Jasmine Guillory delivered as always. I have been a huge fan of all her books since the day I picked up The Proposal (read them out the order, sue me). But no seriously, I love all of her books and this one did not disappoint at all.

Thank you to both NetGalley and Berkely Publishing for allowing me to review this book before its publication date.

I have been waiting for Olivia's story since she was introduced in The Wedding Date as a side character. This is the perfect summer read so I am so excited for it to be coming out at the end of this month.

Party of Two features Olivia Monroe, a kickass lawyer who just opened her firm in LA after living in NY. In her first weeks in LA, she meets a handsome stranger at a bar and they strike up a conversation. But Olivia would never have thought that the guy whom she meets at the bar is none other than hot junior Senator Maxwell Powell and that was the beginning of a romance she was not prepared for.

See Olivia likes to think things through and Max can be a little impulsive, one thing they do have in common is their love for all things dessert and all things food.

The book was an easy and enjoyable read, perfect summertime book. The relationship between Olivia and Max is sweet and fun and difficult to navigate due to Max's job, but together they make it work. Max is overly romantic and Olivia is perfect to level him out. Together they perfectly complement each other and are one of my favorite couples of 2020.

If you decide to read this book, you will not be disappointed, all of Jasmine Guillory's books are amazing and I can't wait to continue to read her work. I love it very much!

Again thank you to both NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC. I will be ordering a copy of the book when it's published to add it to my collection.

I absolutely adored this book. Max and Olivia are so cute together that I thought my heart was going to swell out of my chest. The discussions on criminal justice reform, racism, unconscious bias, and interracial relationships were well written and integrated perfectly into the romance narrative so that they were poignant but not preachy (note: definitely look to own voices reviews for more on this, they will have better and more important responses than I). Overall I love love love this book and really recommend it to everyone. This was my first Guillory book and I’m so glad there are four others for me to now!

Olivia Munroe has just moved to LA, and finds herself frequenting her hotel's bar as she navigates the rental process in LA. On her last night in the hotel, she meets a sexy stranger at the bar. They have a cute interaction, but go their separate ways. Olivia is stunned when she realizes the sexy stranger was in fact Max Powell, a hotshot junior senator from CA. The two have another chance encounter, and this time continue to see each other. But is Olivia ready for life in the public eye?

This is my second Jasime Guillory book (The Wedding Party was my first), and I obviously liked the first enough to read this one, but I liked this one so much more! Olivia and Max were just such great characters, I fell in love with both of them pretty quickly. There's also some topical information about relations between the Black community and the police and politics at large, so that was super timely to read and adds an extra dimension to what would otherwise be a fluffy book. Really, aside from a couple of plot aspects that annoyed me personally, the only thing that bothered me was the lack of sex! Where is the sex?!?! There was soooooooo much sex in The Wedding Party that I expected a bunch here as well and was disappointed by it's absence, especially as I connected with these characters a little more.

I would generally recommend this to women's fiction readers, especially those who are looking for a slightly lighter way to read woke. 3.5 stars - it's somewhere in-between "I liked it" and "I really liked it" for me.

This book was so freaking good! I loved watching Olivia and Max's relationship develop. It was so sweet and their chemistry is great. I also really liked the humor throughout the story and the secondary characters were all awesome too. Highly recommend this one!

Jasmine Guillory does it again! This one was so enjoyable. Truth be told, this is one of the few series I’ve actually read over the years! I’m definitely a stand-alone kinda gal, but this series is great! I haven’t read the Royal Holiday yet because I’m holding off until Christmas time, but I heard I wouldn’t get any spoilers from this one, thank goodness.

Enough with my rambling - this book is everything we’ve come to expect from Guillory. It’s sweet, sassy, funny, has meaningful dialogue, and, of course, steamy! This is a perfect rom com for the summer.

Olivia Monroe is done with New York, back on the West Coast, diving into starting her own law firm with her bestie, and she's prepared to kick butt and take names in the courtroom. She's got everything planned out perfectly, and nothing will deter her from her plans. Not even the hot guy at the hotel bar she meets one night, who agrees with her on desserts, is super nice, and has a ready-list of all of the best places to eat in LA. Olivia regrets not getting his number... And then finds out that he's actually a U.S. Senator!

Maxwell "Max" Powell is serving his first term as senator of California, and when a broken water pipe means a night in a hotel, he's attracted to the beautiful woman at the bar who is disgusted by the lack of proper desserts. A woman after his own heart! Too bad he didn't get her number... until fate brings them together again at a function! Unable to get her out of his head, Max does what he does best: makes an impulsive decision and sends Olivia a cake.

