Sylvie Stewart

Olivia hasn't given much thought to her ex's love life since the divorce, remaining cordial at family events, and overall moving on with her own life. What could be worse than discovering your ex is not only seeing someone but getting married? Maybe being invited and coerced into attending said wedding. Roman, an older professional hockey player has been on the outskirts of his estranged daughter's life for a while but wants to get closer to his only child. In a twist of fate - or more specifically the meddling of well-meaning children - Olivia and Roman's worlds collide. I loved this book! The dynamics between the characters felt real, closer to reality than any fiction work I've read all year. The pace was fast throughout, but I felt more grounded while reading the book and easily lost track of time because I was so engrossed in the plot. I'm definitely going to be looking for book two of the series!

Merged review:

Olivia hasn't given much thought to her ex's love life since the divorce, remaining cordial at family events, and overall moving on with her own life. What could be worse than discovering your ex is not only seeing someone but getting married? Maybe being invited and coerced into attending said wedding. Roman, an older professional hockey player has been on the outskirts of his estranged daughter's life for a while but wants to get closer to his only child. In a twist of fate - or more specifically the meddling of well-meaning children - Olivia and Roman's worlds collide. I loved this book! The dynamics between the characters felt real, closer to reality than any fiction work I've read all year. The pace was fast throughout, but I felt more grounded while reading the book and easily lost track of time because I was so engrossed in the plot. I'm definitely going to be looking for book two of the series!… (altro)

Rough-around-the-edges male lead? Check. Runaway bride? Check. Throw in a few issues and the forced close-proximity and you have the perfect elements to a great story. This book was a lot of fun to read with lots of humor and banter to keep the reader thoroughly entertained. I deeply enjoyed the chemistry between Maisy and Miller, their relationship and interactions felt so natural. The main characters aside, I also fell in love with the side characters and their depth. Now I feel like I need to read the other two books since this one was so good.… (altro)

Rough-around-the-edges male lead? Check. Runaway bride? Check. Throw in a few issues and the forced close-proximity and you have the perfect elements to a great story. This book was a lot of fun to read with lots of humor and banter to keep the reader thoroughly entertained. I deeply enjoyed the chemistry between Maisy and Miller, their relationship and interactions felt so natural. The main characters aside, I also fell in love with the side characters and their depth. Now I feel like I need to read the other two books since this one was so good.… (altro)

Olivia has no intention of attending her ex-husband's destination wedding in Belize until her kids basically guilt her into going and her daughter Holly and her college roommate Hannah tell her they will make sure she has a date to the event. She tells them she doesn't need a date, but the girls don't listen and set her up with Hannah's single dad who happens to be an older professional hockey player who makes it his mission to be the best fake date ever for Olivia and give her a needed boost to her self-esteem.

I've been on the lookout for romances with older characters. Both Olivia and Roman are in their forties and they are both dealing with issues related to aging. Roman is looking retirement from hockey in the face and Olivia is dealing with perimenopause. I don't normally go for such a quick connection in romance books. The bulk of this story takes place over one week in Belize. That being said, for some reason I have an easier time believing an almost instant connection when the characters are older. I really enjoyed Roman and how he really gave his job of dating Olivia his all. I also loved his effort to get spend quality time and get to know his daughter better. This is open door and once the characters cross that line, they aren't shy about their physical connection. I am not one that needs steam in a romance. I didn't mind this.

One of the better romances I've read through KU. I plan to check out the next book in the series.… (altro)