Publication Date 20th April 2018
HarperImpulse & Killer Reads
Women's fiction
Book Description:
When Samantha Jenkins is asked to be the maid of honour at her best friend’s wedding, she couldn’t be happier. There are just three problems…
1) Sam’s ex-boyfriend, Liam, will be the best man.
2) His new girlfriend is pregnant.
3) Sam might have told people she has a new man when she doesn’t (see points 1 and 2 above)
So, Sam does the only sensible thing available to her… and hires a professional to do the job.
Actor Jake Porter is perfect for the role: single, gorgeous and cheap! Sam is certain it’s the perfect solution: no strings, no heartbreak and hopefully no chance of being found out.
But spending a week in the Scottish Highlands with Jake is harder than she imagined. He is the perfect boyfriend, charming, sexy and the hottest thing in a kilt since Outlander! And his dog Harry is quite possibly the cutest things Sam has ever seen!
As the wedding draws closer, Jake plays his part to perfection and everyone believes he is madly in love with Sam. The problem is, Sam’s not sure if Jake is acting anymore…
1) Sam’s ex-boyfriend, Liam, will be the best man.
2) His new girlfriend is pregnant.
3) Sam might have told people she has a new man when she doesn’t (see points 1 and 2 above)
So, Sam does the only sensible thing available to her… and hires a professional to do the job.
Actor Jake Porter is perfect for the role: single, gorgeous and cheap! Sam is certain it’s the perfect solution: no strings, no heartbreak and hopefully no chance of being found out.
But spending a week in the Scottish Highlands with Jake is harder than she imagined. He is the perfect boyfriend, charming, sexy and the hottest thing in a kilt since Outlander! And his dog Harry is quite possibly the cutest things Sam has ever seen!
As the wedding draws closer, Jake plays his part to perfection and everyone believes he is madly in love with Sam. The problem is, Sam’s not sure if Jake is acting anymore…
My thoughts:
Sam works in her friend Sarah's aunt's travel agency. She is settled in her job and her relationship with Liam until he unceremoniously dumps her to shack up with local petrol station cashier Stella. As is the norm, Sam goes through the usual post-dumping ritual of going out partying a little too hard with Sarah in order to prove that she is still young, attractive and doesn't need a man anyway. Until she finds out that Liam's brother Dan is marrying her best friend since childhood Jess - and Liam is going to be Best Man with new girlfriend Stella as his plus one (plus large pregnancy bump). The realisation that she needs not to be single by then kicks starts Operation rent-a-guy, which is the brain child of Sam's hairdresser who happens to know just the person for the gig: very dishy but "currently-between-jobs" actor Jake.
From the moment the plan is set in place I found myself either chuckling gently or properly laughing out loud at the situations Sam and her fellow characters found themselves in. Having arranged to meet up in a neutral venue, the local dog rescue, Jake's first sighting of Sam is of her being paired up with the most uncontrollable but loveable pooch named Tank courtesy of a rather jealous rescue centre worker. I won't spoil things by going into detail but suffice to say Sam doesn't end up looking her best when she gets to introduce herself. Despite this, Sam and Jake seem to rub along okay and Jake agrees to go to Scotland with Sam, posing as her new love interest - on the understanding that this is purely a business agreement.
I did find the story to be fairly typical of its genre by being a quite predictable storyline but this is totally forgivable with the quality of the writing and sheer quantity of comedy moments throughout, some of which left me quite literally crying with laughter.
The run up to the wedding provides plenty of opportunities for Jake to meet with Sam and Liam's families and friends which in turn throw up the question as to whether people believe them to be a genuine couple, with Sam worrying about lying to her best friend and being tempted to reveal the truth on more than one occasion. Jake's acting skills seem to be sufficient to have everyone convinced - including Sam - although I as a reader became rather irritated by his habit of winking so much that he appeared to have a nervous twitch at one point. But why should he be nervous? He's an actor so playing the role shouldn't be an issue, but what is it that is making Jake send Sam mixed messages when they are alone together? This guy clearly has hidden depths and Sam has a gut feeling that he has issues in his life which he is trying to avoid - but why should he confide in her when theirs is only a business arrangement?
