I have been mass consuming books lately, so it was nice to kick back with something shorter. This novella kicks off Lauren Layne’s Wedding Belles series, and if I was looking forward to the series before, now that I’ve read this, I’m even more excited about it. Big weddings aren’t for me in real life, but I love reading about them.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
One-Sentence Synopsis
A photographer is asked to do a high profile wedding with a fellow photographer who happens to be the one man who broke her heart. For a full synopsis, see this book’s Goodreads page.
Conclusion Jumping
Leah isn’t jaded on the idea of love. She’s trying to date, but no one really does it for her, not since her affair with Jason, the one guy who stimulated every part of her. Unfortunately, Jason had a reputation as a ladies man, so when she showed up to his place only to see another woman wearing his t-shirt, Leah flipped out, believed the worst, and refused to take his calls.
Pride & Stubbornness
Jason had an explanation for who the woman was, but when Leah refused to listen to him, he gave up, grouping her with everyone else in his life who had assumed the worst about him. Now that he’s face-to-face with her again, he has the chance to tell her the truth of what happened, but he’s stubborn and refuses to do so. After all, they were intimate. She should have trusted him and not assumed he was messing around on her.
When they have to work together, all of those feelings come rushing back for both of them but so does the hurt. While fighting their attraction, they’re also trying to come to terms with how to deal with the pain the other one caused, all amidst a massive wedding for a former president’s daughter.
Just Talk Already
Though “misunderstanding angst” can be annoying (just communicate, people), I also find it satisfying and loved it in this story. Leah and Jason have both been genuinely hurt by the other, but it takes some time before their pride will let them bend a little. Jason tries to charm Leah and work his way back into her life, but I also felt he was holding back, too, as if he were guarding his feelings. And of course, Leah wants him, but she doesn’t want to even entertain the thought that she’d been wrong to avoid him for so long.
The Romance Factor
Going back to that misunderstanding angst, the conflict lead to such feels for me. I wanted these two to be together, but I also liked the way they had to fight through their issues. 4/5
The Steam Factor
I think LL is getting more naughty in her writing. There’s only one sex scene (since there’s not really space for more), but it’s worth the wait and really spicy. 5/5
Final Thoughts
This is a short novella that introduces some of the characters I think we’ll see in future books. Novellas don’t necessarily give you the chance to flesh out a lot of conflict and angst, but LL manages to bring it all in a smaller word count. I’ve read in reviews that some readers aren’t necessarily feeling LL’s new stuff. Good Girl wasn’t as great for me as past books, but I really liked this one and I think the Wedding Belles series is going to be great.
The Romance Factor 