I LOVED THIS BOOK! An enemies with benefits?! Sign me up. I love how steamy these scenes were, and how much fun the tension was. I also loved how real these characters are - Denise is a fabulous writer and I really appreciate how she creates real & flawed characters.

I don't even really want to write this review. I probably won't go into too much detail, to be honest. This book wasn't the hit I thought it was going to be. This book didn't live up to it's hype, or to the author's previous book.

I felt like nothing really happened, I struggled to like the MC because she was just mean - and yes I understand where it was coming from, but she could have been a little.. I don't know. Nicer isn't the word. It felt really boring, like it went nowhere and nothing really happened. I didn't fall in love with the love story, it didn't feel like they did either. It seemed like they had really great physical chemistry and forced the rest. The open door scenes were definitely excellent, as usual from Denise Williams. I did have a little bit of a soft spot for Lear and his story, but that's about it. This pained me to write.

Funny, biting, and hot as hell, Do You Take This Man is a romance that is complicated and challenging, inviting readers to engage with its prickly characters and fall in love with them, flaws and all. In the beginning, I wondered if I would ever root for the leads to fall in love, and by the end, I was gooey mess of feelings, ready to break out my pom poms and cheer them across the finish line. Which is a testament to Williams' expert character development and ability to craft a strong romantic arc. One of the best enemies-to-lovers romances I've read in some time.

My thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Denise Williams. Her books are well written and her characters are diverse and genuine. Unfortunately, Do You Take This Man was just okay for me. It was a good read, but I just couldn't connect with the characters. I will admit I've come off of a long streak of some really wonderful and solid romance novels. It might just be the timing of when I read the book.

RJ is a strong lawyer who is jaded on love. She sticks up for those who have been burned in their relationships and believes in herself. After officiating a wedding that goes viral, she becomes a bit of a celebrity and soon finds herself taking a side job officiating weddings for the summer.

Along comes Lear. He's been hurt due to a difficult breakup, he's lost his job standing up for what is right, and he's starting over. He takes a job with his cousin Penny's wedding planning business. Here he meets RJ.

I love a good enemies to lovers stories. I enjoyed the story overall, I just didn't have a passionate appreciation for it. The story is told from both Lear and RJ's point of view. At times I got confused at who was narrating and had to backtrack to the chapter heading as a reminder. The relationship is also very hot and cold. Normally, this wouldn't bother me, but with the pacing and my lack of connection to the characters, it got a bit frustrating.

All that being said, it's a decent read. It's probably not one I will read again, but I would not discourage fans of Williams or contemporary romance to read it. It's an easy read, it was just kind of lukewarm for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC and the opportunity to read and review Do You Take This Man by Denise Williams.

Damage. That’s the one word that came to mind about halfway through Do you Take This Man? (Berkley) by Denise Williams, and the word won’t let me go even now as I write this review. In fact, my playlist for this book would consist of one song — Damage by H.E.R. (Well two songs, but one is a scene spoiler, so I won’t mention it.)

This enemies-to-lovers romance, or as the main characters Lear and RJ have deemed it, “enemies-with-benefits,” is a specific type of enemies-to-lovers romance — a steamy one with lots of baggage.

FROM PAST ENEMIES TO FUTURE LOVERS

RJ Brooks is an Asheville, North Carolina attorney that mainly works on divorce cases. She’s also a wedding officiant.

Well, that second one was a happy accident that turned into a bit of a side hustle. She’s agreed to officiate several weddings for event planner Penny, but shortly after agreeing, Penny and her spouse adopt a newborn. Penny takes parental leave and turns the season’s weddings over to her cousin Lear Campbell. Lear has left behind an event planning job — not to mention a former fiancé — in Los Angeles to start over in Asheville and help Penny with her expanding business.

Lear and RJ literally run into each other as each are (unknowingly) headed to the same wedding rehearsal. But it’s not a cute romantic comedy run-in. It’s an ugly, sprawling, bickering about being independent versus needing help, cocky, antagonistic collision, which starts the enemies-to-lovers vibe between RJ and Lear.

As these two work a couple of weddings, they succumb to the physical attraction they share. But emotional intimacy is not something RJ is willing to give, and Lear seems unable to. Readers quickly see why: both RJ and Lear have had disastrous past relationships that make them unwilling to feel.

