RELEASE DATE: APRIL 21, 2015
It’s all fun and games…until someone’s heart is broken.
They’re not kids anymore, but Milo Caro is certain that
Colton Mathews will only see her as his best friend’s little sister for the
rest of their lives. After all, he made that clear the night before she left
for college. But four years later, her brother is getting married and Colt’s
the best man—and guess who is the best man’s last-minute date?
Milo vows to use the wedding to either claim the smoldering
firefighter’s heart or douse this torch for good. When Max—her best friend from
college, who may be carrying a torch of his own—crashes the party, they devise
a plan to make Colt see what he’s missing. But after Colt catches on, he
decides to cook up his own revenge.
Now it’s personal. Colt and Milo are at war, and between
Max’s questionable acting methods, an unfortunate trip to jail, and a maniacal
fiancée, what could possibly go right?
Groaning, I tossed and turned, finally falling into a deep sleep around two a.m.
“Fire!” A voice penetrated my dreams. “Fire! Wake up!”
I jolted out of my bed to see Max sitting calmly at the end. He had two Starbucks cups in hand and was sporting a pair of black skinny jeans, a blue V-neck T-shirt, and a smile that looked like it belonged on the cover of GQ.
“Hey, you’re awake.” His grin widened.
“Yeah, weird, I thought there was a fire.”
He handed me the coffee. “There is. In your pants.”
“Pardon?”
“Because you’re a liar.” He patted my leg and shook his head. “Do I even want to know how this happened? Or was it the usual?”
“Usual?” My voice was gravelly, I took a large sip of coffee—it did wonders for my mood.
“Yeah, the usual Milo freak-out where you speak before you think. Typically involves lots of cursing, yelling, sometimes a fight breaks out, and I always end up having to fix it.”
My face burned.
Max nodded. “The usual, then. Gotcha.”
“Why are you here? What time is it?”
“Five a.m.,” he answered. “Your mom’s a fox, by the way, I swear she checked my ass out twice as I walked up the stairs.”
“She did not.”
“Your dad did the same. Ten bucks says your mom asks where I got my jeans and buys him a pair—oh, and by the way, you owe me big. I finally asked out the Starbucks girl and had to cancel our date on account that my other girlfriend”—his eyes narrowed—“had an emergency.”
I winced. “Please tell me you didn’t explain it that way to her.”
“Course not. I said my asthmatic little sister had an attack and almost died screaming my name . . .”
“You don’t have a sister.”
“Little Maddie’s screams were so loud, all she wanted was her big brother Max.”
“Who’s Maddie?”
“I’m sure she was understanding.”
Max grinned. “You could say that.”
“Gross.”
“What?” He held up his hands. “I’m a guy. Just because you labeled me your gay friend freshman year does not actually make it true.”
Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.
She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband and their snoring Boxer, Sir Winston Churchill. She loves to hear from readers! You can follow her writing journey at www.rachelvandykenauthor.com
REVIEW
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have liked other books from this author so I wanted to give this one a try. The premise is girl has loved her big brother's best friend for years, but he's always treated her like a little sister. I was expecting a sweet new adult with lite humor and lots of cuteness. It did start out this way. It felt similar to several novels dealing with childhood crushes and being all grown up now. I was liking it, but I wasn't amazed. Then, wham, it goes crazy with the funny.
Milo is home from college to attend Jason's (her brother) wedding. Of course Colt (her brother's best friend and her life-long crush) is there. The three of them were their own little gang growing up before feelings got in the way. After making a move on Colt and being shut down, she is trying to keep her distance. To save her pride, she accidentally says Max (her best friend) is her boyfriend. Max shows up to help with the wedding and operation win Colton. Oh, and everyone hates the bride-to-be.
At this point, everything just starts snowballing. There's beaucoup physical/slapstick comedy, hilarity overload. Some of the characters are walking disasters and others need full protective armor. Every person in the story has a different personality. They all work so well together. Some are ridiculously silly and others more deadpan. 'Hell in a hand basket' is an accurate description for this wedding party. Oh, and the character comedy like Grandma, bwahahaha. I don't know which persona in this story I love the most. So much giggle-factor. Seriously, I didn't know if I would ever finish because I would read a couple lines then wheeze-laugh, read a couple lines then wheeze-laugh. . .
The romance and endearing parts are present also, some declarations that make you go awww. It actually has a few really wise and profound statements about love and time too. The analogy the mom makes with breathing and love is a great one.
I'm 100% glad that I took the time to read it. If you're looking for something serious or erotic this probably isn't it. If you're looking for some laughs in your life, you've found it.
"All in all I think the weekend went pretty good. We should do this again sometime."
4.5 stars
