by: Jennifer Shirk
Series: Anyone But You
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 12, 2015
Source: Entangled Bliss via NetGalley
Hottie for hire...
Maddie McCarthy is single, between jobs, and (oh, the shame) lives with her mother. To make matters worse, she's the maid of honor for her sister's wedding, and desperately needs a date. Then she sees her salvation—Match Made Easy, a service for women in Maddie’s exact position. If she can't find a boyfriend, she'll do the next best thing...
Hire one.
Trent Montgomery isn't actually part of Match Made Easy. He's just doing a favor for his cousin, but one look at the blonde who hired him, and he's totally hooked. Now Maddie thinks that the attraction sizzling between them is just “part of the package.” And Trent is running out of time to prove to her that her date-for-hire might just be her happily-ever-after...
Maddie ignored his question, planting both fists on her hips. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Helping you."
"You mean helping yourself," she spat.
"No, I mean helping you. Maddie, listen. You don't seem like the kind of woman who would call Match Made Easy on some whim. There must have been a pretty darn good reason. Or maybe even more than one. Start being honest with yourself, and don't let your pride about what happened in our past get in the way. I can help you with whatever that reason is in the present. If you let me."
Maddie looked down at her hands, wrung together in one giant knot of tension. He was right. This woman didn't just want simple company at this wedding. There was definitely more to it. But he had to remind himself that whatever the reason was, it wasn't his concern.
After several long moments, she finally conceded. "Okay," she breathed. "Fine. I really don't have a choice at this point. You're hired."
Yes! He couldn't wait to tell his cousin. Luckily for his self-respect, he had seen the end zone before and was able to school his expression into a perfect mask of impassiveness.
"Great," he said. "Let's go talk to Kennedy then." He started in that direction but after several steps, realized Maddie wasn't following.
When he glanced back, he saw Maddie no longer wore the troubled expression of a defeated woman desperate for a date. Instead, she'd taken on a warrior stance with those glossed lips of hers settled into a fine tight line. "Look, hot shot, Sabrina may think that we're a couple, but my family can spot bad acting faster than Roger Ebert at a B-movie festival, so you better be convincing."
He advanced another step and had the satisfaction of seeing her lose a little of that tough-act bravado. "I can be very convincing," he assured her in a voice several octaves deeper than he intended.
"Well…all right then." She bit her lip. "I'm paying a lot for you so I don't want there to be any mistakes."
Trent managed to drag his eyes away from that shiny mouth of hers and grinned. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I guarantee I'll be worth every penny."
REVIEW
Maddie McCarthy is tired of being the laughing stock of her family and living with the curse of being unlucky in love. In a moment of frustration, Maddie decides to tell everyone she has a boyfriend. When she sees an ad advertising the services of Match Made Easy, she sees this as an answer to at least one of her prayers. Too bad her hopes and prayers are dashed when she discovers her Match Made Easy date is with Trent “Money” Montgomery.
Back in high school, Trent was an arrogant, self-centered jock and one of Maddie’s many tormentors. He’s now a changed man. Agreeing to do a favor for his cousin who owns Match Made Easy, Trent steps in at the last minute to be Maddie’s date. His cousin desperately needs Maddie’s business and the connections she could offer. With no time to figure out another option, Maddie has no choice but to go along with Trent being her date.
Maddie loves her younger sister, Louise, so much that she wants her wedding day to be special. She will do whatever is necessary to make sure Louise is the main focus and not her. Maddie has abandonment issues as a result of her father leaving the family. She thinks like all the other older first daughters in her family that she’s cursed in the love department, as it seems her relationships only last a few weeks. Trent is a nice and decent guy. He isn’t the teenager seeking attention like he use to be. His only true family is his cousin and his dog. He’s been hurt so he isn’t really one to believe in love and forever.
My biggest issue with this story is Maddie's sister, the bride. It’s Louise’s wedding but the best man is Maddie’s ex-boyfriend, who cheated on her and got her fired from the restaurant they both worked at. I don’t understand why Louise didn’t insist her soon to be husband pick someone else to be the best man. It’s not like the best man was the groom’s brother. I don’t even think the two hung out in the book.
Wedding Date for Hire is a really sweet romance. It’s perfect for tweens and adults who believe that love conquers all and truly love happy endings. Maddie and Trent are both people I would love to know. All the secondary characters, except for one, are likeable and Maddie’s Aunt Marie brings humor and intelligence to the story. This is a story of love, friendship, trust, and second chances.
**Received a copy of the book courtesy of Entangled Publishing for an honest and unbiased opinion.**
Rating: 4
Purchase Wedding Date for Hire from:
The Anyone But You Series:
(Click on the book covers for more information and/or to purchase from Amazon.)
Jennifer Shirk has a bachelor degree in pharmacy-which has in NO WAY at all helped her with her writing career. But she likes to point it out, since it shows romantic-at-hearts come in all shapes, sizes, and mind-numbing educations.
She writes sweet (and sometimes even funny) romances for Samhain Publishing, Amazon/Montlake Romance, and now Entangled Publishing.
Lately she's been on a serious exercise kick. But don't hold that against her.
Feel free to follow her on Twitter or become a friend on Facebook.
Places to find Jennifer Shirk:
Thanks for hosting!
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DeleteSounds like a good book, this is a new author to me
ReplyDeleteI think you'll like her, Melissa. Her books are all sweet, clean romances.
DeleteThank you so much for the review and for hosting!! <3
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ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by and checking it out Eva. I hope you enjoy the book.
DeleteYour book sounds great! I also enjoyed reading your bio and if you write murder mysteries, your pharmacy degree could help you kill off some characters!LOL
ReplyDeleteThat could be a good idea, Betty. I would read it! I've really enjoyed all of Jennifer's books I've read. I think I've read half of them. Thank you so much for stopping by and checking out Jennifer and Wedding Date for Hire.
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ReplyDeleteI'm sure you'll enjoy it Roberta. Thanks for stopping by! I hope the weather isn't too cold for you.
DeleteThank you for the informative review! It re-enforces my desire to read the book! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Ree Dee. I hope you enjoy the book.
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