Bingo Square: Repair (the best man tasks Layla with fixing things when the bride gets cold feet)
Quote:
Being an even moderately aware adult in the twenty-first century had taught Layla that pretty much every billionaire belonged in prison, or at the very least kept in some kind of island confinement with other billionaires, where they could circle-jerk each other all day with their evil, society-destroying ideas.
This romance novel was such a joy. I mean, I shouldn’t have been surprised – Kate Clayborn consistently delivers emotionally mature and complex characters, adult love stories, and chemistry and banter. In fact, I’m surprised she isn’t more broadly discussed – it seems like she would appeal to Emily Henry readers as well and we know how much of a success Emily Henry is. Plus, Clayborn tends to write dual POV love stories, and I often enjoy getting both perspectives since it can help break up the narrative and tends to prevent too many chapters of one character constantly doubting the other’s feelings (even if we get them, we also quickly get the other side).
Layla adored her husband’s family when they were married, even more so because she didn’t have any family left. Divorcing him meant losing so much more than a spouse. Emily, her ex’s baby sister, still adores Layla, though, so invites her to her destination wedding in Paris, and with everyone being mature and cordial, Layla accepts- despite feeling anxious, despite Paris also being the destination of her honeymoon and filled with memories.
After girl’s night out, Layla wakes up to Griffin, the gruff and mysterious best man, at her hotel door. Emily has cold feet and it’s from something Layla said at dinner. Layla only had a little bit of champagne so can clearly remember the night, and can’t think of anything that would have made Emily fear marriage but off she goes to figure it out. As a start, she gets Emily to agree to think about it before she cancels anything, and Griff and Layla become partners to ensure that their friends get the happiness they deserve, despite all the friction the weekend is likely to bring, from Layla seeing her ex to Griff’s strained relationship with the groom’s parents.
Layla and Griff are both fully capable adults but they have also taken on a lot of responsibilities in their lives, and they see and appreciate each other in ways that the other’s around them don’t. These new viewpoints also help them be bit easier on themselves. There are also a few other things going on that the wedding weekend brings to light – not in a dramatic way, just in a “people need to be honest with themselves/up front” way.
It’s always nice to read about competent adults and real seeming people. Yes, Griff is rich but in a romance novel way where the money helps prevent certain problems and friction to the focus can be on the relationships and not whether replacing a destroyed outfit is in the budget. Very much recommend this one but really, any Clayborn novel is always a good call for well developed characters with chemistry.
