GRR Reviews Every Yesterday by Nancy Naigle

Megan used to be a pretty successful painter, until loss of her father and ending of her last relationship left her unable to continue painting. She had great memories of riding with her father in a very rare car: 1958 DeSoto Adventurer convertible. She would never sell it. In fact, she didn't even want to let her best friend to borrow it for her wedding. // Noah is a car restorer, car collector, and bachelor. He can't believe his best friend is getting married... or he'd find his dream car in the small town of Boot Creek. yes, the 1958 DeSoto Adventurer. But the owner, Megan, also the maid of honor, didn't want to sell. EVER. Noah is determined to change her mind though... so much he'd bet $1000 on it. But the more he knew Megan, the more he realized she's right, and he's more interested in her than the car. When the wager became known to Megan, will it doom their relationship?

Good internal conflict brought forward with the wedding as the catalyst / inciting incident, and good use of an iconic object as source of conflict. 5/5

GRR Reviews Heart of the Billionaire: Sam by J S Scott

Billionaire Sam has only one regret in life: breaking Maddie's heart way back when. Sam and Maddie were lovers in high school, but they never had sex. Maddie thought Sam betrayed her when she saw him kiss another woman. Now Maddie is Dr. Madeline, and her best friend Kara is marrying Sam's brother Simon. (see Billionaire's Obssession) And Sam and Maddie are best man and maid of honor respectively, and they had to be civil to each other. And Sam's protective instincts came back out... He wanted her back, and he'll do anything, including paying for the entire free clinic for Maddie to run, if she'll have him back. And if she wanted to have a child, he'll even bed her until she's pregnant. But what Maddie needed is an answer on WHY he betrayed her back then... and the answer wasn't what she expected...

Uh, problem. If they really were the key to putting some criminals away back then, nobody recognized who they are now and wanted revenge, esp. when they are all rich billionaires? Sam's alpha growling tendencies are annoying, not adorable. And Maddie was so tired, Sam was able to carry her home, into his bed, and she never woke up even once? Hmmm... Some of these scenarios are kinda absurd. At least this wasn't CREEPY like book 1 where Simon basically stalked Kara for a year and rescued her at her lowest. 2.5/5

GRR Reviews Hometown Calling by Lexy Timms

NOTE: Cliffhanger

Chase is attending his best friend's wedding... although his best friend is the bride, and the groom's not happy about it. So why is he interested in the bride's little sister Miranda, aka "Mira", now all grown up?

The book was good right up to the point with the cliffhanger... Chase is leaving, and Mira obviously isn't. A bit of Meh, and there are two more volumes to this. Felt a bit drawn out. 2.5/5 (includes -1 for cliffhanger)

GRR Reviews Curvy Indulgence by Tara Brent

Blake is a playboy, and his family is rich... filthy rich. His brother's getting married, and Blake found himself fascinated with the BBW wedding planner, who's NOT falling at his feet like "other women",  Now he's REALLY interested... // Kira is a BBW and best wedding planner ever. Being handed a 1000 guest wedding with only three weeks to plan? Not a problem. Meeting groom's brother who's a notorious playboy and wanted to get under her panties? She's flattered, but she's also realistic... She can bed him... But she may not be able to keep him...

Hmmm... Sure, there's a certain chemistry there, but not much else. Nothing really stands out or being memorable. 3/5

GRR Reviews Then He Happened by Claudia Burgoa

Eileen has ALWAYS been overlooked by her family, when her sister got all the drama. Now that her sister's pregnant, Eileen has been shanghaied and guilted by her family into planning a shotgun wedding... Scheduled on her birthday AND graduation day, in merely weeks. Good thing the best man is gorgeous, and seems to notice her... // Jason is a cynical and rich playboy who was left at the altar by a woman he loved with all his heart. Now he has none to give. Now his no-good cousin needs the biggest bailout of them all... He knocked up a girl and needs to marry her. Jason knew he'd end up footing most of the bill... and he can see that Eileen is the quiet one in the background, always bailing out her family... without complaint. And Eileen doesn't even fall for his charm. Now he's on a quest to show he's not as shallow as Eileen thinks he is... and perhaps... even prove he has a heart to give.

Awwww... Everyone knew siblings and families like that... and people who sit in the background, NEVER take any credit. Though this one is, for laughs, amped it up to 11. Nice tale. 5/5

GRR Reviews The Bride's Secret by Sophia Summers

Carisa got cold feet only moments away from marrying Heath. She can see that he does not love her and will not be faithful. She ran, only to bounce off Wyatt, the best man, and a friend of Heath from long ago. Surprisingly, Wyatt agreed with Carisa that she needs to run, and he helped her... all the way to Hawaii, where she was supposed to go for Honeymoon, but she just wanted to get away from Heath. Wyatt went on the same flight, somehow sensed that she needed a little help, even as he looked for a business deal on the island. Carisa appreciated Wyatt's helpfulness, but she can't fall for Wyatt while she's still technically engaged to Heath. Wyatt wasn't exactly looking for a lover, but he may have fallen for Carisa already. Then Heath arrived on the island...

