This was a fun and spicy read. Both Janelle and Rome are in Mexico for her sister’s wedding, and it’s a little awkward because the bride is marrying Janelle’s ex. Rome is her ex’s best friend. There is chemistry between the two and they decide to explore that spark for one week. It was hot.

There’s some drama with her sister, and I couldn’t stand her lol. Rome is there to support Janelle because her sister and mom loved to put her down. I really liked how their friend group was very casual and authentic! They were a fun bunch lol.

I think all the drama threw me off and I was kinda hurrying to finish this in the end. I loved both main characters though!

This was such a nice read, Janelle and Rome were so cute. I liked the destination wedding plot, the romance and friend group vibes. This book is a very quick read but there's still lots of character development, realness and spicy times. Janelle and Rome the main characters have an instant attraction and agree to secretly hook up for a week at Janelle’s sisters destination wedding. There’s family drama, a fun friend group, wedding shenanigans lots of smut and I had a really good time reading. I love strong, intelligent black characters that know their worth and Janelle and Rome emulated that. This was very insta lust/love which I’m not really into but Janelle and Rome were so good that I overlooked that a little lol. Thanks to Zando for the arc for the trad published version, i love the new cover so much!

Tropes/themes :
- Black romance
- Strong characters
- Destination wedding plot
- Spicy 🌶️ 🌶️🌶️
- Instant attraction
- A week long one night stand
- Forced proximity

“You are deserving of a love that embellishes your brilliance” the fact this beautiful line was said during a sex scene tells you everything you need to know about this gem of a book and should be incentive enough for you to pick it up! right now!

❤️‍🔥 What I liked:
•ROME! wow what a thoughtful, detailed, loving character! I loved everything about him and how he truly sees Janelle like he really pays attention and listens, bar raised to the stratosphere with this one!🫠🫠🫠
•I loved it had a story to tell besides the romance, one of prioritizing yourself and your own happiness, i loved that the romantic plot helped in that journey but that it wasn’t the magical solution to all problems.
•Conflicts felt very telenovelesques but way more fleshed out, which I appreciated, wasn’t just drama and messiness for the sake of it, they all had a background and nuances.
•loved the Evie character lmao unfiltered and sharp, where’s her book?
•big fan of the quick pace the story had from the beginning, you all know im not the biggest fan of slow burns so it was refreshing to see something different in the rom com genre 😏
•this is one for us curvy girlies, I loved all the moments where Janelle’s body was appreciated and complimented 😌

•im a sucker for the angst of forbidden love so I would have loooved a conversation between them about Rome’s feelings when they first met and those years of pining from afar.
•listen the sister and arnold didn’t get enough backlash for me, i would’ve had them suffering a bit more 🤨

🎁 Wrapping things up:

The chemistry between Janelle and Rome is sizzling and makes for a sexy yet tender story I simply couldn’t put down! ❤️‍🔥

Rating:🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Thank you to NetGalley, ZandoProjects and Natasha for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion 🫶🏼

I devoured this book in two sittings. I didn't want to put it down and also didn't want it to end. A fun, spicy, messy, vacation romance. The corresponding playlist was great. The main characters Janelle and Rome are in Tulum attending a destination wedding. Janelle is the maid of honor. It's her sisters wedding. Rome is the best man. The groom just so happens to be Janelle's ex-boyfriend. Just a little drama. There are some difficult family dynamics between Janelle her mom and sister. There were so many times I wanted to shake Amerie on Janelle's behalf. And her mom needed to get a grip. Janelle and Rome were so good together. Janelle is a successful OBGYN. She's strong, giving, loving to a fault. Hence her dynamic with her sister and mother. Rome is a successful video game developer. He's supportive of Janelle and encourages her to stand up for herself with her family. He's romantic and thoughtful. Rome planned some swoon worthy dates and selfcare moments for Janelle to help her destress from the wedding planning activities. I enjoyed watching their relationship develop. Loved the fun, supportive friend group. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel not just the romance between Janelle and Rome although that was fantastic but the banter among them and their friend group was top tier. There were some wild, funny moments. All of the characters felt real and genuine. Janelles issues with her mom and sister were something I think a lot of people would relate to. I like the way she decided to handle it all in the end. A great read I highly recommend it. Definitely bringing this one to my book club!

Natasha Bishop IS THAT GIRL! 1. This book was filthy . The smut scenes were extra spicy and the sincerity between Janelle and Rome was EVERYTHING I didn’t know I needed. 2. The author grappled with some major issues and did it with honesty and emotional realness. Janelle’s turning point with her mother and sister was something that will stay with me . It’s rare to have the spiciest book you’ve read also be one of the ones that taught you the most about life. 3. I love when I can see the growth of an author right before my eyes. This is the 4th book I’ve read from this author and each book gets better and better . Now I’m a repeat buyer and I’m a believer . This is an excellent beach read . Take it on vacation and devour it :)

Although I have read this book before it was so nice to revisit again. This is a book that I will always recommend to people. The way Rome caters and loves on Janelle before they realize it even love is goals! I don't usually like when book boyfriends are too perfect, but Rome Martin is definitely the exception. The book is the perfect about of loves, mess, and plenty of sexy scenes. It's always such a fun read! I will never get on the yacht scene and the way Rome goes out of his way to make sure Janelle gets the chance to relax. I also loved the bonus chapters! It was so nice to see how Rome and Janelle were doing after the wedding. I'm so excited for the next book in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Zando for this e-Arc!