To plan the perfect wedding with the most annoying best man…

Synopsis

Wedding planner Madeline lives in a picture-perfect thatched cottage, in a picture-perfect English country village.

There’s only one problem – dream cottages take a lot of work, and with a leaking roof, and not enough money to pay for it, what Maddie needs now is a big wedding to plan.

So she’s delighted when she takes on the wedding of Californian heiress Peyton, to all-round good guy Patrick.  She’s less delighted to find out that she’s going to have help – from the admittedly gorgeous, but equally maddening, tall, dark and handsome best man Lorcan.

The wedding is set to take place in a castle in rural Ireland, and so, in no time, Maddie and Lorcan are on their way to Ballalee. Life hasn’t always been easy for Maddie, and work has become her refuge. But soon the warmth and humour of Lorcan’s Irish family and friends start to chip away at Maddie’s walls. And as the big day approaches, it might be time for Maddie to focus less on her clients’ love life and more on her own…

My review

Maddie is a woman with a plan, actually with many plans. Everything in her life is planned into details, so that there is no room for unexpected and unwelcome surprises. And that works perfectly as she is a wedding planner. She is delighted with her working on the wedding of Californian heiress Peyton and her fiancé Patrick, especially as that pay check will allow her to fix the roof of her dream cottage. However, she is less happy when Peyton and Patrick both insist that Patrick’s best man Lorcan is going to help her every step in the way towards the ‘I Do’.
Of course Maddie doesn’t want Lorcan interferences, but as the wedding is taking place in Ballalee, Ireland, Maddie realizes that she needs his help more than imagined. And that is a problem, as Maddie’s walls start to crumble around gorgeous Lorcan and the warmth she receives from the Irish community… 

Shortest review ever… 

WOW!!! 

The End 

How much that would be enough said in my opinion, I also know that you want to know step by step what my thoughts were while reading so here is the official, more serious review… 

This book was just amazing in all its aspects. I loved how Maxine Morrey was able to keep me sitting on the edge of my seat, wishing (sometimes at loud) that the slow burning fire would FINALLY ignite. But I also ‘loved’ it how both main characters slowly crash the high walls around their hearts by just being forced to spend time together. 

When we meet Maddie for the first time, it’s crystal-clear that something happened in the past making her act the way she does. I also have everything written down, but that is more for me not forgetting anything, while in Maddie’s case it was more the case of avoiding the unexpected.  
And yes, it may work perfectly for her, at least she thinks so, but I also saw immediately how that was holding her back.
With the job she has, obviously that works perfectly, as planning a wedding isn’t an easy job. Yet no matter how difficult it is to plan this wedding, as it’s rather a last – minute job, everyone can see how passionate Maddie is about it. She wants it to be the best day for Peyton and Patrick…
I liked her for being so detailed about every bit, even going the extra lengths and have a back – up plan if something would go wrong. 

Yet she didn’t expect to be forced to join forces with Lorcan. Oooooh Lorcan… that man for sure made me like Irishmen even more than before! He is very easy on the eye, which is always a nice extra, and he makes things seem so easy. He has a solution for every issue and in some aspects he is also very humble. Yet in other aspects he is the greatest ego – tripper Maddie has ever met.  

And that made reading this book so hilariously funny! I ADORED reading their constant banter, yet also when needed their joined forces to make everything work.
This book is a VERY slow burning romance, as at moments it got me almost angry because I JUST WANTED THEM TO KISS!!!
But on the other hand, it also made it possible for both main characters and the readers to understand Maddie and Lorcan much better. The both of them have been hurt terribly, and it takes time to trust someone and to open up to them. And with the author taking her time for the sparks to finally fly around, it gives us also all the time to understand their emotions and feelings much better. 

I had so many emotions while reading, as the characters bickering around like little children had me laughing, the moments where we see the real Lorcan and Maddie made me swoon, anytime Bod was in the story I just heard the dripping of my melting heart (can I adopt Bod, please???). But I also had several facepalms when the wrong thing was being said, or when we clearly saw the walls rising all up again. 

Saying I loved this book from the first chapter until the epilogue wouldn’t do justice to this book, as it was even better than I expected it to be (and I had extremely high expectations). This book better come with a warning, as I found it impossible to just put it away… I read it every little free moment I had (and yes, toilet visits included…).
So when someone asks you to read this book, just say yes…