Overall, I loved this story more than the first one. It’s filled with women supporting women, has a cast of diverse characters, and loads of body positivity. My only complaint is that I wanted more at the end. Or, what if Fisher, her spurned boyfriend, didn't just drop from the story completely? Maybe he attempts to sabotage Nik or Carlos and the two of them grow closer while trying to figure out how to catch him in the act. Towards the end, however, the story got sort of ridiculous and was rushed, imo. I don't know why author's always feel the need to add in some sort of mishap in a relationship to keep us on our toes. It doesn't. It just pisses us off. Depending on what the actual mishap is and how it is handled, of course. But this one was just... anticlimactic. Vivian was wonderful. She was a self-assured mature woman who knew her likes and dislikes. She wasn't afraid to voice her opinion and wasn't afraid to accept the consequences. She had a wonderful sense of humor that shone throughout the story. She had a wonderful daughter and a family that depended on her. She also had a job that she adored. But, she never put herself first until her holiday to England. The switching narratives between Alexa and Drew. I usually don’t like that, but this was executed well in my opinion. When Alexa’s POV switched to Drew’s, and vice versa, the story would continue where the other person’s left off and it flowed perfectly.

Really? That’s fantastic. I never would have thought a year ago that your friend Drew would be engaged.” In the days and weeks following the proposal fiasco, Nik finds herself leaning on Carlos more and more, and she can't get him out of her head. Her friends keep encouraging her to have a rebound romance with the sexy doctor, but she isn't sure she needs the complications. For his part, Carlos can't stop thinking of Nik either, and isn't sure exactly what she wants from him—but he knows what he'd like from her. I've said on more than one occasion (more like 100 occasions) that I'm a gigantic sap. I'm so glad there are books like The Proposal which are fun reads that also appeal to the sappy part of me. Now I have to wait until July 2019 for Guillory's next book!Overall, I thought this was really sweet. Although it didn't have as much drama or steamy moments as the first book, it was still a very fun read! Underneath the sharp barbs they toss at each other is a simmering attraction that won't fade. It builds until they find themselves sneaking off together to release some tension when Alexa isn't looking, agreeing they would end it once the wedding is over. When it’s suddenly pushed up and they only have a few months left of secret rendezvouses, they find themselves regretting that the end is near. Two people this different can’t possibly have a connection other than the purely physical, right? When you’re a practical person, do you throw caution to the wind and let your heart do what it wants, even if you know it probably won’t work? Can you teach yourself to be as impulsive as your heart instead? Of course, she wants to crawl into a hole and hide, but there she is, still in her seat as the game goes on. When the camera crew starts to descend upon her, a guy watching the action from a few rows up takes pity on her, and he and his sister extricate Nik from the imminent media feeding frenzy, and spirit her out of the stadium to the relative safety of her best friends. This was my first read by this author and definitely won't be my last! This was a very cute plot.... Nik had her boyfriend propose to her at a baseball game in front of everyone... and let's not forget to add that she turns him down in front of the entire world. Talk about embarrassment!!! This adds the perfect scene for an entertaining romance with a hint of sassy spice :).

There was also such a beautiful discussion about how important it is to reclaim your safety after you have been violated or felt that it was threatened. Throughout this story, we see Nik take those steps, and it just meant a lot to me, personally. I also loved how she had friends helping along the way. I really hope this lives up to the hype and expectations I have. Let's be honest, it most likely won't, but, in the odd chance that it does I'll be surprised. IS HE NUTS??? Nikole tries to get him to be normal and settle down. She does not want to embarrass him in front of his friends and the world. Her mind is racing because he never even talked to her about these types of feelings and if he had, she would have shut it down. This is not going well and he will not listen to her polite comments... instead he starts to get upset and then storms off, leaving her there. So in 2018 I'm in Target minding my own business. Looking at books even though I swore I wouldn't buy any more books(Haha! LIES!). When a very pretty red book catches my eye. I don't normally buy romance books but something about this book intrigued me. And then I saw the Roxane Gay blurb and I immediately put it in my basket with the 3 other books I shouldn't have been buying. A sweet, fun, love story, about two people determined not to fall in love... so, after Carlos and his sister rescue Nik they head to a bar and meet up with Nik’s Besties.... I have to say the relationship between these three girls was really the highlight of the story, it was kind of “ Sex in the City“ on the West Coast... I loved how there for one another they were, how supportive, how non-judgemental, and I loved how bourbon and cupcakes cured everything.... Looove strong female friendships in books!The game takes an unexpected turn when Fisher surprises her with a marriage proposal on the Jumbotron, in front of the entire stadium. It isn't fake surprise with which Nik reacts to this proposal—it's utter disbelief. (Plus he spelled her first name wrong.) She and Fisher haven't even said they love each other (and she doesn't love him), much less discuss marriage. But there Fisher is, on one knee in the middle of the stadium, holding a princess ring. She has no choice but to turn him down, disappointing the entire crowd, not to mention raising the ire of Fisher and his bros. As they get to the parking lot, Nikole turns to thank both of them and says she will get a ride from Uber or Lyft and not to worry about her. Carlos refuses and insists on driving her to the bar where her girlfriends are waiting. Once at the bar, Nikole insists they come in for a drink on her as a thank you. Freelance writer Nikole Paterson is spending a beautiful weekend day at a Dodgers game with Fisher, the guy she has been dating for the past few months, and a bunch of his friends. This might not have been the perfect romance read I was looking for but there were a couple of things I did enjoy. First of all, I always appreciate when a book has a diverse cast of characters. I also really liked the premise of the book which involves a woman at a Dodgers game with her boyfriend and he surprises her with a wedding proposal with everyone in the stadium watching on the Jumbotron. It was very easy to relate to her feeling of horror as I would have hated it if my husband had proposed to me in such a public way.

