Veena’s review of It Happened One Wedding by Julie James
Contemporary Romance published Jove 06 May 14
If you like contemporary romance with scintillating conversation and red-hot chemistry, then this book is for you. It reminds me of a classic chick flick where you bring out your Kleenex or one of those modern television shows like “How I Met Your Mother,” which grab you by the short hairs and suck you in from beginning to end.
Having been recently jilted but ready to move on, Sidney has her 32-point list to narrow down her dates into Mr. Right while Vaughn is definitely in the thirty-plus commitment phobic category armed with his play book. Though he seems to have his friends worried since he’s ignoring all those come-hither looks and pick-up lines directed his way. Wonder what’s got his knickers in a twist!
She’s gorgeous and he can’t seem to look away. She definitely hits all the right notes for what he looks for in a bed partner. Their first meeting is a disaster. He tries his pick-up lines, only to crash and burn when she gives him a scathing set down. He barely has time to get up from the floor and dust himself off when they find themselves at the dinner table with their respective siblings, finding out they’re going to be best man and maid of honor and have the good fortune of helping to plan the wedding in five months. That’s definitely unexpected, but they’re both mature adults and love their respective siblings, so they should be able to maintain an unruffled, friendly façade in front of their families.
Sidney is focused on the long term. She wants what her friends have. Vaughn definitely does not qualify for what she’s looking for in the long term, but what’s wrong with having a Mr. Right Now while she searches for Mr. Right? Plus, he’s growing on her and his tips from the single man’s point of view are proving quite useful in helping her weed out the undesirables from her dating pool.
The strong sense of family commitment between all the characters is very heartwarming. I laughed aloud as I read and couldn’t meet the eyes of the people around me who were wondering about my mental state. The meet-the-parents weekend is very sweet and funny at the same time: the sleight of hand at the table to keep Vaughn’s conservative Catholic mom from finding out that her daughter-in-law to be is pregnant and Sidney and Vaughn getting caught with their pants down in her condo when both their siblings arrive unannounced at her condo early in the morning after the bachelor/bachelorette party.
Sidney’s story of her final fitting with her wedding dress and her happiness being smashed when the other woman shows up to share some home truths with her makes me ache in sympathy, as does her subsequent walk through the streets of New York to break up with her fiancé. It should have cured her of marriage forever, but instead it’s left her with the determination to use a scoring system to find the right man to love her forever and give her a family and children. Vaughn would be perfect except he doesn’t do commitments. And yet what does his sweet gesture in hunting down something old from her mom’s wedding so Sidney can give her sister something memorable on her wedding day mean? Could it be love? Like Vaughn’s mother, I too wanted to break out my Kleenex and sniff strongly a few times – not because it is sad but because it’s so sweetly sentimental.
Those handsome young men in the FBI field office seem to be falling like nine pins. The author will have to induct some new agents into the office to keep us in future stories now that we’re addicted.
Grade:B
Summary:
SHE KNOWS BETTER THAN TO SAY “I DO”
After a humiliating end to her engagement, investment banker Sidney Sinclair is done with commitment-phobic men. But when her sister winds up engaged after a whirlwind courtship, Sidney is thrown into close contact with exactly the kind of sexy playboy she wants to avoid—the gorgeous best man. She’s stuck with him, for better or worse, until her sister walks down the aisle, but that doesn’t mean she has to give in to his smooth advances, no matter how tempting they are…
BUT HE MAKES IT HARD TO SAY “I DON’T”
Special agent Vaughn Roberts always gets his man on the job and his woman in bed. So Sidney’s refusal to fall for his charms only makes him more determined to win over the cool and confident redhead. Only what starts out as a battle of wills ends up as a serious play for her heart. Because the one woman who refuses to be caught may be the only one Vaughn can’t live without…
