Can two men fake their way to marital bliss?Caleb Taylor is shocked to learn his family could lose Bliss Island Resort — their home and livelihood — unless he makes use of a clause to marry the child of investor Louis Chastain. Sofia Chastain is more like a sister than a love interest, and Caleb isn’t ready to sign over his future. But Sofia has a brother, and Caleb has a plan …Julien Chastain … …
Julien Chastain was disowned at fifteen and has made a life as a go-go dancer in Miami, but he lives paycheck to paycheck. When his childhood friend proposes an outlandish marriage contract, he thinks he’s crazy. But it’s a chance at a future that’s tough to pass up.
Caleb and Julien must present themselves as an authentic couple for the legal loophole to work, but the lines between “fake” and “real” keep shifting as they navigate intimacy, public scrutiny, and sabotage.
Love isn’t part of the plan, but plans change. If they can outsmart Julien’s father and prove their love is worth more than a transaction, they just might find a true happily-ever-after.
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Marriage of convenience books tend to be lighter, fun reads with a good dose of chemistry, and I was excited to read Surprise Groom after seeing the blurb. Although there was a lot to like about the first book in the author’s new Marital Bliss series, it had ups and downs for me. That said, I think this book will end up being a win with many readers because the characters are great, the setting unique, and the story interesting.
Surprise Groom hooked me early on. I liked Caleb right away and wanted to see him succeed in saving his family’s private island wedding resort. I also liked how clever his plan was and immediately liked Julien when he was introduced, especially the way he contrasted with Caleb’s quiet, reserved personality. Despite really enjoying the characters and even thinking they made for a cute couple, I struggled to feel the chemistry between them. Was I happy when things started happening between the two, of course. Was there a palpable longing or attraction coming from them, not so much. I guess I wanted less telling and more showing from them. That said, I still was pretty happy with the way the story was progressing until the latter part of the book. There were a few conflicts that arose as things came to a head that had me starting to question things- like why Caleb and Julien’s family claimed to miss him but never put in any real effort to find him for 12 years, Julien’s sister’s relationship with her father, and Caleb’s bicurious history. To top it off, the main source of angst revolved around a few persistent failures for both Julien and Caleb to communicate honestly with each other, especially at the end of the book; and as I was pulled from the story, I had a harder time dismissing those little bobbles and the lack of tangible chemistry. Overall, I did really like the setting of Bliss Island and the couple, but unfortunately Surprise Groom ended up not quite delivering what I had hoped for when I started.
*eARC received via Signal Boost Promotions. The author and PA had no influence over this review*
I really, really enjoyed reading about this fake marriage.
Julian and Caleb are childhood best friends, estranged when Julien was kicked out his home by his father for being gay. Caleb is in danger of losing his livelihood due to a debt his family has with Julien’s father, and a clause that states that a marriage between the two families would erase the debt seems to be the perfect solution.
Caleb, supposedly straight (or…) decides to track down his former best friend instead of asking his sister to marry him, and after a few initial reservations, he jumps into the possibility to stick it to his father.
The Caleb and Julien are well-rounded characters and very well described, and Bliss Island is a magical place where I would gladly move to!
DJ Jamison’s writing is entertaining and catching and this book was one of the best I read in the fake relationship trope.
Fake husband sceme turns into a real love story. I loved Julien and Caleb together… the evolution of their relationship was great. Supporting characters are fun. The story had humor, sweetness and heat. Loved it all!
I received an advanced reader’s copy of the book and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review and recommendation.
Lots of great tropes in this book!
I’m a sucker for friends-to-lovers, second chance and fake groom stories so DJ Jamison hit a trifecta for me with Surprise Groom.
This book has lots of feels. It hit me right in the heart and engaged all of my emotions. I couldn’t stop reading it once I started. The blurb does a great job of telling you the background for the story so I won’t repeat it.
Caleb needs to marry Julien to save his family’s private island where he is the wedding planner. Julien’s father holds a mortgage that Caleb and his mother didn’t know about until recently because his now deceased father kept it from them.
What started out as a temporary two-year marriage soon turns into something much more for both Caleb and Julien. I could feel the love between the two of them. Unfortunately, Julien’s homophobic jerk of a father manages to foul things up. I loved the way that Caleb fought for Julien and the HEA was absolutely perfect. I’m really looking forward to the next book in this new series.
***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***
Where to even start?? This one is an absolute winner!! I love this book so much.
Fake relationship and marriage of convenience/contract with dual POV. Can it get any better? It’s one of my favourite tropes and this book is one of my favourite reads.
I adore Julien and Caleb. They are so perfect for each other. I just wanted to wrap up Julien and hug him so bad. I loved how their relationship grew from rekindled friendship to love.
The secondary characters are amazing. Loved Sofia and Caleb’s mother. I’m looking forward to Rory’s book and I hope to see more of Julien’s friends from the club.
This was such a fun read!! Highly recommended!
*ARC provided by the author via Signal Boost Promotions in exchange for an honest and unbiased review