Bestselling author Staci Hart is back with a brand new romantic comedy and clever spin on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Meet the Bennet brothers, get to know Longbourne, and fall in love in this steamy opposites attract romcom.They say there’s no such thing as perfect.But I’ve built my life to perfection—the perfect boyfriend, the perfect apartment, the perfect career planning celebrity … perfect career planning celebrity weddings. My job—my only job—is to make sure every event is absolutely and completely perfect.
What’s not perfect? Kash Bennet.
And I wish I didn’t find that so appealing.
I could have told you every perfectly imperfect thing about the gardener at Longbourne. Like his hair, lush and black and far too long. Or his nose, the flat bridge of a Greek god, bent a little like it’s been broken. Or his size. Beastly. Roped and corded with muscles, gleaming with sweat and peppered with dirt. There’s no escaping him, not if I’m going to use his family’s flower shop for my events.
But nothing is what it seems. And in the span of a heartbeat, my perfect life is turned inside out. They say the best way to get over somebody is to get under somebody new. When Kash offers his services to the cause, it sounds like the perfect plan.
What’s not part of the plan? Falling in love with the gardener.
But they were right—there’s no such thing as perfect.
And I’m the fool who finds out the hard way.
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From the first page to the last page I was hooked, I just couldn’t put it down no matter how hard I tried. The very real romance between Kash and Lila may be my favorite romance of the year. I admit in the beginning I really didn’t care for Lila, but by the middle I end up loving her so much.
Not only does this have my favorite enemies to lovers to trope, but it includes my favorite things, flowers and wedding planning, especially wedding planning. I can’t wait to see what the next career choice is going to be and the couple of course, but like career…cafe/ice cream parlor owner.
The writing is very beautifully written, I’m genuinely upset that it took me forever to finally read from Staci, but I know this won’t be the last. She has such a beautiful way of telling you a story and making you fall in love with characters that you would otherwise not really care for. I can’t wait to read more from her; I made have only read two books from her but I feel like she’s going to be one of my favorite authors.
I received this book for an honest review.
I have a confession to make up front…I have never read a book by Staci Hart before. Why, I couldn’t tell you, because I sure loved the heck out of GILDED LILY, the second book in her Bennet Brothers series.
I wasn’t sure that this book was going to work for me, because, at first meeting, Lila was not my most favorite character. Driven, totally Type A, and not particularly nice, Lily has worked hard to secure her place as event planner to the A-list. But as I got to see more of her, and especially after spending more time with Kash, a whole other side of Lila emerges, and it’s like the sun coming out. Kash, the master gardener, nurtures and cares for her in a way that previous lovers have not, and the Lila that emerges is lovely in every way.
Kash. Kash Bennet is the real deal of book boyfriends, y’all. He is the most literally down-to-earth of the Bennets, being so like his father, and his earthiness, his easiness about himself and with others, make him an ‘0h, my gosh, yes’ kind of hero. And, although it doesn’t seem like it to start, he is just what Lila needs, and, surprisingly, she is perfect for him, as well.
GILDED LILY is an easy 4.5 star read for me, and one that I happily recommend. It is witty, sensual, and heartwarming, and should be on the book stacks of romance readers everywhere. Now, for the rest of the Bennets…
Gilded Lily is the second book in Bennet Brother series and Staci has done absolute justice and gone beyond her readers expectations with this series. From the poetic writing to the fresh and captivating plot and relatable and realistic characters the series is just fabulous.
I met Kash in Coming up Roses and had been looking forward to his story and it was worth the wait . Kash definitely has become one of my favorite Bennet . Both Kash and Lila are opposite but as they say opposite attracts. Sit back and enjoy how these two fall for each other . The story was absolutely joy to read and let’s not forget we get to meet the rest of Bennet family again with all their craziness. This is definitely one of my favorite series from Staci and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. Definitely a must read.
Gilded Lily
~~ I was given this ARC for an honest review ~~
( Lila & Kash )
Ok first of all seriously Kassius I need me a real version of him. He is everything needed in a man. I need me some Kash.
Kash Bennet ugh so dreamy and his story just pulls at your heart strings. He is just as broken as Lila he just hides it well. But underneath his easy going smile is a broken heart longing to be loved. Kash has always felt like the easy distraction nothing serious. He believes that he is not worthy of being loved that he will never be enough for any woman to want a forever with him so he puts on this easy going no strings attached disposition for every one to see.
“But you’ve gotta admit, things like this happen to you, not me. I’m not the one who gets the girl and rides off into the sunset. I’m the one who has the girl for a minute before she rides off with a guy like you.”
