A USA Today bestseller! A small town, fake boyfriend romantic comedy. Josh Landry is one of the hottest bartenders in New Orleans. He’s shown many a female tourist that things are definitely big and easy down here.And he’s now been celibate for a year. Because he finally met her.Yes, her. The One.But, after nothing more than a hot goodnight kiss and a promise to meet up again next year if … than a hot goodnight kiss and a promise to meet up again next year if they’re both still interested, she went home to Iowa.
It’s been a long year.
But now it’s Mardi Gras again and he’s ready for his happily ever after.
If she shows up.
***
Oh, she shows up. For her best friend’s wedding.
But Tori is a terrible bridesmaid because all she can think about is her knight-in-shining-Mardi-Gras-beads from last year.
Well, and because she accidentally lays a hot kiss on her BFF.
Aka, the groom.
Unfortunately, no one believes that it was a case of mistaken identity. So, now she has to convince everyone she has no intention of ruining the wedding. She’s going to need a crazy-about-her boyfriend ASAP. Even if he’s just faking it.
Well there’s only one other person she knows in Louisiana…
Josh is all in. In fact, he’s thrilled. And he’s not faking anything.
But the groom isn’t faking his sudden case of cold feet either.
And now Tori might have a choice to make.
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I loved how this was a true Romantic Comedy. Think My Best Friends Wedding/My Big Fat Greek Wedding meets An Affair to Remember ( without the tears) . Tori and Josh find each other again 1 yr after a chance meeting during Mardi Gras. After inviting him to be her date for a wedding she is there to attend for the weekend, Tori finds that Josh and his family are her soulmates. They accept her as she is ( which is a change from everyone back home) . I particularly LOVED Josh’s eccentric family and how they are so interconnected.
This was a fun , funny, and Steamy! read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I love this first look at the Landrys. The Gator Boys were my favorite secondary characters in the Big Easy.
I love wacky Tori and that Josh gives her the freedom to be who she is! Can’t wait to see the rest fall!
Wow! Erin Nicholas is beyond a phenomenal author. She has a way with her words. When she puts pen to paper she creates a world of magic and bliss. Erin Nicholas never ceases to amaze me. Every book I read of hers is amazing. Erin Nicholas always gets to my heart. Her books make me laugh and are filled with heartwarming and hilarious moments.
My Best Friend’s Mardi Gras Wedding is the first book in a brand new series Boys of the Bayou and it is beyond phenomenal. I just adore Josh and Tori. I loved Tori’s passion for special needs animals. Their chemistry is phenomenal. I so loved the secondary characters, well most of them. Paisley was a jealous and insecure, spoiled and snobby woman. Andrew, who was Tori’s best friend, was an egotistical, self righteous jerk who didn’t really know or care for Tori. I want to be a part of the Landry family. The Landry’s are a family that is dedicated and loving and supportive. They work hard and play hard. They tease each other however they have each other’s back. While reading this book I felt as if I were actually there and not reading a story but living it. I couldn’t put this book down. My Best Friend’s Mardi Gras Wedding left me with this warm feeling. Ellie was hilarious. I adored her. She really made me laugh. She may have been my favorite secondary character. Her vocabulary was so funny. I mean she had me cracking up. There is a scene in the book where Ellie comes to Trahan’s Bar and is talking to Josh about Tori and says
“it’s not the grits,” “It’s that you’re taking care of her. You want to make her happy. And you’re using things other than your wangadoodle to do it.”
Another favorite scene is where Ellie is at Trahan’s Bar and talking to Josh and she says
“So, as I was saying, you’re trying to make a girl happy with something other than your…”
Josh saw Owen wince as he braced for Ellie’s next term for penis.
