This was such a great novel from start to finish! A clever plot, a mix of really fun characters, and a romance that sizzles makes this book a must read.
Megan Vandemeer has broken up with her cheating fiance, but can't bear to disappoint her intimidating mother. Instead of telling her family that the wedding is off, Megan keeps postponing delivering the news for fear that she'll be seen as an even bigger failure by her perfection seeking mom. She's finally run out of opportunities to delay when she boards the flight to Kansas City that should have been taking her home for the wedding. Now with less than a week to go and no fiance, she has no choice but to confess to her mother and cancel the wedding. After a mix of Dramamine for motion sickness and alcohol, Megan's inhibitions loosen and she blurts out everything to the handsome man sitting next to her on the flight before passing out. Little does she know that when she wakes up, her life will have taken a dramatic turn that she could never have predicted.
Josh McMillan is heading to Kansas City to save the family business that his brother's carelessness has threatened to destroy. He doesn't really have a plan to what he will do other than to find proof that the Vandemeer engineering firm has stolen his design. When he sits next to a beautiful but drunk girl on the flight he at first curses his luck, but as the flight goes on he finds she makes the flight a lot more entertaining and takes his mind off of his business troubles. When she passes out before landing he feels compelled to help her to get safely to the family that is waiting for her at the airport. He is shocked when he realizes just who her family is. A mix up at the airport has delivered him right into the waiting arms of the Vandemeers. A family who has not yet met Megan's fiance.
After her parents assume Josh is Megan's fiance, he will have to convince Megan to go along with the plan to delay telling her mother the truth long enough to uncover her father's secrets. For Megan, it's an out which may save her face if Josh appears to be a jerk in front of everyone before ending things, and for Josh this could be the chance to save his business. However as the wedding activities begin and showers and parties are thrown, getting out of the mess only gets more difficult. Adding to the challenge is the intense chemistry that sparks between them and the fact that if Megan ever found out Josh's true intentions - to uncover dirt on her father's business - she would likely never speak to him again.
The book is a page-turning romance, a hilarious family drama, and a memorable read. Megan is smart, sweet, and has just enough quirks to make her both likable and real to the reader. Josh is handsome, intelligent, and kind, and the internal battle he faces as he hides information from Megan only serves to make him more likable. Add to that an eclectic mix of friends and family who are at time laugh out loud funny with real depth of character, and the novel really takes off. The writing is excellent, the dialogue is clever, and the plot is interesting and fun.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Shannon McManus who did an outstanding job with this novel. She perfectly portrayed the characters and the reading was clear and easy to listen to. This is a great novel in any format and a must read. This is my first Denise Grover Swank book and I can't wait to read her others. I am also glad that this is the beginning of a series because so many of the side characters are so interesting that they would make great lead characters in a novel of their own.
NARRATED BY: SHANNON MCMANUS
LENGTH: 10 HRS AND 7 MINS
SERIES: WEDDING PACT, BOOK 1
PUBLISHER: TANTOR AUDIO