Nice, very nice, not really a triangle, but a lot of expectations and shame.

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.

GRR Reviews Falling for the Best Man by Joanne Dannon

Jonah was elated when he met Kaylah, who's beautiful, smart, witty, and kind. He was crushed when he found she was dating his brother, and he had to get away. When he was asked to be the best man at his brother's wedding, he can't refuse. But can he really break up his brother's wedding? // Kaylah haven't had a family for a long-time and marrying would give her the family she wanted. But the man who made her heart sing... is not her fiancee, but the other brother. With only two days to go before the wedding, Jonah's confession turned her world upside down. Did she commit to marry for family and gratitude, not love? And what will she do about it if she did?

Oh, good push-pull, but two days to break-up a wedding for an epiphany... A bit fast. Still, 4/5 for sure.

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 4/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.

GRR Reviews Free to Dream by Tracey Jerald

Cassidy lived through physical, mental, and sexual abuse as a child, and barely escaped. She maintains a regimented life to give her the illusion of control over her fate, and she fell into the role of wedding and event planner. But she believes she cannot ever love, being too damaged. When the Lockwood wedding came to her firm, the Amaryllis, it brought her Caleb Lockwood. // Caleb is glad to help his little brother marry his lifemate... and in course of some standard background check, he found out about Cassidy's family... the Freemans... and how they survived and persevered through a nightmare. Caleb wanted to help Cassidy cope, and perhaps, even love, but the secrets he discovered will turn his family upside down... and reveal sins so deep and so dark, it had been covered up for decades... and someone is willing to kill to keep it all hidden...

Good plotting, with depravities so horrendous you'd wince, and let's just say "hell hath no fury like woman scorned", and let's leave it at that, as I don't want to spoil the story. The push-pull is pretty good, and setup for other volumes with the various brothers and so on are nicely fitted in.

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 5/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.

GRR Reviews Sophie by Kelsie Rae

Sophie and Nathan are mortal enemies... even when they shouldn't be. Sophie and Nathan had a one-night stand, and sex was phenomenal... Until he reminded her it's supposed to be NSA.. and walked out the door. Now they greet each other with cutting remarks and pranks. But their best friends are getting married... and they have to be civilized to each other... for several weeks... in the Maldives for a destination wedding. But as they actually got to know each other, Sophie starts to understand why Nathan is a commitment-phobe... he doesn't believe in love because he never had any... and Nathan starts to understand why love is not that kind of 4-letter word... Then a surprise discovery leads to a showdown with Sophie's big brother...

Excellent character arc for Nathan, as the author managed to convert him from a jerk to a proper lover in the length of the book. And all the characters, esp. the supporting cast, are good as well. No TSTL moment, good snarky wit when called for.  This book is a standalone, but you'd get more out of these books by reading them in order so you understand more about the other characters, who have their own books. All, in all, excellent.

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 5/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below. 

GRR Reviews An Island Christmas Wedding by Susan Coventry

Jess and Shane, plus Hannah and Ty are off to the US Virgin Islands for their double wedding, but not all are going quite well. Jess is worried about seeing her father and sister again, from whom she was estranged from. And Hannah is worried about fitting into her wedding gown... while pregnant. And Matt, the best man and Shane/Hannah's brother, is falling for maid-of-honor, who's Jess's sister... This Christmas will be interesting indeed!

Sorta sequel to another novel, this is "the further adventures" with a bit of Christmas is for forgiveness and family theme. Good.

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 4/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below. 

GRR Reviews Accidental Bride and Groom by Iris Abbott

Emma's best friend Lynn is getting married, and Emma's the maid of honor and is heading down to their Lynn's family ranch to handle the last minute details. However, things are not entirely going well when Emma found Lynn and her fiancee Bruce flying off to Mexico as part of a search and rescue after a devastating earthquake. They will be back before the wedding, promise. Then Emma found Lynn's older brother, Landon, the boy she had a crush on, will be the guy on the ranch. Emma's heart is broken after her mother drove her away instead of standing up to her abusive husband. Landon found Emma is almost irresistible. Then the well-planned wedding started to turn into a nightmare. First flowers had to be changed. Then the wedding gown disappeared. Emma and Landon ended up spending more and more time together, trying to salvage the wedding. However, can they fall for each other, even when it seems that they will end up being the bride and groom?

Nice escalation of problems, from bad to worse to horrendous. Everything that can go wrong with this wedding did. Flowers went unavailable. The caterer had a fire. Gown went missing altogether. Moreover, the bride and groom seem to be stuck in Mexico... Add some family emergencies, nosy family (with best intentions), and it's a fun ride to "maybe we should get married instead"

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Can bridesmaid keep the wedding going with disaster after disaster, while woo'ed an old flame?