“I didn’t want to let her go. One day soon, I’d have to. For the first time in my life, I wished I was something else. Something more. Ambitious and successful and rich. Powerful. I wished I was the kind of man Lila wouldn’t just fuck. I wished I was the kind of man she’d keep.” ~ Kash~
Lila has always had a plan for her future. Always knew what she wanted or so she thought. All Lila knew was organized planning for a future she thought she wanted and needed until she was forced to really evaluate what she really wanted and needed for a happy future. She was hit with an unexpected realization that the least likely person was exactly what she needed in her life.
“ As much as I hated to admit it, he really did have the best smile, and I felt like Goldilocks about it—not too happy, not too quiet. Not too forthcoming and not too shy. His was just right—a perfect mix of quiet weight and wry humor. It was a smile of secrets and surprises. “
Gilded Lily is the second book in the Bennet brothers series and I loved it. This is a love story of two broken people who have learned to put up a front for every one to see them on a different light of who they really are. Together they have to learn how to trust and face their insecurities and their fears and learn how to be happy.
This a great book that I really recommend everyone read. I can’t wait for the next Bennet brother.
Passionate, romantic and totally feel good story!
This is the second book in the Bennet Brothers series and while I had not read book 1, Coming up Roses, I had no problems following and enjoying this installment.
In this installment, we get Kash and Lila’s story. These 2 characters couldn’t be more opposites. Yet, their attraction is undeniable and how their story evolved was the epitemy of swoony, opposites attract, slowish burn romance.
Well written, this romantic story of love was well worth reading.
I cannot wait to see what’s in store next, not to mention catching up with book 1, Coming up Roses.
I always enjoy reading a book by this author and this one is no different. This is the second book in the Bennet series and the story of Lila and Kash. I really enjoyed their story and can’t wait until the next one in this series!
Lila has been under a lot of stress with the new upcoming wedding of a high socialite that is big in the news but that doesn’t compare with the sisters of the bride. Trouble seems to follow them wherever they go but Lila tries to keep up and especially keep her head in the game as her competitor would just love to see her fail. When she finds her boyfriend cheating on her, it is the last straw. It seems everything around her is crumbling down but she does whatever it takes to keep afloat and swears off any new relationship. Lila and Kash have always had a great dynamic but butt heads every single time they see each other although he doesn’t seem to mind it one bit and handles it the best he can. When he makes her an offer she can’t refuse, the more time they spend together, the closer they seem to get. Although it looks like both are changing for the better, some things are happening out of their control and will change their future. Will both finally have that happy ending they so deserve?…
4.5 stars
“That kiss was a meeting, a linking of self, a connection of body and hearts. It was chemistry, alive and deep, the programming unbreakable.”
This is romance pure. I love how the author is able to spin off these Bennet Brother stories paying tribute to Jane Austin. Reading this book was pure bliss. Every character so well drawn and executed, it was so easy to fall for them. This story spiked with a minimum but real felt drama held my interest from the first page to the last.
“Everything about her was an exploration, her body, her mind, the enigma of her demanding. Commanding.”
With Gilded Lily Staci Hart delivers another outstanding romance in the Bennet Brothers Series. This book will sweep you off your feet like a feather.
“”Love doesn’t wonder. It doesn’t question. It trusts with its whole self, as I should have.””
Gilded Lily is the second book in the Bennet Brothers series and I was so happy to reunite with this family. This is very much an opposites attract/slow burn romance and I ate it up!
Kash Bennet is the Bennet brother most like his father. He’s the gardener, the one who’s never left his family, and the most laid back and even tempered. That’s why he’s tasked to deal with Lila Parker. Lila is Ivy’s sister and a high class wedding planner. She’s the opposite of Kash in so many ways, and at first, she clashes with him some, but she can’t help but to be won over by his charms and easy going demeanor. They end up working together a lot through the florist and when Lila goes through a bad break up, Kash is there.
Their story starts with a good old fashioned rebound. No one is looking for anything serious, they even have rules. But rules are meant to be broken when it comes to matters of the heart. With just a short amount of time, these two start to fall hard for one another. And who could blame Lila? Kash Bennet is an easy guy to fall for.
Kash is for sure my favorite Bennet brother so far. There was so much to love about him. I also really loved Lila, too. I love heroines like her. She is a boss babe, a hard worker, and a little high strung but in a good way. I loved how much she cared for her sister, and how she could remain tough and stoic even when faced with adversity. As much as loved them both separately, they really shined when they were together. They complimented each other perfectly.
Staci Hart always writes the best feel good romances. She never fails to put a smile on my face while reading. Gilded Lily is a heartwarming romance that is equal parts sweet and sexy. I’m excited to get more of these Bennet Brother books, especially reading that teaser chapter for Marcus’s book! I NEED!!!