“…dinglethumper,” Ellie said
Erin Nicholas only gets better with each book she writes. She truly is phenomenal. Erin Nicholas gets to your heart and stays there. Every story is magical and down to earth. Readers often relate to the characters struggles. Her stories have a way of lifting her readers spirits and leaving them feeling amazing and always wanting more. My Best Friend’s Mardi Gras Wedding is truly the best book ever she has written. Erin Nicholas gives her readers a sense of belonging. My Best Friend’s Mardi Gras Wedding is a very heartwarming, funny and has heartswooning moments. Erin Nicholas reminded me why I still read romances. My Best Friend’s Mardi Gras Wedding was rich with details and had an easy to follow plot. Erin Nicholas will easily remind you why you read. I couldn’t put My Best Friend’s Mardi Gras Wedding down. I read it in one night. I guarantee you will love it from page one all the way til the end and wanting more. Truly a New York Times Best Seller.
Oh my! Not matter what I write, I can’t do Josh & Tori justice! Tori was in New Orleans to experience Mardi Gras & met Josh in the bar he was working at. The chemistry & attraction was hot, steamy & instant! Tori doesn’t trust it so Josh has to quickly come up with a plan. He convinces her to meet back there next Mardi Gras if they still feel the same. A year later, Josh is frantically looking for Tori. Tori is there looking for Josh but they just miss each other. Tori really didn’t think Josh would be there& she just happened to be in New Orleans for her friends wedding. Will they find their way back to each other?
These characters are unreal! Josh was the typical bartender with a girl every night until he met Tori. Then it all stopped & he thought only of her. Tori thought she might have feelings for her friend Andrew, until she met Josh. Tori thinks Andrew is her best friend but he comes across as egotistical, arrogant & a jerk. Whether he gets cold feet or suddenly thinks he’s in love with Tori, he puts her in a bad spot. I feel he deserves Paisley. She’s vain, spoiled & a witch. She’s trying to make Tori’s experience a nightmare. I loved Josh’s family & the life, flair & color they add to the story. I really can’t wait for the next story!!
I have never wanted to move to Louisiana, ever. The bugs, the swamps, the heat and humidity, ugh. But after reading this latest installment by Ms Nicholas, I may just have to pack my bags and head south. Ohhhweeee this is a scorcher.
Tori was in New Orleans for Mardi Gras last year, her first vacation in a very long time. While in town she went to a bar where she met Josh. Josh was a typical southern boy, sweet talking, flirt that knew his way around a woman. Thinking his interest in her was just a game he was playing made flirting with him easy as she knew it would go no where, but it was too quick to have these kinds of feelings right? When he suggests meeting back in the same spot in one year if they were both still interested, to show her it wasn’t just about a one-night stand, she accepts. Now it is Mardi Gras one year later and she is in town for her best friend Andrews wedding. Should she expose herself and see if he shows?
Josh has been mooning over Tori for a year and is making his way to the bar he worked at last year to see if she shows. He hopes she shows up, she has to, there is no other option. Making his way down Bourbon Street is another story though. At this rate he is going to use up his whole break just making it the few short blocks he needs to walk. Please be there!!!
Tori heads to the bar, with her Mardi Gras mask in place and sees who she thinks is Josh also with a mask on. He sees her and heads her way, calling out to her just before she kisses him. But wait, the kiss though familiar isn’t the spark fire kiss that Josh gave her last year. She pulls back to find Andrew under the mask. After apologizing and explaining who she was looking for she finds out the Josh doesn’t work there anymore but the let her know where she can find him. She heads out the next day to see if he is still interested in her.
Josh never imagined Tori would come looking for him after she failed to show up at the bar last night. When she arrives at his business he realizes she did show but they missed each other. He also learns about the mistaken kiss and why she is really in town. He doesn’t care either way, he is just beyond the moon that Tori is back. He will do whatever it takes to make sure she never goes back to Iowa again.
Tori is used to being “handled” by Andrew, she tends to be irrational and embarrassing (well at least according to Andrew and her father) so when he tries to reign her in she goes along with it. Knowing Paisley (Andrew’s fiancé) has it in for her as well thinking she is secretly in love with Andrew isn’t helping the situation at all. I won’t go in to too much with Paisley and Andrew but I wanted to jump in the book and punch them both. Andrew preys on Tori’s vulnerability and makes her doubt herself constantly throughout the book. Josh knows he will need to make a big declaration to get Tori to just be herself and accept him and the life he wants to give her.