Overall Rating: 4/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below. 

GRR Reviews Summer and the Groomsman by Cathryn Hein

Summer and the Groomsman is a contemporary romance set in Australia. It features FMC with a little angst and good family problems for the MMC to make things interesting, but the horse was what stole the show.

Summer Taylor, the new beautician in the town of Lavenham, has a horse, Binky, that likes to roam. It didn't help that the ranch she had the horse boarded was a bit run down and fences are developing gaps, because the owner, Gav, was basically drinking himself into oblivion. When Gav's brother Harry came to visit, and always ran over the horse, Harry has no kind words for Summer, but Summer is not a shrinking violet. Harry was back home to attend a wedding, and he was shocked to find his spa appointment was with Summer, and realizing he had not been a gentleman, he asks her for her forgiveness, not that Summer forgives easily, of course, about the insult to her horse Binky... but there's no denying that they had a thing for each other...

The push-pull is fun, and the forced proximity and meetcute are executed properly. However, there doesn't feel to be much of the darkest hour to make things really exciting.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: New Beautician tries to resist one of the groomsmen in town just for the wedding, then he found she's assigned to him for spa...

Tropes: wedding, ranch, small town, return, wedding, best man

Overall Rating: 4/5 (rounded up)

GRR Reviews The Harper's Island Trilogy by Zane Morrow

The "Harper's Island trilogy" was a bit of a misnomer, as this is only 240 some pages in total. The individual novellas are also available separately. I find the characters barely relatable, and the plot made no sense, and it wasn't because they are among the rich and famous. The volumes don't flow into each other.

To recap, Grace dedicated her life to Camp Hope, where kids who had lost a parent can spend a little time to heal and share experiences with fellow campers (and counselors). She needed to attend her bestie's wedding as maid of honor, but she also just got the news that the sponsor for the camp, Morgan Industries, is shutting down the camp as a financial drain. Grace hadn't seen Blake Morgan, acting CEO, but years, but to save the camp, she'll do anything. After all, Blake is going to be the Best Man at the wedding as well. However, once Grace got there, things with Blake did not go as planned. Blake had a major falling out with his brother Trent, and when Queen of Harper's Island Miss Tilly ordered Blake to marry Grace, who will be groomed as the next queen (which made Grace a princess of sorts), Blake and Grace have to decide whether they should be together, even though they seem to be hurting each other... And the wedding is planned for only 2 weeks away...

The characters are just... contradictions. Grace was attracted to Blake but for possibly the wrong reasons. Blake had a childish infatuation on Grace having saved her a long time ago when she's a kid, but somehow hated the camp (but Grace loved the camp). After realizing how much Grace needed the camp he tried to give the deed of the camp to Grace, but his mom vetoed that. (?!) Then Mom ordered him to join the camp as a volunteer for 2 weeks (?!) Then Blake had a fight with his estranged brother Trent right at the wedding fighting for the garter toss. Then there's the other arranged wedding...

I just don't get these characters at all. Their decisions don't make any sense.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Grace was scheduled to marry Blake, but does he love her? What about the family issues and the camp he wanted to close?

Tropes: best man, arranged marraige, enemies to lovers

Overall Rating: 2/5

GRR Reviews Planning Bliss (Bliss Series Book 1) by Michelle Jo Quinn

Planning Bliss, (previously published as Confessions of a Wedding Planner) can be best described as a reformed rake trying to woo a girl who got her heart broken and ground into dust, but it's for real this time. It was at times tropeish, rom-com-y, and sentimental. Which makes it a good read.

Wedding planner Veronica had her heart broken when her boyfriend (whom she thought she'd marry) moved on to engage with a French socialite. She had her heart grounded into dust when he came to her wanting her to plan his wedding. Then she found out the bridezilla wanted a huge wedding in merely 1 month, involving 400+ guests across two continents, and a gown flown in from France. Her work ethics demanded she gave it her best, even as her heart bleeds. She was not ready for attention from the best man Levi, a known playboy. He wants to get into her pants, she's not in the mood. But Levi is actually royalty, and rich, and have plenty of patience. And he's actually serious this time, but how does a rake convince everybody, esp. the girl, he's no longer a rake?

I have a little problem seeing the chemistry between Veronica and Levi, though I guess it could work. The book tried to throw in a bunch of prequel scenes to explain Levi's earlier attraction to "Nica" (at prior events) but it wasn't until this wedding that he could act on the urges. It doesn't quite build-up right. The rest of the book kinda makes the whole thing worth it once you get past this point.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot:  Broken-hearted Wedding Planner (planning her ex's wedding) Wooed by the Best Man (and a rake/playboy)

Tropes:  jilted, wedding planner, commitment-phobe, reformed rake, best man

Overall Rating:  4/5 (rounded up from 3.5/5)