Lila and Kash may not be the obvious couple, but they are an amazing couple. She is take no prisoners wedding planner and he is the laid back guy with an phenomenal green thumb. Things may have started out innocently (or not so innocently depending on how you want to look at it) enough, but deep down I think they both knew that there was a heck of a lot more there.
I think they they both had some preconceived notions about the other person and it wasn’t until they really got to know each other, they realized just how wrong they were. Their arrangement quickly turned into an relationship that no one saw coming, but every couldn’t help but agree with. It was sexy and playful and thanks to one of the side storylines, even quite funny at times.
I just love the Bennet family. I love how they are there for each and stick together no matter what. If there is a crisis, they will figure out a solution. I can’t wait to read the subsequent books because I just know that the author is going to continue to give us an amazing story. The sneak peek into the next book is just DELICIOUS and I am dying to read it.
The Bennet boys keep getting better! Kash Bennet is a gardener who loves what he does and is a wonderful leading man in this story. He enters into a relationship of sorts with Lila who is very opposite him in all ways. Their journey together is one everyone should read. No matter where you come from love trumps it all!
Gilded Lily is the second book in the Bennet Brothers’ series. It’s still a complete standalone. This one is the story of Kash and Lila. We met Kash in Coming Up Roses, and Lila is Ivy’s sister, who was also in the first book. The Bennet Brothers’ series is Staci Hart’s take on Pride and Prejudice with the Bennets being boys and Longbourne being a flower shop in NYC! It brings a whole new unique light to a favorite story of so many.
Kash is the brother that works in the garden mostly at the flower shop. He’s laid back, messy, and a character that you definitely want to hang out with. Lila, on the other hand, seems perfect in every way. She doesn’t mess up, doesn’t show emotions, and she’s always put together. In reality, she’s suspicious, wary and it comes off as snobby and perfect. They are complete opposites in every way, yet they bring out the absolute best in each other. Lila is a wedding planner, and her clients were the worst, yet their hijinks were hilarious. The Felix sisters, in general, were awful, but still entertaining. Kash became her protector, giving her a respite from her exhausting life.
The character development in here with both the main and secondary characters was so well done; It’s hard to even think that they aren’t real people. The writing, pace and storyline was fun and kept me entertained throughout. This is another great book in this series, and I eagerly look forward to Marcus’ book next!
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I say this after every release, but I have a new favorite by this author!!! Kash and Lila were absolutely EVERYTHING!
I adored Lila from the beginning: yes she hid her emotions, but she was nowhere near cold, or bitchy like some reviewers say. She was so focused on her career, and wanting to do everything that she thought was right, and have everything that she thought she wanted, that she has tunnel vision on everything else.. but she had the biggest heart. It just took the right person to see it.
Kash, (who is now my favorite Bennet brother!) Has always felt like the invisible man in his family, when in fact he’s the glue that holds them together. He is doing his best to help make his families flower shop flourish again — no pun intended — and when Lila uses the shop for the upcoming wedding that she’s in charge of coordinating, sparks fly!
I loved how these two loved each other.. it was obvious from the get go that they would be more to each other than what they wanted to, but everything was so gradual, so intense, so REAL, so natural.. I just never wanted their love story to end!!
There is also some crazy happenings surrounding Lila’s job that you will have to read for yourself (you seriously just need to experience it first hand) and even though I wanted to shake Kash at a certain point, he totally redeemed himself in the end, and their HEA gave me ALL. THE. FEELS!!
I’m so glad I found this author, and that little sneak peak of Marcus’s book was such a tease! I can’t wait for 2020!
**I received an ARC of this book and these are my honest opinions!**
What a great read! The writing flowed well from start to finish, and I was sucked straight into Kash and Lila’s story. They had great chemistry, even with the arguing at first, you could tell something was there. Kash was a great guy, but he had his issues that kept him from having a relationship. Lila was very standoffish at first, but with Kash, she quickly began to let her walls down. When all the drama started I was on Kash’s side, but quickly realized that he was letting his past experiences color what was happening currently. To act like Lila wasn’t trying to protect him, was ridiculous. Lila, though, should have came clean right from the start. Knowing Kash the way she did, she knew how that would look to him. When Lila tried to talk to Kash again, I was kind of disappointed in both of them. Kash for being a huge jerk, and Lila for not trying harder. With everyone else, she would have MADE them listen to her. Eventually everything works out, and the ending was awesome and super sweet. I can’t wait to find out what happens in the next book!
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.
More Bennett siblings in Longbourne, I mean, New York.
Oh, how I adore Kash. While I struggled to connect with the family in the first book, this book gave me everything I wanted and more! Kash is the loyal sibling, the one that always stayed home. But in his lovelife was not really steady. Flings were his thing.
