The Invitation
By Vi Keeland
ISBN# 9781951045470
Author’s Website: vikeeland.com
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi
Review
*Beware of Spoilers*
Stella Bardot has hit a rough patch in her life. She quit her very well-paying job at Estée Lauder to launch her own business that she had been working on for years. However, she was forced to buy out her partner and ex-fiancé, which took most of the money she needed for launch. And, it has been impossible to get a loan now that she’s unemployed. To make matters worse, her roommate, Evelyn, left in the middle of the night and the check she left behind to cover her back rent bounced. So, when Stella accidentally opened a fancy wedding invitation to a wedding at her beloved New York Public Library that was actually addressed to Evelyn … It didn’t take a lot of convincing from her best friend, Fisher, to crash it. A fancy night out is the least that Evelyn owes her.
Fisher and Stella go to the fancy wedding, cover stories in-hand, fully ready to have a good time.
“You just sit tight and try not to blow our cover before we even get to see the beautiful bride.”
“Beautiful? You don’t even know what she looks like.”
“All brides look beautiful. That’s why they wear a veil—so you can’t see the ugly ones, and everything is magical on their special day.”
“That’s so romantic.”
However, when left alone, Stella runs into the very handsome groomsman, Hudson. They were having a great time until she claims to be Evelyn. Turns out he was Evelyn’s jerk boss and the jig was up. Hudson didn’t let it show though. He brought her up to the mic to share a personal story about her friendship with the bride, his sister Olivia, before her and Fisher fled. Hudson was impressed that she didn’t buckle under the pressure and played along, even giving an embarrassing fictional story before making her quick exit. She fled so quick that she left her phone behind. And, she had to go back to Hudson a few weeks later to retrieve it.
Stella ends up forming an unlikely friendship with Olivia, who wants to help Stella launch her business. However, it will require convincing Hudson to bring her on as an investment client. Can the girls persuade him? And, if so, can Stella and Hudson work together without wanting to murder each other?
I’ll be honest, as I usually am, the synopsis of this book didn’t really make me want to read this story. However, I have read other Vi Keeland books that I enjoyed, although they were co-written with Penelope Ward. I decided I had to give one of her solo books a chance.
I enjoyed the characters quite a bit. Hudson, Stella, Olivia, and Fisher were all really likable. They are people you’d want to be friends with in real life. Well once you got past Hudson’s grumpiness. Which honestly didn’t seem to last very long anyway. Fisher was probably my favorite though and I would love to see a book featuring him. He was an absolute hoot.
This book was a slow-burn kind of romance. It did take a while for things to really start happening. The first part felt more like a buddy friendship read with Stella and Fisher. Again, I really want that Fisher book. He could make some guy really happy. The first half of the book really was about Stella getting her business going, which was kind of dull at times. However, when things started happening with Stella and Hudson it was instant, like someone flipped a switch. Maybe a bit too instant for true believability.
Stella also had an unusual hobby. Reading used diaries she would buy from ebay. I had no idea this was a thing. It was obvious early on how it would all connect to Hudson though. I think it was supposed to be the big twist, but I saw it coming a mile away. Maybe if I hadn’t expected it, I’d have enjoyed this one even more.
This was a good book, don’t get me wrong. It just didn’t wow me. It was still a fun read with enjoyable characters.