This is the sweet beginning of... something. Neither are quite sure what it is, or what it can be. Opposites may attract, but will they be able to make a relationship work? Especially with the added hurdles of politics, paparazzi, and their respective pasts?

Jasmine Guillory's books never fail to make me happy (and hungry. Seriously, so much good food is described that you want to reach into the book and stuff your face with what the characters are eating). Guillory effortlessly blends in the fun, fluffy, and sexy parts of a relationship with the Hard Stuff. In this book, that includes: handling a relationship with someone of a different race and different economic classes growing up, coupled with that relationship being in the public eye and scrutinized on top of being mostly long-distance, all while also trying to achieve important career goals. Plus, Olivia and Max have two very different personalities. Olivia thinks long and hard about her decisions, while Max usually says or does the first thing that comes to mind. While these are factors that they both respect and like about the other, it can also make things difficult in a relationship as it can lead to frustration. However, Olivia and Max work together to find a happy balance without too much sacrifice on either end.

Without a doubt, Jasmine Guillory is the Queen of modern romance, showing the (all incredibly realistic) good, the bad, the ugly, and the fluffy of relationships and what love looks like, and "Party of Two" takes the cake. (See what I did there?)

This is my third Jasmine Guillory book & it might be my favorite. The romance was so sweet and the characters were so easy to like.
It's a great summer read for this year. The romance, the great characters, the talk of diversity and all the mention of cake. Max randomly surprises Olivia with cake & pies, SIGN ME UP!

I like Jasmine Guillory's books. This is the third in this series that I've read (not in order) and they are exactly what I like in a HEA romance/chick lit. I love the diversity, that they confront some social issues but not in a heavy-handed way, but in a way perfect for a light romance, they always have great dialogue and interesting, likeable characters. She is a good writer and I will probably read most of what she publishes.
This book was a little slow. It's brave to have your main couple not live in the same City because they aren't together as much as might be interesting in a book and you sort of need that to build a believable romance. To me it felt unnaturally fast that they were connected and in love, although I appreciate Olivia's reticence to just dive in. I enjoyed their communication challenges and the way they addressed those (and maybe even learned a thing or two myself) but felt the romance lacked a bit. I also thought she was a bad ass and he (Max) could use some work, but at least his privilege was addressed. She kept saying no one had ever loved her that way, looked at her that way, etc. which made me sad and also thought that he still wasn't the best and she could do better.
Overall, still enjoyable.
This was a 3.5 star for me and probably liked The Proposal better, but I would definitely recommend for a light and interesting read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wow, this was the perfect summer read. An addicting, fast-p[aced story, with buzzing chemistry between the two MC's that will leave you rooting for the couple the entire time...and probably craving cake and pie.

The story follows Olivia Monroe, as she moves to L.A to start her own law firm. She meets a handsome man at a hotel bar, and they spent the entire night flirting before realizing he's senator Max Powell. She had absolutely no interest in dating, but when a cake shows up at her apartment from Max, she can't resist.

Party of Two definitely pulled off the "opposites attract" trope. I found myself flipping through the pages because of the intense chemistry and cute banter between the two characters. The characters were very likeable. Olivia is fun, witty, determined and smart. Max is charming, heartwarming, outgoing and sweet. They're also flawed characters, which I personally love. It makes the story realistic.

I also love how they are both foodies! That added a charm to the story.

Overall, I highly recommend this book if you love romance. It's a great book to pick up for a summer day on the beach.

**ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.
I can’t say enough great things about this author! She never fails us! The relationship between the two characters is something we should all be aiming for. Perfect read!

Party of Two is an opposites attract romance following Olivia, the sister of the MC in The Wedding Date, as she moves back to Los Angeles to start her own law firm. She unexpectedly meets Max, a junior senator who is charming and does well in the spotlight. This book feels very timely in terms of having a hero who is an elected official advocating for a criminal justice reform bill. And in fact, we get some great conversations about the unequal effects of the criminal justice system on those from low income or minority communities.

I liked the thematic content and thought the romance had a good arc and some great moments. The early part of the book where they have very different expectations was fun, and I liked that it showed a couple working through conflict from personality differences and finding ways to resolve it.

On the other hand, this felt very bloated and really dragged in the middle. I'm not often bored in a romance, particularly a political one with so much potential, but parts of this were rather bland. I think with some editing to make this faster paced it could have been fantastic. As it is, it was fine but less memorable than I had hoped. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I love Max and Olivia. It's funny that when Olivia meets Max she has no clue he's the hot star senator! He's such a good guy and she's so likable too. She driven and right now a romance doesn't fit in her plans. He's busy wowing his constituents. They decide to keep their relationship under the radar and spend so much fun time together. Soon they're completely invested in their relationship but problems are inevitable. Their different races, her reluctance to live in the public eye, geographic distance, career demands all cause a great deal of conflict and create some heartbreaking situations.

