GRR Review The Substitute: The Wedding Pact #1 by Denise Grover Swank

The Substitute tread out an old trope: fake fiancee turned into real love, but played it so well with so many surprises (and sex scene was kept to a minimum to emphasize the impact on the relationship) and the tension was ratcheted sky-high that kept the readers guessing "what else is going to go wrong now?" right down to the final pages, yet with enough funny moments (the naked yoga grandma ARGH! My eyes!) that let you take a breath and relish in the high points.

Josh and Megan flew to Kansas City. Megan was going home to get married, except there is no fiancee; she dumped his cheating ***. She took a couple drinks AND Dramamine, and she's babbling then out like a light to the tall dark and handsome stranger next to him. Josh was going save his family business. His family invention was stolen and patented by someone in Kansas City. He helped the loopy brunette off the plane... and was mistaken by Megan's family as the fiancee that nobody had seen. When Josh learned Megan's surname, he realized Megan's father was the name on the stolen patent. So he went along, and told Megan, awake the next morning, that he will help her by playing along as her fiance and stage a public breakup later. What he could not say was he planned to break into her father's office looking for proof of theft...

And that's just in first few chapters! Add Josh's brother (the real hellraiser), Megan's brother and sister, Megan's best friend, Megan's mother (aka Motherzilla of the Bride, aka Knickers) and Megan's grandma (naked yoga, anyone?) and circumstances keep screwing up. One thing then another keep disrupting their plan to stage the public breakup, then the brother and friend stage an intervention, as they don't know Josh wasn't Jay that Megan had already broken up with. Then Josh's brother arrive to make a further hash of things, as Megan realizes that Josh is the perfect person for her. So what happens when they figure out Josh really is? And guess who comes to crash the wedding?

The multiple roles and the need to keep them separate layered on pretty thick but the characters are distinct enough to make it all work. Megan actually grew out of that doormat phase. she was in earlier by the end and Josh... well, his take charge attitude basically changed to "trust in love" as he basically bet his family and firm's future on his love for Megan. EVERYTHING managed to fit together in one splendid story.

Category:  Contemporary

Primary Plot: Man looking for revenge found the girl going home without a fiancee was the daughter of the man who stole his family invention; so he pretend to be her fiancee...

Tropes: revenge, fake engagement, disguise, enemies to lovers

Overall Rating:  5/5