I was recently introduced to Brighton Walsh’s books through a new contemporary romance blog. I love learning about new-to-me authors, as she is one I look forward to reading more books from in the future.
Official Summary:
Olivia hates the singles scene, so when her best guy friend, Ian, offers to be her plus one to a series of weddings she has to attend, she agrees. Although she doesn’t want to complicate their lifelong friendship, she can’t pass up the chance to have a steady date without the dating drama. What she doesn’t expect is to now find Ian so incredibly sexy.
When Ian sees his old friend Olivia dolled up for wedding #1, the boyhood crush he once nurtured transforms into smoldering attraction. It doesn’t take long for their no-strings arrangement to turn physical. But as Olivia’s desire to stay “just friends” becomes clear, Ian’s feelings are deepening. In the time they have together, how will Ian convince Olivia that one plus one can make for a lifelong pair?
So Many Reads Review:
This was a fun novella that is the perfect length to read in between longer books. It is light, entertaining, sweet, and very hot. I read it in under 24 hours and was engaged by the characters from the beginning. The friends to lovers plot is always a fun one because the solid relationship is already established. Brighton does a wonderful job of developing both Ian and Olivia in such a short book. Sometimes that can be hard in a novella, but I think she pulled it off nicely.
Deciding to cross the friends line is always a hard one, especially when you are not sure how the other person feels. I really sided with Ian in this book. He tried so hard to keep his feelings private to maintain the close friendship he had with Oliva, but wanted so much more. However, it was time for Olivia to wake up and notice the man in front of her. Ian is very sweet and not overly alpha which is a nice change to read about. He is exactly what Olivia needs.
I was a little surprised at how hot the intimate scenes were in Plus One. I was expecting more of a sweet, clean romance based on the cover, but you can’t judge a book by its cover now, right? I will say that the intimate scenes were very well written and fit the characters. I just think the category of this book pushes the lines of contemporary romance and could be classified as erotic romance. Some of the descriptions were just a little more, well, descriptive than I expected.
I am not sure if this is going to be a series, but if so, I would love to read more about Emma, Olivia’s best friend and Ian’s sister. She sounds like a girl who knows exactly what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it. If you are looking for a fun, contemporary romance story about friends to lovers that is both sweet and very sexy, I recommend you read Plus One!
So, are any of you married to or dating someone that you were close friends with first?