I laughed, I cried, I enjoyed.

The best if The Wedding Date series to date! A great interracial romance read that has just the right touch of seriousness.

I really liked this one! From the strong female friendships to how the mains worked to learn from each other, I found it to be a solid story, while still being a bit cheesy (in a good way!). If you're a fan of her other books, for sure check this one out - won't be disappointed.

This book was very entertaining, easy I finished them in 3 days, I was able to finish it earlier, but I was presented with some activities. Well, what I'll say about this story is that the protagonists are too deference, sometimes I doubt what chemistry they might have. History reflects politics, humor and drama. The cliché is that we know that the protagonists will stay together, but here the dire day is that in history they try to struggle to know if the relationship is worth it and not force to have the relationship as most romances are located. The characters are very different, but I've always said. Opposites attract, I must accept that these characters are very mature and do not do nonsense as I am accustomed to reading teenage romances that even becomes toxic the relationship. you can not miss this great story if you are looking for romance outside of what you are used to.

Jasmine Guillory just keeps getting better and bigger as the literary world that she has created expands. Olivia is the aspirational romantic lead that more people need to see get a happy ending in books and movies. I cannot wait for the next book.

Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory is the 5th book in her delightful The Wedding Date series. I have enjoyed the previous books, as Guillory writes such wonderful fun romances.

We meet Olivia Monroe, our heroine and sister to the first book’s heroine, Alexa. Olivia has just moved from New York to Los Angeles, where she and her best friend, Ellie, have started their own law firm. While staying at a hotel until her new place is ready, Olivia meets a cute guy at the bar. They spent the time having fun and flirting with each other, while discussing the best cakes and pies; after a few drinks, Olivia leaves. Later that night while watching TV, she realizes that t he cute guy was in fact the junior senator from California.

Max Powell, our hero, regretted not finding out Olivia’s name and how to contact her. A couple of days later, Max was giving a speech, and immediately noticed Olivia standing in the back of the auditorium. They meet, with her teasing him that he is famous and him asking for her address and where she worked. Later, she gets a surprise delivery…Chocolate Cake, and it was from her cute senator.

What follows is a lighthearted heartwarming fun story centering on a romance between two people in different stages of their lives and their struggles. Olivia was a great heroine, smart, fun, outgoing, lively, but also dedicated and driven in making her new firm grow. She is the kind of person who plans things ahead, always being prepared. Max was such a fantastic character, and I loved him with Olivia. He was smart, charming, fun, and also driven in his career in politics; but Max was the opposite of Oliva, as he was impulsive on how he reacted to various things. Their romance was sexy and charismatic, and they made a great couple. But Max’s impulsiveness and Olivia’s fear of being in the public eye caused major hardships. Will they find a way to stay together?

Party of Two was a delightful, charming, fun and sexy story. I loved some of the secondary characters, especially Max’s chief of staff, and Olivia’s partner Elle, and her new friend. Once again, Jasmine Guillory gives us a fantastic and enjoyable story, which you need to be reading.

Sexy and fun! This is a fav of Jasmine Guillory's books. It's flirty in it's dialogue, and the characters are spicy and strong. I enjoyed this book because it's very fiery and hot. The perfect summer romance book!

This is my favorite of Jasmine Guillory's books! Really enjoyed these two characters and their central conflict. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC. The opinions herein are mine alone and may not reflect the views of the author, publisher, or distributor.

Quick review for the day, as I'm rather busy. So, this was adorable. Not only do we have a seriously warrior-princess heroine (or should I say, lawyerly-princess, heh...I'll show myself out), we have a genuinely-sweet guy who pursues her because he likes who she is.

And, folks, that's hard to find in a lot of romance novels. There's a lot of digging involved to get to the gems, and not even The Bromance Book Club hit me with the sweet like I thought it would. Olivia was herself no matter what, and I appreciated that in a heroine. (Also, can I just mention real quick here, she was not ashamed of how much she loves food? Cuz girl, same.)

And Max? Cute. Super cute. I am SO GLAD Guillory doesn't believe in the creepy romance, where he comes on strong and then the woman's like, "OMG I hate you but I love you but I hate you." The mood swings give me whiplash.

Couple other notes:

1) Guillory's prose is great.

Her dialogue is natural and flows as if someone is actually talking to you. Her characters are easily distinguishable, and speaking of her characters:

2) They're flawed!

They felt like real people, even in the ups and downs of their budding relationship. Add to that the individual personalities of the characters shining through, and I'm now convinced Guillory should get way more attention than she does currently.

I enjoyed this!