Member Reviews

In Christmas Bride’s Stand-In Groom, Charlie and his best friend Millie agree to marry as a practical arrangement—Millie gets the family she longs for, and Charlie ensures his title is passed on. When Charlie travels to Scotland on business, his other best friend, Giles, steps in to help with the wedding planning. Longtime rivals for Charlie’s attention, Giles and Millie find themselves spending more time together, and their initial animosity turns into unexpected romantic sparks. As Millie and Giles fall in love, it becomes clear that Giles is a far better match for Millie than Charlie. This heartwarming story blends the enemies-to-lovers and fake relationship tropes, showcasing emotional depth, strong friendships, and the magic of unexpected love.

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Florist Millie is marrying her best friend so she can conceive a child before time runs out. Commitment-phobic best man Giles helps with the wedding plans and ignites unexpected feelings.

This book is a bit of a twist on the fake-dating trope. I like the characters and the writing style. The rivals-to-lovers vibes between Millie and Giles are fun.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

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After Charlie’s on-and-off-again girlfriend gets married, he and his best friend Millie decide to marry and have a Christmas wedding. This arrangement means Millie can have the family she longs for and Charlie can pass on his title. Giles, Charlie’s other best friend, who has always been Millie’s rival for Charlie’s attention, agrees to be the best man. When Charlie needs to spend several months in Scotland on business and Giles steps in to help with the wedding planning, sparks fly between the bride-to-be and the best man.

I’m a big fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope and I liked this twist on the fake relationship trope. The attraction between Giles and Millie is brilliantly shown as is the deep friendships between Millie and Charlie as well as Giles and Charlie. Having Giles step in for Charlie provides a great forced proximity conflict and Pembrooke did a fantastic job of showing Giles and Millie fall in love, and demonstrating that Giles makes a better match for Millie than Charlie.

Christmas Bride’s Stand-In Groom, Giles and Millie’s love story, is a duet with Miss Right All Along by Jessica Gilmore, which Charlie finds love with his sister’s friend Liberty. After reading Christmas Bride’s Stand-In Groom, I eagerly await the release of Charlie and Liberty’s story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Harlequin Enterprises ULC for providing an Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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