The Wedding Engagement
Author: Zoe Allison
Reviewer: Ang
Rating: B-
What I’m Talking About:
The Wedding Engagement was a fine trip to Scotland. Although I’m not sure why it is titled The Wedding Engagement as the characters don’t pretend to be engaged nor do they get engaged at a wedding, but I’m sure Ms. Allison had her reasons. The book itself was incredibly slow to start, so slow I almost stopped reading it. Ms. Allison switches between Liv and Arran’s POVs, which would have been fine if they had been saying something different; however, both characters were saying the same thing: “damn he/she’s hot but I can’t tell them that because it’ll ruin what we have”. I wanted to scream ‘I KNOW ALREADY, MOVE ON!!’
Thankfully right as I was about to DNF the book, things picked up and stopped teeter-tottering between them. Normally I would chastise an author for changing formats like that in a book, but this time I feel like it saved the novel.
Once things started moving I was able to see Liv & Arran from the other person’s view. I started enjoying their interactions, and the writing flowed better allowing me to enjoy all the characters, the struggles, and (when shown) the scenery. Given that it’s placed in Scotland, I felt the lack of scenery did the novel a disservice. I want to be able to see where I am, and except for a few times, I ended up imagining I was in any small-to-mid-sized town in a Hallmark movie.
I will say the characters, all of them except Dave, were enchanting and funny. I enjoyed the chemistry between them and the fierce friendship they all shared. Arran had a heart as big as they come, and Liv’s quiet strength really resonated with me. I appreciated the way all the characters, except Dave, rallied around her to give her a safe place to find and accept herself for who she was so she could love freely.
Despite its hiccups The Wedding Engagement had plenty of spicy scenes and intense chemistry between Liv and Arran. The sweet spots were perfectly placed and even had me saying ‘awwww’ out loud a couple times. All in all, Liv and Arran’s story was a fun distraction as I lounged around Labor Day weekend. As long as you’re okay wadding in slowly, you’ll likely find it a fun distraction as well.
My Rating: B- Liked It — But I had a few small issues
Ang
About the Book:
Planning a wedding is so romantic . . . except when it’s not yours, and you’re planning it with the guy you’re secretly crushing on.
Scottish schoolteacher Liv Holland has a secret. She’s been carrying a torch for Arran Adebayo, her brother’s best friend, for years. A blind date gone wrong cements in Liv’s mind that Arran has no romantic interest in her whatsoever. But then, with her brother set to marry her own best friend, she and Arran are enlisted to help plan the festivities…
After being left at the altar by his ex, single father Arran is having trouble managing his growing feelings towards the woman who is both his best friend’s sister and his son’s teacher: Liv. Then his mind is blown when fate thrusts them together for an unexpected blind date, but he messes up his chance to tell her how he feels.
As the big day approaches and Liv and Arran’s connection intensifies, their chemistry chafes against their checkered romantic histories. Risking everything for love could mean losing each other forever . . . or being the next ones to find their happy ever after.
Release Date: October 8, 2024
Publisher: Berkley
Series: Standalone
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format(s): paperback (400 pages), e-book, audiobook
Book Source: Publisher
Purchase Info:
Amazon (affiliate link)