A fun romance, and as always, Guillory is really great at creating characters that hold their own, are vulnerable and compassionate, and all the friendships and relationships are built on mutual respect and genuine curiosity.

Having read everything Jasmine Guillory has published up to this point, I can see her writing improving, and while I wouldn’t consider this as “fluffy” as her other books, I love the on page discussion of race and politics. Party of Two gave me all the feels and did a fantastic job of showing how the two MCs were attracted to each other and a good fit for the other. I do wish we had gotten to see a little more into their mindset and see them truly be vulnerable.

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the chance to review.

Jasmine Guillory does it again. Party of two is a scintillating read. Sexy and poignant, Olivia Munroe finds herself attracted to a man and having to handle the scrutiny of the spotlight. Falling in love is not easy especially when there are a million eyes on you, questioning you. This is a beautiful sorry of love overcoming.

I really enjoy this series. They are individual stories so you don't have to read in a specific order. I fly through these books since it's such cute romances with some drama thrown in.

Thank you NetGalley for sending me an early access to this book. Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. I had to DNF the book, but just because the writing style isn’t for me, but I still recommend this author to customers at Barnes & Nobles because I know people will love this book & this author is incredibly popular, the writing style is just not for me unfortunately. Thank you so much for the opportunity to review it & all my opinions are my own.

Another Jasmine Guillory that does not disappoint! I loved following these characters and seeing their story play out. I appreciate the attention to detail that Guillory pays her characters and I felt that same way with this book.

Put anything that Jasmine Guillory writes into my hands right this second. This was an interesting one because the couple get together early, but the premise is that they have to work on staying together, which I really liked. It felt more realistic. It’s a great read with very likable characters. Guillory really knows her craft.

Party of Two is something a little different for my summer reading. It has been on my NG shelf for quite some time and I finally decided to read it. Summer reading is a great time to get to those reads that sit on your shelf waiting for the perfect time to read them. What better time than when the weather is warm and the drinks are cold!!!

Party of Two is book five in The Wedding Date series by Jasmine Guillory and my first one. They are interconnected stand-alone romances and can be read in any order.

What makes Party of Two a great summer read

It’s a delicious, fun, charming, warm story with complicated heroines, irresistible romance that is not just fun but relatable to the real world, and scorching chemistry to match the summer heat.

Where to read Party of Two and what to drink or eat while reading it

Traveling alone in a hotel bar with a glass of rosé or on a patio eating a piece of cake.

By the ocean, lake, river, or any water to cool you down, and after reading this one, you just might want to find your party of two and go out for some dessert.

My party of two was with my husband, and we visited a couple of breweries and a wine tasting room on the weekend. I paired a lovely refreshing rosé and recommend a glass to cool you down when things get hot while reading this one. You don’t need to be outside to feel the heat between Olivia and Max.

The Characters/Tropes: Who are the lovable romantic couple, and how did they meet? Did I enjoy their banter?

The part of two in this story are Olivia and Max, whose chance meeting takes place in a hotel bar. Their meeting doesn’t go as you might expect in a hotel bar. It’s a refreshing take on that chance meeting trope as they bond over a passionate discussion about desserts that instantly gives the story a comfortable, warm feeling.

Olivia is Alexa’s sister from The Wedding Date. Olivia is likable and relatable. I often find likable characters uninteresting, with stereotyped behaviors; however, Olivia is a well-rounded character who strays from that “strong female character” that has become an overused trope that has lost its meaning. Now you just need to be a female character to get that title. Olivia is independent, a bit opinionated but not defensive, reasonable, and confident. She is quietly kind and supportive of the people in her life.

Max is the privileged white male trope with some stereotypes to him; however, he also defies that trope. He is easy-going, attentive, warm, and vulnerable. He’s not aggressive, controlling, or a pushover.

I enjoyed Olivia and Max’s warm banter that didn’t fall into witty bickering, and their conversations about food gave a friendly, comfortable tone to the story.

Themes

There is some substance to the story with heavy topics related to the real world. Themes of giving back to your community, feminism with a strong black woman in a career dominated by white men, interracial relationships, race, and social and criminal justice are explored.

Relationship in Jeopardy: How are the characters tested?

Olivia and Max are opposites who attract with differing life experiences. Olivia is a black lawyer looking to find her place in a dominating white male world, and Max is a high-profile senate. Olivia and Max are both career-driven and a powerhouse couple; everyone is talking about them. It’s the outside forces that test their interracial relationship.

Happy Ending: Did I like how it wrapped?

