Wendy the Super Librarian
‘s review of Best Man…with Benefits by Nancy Warren
Contemporary Romance published by Harlequin Blaze 01 Jul 15
I just got done reading a suspense novel that was really good, but really dark. And as much as I want to go on a mystery reading jag right now, after finishing “really dark,” I knew I needed a palate cleanser. Something light, fluffy, and maybe a little sexy. For that I opened up the Harlequin Blaze folder on my Kindle and dug up this book by Nancy Warren. No, it didn’t change my life, but it turned out to be just what the doctor ordered. My palate is thoroughly cleansed.
Lauren Sanger’s BFF, Amy, is getting married. The San Diego locale is beautiful, Amy’s parents are pulling out all the stops, Lauren should be enjoying herself. Instead she finds herself playing nice for the sake of her friend, because the best man is Jackson Monaghan. Jackson is Seth’s best man and they’ve been friends since boarding school. Lauren and Jackson intensely do not like each other – even though Amy and Seth keep trying to throw them together. It’s no use. But for the sake of their respective friendships, Lauren and Jackson are trying to play nice. Well, sort of. They can’t seem to help themselves with the verbal sparring.
However, all that delicious Enemy-To-Lovers tension boils over thanks to The Frat Boys. These would be the other guys who Seth and Jackson went to boarding school with. The Frat Boys think it’s infinitely hysterical that Jackson, who normally has women climbing all over him like a jungle gym, is stuck with a maid of honor who can barely stand the sight of him. So they decide a prank is in order, alcohol is consumed (hey, it’s a wedding reception after all!), and lead Jackson down the merry path to Amy’s room. Jackson climbs into bed thinking he’s in his room and realizes rather quickly he’s lying next to Amy. Amy wakes up and figures why look a gift hottie in the mouth, even if he is insufferable. All that tension boils over and nature takes its course. Soon a no-strings fling is proposed, accepted, and we’re off to the races.
Warren puts a Shakespearean spin on this story by keeping Seth and Amy as part of the action. A sickly sweet couple, obnoxiously lovey-dovey leading up to the wedding, and after? The descending of cold, hard reality. The flip-side is Jackson and Amy go from not being able to stand each other to not being able to keep their clothes on around each other. A tricky move, since they’re both determined to keep their fling on the down low because, really, they may have scorching sexual chemistry, but they could never possibly be a couple…or could they?
Sure, the conflict is a little thin, and sure there’s a bunch of sex scenes chewing up word count (well, it is a Blaze…), but this is a fun, cotton-candy confection of a read that’s just the sort of thing you pick up when the kids are driving you nuts, your partner’s sloppiness is getting on your last hot nerve, and work is chewing up your brains. It’s probably not going to change your life, but it’s the perfect antidote to a gnarly day.
Grade: B
Summary:
May the best man sin…
Lauren Sanger is practically the perfect maid of honor, except for one tiny flaw. She hates the best man. Jackson Monaghan is beyond hot—his body is the stuff of sexy lady dreams—but he’s just such a jerk. So when a prank lands them in the same bed, Lauren should have flipped out…instead of having the best sex of her life with the best man!
Jackson can’t figure out how two people with anti-chemistry during the day can have such a wickedly hot sexual chemistry at night. Worse still, he wants more. Enough to dare Lauren into doing the last thing she should be doing—him. But friends with benefits is one thing…enemies with benefits is quite another.