With yet another comedy canine in the mix and unexpected events at the church threatening to spoil The Big Day there's plenty going on to distract people's attention away from Sam and Jake's relationship - or should that be non-relationship? Is Sam reading more into things than she should as she spends more time with Jake or is he just a better actor than she thinks?
This is an easy to read, extremely fun novel which I would definitely recommend - after all, who can resist a cute pooch with a cheeky personality and a drop dead gorgeous owner who looks great in a kilt? I haven't read any of Zara Stoneley's previous work but will certainly be considering her when I am next looking for a good comedy read.
Sam works in her friend Sarah's aunt's travel agency. She is settled in her job and her relationship with Liam until he unceremoniously dumps her to shack up with local petrol station cashier Stella. As is the norm, Sam goes through the usual post-dumping ritual of going out partying a little too hard with Sarah in order to prove that she is still young, attractive and doesn't need a man anyway. Until she finds out that Liam's brother Dan is marrying her best friend since childhood Jess - and Liam is going to be Best Man with new girlfriend Stella as his plus one (plus large pregnancy bump). The realisation that she needs not to be single by then kicks starts Operation rent-a-guy, which is the brain child of Sam's hairdresser who happens to know just the person for the gig: very dishy but "currently-between-jobs" actor Jake.
From the moment the plan is set in place I found myself either chuckling gently or properly laughing out loud at the situations Sam and her fellow characters found themselves in. Having arranged to meet up in a neutral venue, the local dog rescue, Jake's first sighting of Sam is of her being paired up with the most uncontrollable but loveable pooch named Tank courtesy of a rather jealous rescue centre worker. I won't spoil things by going into detail but suffice to say Sam doesn't end up looking her best when she gets to introduce herself. Despite this, Sam and Jake seem to rub along okay and Jake agrees to go to Scotland with Sam, posing as her new love interest - on the understanding that this is purely a business agreement.
I did find the story to be fairly typical of its genre by being a quite predictable storyline but this is totally forgivable with the quality of the writing and sheer quantity of comedy moments throughout, some of which left me quite literally crying with laughter.
The run up to the wedding provides plenty of opportunities for Jake to meet with Sam and Liam's families and friends which in turn throw up the question as to whether people believe them to be a genuine couple, with Sam worrying about lying to her best friend and being tempted to reveal the truth on more than one occasion. Jake's acting skills seem to be sufficient to have everyone convinced - including Sam - although I as a reader became rather irritated by his habit of winking so much that he appeared to have a nervous twitch at one point. But why should he be nervous? He's an actor so playing the role shouldn't be an issue, but what is it that is making Jake send Sam mixed messages when they are alone together? This guy clearly has hidden depths and Sam has a gut feeling that he has issues in his life which he is trying to avoid - but why should he confide in her when theirs is only a business arrangement?
With yet another comedy canine in the mix and unexpected events at the church threatening to spoil The Big Day there's plenty going on to distract people's attention away from Sam and Jake's relationship - or should that be non-relationship? Is Sam reading more into things than she should as she spends more time with Jake or is he just a better actor than she thinks?
This is an easy to read, extremely fun novel which I would definitely recommend - after all, who can resist a cute pooch with a cheeky personality and a drop dead gorgeous owner who looks great in a kilt? I haven't read any of Zara Stoneley's previous work but will certainly be considering her when I am next looking for a good comedy read.
My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher HarperImpulse and Rachel Gilbey of Rachel's Random Resources for the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication day and to be part of the promotional tour. My review is a reflection of my genuine thoughts of the book and is in no way influenced by having been provided as an advance review copy.
About the Author:
Zara Stoneley was born in a small village in Staffordshire and wanted to be James Herriot when she grew up. After completing an IT degree, working as a consultant, running a dog grooming business, teaching, and working at a veterinary practice she decided she had more than enough material to write several books even if she would never qualify as a vet!
She lives in Cheshire with her family and a very bossy cat, and loves spending time in sunny Barcelona.
She lives in Cheshire with her family and a very bossy cat, and loves spending time in sunny Barcelona.
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