The Best Man Plan by Jaci Burton

Dumped by an email? Two days before her wedding? To a man she's known since they were kids? This is Erin Bellini's reality. And it sucks. But she pushes through and turns her wedding reception into a celebration for her family's winery. She also decides that she's going to get revenge on her fiance. The best way to do that? Sleep with his best friend (a friend of both of them since childhood,) Jason.

But Jason is having none of that. He's had a crush on Erin for forever and was just working up the courage to ask her out when Owen swooped in. So now that Erin is single again, he's going to make sure that she's coming after him for the right reasons. 

And I wish that there had been even a little bit more time in between Erin getting dumped and her hooking up with Jason. I get that he's her Twu Lurv and thus it is All Okay but it didn't really work for me. Yes, I knew this going into the book but Burton is an amazing author and made it so this wasn't a DNF book for me. I am looking forward to other books in the series.

Three stars

Followed by the Engagement Arrangement

This book comes out July 7th

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Hosed by Pippa Grant, Lili Valente

Cassie Sunderwell doesn't want to stay in Happy Cat, Georgia for long. Her job as a coder is in San Francisco and she is feeling overwhelmed by the nosiness of this small town. She wouldn't be here at all if her sister's husband hadn't decided that he liked a sheep better than her sister. Now her sister is in England leaving Cassie in charge of the sex toy factory that specializes in all-natural lube. Of course, not everyone in town is happy to have this particular factory there, even if it employs many people. But does that mean that someone is trying to sabotage the factory?
Yes. And it starts with explosions that bring firefighter Ryan O'Dell back into Cassie's orbit. They had worked on a project together in high school that left Cassie with a disgust of him. Even if he is mouth-wateringly hot.
This was just the sort of fun and fluffy book that I've come to expect from Pippa Grant. Lili Valente writes just as well. And a pet racoon? Okay, I'll bite.

Four stars
Followed by Hammered
This book came out January 15th, 2019
Borrowed this book through Kindle Unlimited
Opinions are my own

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

OMG. This book was... everything. In general, I don't like first person narration. It's usually better if it is alternating but Hall stuck with Lucien "Luc" O'Donnell and he was just so perfectly imperfect. Growing up the child of two people who were music stars in the '80s, he's famous for being the child of famous people. His one and only long-term relationship ended when his boyfriend sold their story fifty grand sending Luc's life into a spiral And since then, the paparazzi loves to follow him around like in the opening scene. He meets a cute guy while dressed as a rabbit but accidentally chases the guy off. While Luc is leaving the club, he trips on the sidewalk and is in the papers once again for allegedly being drunk/high/whatever. That's bad enough but, as a manager of donors for a nonprofit helping the dung beetles, Luc's job is now in jeopardy because donors don't believe that someone as out of control as Luc could reasonably be trusted with their funds. And with their biggest fundraising opportunity happening soon, Luc needs to fix his reputation fast. Is it the best plot point? Maybe. I worked for a nonprofit and there are definitely donors who will pull their money based on the stupidest of reasons. But it makes a good impetus for Luc to start dating someone who is looks like a grown-up steady person. And his best friend Bridget just happens to have the guy.
Oliver Blackwood is also perfectly imperfect. Even as Luc's white knight, the vegetarian barrister needs saving as well.
There could have been more resolution with Oliver's parents but the parts with Luc's dad and mom were perfect. Yes they were big stars but his mother loves Luc for who he is and Luc is able to make peace with who his father is and their relationship.

Four and a half stars.
This book comes out July 7, 2020

Followed by Husband Material

ARC kindly provided by Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

My Best Friend's Mardi Gras Wedding by Erin Nicholas

It's been a year since Josh Landry and Victoria (Tori) Kramer hooked up at Mardi Gras. They had made a pact to meet again at the same bar. Josh is there but Tori... isn't. He goes back to Autre to work at his family's swamp tour business... where Tori shows up the next day. She had been at the bar but, when Josh didn't show up, she kissed the man that she thought was him. Only it was her best friend who is getting married this weekend. The same man whose fiancee hates Tori because she thinks Tori is trying to talk her best friend, Andrew out of the marriage. Which Tori totally is. But not because Tori is In Love with Andrew but because she thinks the fiancee is all wrong for him. So Tori invites Josh to the wedding. That way she can prove that she's trying to break up the wedding for all the right reasons. Plus, fun make out times with Josh.
Josh is all in. Tori is his woman. Yes, the folks back in Iowa think she's a little nuts but she fits right in with the Landry family. He's determined to take this weekend to prove to Tori that he is the one for her.
This book was a fun twist on some familiar tropes. There was no fake relationship (there could have been) and the best friends didn't fall in love. I hope that Andrew gets his own book as well as Josh's siblings, the surly Sawyer and goth-ish Kennedy.

April 9th, 2019
Four stars
Hard copy I didn't keep
Opinions are my own

Love by Matt de la Pena, Loren Long

The description of this book on the 2018 NPR Book Concierge is pretty darn close. There aren't a "zillion" ways depicted to show love but there are many and (almost) all of them are lovely. All of the pictures are absolutely amazing though.

This book came out January 9th, 2018
Four stars
Borrowed this book from the library
Opinions are my own

Cinders by Cara Malone

Cynthia “Cyn” Robinson, firefighter,  has loved Marigold "Mari" Grimm, the princess of Grimm Falls, since Cyn moved into town. But her stepbrother, Drew, told Cyn that she was bothering Mari so she backed off. In the present day, Cyn is called to Mari's house when a firebug sets the gardens of the Grimm Estate on fire. Unfortunately, this is the third instance of fire that we read about in this book so that means there is an arsonist running around. This is the weakest part of the story but I did like that we learned who the firebug was early in the book. When the person was revealed, I thought it couldn't be that person because almost any other book would have saved the identity until the end. I also really liked that Cyn talked to Mari; there was no Big Misunderstanding.
There definitely could have been more development of the relationship between the two women but it was an okay start to the series (but it's actually the second book...? still okay).

Three stars
This book came out Setember 10th, 2018
Borrowed as an audiobook from the library
Opinions are my own

Daring and the Duke by Sarah MacLean

Judging by the number of people exclaiming over this book, I am going to be in the minority in my opinion of this book because, while I believe that MacLean is an incredibly talented writer who once again wrote wonderfully and developed beautiful characters, I just don't think she was able to redeem Ewan. The man has been the Big Bad in both of the first two books in the series up to and including killing several people because his half-brothers told him that his Twu Lurv was dead. I also wished there had been more of an emotional connection that showed how Grace and Ewan connected "now."
When they were children, Grace and Ewan had an unbreakable bond. Or so she thought. But when Ewan tried to kill her, she fled from their abusive caretaker with his two half-brothers. The three ended up in the slums of London but they made their way bareknuckle fighting. And Grace was the best. It's how she started the empire she has today, including a club for women where they can enjoy the company of a young man for the evening. When Ewan, now a duke, discovers that Grace is not dead as had been reported to him, he decides to risk it all to win her back.

Three stars
This book comes out June 30th
ARC kindly provided by HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley
Opinions are my own