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caseroo7's review against another edition
4.0
Review originally posted at Ramblings From This Chick
I have never read a book by Robin Bielman before, but after reading the blurb I knew I had to read this one. This book definitely did not disappoint and I really enjoyed reading Sela and Luke's Story. I found this story to be sweet and romantic and filled with extremely likable characters. I felt like I was drawn into the story immediately and not only connected to Luke and Sela, but also to the supporting characters as well.
Luke is a sports photographer who left their small town of Cascade to make a name for himself and pursue his love of action. When he returns to Cascade for the wedding of his little sister Vanessa, he is brought face to face with Sela, his little sister's best friend. Sela also happens to be his best friend's little sister, and although they once shared a kiss in a kissing booth that rocked his world, he has always considered her off limits. In order to not let on how he felt at the time, he reacted as a typical teenager would and horribly embarrassed Sela. Sela wants nothing to do with Luke and agrees to put aside her dislike for him in order to be the best maid of honor she can be for Vanessa, but as Luke and Sela are thrown together more and more for wedding plans, neither one of them can fight the attraction they feel.
I really loved how Luke and Sela had known each other most of their lives, and it wasn't your typical enemies to lovers type of story. The chemistry was off the charts even though the love scenes were only alluded to. I really loved seeing Luke and Sela both grow as individuals and as a couple. This story was a fast read for me as I didn't want to put it down. The author did a wonderful job of telling a complete and in depth story, and I will be looking forward to more stories from her in the future.
**ARC provided by Publisher**
I have never read a book by Robin Bielman before, but after reading the blurb I knew I had to read this one. This book definitely did not disappoint and I really enjoyed reading Sela and Luke's Story. I found this story to be sweet and romantic and filled with extremely likable characters. I felt like I was drawn into the story immediately and not only connected to Luke and Sela, but also to the supporting characters as well.
Luke is a sports photographer who left their small town of Cascade to make a name for himself and pursue his love of action. When he returns to Cascade for the wedding of his little sister Vanessa, he is brought face to face with Sela, his little sister's best friend. Sela also happens to be his best friend's little sister, and although they once shared a kiss in a kissing booth that rocked his world, he has always considered her off limits. In order to not let on how he felt at the time, he reacted as a typical teenager would and horribly embarrassed Sela. Sela wants nothing to do with Luke and agrees to put aside her dislike for him in order to be the best maid of honor she can be for Vanessa, but as Luke and Sela are thrown together more and more for wedding plans, neither one of them can fight the attraction they feel.
I really loved how Luke and Sela had known each other most of their lives, and it wasn't your typical enemies to lovers type of story. The chemistry was off the charts even though the love scenes were only alluded to. I really loved seeing Luke and Sela both grow as individuals and as a couple. This story was a fast read for me as I didn't want to put it down. The author did a wonderful job of telling a complete and in depth story, and I will be looking forward to more stories from her in the future.
**ARC provided by Publisher**
lifeand100books's review against another edition
4.0
With wedding season in full swing, many women that I know have been called upon (as I have as well) to be a maid of honor. It's an honorable position, fraught with stress and responsibility that culminates as you watch your friend/family member walk down the aisle and exchange vows with his/her significant other. So, when I read the premise of Kissing the Maid of Honor by Robin Bielman, I knew that this story would bring back some fun memories of being the matron of honor at my sister's wedding almost exactly a year ago.
As the maid of honor at her best friend's wedding, Sela Sullivan has a lot of duties. One not so appealing duty is to tolerate Luke Watters, the best man and annoyance to her very existence since she was young. Even so, Sela must put aside these feelings and put on her best performance as Luke is also her best friend's older brother. Luke, on the other hand, is surprised by Sela's coldness, as he felt she would have been over his rejection of her all those years ago. Although he is a daring person by nature as an extreme sports photographer, his pursuit of Sela may be the most difficult thing he's ever had to do. As they spend more time together, will this cold between them finally thaw and give them another chance?
I'm in love with this book, its characters, its story, its writing... it's all there. Bielman is a really humorous writer, The realism was apparent, and I didn't feel as if I was reading something that was mass-produced to meet the needs of the post Fifty Shades of Grey public. I didn't find this prose to be a forced work, it was exciting and new all on its own. It was refreshing, and I was excited that the characters represented everyday people falling in love. They carry no extraneous baggage, no stipulations to be carried over to additional relationships. They are as realistic as you and I. Altogether, all of these characteristics make for an amazing work, one which is worth reading and sharing. I have read many works that have these characteristics, but Kissing the Maid of Honor has an innocence that I find enlightening. If you haven't already given it a try, I suggest that you do so soon! You won't forget it.
Kimberly (Reflections of a Book Addict)
Originally Posted: http://wp.me/p18lIL-1Qr
As the maid of honor at her best friend's wedding, Sela Sullivan has a lot of duties. One not so appealing duty is to tolerate Luke Watters, the best man and annoyance to her very existence since she was young. Even so, Sela must put aside these feelings and put on her best performance as Luke is also her best friend's older brother. Luke, on the other hand, is surprised by Sela's coldness, as he felt she would have been over his rejection of her all those years ago. Although he is a daring person by nature as an extreme sports photographer, his pursuit of Sela may be the most difficult thing he's ever had to do. As they spend more time together, will this cold between them finally thaw and give them another chance?
