Party of Two (The Wedding Date #5)

The writing in this book is very well grounded, with great dialogue and a great blend of some humor, and plenty of depth and drama. This book takes place in L.A., following a character who has just moved back to California from NYC. While I could do without the NYC bashing (kidding!), I really enjoyed seeing L.A. from the perspective of someone new to the city, and not there for Hollywood. It shows a different side of a city I would love to visit one day.

Normally, romance books revolve around the will they/wont they dynamic, except we all know they will so its more of us just racing to get to that point. While there are a few seconds of that, the rest of this book is really about the characters deciding if the relationship is worth it, and fighting to keep their relationship strong despite the world. It was honestly, really refreshing to read a book dealing with the actual struggles of a relationship, and not just the struggles of trying to get in one. The plot also includes some political aspects, and some aspects you typically see in books dealing with fame, and I loved how they were included.

These two characters might be one of my favorite Jasmine Guillory couples. They are such well-developed characters on their own, and together they work together so beautifully. But lets talk about them individually. Olivia is driven, dedicated, and private. She plans things in advance and is never one to make a quick decision. Max is equally driven and dedicated, but hes fine with living a public life, and is just a hint impulsive. Okay, maybe a lot impulsive. Honestly, he reminds me of a golden retriever and I love him.

We also have a good set of side characters, with a couple of familiar faces if youve read previous books. I can definitely see one of the side characters being the lead in Jasmines next book, but thats all Ill say about that.

Do not miss this book. If youre looking for a fun romance with all the drama and actual healthy relationships, please pick it up!

Having read all of Jasmine Guillory’s books, think I may just be burnt out on her formula. I love that she’s writing rom-coms with smart, non-white, non-model leads that aren’t 22, but this one just didn’t click for me at all, despite how good I still think Guillory is as a writer. Her first book, The Wedding Date, was fresh, fun and continuing to expand on that universethe lead here is the sister of The Wedding Date’s female protagonistis a good idea, but the set-up just wasn’t interesting, or even wish fulfillment believable/relatable.

Meeting in a bar and sending cake, isn’t a very compelling meet cute, and the too-good-to-be-true Max, a rich, handsome Senator with a heart of gold, perfect political positions and dreams of monogamy, never feels like an actual human man. Their “conflict” in the final third of the story is eye-rolling. What is portrayed as a major sticking point in their relationship seems like, at best, worthy of a semi-tense conversation, particularly given that this exact same “big thing” has already been revealed willingly by the lead publicly in a situation very much like the one here in a previous book AND earlier in this story. Her reaction is just ridiculous, as is her constantly making Max prove himself, which he does over and over without complaint because, again, not believable as a human man. Her trust issues, or lack thereof, are never an issue.

I still feel like Guillory’s books would make a great on-screen, rom-com series, but think I’m done reading them until she gets a new story. Not that I blame her one bit for continuing to go back to that well, as more-of-the-same is what most publishers want, once something is a hit.

I love all of Jasmine Guillory’s books, the first of which was The Wedding Date. I really got into that story, and while The Proposal, The Wedding Party and Royal Holiday (which featured one of my favorite cities – London) were all great reads, this book, Party of Two, was my favorite. Something about the chemistry between Olivia and Max hit just as hard as Drew and Alexa’s romance in the Wedding Date. Of course the scenario in Party of Two reminded me a little of “Scandal”, it was a wonderful read in it’s own right. I believe this is the last book in the series. I am anxious to see what Ms. Guillory has planned next. There’s no doubt about it that when it comes to interracial romance stories, Ms. Guillory and author Sandra Kitt reign supreme.

As with all of Guillory’s books, Party of Two is a fun, funny, sexy romance with wonderful characters you really care about. This one is especially timely as one of the main characters is working on criminal justice reform. Guillory handles that deftly, explaining the ways our justice system as it currently stands actively harms people, especially BIPOC, without ever coming off as preachy or heavy handed.

I really enjoyed watching Olivia’s female friendships develop in her new home, and Max’s friendship with Wes was wonderfully portrayed. I’m looking forward to Wes’s future book and Jamila’s (*fingers crossed*)!

Make sure you have plenty of snacks, preferably cake and/or pie, on hand when you start reading! Her characters talk about and eat SO MUCH FOOD, and it made me so hungry!

The book is good so far…but my printed copy skips from page 182 to page 215! Im missing a huge section of the text! And then the signature repeats page 246 leads into page 215 again. Really a shame, as the book is engaging and Im invested in the characters, but shoddy printing and binding processes on this paperback copy make it impossible to finish right now. I dont want to add a star rating as I feel that is unfair to Ms. Guilloryher part of this transaction is great, but she was let down by the manufacturing.

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