Vi Keeland does it again! The Invitation was a thoroughly enjoyable romance, that kept me engaged until the end.
Sparks fly when Stella crashes a wedding, and meets Hudson, while using a fake identity. Once he realizes who she really is, Hudson is mistrustful, given her deception.
However, when they encounter each other again through work, Hudson is unable to deny his attraction and sets out to win her over. Unfortunately for him, due to the nature of their relationship (boss x employee) Stella is unwilling to take a chance at romance, as it could potentially put her company at risk.
Hudson is the complete package- billionaire financier, doting single girl dad, and protective big brother. I love a good "he falls first" story and this one did not disappoint!
Stella is a self sufficient, determined entrepreneur, She's been burned by family and her prior boyfriend, and is desperate to make it on her own, closed off to the idea of relationships, unwilling to risk further disappointment. Her strength only make Hudson want her more!

Tropes include single dad, workplace romance, and forced proximity.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!!

What a good book! I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I loved the main characters! They had great chemistry and worked so well together. I loved how the book just flowed. My first by this author but will not be my last!!!

This book was cute and sweet. Not steamy and it lagged a bit for me, as I was a little bored. My biggest complaint is that it was predictable in a way that did not capture my attention. Stella and Hudson were fine, but I just didn’t love them. Thank you for the arc!

I read this one when it was released originally few years ago and loved it. Hudson and Stella hooked me from the very first page. The twist at the end was something I didn't see coming. Definitely a must read

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi

*Beware of Spoilers*

Stella Bardot has hit a rough patch in her life. She quit her very well-paying job at Estée Lauder to launch her own business that she had been working on for years. However, she was forced to buy out her partner and ex-fiancé, which took most of the money she needed for launch. And, it has been impossible to get a loan now that she’s unemployed. To make matters worse, her roommate, Evelyn, left in the middle of the night and the check she left behind to cover her back rent bounced. So, when Stella accidentally opened a fancy wedding invitation to a wedding at her beloved New York Public Library that was actually addressed to Evelyn … It didn’t take a lot of convincing from her best friend, Fisher, to crash it. A fancy night out is the least that Evelyn owes her.

Fisher and Stella go to the fancy wedding, cover stories in-hand, fully ready to have a good time.

“You just sit tight and try not to blow our cover before we even get to see the beautiful bride.”

“Beautiful? You don’t even know what she looks like.”

“All brides look beautiful. That’s why they wear a veil—so you can’t see the ugly ones, and everything is magical on their special day.”

“That’s so romantic.”

However, when left alone, Stella runs into the very handsome groomsman, Hudson. They were having a great time until she claims to be Evelyn. Turns out he was Evelyn’s jerk boss and the jig was up. Hudson didn’t let it show though. He brought her up to the mic to share a personal story about her friendship with the bride, his sister Olivia, before her and Fisher fled. Hudson was impressed that she didn’t buckle under the pressure and played along, even giving an embarrassing fictional story before making her quick exit. She fled so quick that she left her phone behind. And, she had to go back to Hudson a few weeks later to retrieve it.

Stella ends up forming an unlikely friendship with Olivia, who wants to help Stella launch her business. However, it will require convincing Hudson to bring her on as an investment client. Can the girls persuade him? And, if so, can Stella and Hudson work together without wanting to murder each other?

I’ll be honest, as I usually am, the synopsis of this book didn’t really make me want to read this story. However, I have read other Vi Keeland books that I enjoyed, although they were co-written with Penelope Ward. I decided I had to give one of her solo books a chance.

I enjoyed the characters quite a bit. Hudson, Stella, Olivia, and Fisher were all really likable. They are people you’d want to be friends with in real life. Well once you got past Hudson’s grumpiness. Which honestly didn’t seem to last very long anyway. Fisher was probably my favorite though and I would love to see a book featuring him. He was an absolute hoot.

This book was a slow-burn kind of romance. It did take a while for things to really start happening. The first part felt more like a buddy friendship read with Stella and Fisher. Again, I really want that Fisher book. He could make some guy really happy. The first half of the book really was about Stella getting her business going, which was kind of dull at times. However, when things started happening with Stella and Hudson it was instant, like someone flipped a switch. Maybe a bit too instant for true believability.

Stella also had an unusual hobby. Reading used diaries she would buy from ebay. I had no idea this was a thing. It was obvious early on how it would all connect to Hudson though. I think it was supposed to be the big twist, but I saw it coming a mile away. Maybe if I hadn’t expected it, I’d have enjoyed this one even more.

This was a good book, don’t get me wrong. It just didn’t wow me. It was still a fun read with enjoyable characters.

Oh boy! Hudson and Stella are perfection!!! I felt the story was very unique. I couldn’t put the book down once I started ready. I felt like I was in the story! I always love VI Keeland's books and this is no different. You will really love this book and the incredible job she did in telling this story! 💙💜

The description for this sucked me in. I HAD to read it. I had Vi Keeland’s books on my list and yet to have picked one up. I’m so glad I got a chance to read “The invitation”. Keeland writes a story I just couldn’t put down. This slow burn with an awesome meet cute that later turns into Hudson and Stella becoming business partners, as the two try not to mix bussiness and pleasure kept me turning pages. Hudson is the book boyfriend we all day dream about. I’ve seen some people wish this book had more steam but I prefer romance over spice so I was all for this book.

