The entire series is out now! Read my review of Laura Kaye’s prequel novella here–see the story before the wedding, before you read the stories behind the wedding!
1 Wedding…4 Hot Stories
Baiting the Maid of Honor by Tessa Bailey
He’ll own her from the very first touch.
Julie Piper and Reed Lawson are polar opposites. She’s a people-pleasing former sorority girl. He’s a take-no-prisoners SWAT commander who isolates himself from the world. Until he sees Julie. When they’re forced together at their friends’ posh destination wedding and she’s dared to seduce another man, Reed takes matters into his own hands. One night should be all he needs to get the blond temptress out of his system, but he’s about to find out one taste is never enough…
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Review:
OH. MY. GOSH. I absolutely LOVED this book! Julie and Reed are so totally wrong for each other that together they’re absolutely perfect. I loved how they both “got” each other so completely, understanding fundamental truths about each other that even their closest friends didn’t totally understand, even while on the outside each was trying to push the other one away. Although that’s part of why they were pushing each other away, because they really shouldn’t have worked. But holy schmoly, they so did.
Reed’s another one of Ms. Bailey’s “dirty-talking heroes”, and though I haven’t read them all (I know, I know–slacking. Trust me, I’ll remedy it ASAP) he is definitely my favorite. His childhood, quite frankly, totally sucked and he’s thrown his life into his job as a SWAT commander, only getting close to his childhood friends Colton (the groom) and Brock (a groomsman). He doesn’t do romance. He doesn’t even hug. He’s full of scars–visible and not.
Julie seems to be his polar opposite, at first glance. Reed calls her “pixie” for more than half of the book because she’s in constant motion, flitting from one group of people to the next, planning, soothing, and smoothing things over. She’ll be so wrapped up in making sure everything goes as it should and that everyone else has a wonderful time that she’ll forget to eat.
And Reed’s the only one who notices.
But Julie too has hidden depths of hurt, and we can tell from the very beginning of the novel that she’s not even remotely close to as peppy and put together as she seems on the surface.
If her smile felt like it might shatter on occasion, well then she supposed even the ceiling in Barbie’s Dream House sprang a leak now and again.
Katy and Colton’s resort wedding coincides with the anniversary of Julie’s older sister Serena’s death, a death Julie has felt guilt over for four long years. Her friends have noticed the difference in her, but are unsure of what to do. Her parents out-and-out exploit her feelings of inadequacy (every time she got on the phone with them I could feel my jaw get tight and I felt like growling), and only Reed, who never met Serena, helps her see her relationship with her sibling as it was.
And that part of the book; Reed’s grand gesture? Made. Me. CRY. Seriously. Sooo good.
I’m almost afraid to pick up another book while the glow of this one is still so bright and shiny.
Let me just leave you with these words of wisdom from the groom:
“Don’t leave anything unsaid. Women might say they like mysterious men, but that’s only in the beginning. Soon enough, they start hating the mystery. They want what you’re thinking translated into three different languages.” He took a deep breath. “Tell her what you’re thinking. Doesn’t matter if you think it sounds stupid. Just get it out there. Hell, sometimes it’s even the right thing. And when that happens…” Colton slapped him on the shoulder. “It’s like Christmas morning and Super Bowl Sunday wrapped up in one.”
Best guy talk ever.
This novel can absolutely stand alone, but the glimpses you get of the other stories within this destination wedding are just so tantalizing you won’t want to stop here. I know I’m planning on using the rest of the series as mental bribes (grade this set of papers and I can start the next book. Finish with five portfolios and then read another two chapters. You get the idea.) because honestly, that’s the only way I’m going to get ANY work done this week. And sadly, I do need to get work done this week.
Darn it.
Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
Reviews of the rest of the series to come…soon.
Seducing the Bridesmaid by Katee Robert
She has a plan. He’s about to change it.
Regan Wakefield is unafraid to go after what she wants, so she’s thrilled when her friend’s wedding offers her an opportunity to score Logan McCade, the practically perfect best man. Unfortunately, groomsman Brock McNeil keeps getting in her way, riling her up in the most delicious of ways.Regan may pretend the erotic electricity sparking between them is simply a distraction, but Brock will do whatever it takes to convince Regan that the best man for her is him.
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Best Man with Benefits by Samanthe Beck
How far can one favor go…
Logan McCade’s best man duties have just been expanded. Coaxing the groom’s little sister out of her shell should be easy for a high-octane extrovert like himself—or so he thinks until he’s blindsided by the delectably awkward Sophie Brooks. She’s sweet, sexy, and brings much-needed calm to his hectic, workaholic life. Soon, he’s tempting her to explore all her forbidden fantasies…and wondering exactly how far a favor to his best friend can go.
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Falling for the Groomsman by Jen McLaughlin writing as Diane Alberts
She’s the one that got away. He’s the one she can’t forget.
Photojournalist Christine Forsythe is ready to tackle her naughty to-do list, and who better to tap for the job than a hot groomsman? But when she crashes into her best friend’s older brother, her plans change. Tyler Dresco took her virginity during the best night of her life, then bolted. The insatiable heat between them has only grown stronger, but Christine wants revenge. Soon, she’s caught in her own trap of seduction. And before the wedding is over, Tyler’s not the only one wanting more…
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Don’t miss where it all began…
Dare to Resist by Laura Kaye
Trapped and tempted, this battle of wills rages all night long…
Colton Brooks is in hell. Being trapped in a tiny motel room with Kady Dresco, the object of his darkest fantasies, will require every ounce of his restraint. She’s his best friend’s brilliant little sister, not to mention his competition for a lucrative military security services contract. Craving her submission is not allowed. But as her proximity and the memory of their steamy near-miss three years ago slowly destroys his resolve, Colton’s not sure how much longer he can keep his hands off…or his heart closed.
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