I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Never Plan a Billionaire's Wedding by Julia Kent Series: Whatever It Takes #1
Published by Prosaic Publishing on November 28, 2023
Genres: Adult Contemporary Romance, Adult Romantic Comedy
Pages: 258
Source: the author
Format: E-galley
My Rating:
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Cover Designer: Staci Hart
Audiobook Narrators: COMING SOON
Tropes/Themes: Billionaire, Forbidden Romance/Breaking Contract, Mistaken Identity, Wedding, Engagement, Reunion Romance, Second Chance Romance, Romantic Comedy
Blurb:
Rule #1: Don’t fall in love with the groom
Stalker exes. Momzillas. Drunk uncles. Hurricanes. Jealous siblings. Paparazzi.
You name it, Kari Whitevelt has seen it all.
And that’s why brides and grooms hire her.
Because she makes it all go away.
Wedding Protectors, Inc., is here to make sure that special day stays special.
Whatever it takes.
No matter what.
But when her newest client turns out to be her own long-lost high school sweetheart, rising tech star billionaire Caleb Mikelmas, suddenly Kari’s not sure whether she’s protecting the wedding couple —
Or her own heart.
Tech billionaire Caleb never thought he had a chance, much less a second chance with his first love and high school sweetheart, Kari. When a case of mistaken identity turns their reunion into one big misunderstanding, unraveling his feelings about the one who got away while supporting his brother’s nuptials means facing old demons.
And kissing Kari.
He likes kissing Kari far more than that whole demon thing.
But if kisses were enough, Kari would already be his wife.
Maybe it’s time to revisit the past and right some wrongs.
One vow at a time.
Welcome to the Whatever It Takes series:
Every bride needs something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue –
But you know what brides don’t need?
Complications.
Welcome to Wedding Protectors, Inc. Have a spritzer or a latte or some lovely Zen tea and sink into a comfortable chair in our sunlit offices as we listen to your wedding problem – and form the perfect solution to every possible contingency.
We plan for everything.
Except our own love lives.
But that’s not your problem. 😉
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Excerpt
“I’m asking you out for coffee, Kari, because I want to spend time with you.”
Her mouth dropped. Katie knew what it was like to have a groomsman hit on you in the middle of wedding plans, but this was a first.
A groom!
And of all the guys…
“Caleb!” she gasped. “You’re asking me out on a date?”
He smiled. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”
“No! You’re getting nowhere!”
“Got to second base back in high school. Remember my mom’s old Explorer? We used to park it down by the beach–”
THWACK!
With a snap of her wrist, she hit him, hard, in the chest.
The hard part came from the three-ring binder full of Carolina’s ideas.
“What about Carolina?” she asked as his hands deftly caught the binder before it broke his foot.
“What about her?”
“You’re cheating on her? Now? With me?”
“I’m what? No! How could I be cheating? Carolina doesn’t care if I go out with you!”
A rush of ice-cold numbness took over her body.
“Caleb Mikelmas, you are not the man I once knew! Maybe all that success and money turned your morality into a hormone-filled lust swamp, but that is not how I live. Silicon Valley is full of all those tech bros orgy parties, and I cannot believe you’re one of them!”
“Orgy? Kari, what are you – ”
“You can’t just ask me out when I’m planning your wedding!”
“I still can’t believe you said the word orgy.”
“And I cannot believe you’re jeopardizing your wedding to try to get me into bed!”
“Bed? What? I said coffee! And hold on. MY wedding? Kari, my wedding? I’m not getting married!”
“You’re breaking up with Carolina so you can mess around with me?”
Full-throated laughter was the very last item on Kari’s short list of Things Caleb Would Do After Asking Her to Help Him Cheat on His Fiancée (Who Hired Wedding Protectors for Their Wedding).
But laugh, he did.
So she did what any self-respecting woman would do.
She shoved the heel of her Jimmy Choo stiletto into his arch.
Which made him fold in half and drop the binder.
As color-coded spreadsheets and post-it tabs went flying, she turned on said heel to storm out, her pride damaged but not destroyed, her exit so teeth-rattlingly livid that she didn’t feel a single bit of remorse for hurting him.
Until he shouted:
“Kari, I’m not marrying Carolina! My brother, Christian, is!”
My Review
Once again Julia Kent gave me so many laugh out loud moments! While the story kept a bit of the mistaken identity or who was getting married confusing at first, once that was cleared up, things got rolling! I liked how the author made even the characters that you thought you wouldn’t like, that could be the bad guys, have sides that maybe made them redeemable and understandable. I won’t say who, I’ll let you read and figure that out. The supporting characters, family, co-workers, friends, all were good for filling in the story and adding their own bright spots. Having characters brought in from the Shopping for a Billionaire series was also a lot of fun, whether they actually made any appearances or just were mentioned in passing.
My only issues that kept me from giving it a full 5 stars were that the third person storytelling at first kept me from getting into it quickly, but that is a personal issue at times for me. And there were times some of the chapter seemed a bit long maybe? But in the end I sped through the last half, needing to know how things were going to wrap up to give the couple their HEA.
About the Author
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julia Kent writes romantic comedy with an edge. Since 2013, she has sold more than 2 million books, with 4 New York Times bestsellers and more than 21 appearances on the USA Today bestseller list. Her books have been translated into French, German, and Italian, with more titles releasing in the future.
From billionaires to BBWs to new adult rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every contemporary romance she writes. Unlike Shannon from Shopping for a Billionaire, she did not meet her husband after dropping her phone in a men’s room toilet (and he isn’t a billionaire she met in a romantic comedy).
She lives in New England with her husband and three children where she is the only person in the household with the gene required to change empty toilet paper rolls.
She loves to hear from her readers by email at julia@jkentauthor.com, on Twitter @jkentauthor, on Facebook at @jkentauthor, and on Instagram @jkentauthor. Visit her at http://jkentauthor.com
Social Media Links:
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Giveaway
Blitz-wide giveaway (INT)
- $25 Amazon gift card
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This looks like a great read. Thanks for hosting.
It was!
I’ve not read this author and it sounds good. I love when even the “bad guys” have “good parts,” making them a bit more complex and interesting.
Definitely you should give this author a try! I know that usually the first book in the Shopping for a Billionaire series is free, if not one called Fluffy? Which is hilarious!
I’ve not tried this author, but this romcom sounds hilarious/
Ooh, you totally should. I know the first books in the Shopping for a Billionaire series are usually free. And all the characters connect in some little way.