Casting Director Dionna “Dee” Reed is in Texas to help her best friend with her wedding plans. But when their respective careers made Ariana—the friend—and her fiancée Xavier bail from their wedding meetings, Dionna’s been asked to meet the wedding planner representing her best friend. The icing of the cake? The groom’s cousin Austin “Tripp” Noble will also be there to help with the meetings.
Since the beginning, Dee wasn’t enthusiastic with the idea of moving the wedding venue to a small town in Texas. And Tripp knows it. That’s why he makes his mission to show her how fantastic Royal, his and his cousin’s hometown, can be. Sparks fly since the first time they met via video calls, so now that they are working together with the wedding plans, chemistry is stronger between them. As they get more involved in the wedding plans, both Dee and Tripp become more attached to each other to the point of no return. But, and this is a big one, how could they commit to a long-time relationship? Dionna’s life is in LA, while Tripp’s in Royal, after all.
You live in Royal. I live in LA. What else would this possibly be?
I always liked enemies to lovers stories. And this is a great one—this is an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, to be exact. And, even though they didn’t look like a couple with a lot in common, Tripp and Dee are more similar than even they think. Dee likes to have a structured life, which makes her sometimes a not a very open minded person. Her misconceptions about “small towns like Royal”—although this one is full of wealthy people—and Tripp’s playboy past demonstrates that. Also, she’s some kind of introvert; she indeed has an “old soul”. And coming from a bad breakup, she doesn’t want to risk her heart again. On the other hand, it’s good to see Tripp again in the Texas Cattleman’s Club world. As seen in His Until Midnight (Texas Cattleman’s Club: Bachelor Auction #4) Tripp is a charmer: flirty, easy-going, friendly and so damn hot. That didn’t changed in him. But he’s also very sensitive, kind, thoughtful and committed with his family and his legacy as a multi generational Black rancher. What they have in common? They’re open, sincere, stubborn, very opinionated and loyal for the people they care. Not to mention they’re sexy together. I mean, the burning pages type!
As I mentioned before, Tripp’s not a stranger in the TCC franchise. His first time around was in his sister Tessa’s story for the Bachelor Auction series. And she’s back here giving her brother great advice. Their relationship is fantastic and that’s something I appreciate a lot; their bond showed in Tessa’s book didn’t got lost in this story. Another secondary characters we meet in this book that we have to keep an eye to them because they’re gonna take part of the series eventually (yes, I already made some research): Riley, Patrick, Keely, etc. Something I have to mention is how naturally Ms. Ryan added characters from previous series of the TCC world, without looking awkward for the reader, especially if this is their first book from the franchise. Not my case, of course…
And there’re Ariana and Xavier, the bride and groom of the wedding of the year. I was trying to found if this couple has a story of their own—that’s the reason I made research, actually—because this book has enough details of them that made me intrigued to know their love story. Didn’t found anything… *Aisha wipes a single tear*
This is my first Harlequin book of the year and, although I haven’t finished the Texas Cattleman’s Club: Ranchers and Rivals series yet (only three left), this story—the first one in the The Wedding series of the TCC franchise—gave me a vibe that it would be a good one. And my gut feeling was right about it, even though I’m a bit biased with the franchise (I’ve read almost all of the series included in it). A witty, sassy, funny and alluring love story who sets the bar high for the next installments of the series. A book you can read easily and a perfect pace and unforced transitions, perfect for a weekend read. With a smart writing with tons of personality, Reese Ryan is officially in my Fetish Authors list.
My Rating:
Big thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.
About the Book
Release Date: January 24, 2023
ASIN: B0B39CC7D2
Published By: Harlequin Desire
Series: Texas Cattleman’s Club: The Wedding #1
Genre: Romance
eBook, 184 pages
A cowboy and a career-focused city girl can’t agree on anything—until they fall into bed in this latest installment in the Texas Cattleman’s Club: The Wedding.
He’s Texas. She’s Hollywood.
…and together they’re playing with fire!
Dionna Reed is in Royal, Texas, to help plan her starlet bestie’s wedding. But when the bride and groom bail, all the planning falls to Dionna…and the too-hot, too-sexy best man who’s convinced Texas can outdo Hollywood for this wedding event of the year. Well, bring it on, cowboy.
Tripp Noble has one week to convince city-slicker Dionna that Royal is the perfect place for his cousin’s wedding—all the while keeping his hands off the gorgeous maid of honor. But cowboys don’t always follow the rules…
From Harlequin Desire: A luxurious world of bold encounters and sizzling chemistry.
You’ll be swept away by this bold, sizzling romance, part of the Texas Cattleman’s Club: The Wedding series:
Book 1: A Cowboy Kind of Thing by Reese Ryan
Book 2: Designs on a Rancher by LaQuette
Book 3: Four Weeks to Forever by Karen Booth
Book 4: Make Believe Match by Joanne Rock
Book 5: Oh So Wrong with Mr. Right by Nadine Gonzalez
Book 6: The Man She Loves to Hate by Jessica Lemmon
About the Author
Reese Ryan writes sexy, contemporary romance featuring a diverse cast of complex characters. She presents her characters with family and career drama, challenging love interests and life-changing secrets while treating readers to emotional love stories with unexpected twists.
Past president of her local RWA chapter and a panelist at the 2017 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Reese is an advocate of the romance genre and diversity in fiction. Visit her online at ReeseRyan.com
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