Their heated banter is part of what attracts them to each other, but it is also a defense and avoidance mechanism. RJ wants to keep her distance and avoid being hurt again; Lear wants to prove he’s immune to RJ’s caustic wit and little jabs at his personality.

Both of them want to prevent the pain they think is inevitable if they become vulnerable and do something stupid like fall in love, so they keep the antagonistic veneer between them for most of the novel.

HATRED TURNS TO PASSIONATE ROMANCE

However, as much as they fight to keep their distance from each other, sexual attraction keeps pulling them closer together. These two can’t keep their hands off each other, finding hideaways at wedding venues and hooking up after wedding parties have left for the rehearsal dinner.

While they know little about each other’s lives and past, they are fully aware of erogenous zones on each other’s bodies. For readers who love a lot of spice during foreplay, this book gives you that. Do You Take This Man? is firmly in the spicy/steamy category without having a lot of love scenes on page.

I especially loved the character’s personalities shining through during these scenes. Both RJ and Lear have distinct moments that ring true to what we know of these characters, which make them so relatable as they pull off one inventive wedding after another.

A FUN SERIES WITH SERIOUS UNDERTONES

Do You Take This Man? is the third book in the unnamed series/shared world Ms. Williams has created that, while mostly funny and light, has a thread of serious topics through it.

In this novel, the author includes issues of abandonment, fidelity, and mental trauma/mental health that can arise with the hijinks and antics of wedding ceremonies.

Books one and two also touch on serious societal topics, such as domestic abuse (How to Fail at Flirting), eating disorders and body positivity (The Fastest Way to Fall). Readers will be entertained, but many may also relate to these characters through their life struggles and dysfunctions.

Overall, this enemies-to-lovers romance is both entertaining and enlightening, something readers and fans have come to look for with Ms. Williams’ romance stories.

I love Denise Williams! I think she is one the queen of romances. Plus a diverse writer! I have read so many books by her this year including this one!
Heres what worked for me:
The enemies to lovers is always a favorite for me
Friends with benefits plus spice!
Strong independent female lead
Loved the friends and continuing to get a glimpse into Britta and Wes
The character development

Heres what didn't work for me:
felt the pacing was a bit slow, it dragged for me a bit
I don't enjoy the hot cold plot… and that was present in this story where they kept feeling hot and cold for each other just when you thought things would move forward

RJ was definitely a strong character and I'm so glad Lear was able to get close to her and love her as she was. There was a good amount of humour to balance the personal angst, and I was glad to see the diversity and variety of weddings depicted in the book.

I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Denise Williams has written some of my all-time favorite romances so I jumped into this one with the highest expectations. I might have been let down in some areas, like when Lear was kind of rude and just not on my good side. But overall, RJ was the one who saved this story. She was an incredibly strong character who did not allow for others to walk over her. I genuinely swooned and adored this book!

Do You Take This Man has easily become one of my favorites written by Denise Williams. I am fairly new to her books and currently reading from her repertoire, but I can say this novel is a bit different from the rest. First, this book was one I couldn't put down--I had to read to the end. The character's were interesting (and had interesting jobs), and gave me inspiration for my own characters.

I wish I had more from RJ's past and her getting the revenge/closure she deserved after a crappy breakup from a crappy guy, and I found myself wanting her to let Lear in more than she had, but I'm fine with what I got. This romance is one that I'd love to see develop in a second book, but I think Williams did a good job with ending the story the way that it should.

Thank you Berkley for the gifted copy.

I made it through 63% before giving up on this one. I'm so disappointed, because I really wanted to love it.

A wedding coordinator and a divorce lawyer/officient - enemies to not quite lovers, because I don't feel like there was honestly any love involved....more like sort of friends with lots of. benefits. I didn't feel a connection between Lear and RJ at all. RJ was very hard for me to like, and I thought that Lear needed to just move on from her and find someone that was actually treating him well.

I also had difficulty telling who was narrating which chapter, because they were very similar.

I tried really hard to love this book but unfortunately I couldn’t grow to like Lear. from the beginning he came across as misogynistic and rude. Add in the fact that he was being disrespectful to a Black woman; and I couldn’t enjoy it

Denise Williams is fast becoming one of my favorite romance authors.

Do You Take This Man is a enemies with benefits romantic comedy with excellent banter! I loved RJ, and I have to admit I don’t always like reading books about lawyers, but this one did a great job of not getting into too many details. Unfortunately, much like RJ, Lear rubbed me the wrong way at the beginning. I don’t know if I would have been as quick to forgive him as RJ was. But he grew on me and turned out to be a good guy.