I'm in love with this book, its characters, its story, its writing... it's all there. Bielman is a really humorous writer, The realism was apparent, and I didn't feel as if I was reading something that was mass-produced to meet the needs of the post Fifty Shades of Grey public. I didn't find this prose to be a forced work, it was exciting and new all on its own. It was refreshing, and I was excited that the characters represented everyday people falling in love. They carry no extraneous baggage, no stipulations to be carried over to additional relationships. They are as realistic as you and I. Altogether, all of these characteristics make for an amazing work, one which is worth reading and sharing. I have read many works that have these characteristics, but Kissing the Maid of Honor has an innocence that I find enlightening. If you haven't already given it a try, I suggest that you do so soon! You won't forget it.
Kimberly (Reflections of a Book Addict)
Originally Posted: http://wp.me/p18lIL-1Qr
hillzaz's review
3.0
3.5 Stars
Can you say sexual tension? Holy MOSES! The sexual tension between Sela Sullivan and Luke Watters is thick. This made for a great story!
Sela is best friends with Luke’s younger sister and Luke is best friends with Sela’s older brother. That being said, any relationship they may want to have with each other is OFF LIMITS! Sela is also the maid of honor in her best friends wedding.
Sela and Luke are funny together. They constantly challenge each other. Luke & Sela have an undeniable attraction to each other. Sela is just trying to get through the wedding and then she can be rid of the handsome and pesky Luke.
At some point they stop trying to fight it, which is where things get interesting. I love the story line and how witty these two are together. Overall, this was a very charming story.
Can you say sexual tension? Holy MOSES! The sexual tension between Sela Sullivan and Luke Watters is thick. This made for a great story!
Sela is best friends with Luke’s younger sister and Luke is best friends with Sela’s older brother. That being said, any relationship they may want to have with each other is OFF LIMITS! Sela is also the maid of honor in her best friends wedding.
Sela and Luke are funny together. They constantly challenge each other. Luke & Sela have an undeniable attraction to each other. Sela is just trying to get through the wedding and then she can be rid of the handsome and pesky Luke.
At some point they stop trying to fight it, which is where things get interesting. I love the story line and how witty these two are together. Overall, this was a very charming story.
danicapage's review against another edition
4.0
Entangled: Bliss is becoming one of my favorite publishers for clean, cute, and fun romance novels. I adored this one. It was silly and cheesy, but I loved it.
tucker4's review
2.0
Part of me doesn't quite know how to feel about this. It started off pretty cute. It was light, it was fun, I was enjoying myself. And then it became all about accidental touches that sent sparks through their bodies.
Um, no. I hate this concept.
And even though Sela was supposed to dislike Luke for how he treated her in high school, she couldn't stop staring at his body or thinking about kissing him or blah blah blah. All you're experiencing is lust. Get a control on your hormones, girl.
Basically the more I got to know the characters the more I disliked them. I thought Sela needed to have more self respect and stay away from a guy who continually acted like an arrogant, bossy ass.
On top of that I thought Sela's best friend Vanessa was incredibly self involved. All she seemed to care about was her perfect wedding day, forget the best friend who was bending over backward for her.
The ending improved a little bit, but at that point nothing could have really salvaged this.
Um, no. I hate this concept.
And even though Sela was supposed to dislike Luke for how he treated her in high school, she couldn't stop staring at his body or thinking about kissing him or blah blah blah. All you're experiencing is lust. Get a control on your hormones, girl.
Basically the more I got to know the characters the more I disliked them. I thought Sela needed to have more self respect and stay away from a guy who continually acted like an arrogant, bossy ass.
On top of that I thought Sela's best friend Vanessa was incredibly self involved. All she seemed to care about was her perfect wedding day, forget the best friend who was bending over backward for her.
The ending improved a little bit, but at that point nothing could have really salvaged this.
ajenkins979's review against another edition
4.0
I was given this by the author for an honest review.
A story of true best friends, Vanessa and Sela. A wish gone terribly wrong, Sela went to the town's wishing well and wished that Luke (Vanessa's brother) would stay far away from her during Vanessa's wedding. After her wish she finds out that not only is Luke already in town, he will be the Best Man (she is the Maid of Honor) and he will be taking all the pictures of all the wedding activities.
Sela has always had a crush on Luke, but in high school he embarrassed her. The first day Luke sees Sela, he doesn't recognize her, she is able to show him how she has changed and what he missed while he's been traveling the world as a photographer.
As the story flows we see Sela and Luke falling in love and it really is romantic how it unfolds. Very true to life, unlike alot of romance novels we read. Sela tries to hide it from her best friend, but must confide and Vanessa takes it all in stride.
