The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory

This is the third book in the series ( after The Proposal and The Wedding Date ) and my first one by Jasmine Guillory.

The plot of The Wedding Party is pretty straightforward. Theo and Maddie have the same best friend Alexa. Unfortunately for Alexa, they themselves didn't hit it off at all. Maddie thinks Theo is pompous and boring, while Theo is convinced Maddie is as shallow as it gets. Despite all this, they suddenly find themselves madly attracted to each other to the point of starting a secret sexual relationship. They both agree to keep it secret from their best friend, but can they pull it off?  and what's the point of a relationship with a definite expiry date which just happens to coincide with their best friend's perfect wedding day? They are way too comfortable with each other and quickly discover they might have been too hasty to judge each other. On second thoughts, Theo might not be pompous, but rather insecure and over-responsible, while Maddie really has a heart of gold and wants to help unemployed women look their best for a job interview which may help them turn their lives around.

I must admit I didn't connect with the characters straightaway. Not until I read about Theo alphabetising Maddie's spice rack (how cool is that?) and Maddie living in an uber-messy home with  piles of clothes scattered all over the place, which of course was the real reason why she didn't dare invite Theo over to hers. With Theo suddenly turning up  on her doorstep, she has no choice but go into a panic mode and shove everything into a wardrobe. The characters suddenly became more relatable, although I still felt a bit annoyed with them for not realising they should give up their pretense and just admit they complement and need each other.

What I liked the most about this book is Jasmine Guillory's impeccable writing style. Not a single false note in the whole book. I will definitely try to read and review the previous books in the series as well as the sequel.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Berkley for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.