Have you ever heard that story about the lion that was taxidermied by a man who had never seen a lion before? That's what this book feels like. As if the author knew what pieces made up a romance novel, but, having never seen or read one before, she was flummoxed as to how to put these pieces together. She wrote the kissing scenes and there are people saying "I love you," but beyond that, this doesn't feel like a romance. The final result is actually a terrifying facsimile that gets more grotesque the closer you examine it. I had loved Carlos in The Wedding Date and was thrilled to see that he was getting his own story, so when I got The invite to read this one, I couldn’t wait to get to it. In The Wedding Date, the first book in this series, we meet Carlos Ibarra, the fun and supportive best friend of Dr. Drew Nichols. Bitch Media's list of 25 Fiction books you must read in 2018 includes The Wedding Date! (December 27, 2017) I loved this book! It was a sweet, slow-burn romance full of passion and no over-the-top drama. It was entertainment based purely on the real-life circumstances and situations between Vivian Forest and Malcolm Hudson, ... okay, as real life as one can get being Vivan is in England because her daughter is working as a stylist for the Royal family, and Malcolm is the Queen's private secretary ... their romance was believably sincere and lovely.

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Man bun... doesn’t know how to spell your name... proposes at a Dodgers game... 3 STRIKES YOUR OUT! The opening scene to this book was epic, something I’ve always thought every time I’ve watched one of those scoreboard proposals.... what happens if the girl says, “ KNOW“? Well this book shows you exactly what happens to Nik after the very public proposal.... and can I just say, if this were to happen to any of us I would certainly hope we’d all have a Carlos in the stands to come to our rescue! Not that she wasn’t allowed to go out when he wasn’t there, but he’d sort of pictured her sitting home on the couch missing him.” Carlos spends a lot of his time taking care of the women in his family. He feels an obligation to help them all so much. Also Maddie barely interacts with her mother. The whole thing was a bizarre choice. I found myself wondering about prior characters since these two were not holding my interest. The book gets it's title from the opening meet-cute. Nik is proposed to by her boyfriend, Carlos witnesses it and whisks her away, but then ... nothing. Nothing of any consequence happens. They go out to eat, they have sex, they agonize over basic social interactions that normal adults would figure out in .02 seconds, they repeat. This is exactly what happened in The Wedding Date and it drove me insane.

When I entered into this book I was expecting something cutesy and fun, lighthearted and sexy, which is exactly what I didn't get. Also, the characters are constantly making "witty" observations that are, in reality, ridiculous or nonsensical. After an “oops, we made a mistake” night together, neither one can stop thinking about the other. With Alexa's wedding rapidly approaching, Maddie and Theo both share bridal party responsibilities that require more interaction with each other than they're comfortable with. My main gripe with this book, amidst many, centers on how the romance between Alexa and Drew serves as the main character of the book, instead of either Alexa or Drew themselves. Everything revolves around their romance. Both of their characters get so subsumed by the romance early on that I had little to no comprehension of who either of them were aside from their interest in one another. Even the sections that involved their careers all felt so shallow and so transparently in service for their romance. For example, when they both have a difficult day at their respective jobs, they turn to one another for comfort and sex, and the actual issues within their jobs receive no development. Or, toward the end, when Alexa hits a high note in her work, the scene turns right into a moment to celebrate her romance with Drew. The Wedding Date was in this l ist of 46 books by women of color to look forward to in 2018, along with lots of other books I can't wait to read! (December 26, 2017)

Carlos Ibarra sees this woman a few rows in front of him. When a camera crew starts to approach, Carlos and his sister decide to whisk her away. What starts as a good deed soon becomes something else...and both of them have to thank... Also, most of the sex scenes in this book are skipped over, and the two that exist are so short and bland. I was expecting a lot more from a book marketed as romance.