My favorite part is when Sela thinks Luke is leaving for an assignment after the wedding and he surprises her in front of his family and the whole town. The endings are not always my favorite part, but for this book it definitely was!
Highly recommend this book, it might even go on my reread list!!! I would give it four and half stars but we can't do halves here.
A story of true best friends, Vanessa and Sela. A wish gone terribly wrong, Sela went to the town's wishing well and wished that Luke (Vanessa's brother) would stay far away from her during Vanessa's wedding. After her wish she finds out that not only is Luke already in town, he will be the Best Man (she is the Maid of Honor) and he will be taking all the pictures of all the wedding activities.
Sela has always had a crush on Luke, but in high school he embarrassed her. The first day Luke sees Sela, he doesn't recognize her, she is able to show him how she has changed and what he missed while he's been traveling the world as a photographer.
As the story flows we see Sela and Luke falling in love and it really is romantic how it unfolds. Very true to life, unlike alot of romance novels we read. Sela tries to hide it from her best friend, but must confide and Vanessa takes it all in stride.
My favorite part is when Sela thinks Luke is leaving for an assignment after the wedding and he surprises her in front of his family and the whole town. The endings are not always my favorite part, but for this book it definitely was!
Highly recommend this book, it might even go on my reread list!!! I would give it four and half stars but we can't do halves here.
hollyberry_1980's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book, I was able to connect with the characters a little more than I have been able to in the last couple of romance novels that I have read. This is a story about Sela and Luke, they have agreed to be the maid of honour and best man at Luke's sister Vanessa's wedding. Now normally this would not be a big deal at all, however, there is a history between these two as Sela has been Vanessa's best friend since they were young, and there was an embarrassing episode that Sela has still not forgiven Luke for.
Throughout the book we see them try and work together to make Vanessa's day perfect for her, and try to keep their distance otherwise until the wedding is over, so that they can both try and keep their sanity. Well, that does not seem to be the plan that the "fates" have in store for them, which really is bothering Sela because there is a famous wishing well in town, and when Vanessa's wish came true, she put a lot of faith in it, and made her own wish for Luke to stay away from her, and the exact opposite is happening.
I really liked the flow of this book, and the way that you see their relationship start to repair, and then move on from there. I found it to be very realistic, and because there was the previous history between the two main characters, I did not get that insta-love feeling, and I thought that it was very well written, I would highly recommend this one for a nice summer beach read as it can definitely be read in one day while lazing by the water, overall rating is a 4/5.
Throughout the book we see them try and work together to make Vanessa's day perfect for her, and try to keep their distance otherwise until the wedding is over, so that they can both try and keep their sanity. Well, that does not seem to be the plan that the "fates" have in store for them, which really is bothering Sela because there is a famous wishing well in town, and when Vanessa's wish came true, she put a lot of faith in it, and made her own wish for Luke to stay away from her, and the exact opposite is happening.
I really liked the flow of this book, and the way that you see their relationship start to repair, and then move on from there. I found it to be very realistic, and because there was the previous history between the two main characters, I did not get that insta-love feeling, and I thought that it was very well written, I would highly recommend this one for a nice summer beach read as it can definitely be read in one day while lazing by the water, overall rating is a 4/5.
beckymmoe's review against another edition
4.0
This was super adorable--practically read this in one sitting. Another couple with a history, AND siblings-of-best-friends novel. A win-win! I really liked both Sela and Luke, as characters and as a couple. They had some fun banter which I really enjoyed. It's the first in a series, apparently; I'm hoping book two will be about Shane, Sela's brother. (Or Erin, Luke's sister. Really, I'm on board for whomever book two is about. I really liked this one a lot.:)) Nothing groundbreaking or earth-shattering here; just a sweet and satisfying read. I'll definitely be reading more from this author.
This ARC was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This ARC was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
elylibrarysec's review against another edition
4.0
Rating: 4.5 stars
This is one book that I would read again - especially once the series is over. You can go back and read all the books one right after the other. One hope I have is that Robin will go back and tell us Vanessa's story. I want to know how she came to make her wish at the famous Cascade wishing well.
This book would also make a great gift. Maybe you are getting ready for your own wedding. Not sure what to give your bride's maids? Your own maid of honor? If they love reading romances, why not give them the gift of this book. Maybe get some cake ideas. How can you go wrong?
I was happy to see that this is a part of a series. I tried to find out what book two will be about but I'm sorry to say that I couldn't find out anything. For now we'll just have to be patient.
This is one book that I would read again - especially once the series is over. You can go back and read all the books one right after the other. One hope I have is that Robin will go back and tell us Vanessa's story. I want to know how she came to make her wish at the famous Cascade wishing well.
This book would also make a great gift. Maybe you are getting ready for your own wedding. Not sure what to give your bride's maids? Your own maid of honor? If they love reading romances, why not give them the gift of this book. Maybe get some cake ideas. How can you go wrong?
I was happy to see that this is a part of a series. I tried to find out what book two will be about but I'm sorry to say that I couldn't find out anything. For now we'll just have to be patient.