Do You Take This Man was told in alternating viewpoints, and it was perfect for the story. It was so important to get both of their points of view, especially Lear’s. It certainly helped me like him more.

I love the characters Williams writes about, and these two were incredible. Do You Take This Man is another great romance book, and I can’t wait to read what she writes next!

I am convinced that Denise Williams is trying to become one of my favorite romance authors. I mean, to be fair, with this book she graces my favorite authors of all time list, but still! The way she manages to write every trope and make it fun and exciting like I have never experienced is just so refreshing.

Enemies with benefits. Most certainly not friends with benefits. RJ and Lear find themselves working together quite a bit all of a sudden. RJ did a favor for friends and officiated their wedding ceremony. The ceremony went viral and before long, RJ is now an officiant. Her full-time job is a busy divorce attorney, one who sees the worst of couples who fight tooth and nail as their marriages are ending. For her to be on the other side of things, playing a big role in couples starting their lives together seems rather contrary.

Lear was a sports event planner and has amazing organizational skills. This helps him now because he was at a turning point in his life, and his cousin has brought him into her business as a wedding planner. So, RJ is involved with weddings. Lear is involved with weddings. The two now find themselves in each other's company quite often. However, one thing is clear. For all intents and purposes, they hate one another. This is majorly complicated by the fact that they share an intense sexual attraction, an attraction that cannot be denied.

There is no stopping RJ and Lear when it comes to them taking every opportunity to demonstrate how they affect one another. However, they are both beset with baggage from previous relationships, as well as RJ's constant stream of clients ending their marriages via divorce, so emotion cannot and will not factor into whatever it is that is happening between them. What an angst-filled story! While there are definitely light moments in this book, the drama that this couple faces while navigating a physical relationship that is not and will not go further was done quite well by Denise Williams.

I love how this story evolved, and wondered who would take a chance to push things further, all while loving how both RJ and Lear had people in their corner in their lives, It is those secondary characters that gave this delightful read an extra lift. This wonderful story definitely packed a punch and kept my attention from beginning to end.

Many thanks to Berkley and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/OdEVEtkAz6g

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Denise Williams NEVER disappoints! Her black FMC are always so perfect and I want to be friends with them. This was a light-hearted enemies to lovers about a divorce attorney and a former pro football player. I SWOONED. Denise Williams, I would read your grocery list if I could.

Thank you #Netgalley for an early read of #doyoutakethisman

Oh, Denise Williams, how I love you and your writing 🤩 I’m not exaggerating when I say that her first two books are two of my all time favorite romcoms EVER. I will always recommend her books for smart, witty, and unique characters.

❤️Here’s what to expect::
•A great meet cute
•Workplace romance
•Forced proximity
•Terrific wedding scenes and drama
•Friends-with-benefits to lovers
•Great steamy scenes
•Characters that you cannot help but root for!

RJ is an unromantic divorce attorney, but when a video of her officiating an impromptu wedding goes viral, she becomes a highly sought-after wedding officiant in her spare time (much to the dismay of her law firm). After leaving his job as an event manager for a football team, Lear takes a job planning weddings (a lot of which happen to be weddings that RJ is officiating). Despite having a meet disaster and constantly butting heads, the more weddings RJ and Lear work together, the harder it becomes to deny their attraction to each other. Having both been burned in the past, the pair decide to become friends with benefits (or enemies with benefits, if you will). However, the longer their arrangement goes on, the harder it is to not catch feelings.

Do You Take This Man is a contemporary rom-com invoking the enemies to lovers, friends with benefits, and forced proximity tropes. This book would be ideal for fans of books like The Fastest Way to Fall by Denise Williams, The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang, Book Lovers by Emily Henry, Set On You by Amy Lea, and Thank You, Next by Andie J Christopher as well as fans of movies like The Wedding Planner. Some themes present in this book include love and heartbreak, friendship and companionship, death, weddings and divorce, parenthood, family, facing darkness, and overcoming fear. Some potential trigger warnings include off-page death of parent and absentee parent, recalled cheating, trauma surrounding infant paternity, and infant NICU stay. In my opinion, the moral of this story is that, even if you’re struggling or heartbroken, at a certain point, you need to try to live your life and find love again; or, in the words of Lear’s Uncle, “there’s nothing wrong with bein’ sad…but, at a certain point, you got to start dancing again.”