Enter Lila Parker. An old family friend, come back, in pristine white and high heels. Meeting the guy who mostly plays with the planting soil in the greenhouse.
After being betrayed by her boyfriend, she needs a distraction, and who is better than Mr. I-only-do-flings who also promises to deliver orgasms en masse?
These two have it all, opposites, humor, kindness and plenty of sparks. This is a Staci Hart novel how I love it!!
Only thing is that their black moment came a bit out of nowhere and disappeared just as quickly, a bit too arbitrarily added for my taste. But it hardly mars the great experience.
After having read Coming Up Roses I couldn’t wait for this book! Whenever I can be pulled into a story from the first few moments of starting it like I did with this one I get so happy. I couldn’t get enough of Ms.Hart’s words with the Gilded Lily! I loved it so much!
Kash and Lila are my favorite couple in the Bennet Brothers Series. But, I also say that about the characters after every Staci book. Gilded Lily was such a beautifully written story. It flowed from beginning to end and I couldn’t put it down. Staci Hart once again made me fall in love with her characters and even more so with her writing.
This is the second book in the Bennet Brothers series. After reading book one I couldn’t wait to get my hands on book two.
Lila is a wedding planner and is living the life she always wanted. She has the perfect boyfriend until she catches her boyfriend cheating on her. She will do anything to get her mind off what happened. She wasn’t planning on Kash, she thought he would be a good distraction with no emotional attachments. What happens when feelings start getting involved? Will these two be able to make a go at a real relationship?
Gilded Lily was a sweet romance that I couldn’t put down. Staci Hart has a way with words and always pulls me into her stories. She is a must read author for me. This series is a must read! I can’t wait for the next book.
4.5 Stars
Gilded Lily is the second book in the Bennet Brothers series, and I loved it even more than the first!
“If you want to really live in the moment, stop worrying so much about what if and just go for it.”
Kash & Lila couldn’t be more opposite if they tried. The laid back gardener, with dirt in his fingernails, always dressed in jeans and T-shirts vs the always put together wedding planner who shines in all white and never has a hair out of place. And when they find themselves working together everyone prepares for the worst, but things have a way of working themselves out in unexpected ways.
I loved these characters and the way they evolved throughout the book, on their own and together. Seemingly oil and vinegar, they ended up bringing out the absolute best in one another, and their chemistry and banter were absolutely perfect. The Bennet siblings, Tess & Ivy were welcome additions, and the Felix Femmes were such a fun subplot.
As usual Staci Hart’s writing is perfect, delivering an addicting story that I couldn’t put down. Equal parts sweet and funny, it’s an outstanding interpretation of Pride & Prejudice and I highly recommend it!
this book has all the feels, the smarts, the pull of the emotional heart-strings and everything in between. Kash and Lily are completely magical. I swooned and cried a little bit. This book will stay with me forever.
Le Sigh, Le Purr
Staci Hart’s Bennet Brothers are simply dreamy and her writing is always poetic and magical, hitting all the right notes. I rarely use excepts/quotes in my reviews but I feel I must share the first quote from Gilded Lily that started a highlighting frenzie:
“Lila Parker blew in like a gale— just like she had almost daily for the last two months— heels clicking like hammers against the cement floor. At the sight of her, my fury abated, replaced by a curious wonder and the incremental slowing of time that always accompanied her entrance.”
Her words are connected in such a way that I always feel that when I start one of her books I fall into a romantic dream world – the perfect escape, the kind that helps that quell daily anxiety that hard to avoid. Yes, I happily escape into her universe and can’t stress enough just how much I love all her words.
–end the inevitable fangirling portion of the review– (as if)
Gilded Lily truly gave me all the feels. Kash and Lila are perfect in an opposites attract trope; different, but just enough alike to agree to a relationship with terms (wink, wink). Lila is cool and guarded, turned sultry and passionate by Kashs’ influence. Kash is salt of the earth, and so intuitive about people that he can see another side to her. She’s going to need the balance and support that Kash offers as her dream job is anything but.
I loved the premise behind her role as a wedding coordinator, party planner, to a reality TV family, a group of women, called the Felix Femmes. This was fun to read because, well they are outrageous, the kind people who are easy to dislike. They add a heaping dose of nonsense at Lila and truly live to shock. I don’t watch this kind of show (Kardashian style), but I loved the family drama and how it portrays their value system. One that is so different than the Bennet families and the Parker girls
The other truly outstanding aspect of this book is the heart of it. Kash and Lila and their passion.
I think Kash has more influence on Lila then vice versa, but he is changed by the very aspect of being with her. Their physical connection is electric and sexy, and their emotional connection is heartfelt and authentic.
Yet another 5 star read from Staci Hart, one I highly recommend!