There Goes the Groom
by Jana Richards
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BLURB:
Eight years ago Tony left Olivia at the altar. He was sure she didn’t really want to marry him. Now he’s back, and they’re forced to work together.
Coming home isn’t easy for Tony, because his father wanted him to work at a trade instead of going off to college. Their relationship is still unsteady. Even before Tony’s return, Olivia began questioning the depth of her love for her fiancé, a man she chose because he was safe and reliable. Yet the last thing she wants is a loveless, faithless marriage like the one her parents suffered through.
When Tony, who never stopped loving her, insists her fiancé is the wrong man for her, Olivia sets out to prove him wrong. But the sexual chemistry between them is still strong, and so are her feelings for him. Even so, how can she break her engagement, hurt her fiancé as she was once hurt? And how can she trust Tony not to abandon her as he did before?
If anyone does the jilting this time, she will.
Excerpt Two:
When he arrived at McLaren’s a short time later, he saw a group of people, mostly men, crowded around one of the pool tables, clapping and cheering to the beat of hard driving rock music. As he got closer he saw the object of their attention. Olivia was on top of the pool table, doing an incredibly sexy, somewhat drunken dance. Her snug jeans and close fitting tank top showed off her lovely curves, and her hair, usually pinned into submission, hung loose and free around her shoulders. Even her bare feet were sexy, the toenails painted a flirty red.
Tony’s breath caught in his throat. She’d never looked more beautiful.
Dani stood nearby, arguing with a couple of the bar’s bouncers.
“Look Lady, if your friend doesn’t come down on her own, we’re going to have to go up there and get her. She’s ruining the table.”
Dani held up a pair of high heels. “How could she be ruining the table? She’s in her bare feet.”
“She’s creating a disturbance. She’s got to come down.”
Tony spoke up. “I’ll get her down. Just give me a few minutes.”
“You’ve got five minutes before we toss her.”
“How are you going to get her down?” Dani asked when the bouncers moved away.
“I don’t know. I’ll think of something.”
Tony elbowed his way to the side of the pool table. Olivia was in her own little world, moving to the rock beat, her hair flying around her face. She looked totally different from the buttoned down executive she usually showed to the world. She reminded him of the girl he used to know, the girl he’d fallen in love with.
“Hey Liv, what are you doing up there?”
At first she didn’t hear him and he had to shout at her again. Then she lifted her face and looked towards him, smiling.
“Hey Tony, I’m having a party,” she said. “It’s my birthday. You remembered my birthday, didn’t you?”
“Sure I did.” Every June twenty-eighth for the last eight years he’d think of her and wonder what she was doing.
“At least you said ‘Happy Birthday’ to me.” She spun in a little circle, her hips gyrating. Tony swallowed nervously. She was an incredibly sexy woman. A look around him at the faces of the other men watching her told him they thought the same. He had to get Liv out of there before one of them decided to take her up on what she unwittingly offered.
“Time to go home, Liv,” he said, holding out his hand to her. “I’ll help you down.”
“Don’t wanna go home,” Liv giggled. “Too many mice.”
“Then we’ll go to Dani’s house.”
Liv danced around the light fixture to the other side of the pool table. “Too many floors.”
“Dani and I will take you to my place then,” he said, grasping at ways to entice her. “We’ll have cake.”
She stopped dancing and walked towards him. “With birthday candles and balloons?”
“Sure.” Where the hell was he going to get birthday candles and balloons at this time of night?
“Okay, let’s go!”
Without warning she jumped off the pool table and into his arms. Tony staggered under her weight, barely keeping his balance. Liv flung her arms around his neck.
“Let’s go eat birthday cake!”
Review:
To sum up my thoughts of this book are…wonderful, funny, swoon worthy, sigh worthy, sexy and completely relatable. Reading the story of Tony and Liv made me realize that while you might be too young to figure out…your first love can also be your true love.
When we first meet Olivia (Liv) she is 20 years old and marrying the man of her dreams or is she? What do you do when you get up to the altar and your soon to be husband dumps you in front of everyone? Trust me, it’s NOT a funny moment. You pick yourself up and move on. Too bad that 8 years later, the boy who left you at the altar is now a colleague.
Tony, poor Tony. Yes, he left Liv at the altar but he thought he was doing it for all the right reasons. Too bad the conversation that they should have had 8 years ago was late in coming but it was necessary. I felt for him because Tony thought it was his decision to make and in the end it wasn’t.
I could not get enough of Tony and Liv. They were both relatable and realistic. What happened at the altar 8 years ago shaped them into the people that they had become and I liked that. They grew up, moved on but not when it came to loving each other. The sparks flew the instant they saw each other and it never stopped throughout the rest of the book.
The cause of their break up earlier wasn’t glossed over and made into a pretty package. It was heartbreaking for Liv and Tony learned to communicate better with Liv. Yes, when your young and in love, communication takes a back seat.
The secondary characters in the book were well fleshed out and only enhanced Tony and Liv’s story. The cat was hilarious and Liv’s mom was a poignant and pivotal character. Great job Ms. Richards. You made her likeable and that wasn’t an easy job to do. 🙂
Overall, if you are looking a second chance at love story, give There Goes the Groom is perfect. Don’t expect a lot of sex but when it happens…that’s sigh worthy.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Jana Richards has tried her hand at many writing projects over the years, from magazine articles and short stories to full-length paranormal suspense and romantic comedy. She loves to create characters with a sense of humor, but also a serious side. She believes there’s nothing more interesting then peeling back the layers of a character to see what makes them tick.
When not writing up a storm, working at her day job as an Office Administrator, or dealing with ever present mountains of laundry, Jana can be found on the local golf course pursuing her newest hobby.
Jana lives in Western Canada with her husband Warren, and a highly spoiled Pug/Terrier cross named Lou. You can reach her through her website at http://www.janarichards.net
http://janarichards.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/JanaRichardsAuthor
http://www.amazon.com/author/JanaRichards
http://www.twitter.com/JanaRichards_ @JanaRichards_
Buy link: www.uncialpress.com/There-Goes-The-Groom.html
Sounds like a terrific read. It is always so much fun when a couple that is meant to be together finally gets together. (smile)
Harlie, I’m so pleased you liked “There Goes the Groom”. Thank you so much for the wonderful review!