The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory

My 2nd read of the month was The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory which is a sizzling black romance. Contemporary romance is a great palette cleanser and a guilty pleasure for me so I read those stories very quickly.  I finished this book in 3 and a half days.

If you're thinking you already read this story before you may have read the first book in the series The Wedding Date. This is a continuation of that story but with a different focus. Drew and Alexa from that story are still featured since they are in the process of planning their wedding. There's a second book in between these two stories but you don't need to read The Proposal to read this story. Though you may enjoy this story more if you read The Wedding Date. This story is about Alexa's two best friends Maddie and Theo. Maddie and Theo really don't get along because they just never clicked after meeting.  But they end up hooking up after a night of partying they end up hooking up. Wanting to have a no strings attached relationship they decide to start secretly hooking up on and off for a year.

Black Love!

I feel like we don't always get to see black people portrayed in a loving healthy relationship in the media. I liked that Theo and Maddie has an easy going relationship where they got to just be normal. They sit on the couch eating takeout binge watching their favorite TV shows. They have discussions about being black in the workplace and their career aspirations. I feel like so often in contemporary black romance the guy is a player/bad boy. Theo is a good guy and very quirky. He loves to cook and make things from the freshest ingredients. And he loves coffee. He's definitely one of those coffee people who has a special method of making it. And it's nice to see Maddie come to appreciate these little things about him. Maddie is the pretty girl who people automatically have perceptions of. Theo allows her to show her less put together side.

Sex and Pizza!

There's a lot of both in this book. The sex was to be expected but sometimes the pizza could be overwhelming. I like pizza but these too love pizza! Sometimes I wanted them to order pad thai or sushi or bbq. The sex had some variety in that each scene was a little different so it didn't feel like you were reading the same scene over and over. Although I didn't like the initial fade to black. Maddie and Theo had a lot of sexual chemistry and that's what initially brings them together. 

Family and Friends!

Maddie has a very close relationship with her mother and often talks to her on the phone. It's nice to see how great their relationship is. They tell each other everything and her mother is very encouraging. Theo's brother Ben is the opposite of him. He's the life of the party and a bit of a playboy. He encourages his brother to step outside of his comfort zone and drags him out of the house when needed.  Theo and Maddie are both friends with Alexa and while both are very close with her they're also dealing with their relationships with her changing now that she's getting married.