I feel like I should mention I throughly enjoyed Vi Keenan’s books. But I’ll be honest I haven’t picked up a book from her I. A while because the romance genre has just been flooded with so many new authors. So when I saw this on NetGalley to read and review with its new re-release cover I had to go for it. And let me tell you Mrs Vi Keeland did not disappoint and boy have I been missing her writing.


The Invitation immediately hooked me and I devoured it in less than 24 hours. I loved Hudson & Stellas story. They were realistic and relatable. Even after I finished the book I still wanted more to their story. I think my only negative and why I didn’t give it 5 stars was I feel like we had some things missing and I really wish we could’ve had more resolution. Don’t want to say more than that cause I don’t want to make this a spoiler filled review.

All in all, I highly recommend this book and it’s definitely one of my favorites from Vi Keeland!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for providing this book, with my honest review below.

I was expecting a comedic romance with The Invitation but was pleasantly surprised to get a lot more.

First, the comedy is top notch here and some of the funny character dynamics and dialogue had me chortling. Second, the romance was hot but not an insta perfect setup which I appreciated. And finally, this book added a lot of heart through its exploration of why Stella, our main character, is hard to trust and through its heartbreaking and dramatic turns for Hudson and his daughter.

As far as the overall plot, Stella does in fact crash a wedding Hudson is a groomsman in (his sister’s, to be exact) but after the shenanigans there take place she is shocked to find herself befriending Hudson’s sister and possibly finding a lifeline of funding for her perfume business through the family’s investment firm. Given Stella has been burnt by her business and romance partner before she tries to deny the romantic turn her relationship with Hudson wants to take but he is way too caring (and hot) for her to be successful, surely.

The appeal to this book is all in the clever writing, from fascinating character quirks and subplots to the great interactions, I enjoyed my reading throughout.

I've enjoyed reading some of Vi Keeland's previous books and felt the same about this title. It was a fun, easy read. The main characters were likeable and their story was cute.

I read this when it was first published a few years ago, but I am so glad I read it again! This was spicy and fun. I loved both of the main characters and thought the premise of their meet cute was spectacular.

(4.5 rounded up to 5)

Thank you Tor and Netgalley for the ARC! (Look at you Tor, stepping into the contemporary romance game!)

It's been a while since I've read a Vi Keeland novel, but this one was so good that I ate it up in one sitting. I woke up, started it, and here I am in the afternoon writing the review.

At the beginning of this book, the MMC, Hudson, was so hateful I almost gave up on this story, but take my advice and keep reading, there's an explanation for this!

This was such a sweet, fluffy, cute, contemporary romance that hit all the right marks. It was a little spicy without being over the top. You got to see Stella's (the FMC) relationship with Olivia (won't spoil her relationship to the characters) blossom fully on page unlike some books who seem to forget women have friends or if they are, they're just a side note.

I feel like it's missing *something* but I'm not fully sure if it needed a little more drama or if it was something else. Either way, I definitely recommend this for someone looking for a contemporary romance. Vi Keeland writes her characters so well!

A fun, sexy read!

Stella and her best friend crash a wedding -- only the best man finds out and he's the bride's brother. He calls her up on stage to give a speech, thinking she'll bail but she gets up there and gives the best one. On the way out, she grabs a couple bottles of bubbly but leaves behind her phone. That means she has to go to Hudson to get it back, because she needs it for her business. That leads them to working together. It's a fun story, the characters are so cleverly crafted and it's just really enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

The Invitation is a standalone title written by Vi Keeland. This book was originally published in 2021 and rereleased in 2024.

*Wedding crashers
*Soul mate connection
*Cheating ex’s

Such a cute read! I love the soul mate trope and these two characters definitely had that connection. Both the FMC and the MMC had ex’s that cheated on them but I love that the author did not let that stop them from falling for each other.

The side characters in this story were excellent! Highly recommended book from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title!

Format: NetGalley ebook
Genre: Contemporary fiction, Romance
Overall score:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level:🌶️🌶️🌶️
Characters: Stella (FMC) & Hudson (MMC)

Omg I can’t even!! I’ve been only reading mystery thriller books lately but I saw this and said geez it’s Vi Keeland!! I have too!! So I did and I’m so glad I read this book!! It was a wonderful read!! I truly enjoyed reading this one! It was a slow burn that turned into flames!! The storyline was just fabulous!! I can’t say enough about how much I enjoyed this book! I highly highly recommend reading it! It left me feeling fantastic! Thank you NetGalley, Tor publishing group and Vi Keeland for sharing this book with me!! I loved it! Can’t wait for more!

I loved this book! Stella crashes a very upscale wedding. Hudson, the bride's brother, realizes that Stella is not supposed to be there, so he calls her out. A little while later, she finds herself working with him and the bride of the wedding that she crashed! This book was funny and really sweet. I love the single-parent trope. A man being an amazing father makes me melt. I enjoyed the diary aspect also. If you like sweet, predictable office romance books with a HEA, then you should read this book. I personally enjoy reading this type of book as a palette cleanser in between heavier/more emotional books. I rate this book two chili peppers on the spice scale.

Thank you, Tor Publishing Group/Bramble and Vi Keeland, for allowing me to read an ARC of this book and leave my honest review!