Daniel Green, an event planner with a neat, quiet, orderly life, reluctantly agrees to plan the wedding of his childhood friend Ander, an outrageous fashion designer soon to marry a wealthy entertainment lawyer named Rafe. To complicate matters, the happy couple have agreed to have their wedding made into a reality show—something that practical Daniel isn’t sold on.
Daniel is neither a romantic nor a wedding planner, but he’s the only person in the world who can manage Ander. Distracting him from his mission is Owen Grainger, a too-handsome-to-be-true producer whose quiet charm pulls Daniel into his orbit.
When the stress of the show triggers bad behavior from Ander, co-producer Victor Pierce decides it's the key to a ratings bonanza, and he begins to undermine Ander and Rafe’s relationship to create more drama. Daniel is determined to protect his friend and his own reputation, but when he finds himself falling hard for Owen, there’s much more at stake than ratings.
I always love everything I read by Tere Michaels. Usually enough to reread her books more than once. I think I was expected something a little different than what was delivered with Groomzilla.
First things first, the narration is really good. Nick J. Russo did an amazing job with bringing Groomzilla to life. He did especially great with the conversations between Ander and Daniel. He really brought out their bond and the special kind of humor they have together. There were more than a few laugh out loud moments and the narration gave them that little something extra.
I loved Ander and Daniel. Their friendship was something special and their scenes together were my favorite. They were funny, snarky, and always put forth the effort to work out their (numerous) problems. They were always fighting and poking at each other, but that was part of their charm. Even through the sarcasm, I could feel how strong their relationship was.
Owen... I liked him. He was okay. I didn't think he was particularly special and I didn't think the relationship between him and Daniel was all that special either. They were "meh" together. They had their hot moments and their sweet moments, but their romance wasn't something I could really sink my teeth into. Honestly, I would have liked to read more about Daniel and Ander planning Ander's wedding.
The whole reality TV plot was thin. Much of the drama happened off page and was mentioned kind of in passing towards the end.
The narration was the best thing about Groomzilla. Tere Michaels is still an autobuy for me and I'll still read anything she puts out, but this one isn't one of my favorites from her. I'll certainly be adding Nick J. Russo to my list of narrators to look for.
Find out more info on Goodreads and Dreamspinner Press.
Sorry to hear that this one didn't really work for you. I've never actually read anything by Tere Michaels before, I may have to check one out.
ReplyDeleteIf you like contemporary I would rec Faith & Fidelity. My favorite from her is Who Knows the Storm, though. It's urban/fantasy post-apocalyptic-ish.
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