in this is cute and light but I felt like it was missing some spark. Overall it was just an okay read for me.

📚~ Yolanda