Firstly, the concept of this book, a divorce attorney/wedding officiant with a wedding planner, to be unique and I was happy that there were some unexpected twists in the plot. Also, having previously read and enjoyed The Fastest Way to Fall by Denise Williams, I was happily surprised the main characters, Britta and Wes, made frequent appearances in Do You Take This Man.

Given the fact that RJ is a wedding officiant and Lear is a wedding planner, I anticipated that there would be a fair number of weddings in this book, but there was even more weddings (and pre-wedding events) present in this book than expected. On the one hand, if you enjoy weddings and are a fan of movies like The Wedding Planner, this book will be right up your alley! However, if weddings aren’t really your thing, the abundance of weddings, rehearsal dinners, and wedding planning in this book may be a turnoff.

It was challenging to get into Do You Take This Man with the middle of this book seeming to be quite repetitive as there was a constant cycle of weddings and secret hook-ups. Also, even though their relationship was steamy, RJ and Lear had a tendency of hooking-up after rehearsals in secluded areas of wedding venues, which seemed a little cringey.

Overall, Do You Take This Man was steamy, romantic, and unique! If you are a wedding enthusiast and are a fan of Williams’ other romance novels, then I highly recommend picking up a copy of Do You Take This Man!

If you love a good enemies to lovers plot, you will enjoy this one. I am a sucker from rom coms and I think this one had all the necessary elements: accidental collision that sparks argument, forced to work together, arranged sex that leads to feelings, weddings, friends that are the voice of reason, frivolous argument because they can't share their feelings, but a corny-cute reconciliation.

I liked both of the characters independently, but I also really liked them together. I think the story is well written. Even when switching between the two characters there wasn't any confusion on voice. One of the highlights I enjoyed was the use of dance.

My full review will be on my Youtube channel: kandacewithak

Sparks fly when RJ, a divorce attorney, meets Lear, an event planner and former NFL player. He is a man who is absolutely tired of being labeled a "nice guy" and sets about changing that perception. RJ gets roped into officiating a spontaneous wedding in a park for a newly engaged couple, but her life gets put under the spotlight when the video of the wedding goes viral, She becomes a sought-after officiant for local weddings and it puts her in close proximity with Lear. They form an enemies-with-benefits arrangement even as their personalities clash. Both of them have good reasons why they are both afraid of falling in love and it is pure magic when they realize how much they are crazy about each other!

I just reviewed Do You Take This Man by Denise Williams. #DoYouTakeThisMan #NetGalley

3/5 stars. Since it's a Denise Williams novel, I wanted to enjoy Do You Take This Man a lot more - but unfortunately, the story fell a bit short for me. I loved the writing style and everything - there's something so wonderful about Denise's way of writing romances.

Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes. The friends with benefits trope was paired with that for Do You Take This Man, and I think Friends With Benefits is just not my cup of tea. (or should the trope be called enemies with benefits in this case? I am kind of confused to be honest, lol) The chemistry between RJ and Lear was not convincing at all to me. I liked the conversations that they had, especially regarding their pasts. Honestly, that was the only time I enjoyed them being together. I did not see any kind of spark between RJ and Lear, so it was difficult for me to connect with them. I loved The Love Hypothesis/Love on the Brain, so miscommunication does not bother me much ( mentioning this as a reference hehe) but the lack of communication between the two leads in DYTTM frustrated me countless times. I had to stop reading more than once just because I wanted to shake RJ and Lear in order to put some sense into them!!

My favorite thing about the book was definitely RJ's character. I liked the headstrong attitude she had, especially as she worked in a field that's dominated by men in general. I love female leads who know what they want - and RJ was definitely a character who expressed that vibe every step along the way. The author showed how vulnerable she was with love and romantic relationships, so I really liked that aspect of the story. Seeing her grow made me really happy! Strong independent women >>>> everything.

Lear on the other hand though, kind of...irked me out. He apologized a lot for his toxic masculinity-packed behavior (which he showed at the beginning of the book) but I just couldn't warm up to him at all. I normally LOVEEE male leads with a sad tragic past as that opens up a lot of space for character growth in a book. But umm, I just couldn't vibe with Lear urgh.

So yeah, this one was kind of disappointing as I love Denise Williams. I guess I just have to accept the fact that I won't fall in love with every book by my favorite authors. :(