Yes!!

livia moves back to California to start her own law firm and meets Max, a senator. And it’s love at first sight.

Olivia and Max had the best chemistry. The romance was so natural with two independent, adult characters with their life figured out. Olivia didn’t immediately swoon when Jack gave her attention and Jack was such a genuine love interest who wasn’t afraid to express his emotions to her.

As a fellow dessert lover, I loved the mentions of all the tasty treats in the book.

This book was a quick read with pretty fast pacing. I’d recommend it for a cute beach read or a day at the park.

My public library purchases many romance novels on my recommendation, this was one of them. I enjoy being able to add to our collection.

I really love this series because of how inclusive it is and how interconnected the stories are.

They are so well written that you can totally read each without having read the others, but it's so great getting the nuances and having what feels like inside jokes with the characters from other books. Plus, we get to revisit scenes from previous books but from the perspective of other characters. The timelines overlap instead of each volume running consecutively which is just a ridiculous amount of fun for readers especially devoted fans of the author.

As for this installment in particular, can we talk about the food??? I spent so much of this book hungry!

I know some people see these books as tame, but for me, there was a perfect balance of steamy romance. This is not erotica by any means, but there are some seriously hot scenes.

I also really enjoyed the main characters having such career driven lives. They didn't have as much time for silly miscommunications which is my pet peeve with romances. If one conversation can unravel a book, then the conflict wasn't really that deep and the plot should probably have been built up. In Party of Two there is a real life struggle that while not relatable to the every man, is probably truer than most would want to believe about a romance with a public figure.

The dates were also extremely cute. Made me want to go to the farmers market in a disguise.

Didn't capture my attention and engagement. Interested in trying it again though and hopefully it will take.

Guillory has done it again! I love her brand of modern romance. Smart, funny, engaging, and just a little bit of tugging at your heartstrings.

Party of Two is book 5 of the Jasmine Guillory 'The Wedding Date' series. I do really enjoy series that follow different characters from the first book, as it's nice to get a glimpse into previous characters, but with a whole new story. However, this series isn't really blowing me away, or keeping me too overly interested. I loved the first in the series but the rest haven't really stood up to that. This one was just okay. It was cute and steamy, but it wasn't anything special. It honestly put me into a bit of a mediocre romance slump. I'm sure I'l still read the others in this series, but I won't be rushing to any of them. I think Guillory's writing style just doesn't vibe super well with me, and that's on me! Party of Two was pretty repetitive, I felt like they beat to death certain conversations. This book could have probably been half the length it was. I did enjoy Olivia's character though - how strong and awesome as she was!

Another favorite by the wonderful miss Guillory. Unique characters and a plot full of sweet, heart-warming, funny, thought-provoking moments. Really enjoyed this one :)

4.5. A pretty great read in the Wedding Date series. I highly recommend this book. I also highly recommend reading the first four books in the series before reading this one as there are things mentioned in this book that happens in those books.

This is my favorite Jasmine Guillory book to date! While I feel like I say that about most of her books, this time it's actually true: this book made my politics-loving heart so happy! Max is the ultimate book boyfriend: a Senator who will send you whole cakes just because? Where do I sign up! I think his relationship with Olivia was the best out of all of Guillory's other love stories. I liked that they were more than just a fling; this story documented their relationship. Olivia is such a badass main character, and I loved getting to hear more about her process of starting her own law firm. My favorite parts of this book included Olivia's work with the food pantry, and Max's flights to and from DC. This book gets all the love!

Although Guillory's strength in this shared universe title is her characters, the banter between Olivia and Max is a bit plain. It's still a cut above the norm, and this is a delightful romp. She could have delved a little deeper into the late conflict between the lovers, because really, Max, we don't need to be condoning your clueless privilege, but a Jasmine Guillory book is like cake. There's good cake, there's really good cake, there's orgasmic cake; at the end of the day, who's going to turn down cake? Not Olivia, and not this reader.

These stories are great to read as refreshers for when you have a need for something light! I loved the characters and the dynamic between them. The power duo was pretty interesting and the romantic side was so sweet! I’m looking forward to reading more by this author!

I keep waiting for a dud from this series but Jasmine keeps writing bangers! What another fun novel from the fantastic Jasmine Guillory -- I couldn't put it down! The story is aspirational, yet somehow also feels realistic. The characters grapple with real issues just in heightened scenarios -- I've had fights/miscommunications like Olivia and Max, but I've never dated a senator! I can't wait to read more.