He needs to save his brother’s big day–and may find love along the way . . . When special ops veteran Josh Robertson returns home to Nashville to be the best man at his younger brother’s wedding, he’s sure he’ll mess it all up somehow. He’s already on edge just from reuniting with his family after years in the service. It’s fun to pick up his old guitar again–but facing his father is another … father is another story . . .
But when it becomes clear the wedding might not go according to plan, it’s up to Josh and fellow guest Louise Giles to make sure that the bride- and groom-to-be get their perfect day. Can Josh be the best man his brother needs? And is someone else beginning to realize that Josh could be her “best man” too?
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Favorite Quotes:
Even Goodwill wouldn’t accept Josh’s old clothes, his last haircut was six months ago and his haphazard shave could serve as the before picture for a razor commercial.
‘I’ve gotta get in practise for being an obedient husband.’ ‘I’m sure you’ll get it right after about fifty years,’
The Brits should use Audrey as a lethal weapon. She’d be much cheaper than any atomic bomb and far more deadly.
Audrey had been adopted by a crowd of half-drunk girls on a bachelorette party and he’d overheard them encouraging the old lady to talk so they could listen to her. One of the ringleaders yelled at the top of her voice that they’d found the elderly countess from Downton Abbey.
For a forty-year-old man you sure don’t know much about women… A wise man smiles, agrees and does what he’s told.
My Review:
I was new to the series and the author and starting on installment number five yet it didn’t seem to be a detriment, although I am sure I would have enjoyed the first four as well as these characters apparently have each had a colorful past. The storylines moved quickly in several directions before finally converging for a satisfactory conclusion with generous sprinkles of levity, steam, mild bridezilla meltdowns, family drama, working through old issues and anxieties, and pulling a wedding together without bloodshed – which is always tricky 😉 A new brain wrinkle for me was Scotch eggs, something I’m now quite curious about and will order the next chance I get.
Here Comes the Best Man by Angela Britnell is a delightfully sweet book with romance, forgiveness, redemption, and second chances! It is a part of a series, but each book can be read as a standalone.
Josh has come home for his brother’s upcoming wedding but also to a disapproving father and a mother that wishes Josh lived closer. Years ago he and his father had a falling out, and their relationship has never been the same. He served his country for years and now lives in Colorado. Colorado has offered him a life that has kept him from falling into the darkness that many veterans have fallen victim to.
Louise is a personal assistant to the bride’s goddaughter. She and her boss have flown from England to Nashville, TN for the wedding. She just thinks she is there to be help for her boss, but she soons finds herself helping the bride make this her dream wedding. Josh agrees to pitch in because he wants to be there for his brother. He hasn’t always had such a great relationship with him. As the two spend more time together, they realize they have some things in common and a pretty strong attraction as well. Neither one has been lucky in love, so they certainly aren’t looking for it. Fate steps in, and these two strangers may not only help pull off one heck of a wedding but may heal themselves in the process.
This is a romance with some really tender moments, not just with Josh and Louise but with their relationships with others. There are other things going on besides romance. Josh and Louise begin a journey to becoming the people they were meant to be, not just as a couple but as individuals. If you like your romance with a lot of heart, then I think you will enjoy Here Comes the Best Man.
In just the first chapter, this author does a remarkable job of making the reader feel the vulnerability of Best Man, Josh, family black sheep, brother to the groom. Tough army veteran, we still fill his fragile emotions, hesitations, and loneliness, as he steps up to confront his demons and do his duty.
With delightful back and forth banter, and a few tense emotional outbursts, over the course of the story Ms Britnell strips away layers of history and reveals the relationships between characters and explains how certain traits developed, and wounds were formed. I enjoyed the creative thinking when everyone pulled together to make things easier on the bride and add to the shine of this special day.
The author also deals compassionately with issues regarding military experiences.
Sparks are obvious between Josh and Louise from first sight. Of course, even in a short novel, the path to true love requires some obstacles. This is both a book of love and healing.
These are characters I’d like to revisit.
Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy
There were a lot of sweet moments and funny bits to this story. Josh’s brother Chad, the groom in this story, had a lot of great moments with his brother, you could definitely see the family relationship with them. Louise’s elderly employer also was a hoot, had to love that she wanted to go visit some honky-tonks to fit in to the south where the wedding was taking place, and all the other things her British-ness made her want to experience. Louise and Maggie, the bride-to-be, also had a fun relationship that made for some good parts in the story. Towards the end of the story, about three-quarters of the way through, I was able to slip into the story and enjoy it a bit more. Unfortunately it was kind of hard to get into. I feel like there was a lot of extra things added in, and sometimes the dialogue or scenes between Josh and Louise felt kind of stilted or awkward. It made it harder for me to connect and fall into their burgeoning relationship because of that. Not sure where this fits within the Nashville Connection series, but as this is the only one I’ve read, there seemed to be a lot of characters to keep straight, and that was hard to do. Some of them seemed kind of similar, so again, that made it harder for me to get into. It was a standalone, but I’m guessing that if I’d read the other, I might not have had so much trouble with keeping them all straight. Also, if you have followed me and read my other romance reviews, you might guess that when this book did the whole fade to black right as the sex scene was really getting going, I was disappointed. However that may be your cup of tea, and so this might be the perfect story for you.
I’d recommend for anyone who enjoys a sweet romance, with a bit of drama in the back-story. You’ve got a very dedicated man, Josh, who once he decides what he wants, he pretty much goes after Louise, and there is no chance of him cheating on her or treating her wrong. Louise has her own issues, most of which are dealt with, although that was another part of the story that sometimes felt like it was added on, and took away from me just being in the story.