This book starts a new series, Boys of the Bayou which spins off from Boys of the Big Easy. You do not have to read these books in any order, they are good as standalones but there are character overlaps and some back stories mentioned that if you like to keep things in chronological order may irk you if read out of order. Once again the author give me a 5 star book to consume in rapid fashion. There are so many laugh out loud and real life moments in this book I couldn’t even start listing them or this review would be 10 pages long. Just know that the secondary characters are all hysterical and I would love to follow them around in real life 24/7/365. I voluntarily read and advance reader copy without expectations for review. Any and all opinions expressed are my own. You are doing yourself a great disservice by not adding this to your bookshelf, ebook or however you get your next great reads in your hands. Go, go now, go quickly and enjoy.
This was the first book in a new series and it was fantastic! You just can’t go wrong with an Erin Nicholas book. I loved Josh and Tori as a couple. They were fun and you could feel the attraction they had for each other. Tori is in New Orleans for her best friend, Andrew’s wedding. Andrew is quite a jerk and you just can’t wait for Tori to realize this. But because of this wedding Tori is able to meet up with her Mardi Gras crush from the year before, Josh.
I loved the scenes with Josh’s family. They are a loud and crazy group and they welcomed Tori with open arms and she fit right in. I can’t wait for the other Landry’s books. This is going to be a great series and I can’t wait to read more.
What a fabulous start to Erin Nicholas’ new series! She introduced the Landrys and their bayou tours in her Boys of the Big Easy series. I was hoping they would get books and was excited that they will have their own spin-off series, Boys of the Bayou!
The book title game is on point here with each title in the series being a take on a popular romance movie.
Tori is sweet, smart, and quirky. She’s a vet, loves all animals, and has a number of them on her farm in Iowa. She’s the kind of character I wish I could have as a friend. While she’s not shy, she does feel a little awkward, like she doesn’t fit in sometimes.
Josh is my favorite of Erin Nicholas’ heroes. A romantic at heart who really does like the heroine just as she is. From the get go he wants to get to know her and sees her as more than just a date or hook up. I loved seeing Tori through his eyes and how much he appreciated everything about her.
Besides Tori and Josh there is so much to love: a small town with lots of character, a crazy family who is big on love, appearances by some of my favorite Boys of the Big Easy characters, and some hilarious moments.
I am so glad book two will be coming soon!
Thank you to the author for providing an ARC for an honest review.
SEXY NOLA BARTENDER meets SMALL TOWN VETERINARIAN!!
So much to say about Josh and Tori!! What a great start to the latest series Boys of the Bayou by Erin.
Josh met Tori during Mardi Gras, he’s a bartender at the Bourbon O and she’s a vet from small town Iowa but somehow the connection and heat is there from the moment meet. Despite that hot chemistry, Josh sends Tori home with a steamy kiss and the promise that if they still are thinking of each other one year later they will meet at the same bar, and take that attraction to the next level…
One long year later, Tori makes her way back to New Orleans and Mardi Gras, this time for her best friends wedding, which she doesn’t want to be part of. So to escape the wedding festivities and horrendous bachelorette party, she sneaks off to find the man she hasn’t stopped thinking about everyday for a year. She finds her way back to the Bourbon O and as a result of a case of mistaken identity, which resulted in a kiss with her best friend, the groom, she has to prove to her best friend and his bridezilla that she isn’t out to ruin their wedding or break them up. After the horrible mistaken kiss and finding out Josh no longer works at the bar, she sets off in a search to find the man she does want to kiss! Which leads her to the bayou and the wonderfully, crazy Landry clan!
Meanwhile, Josh, who has remained celibate for that full year because his mind is filled with Tori, has moved on to a new bar, Traherns, far down from Bourbon Street, where he is supposed to meet up with Tori. He makes his way down to the Bourbon O four times in his quest to meet up with the woman who has held his thoughts and heart for the past year. After several delays he finally makes it, but due to the Mardi gras crowds he missed her and thinks she didn’t show up.
Josh is surprised and beyond happy when Tori shows up in his Bayou, and all his crazy relatives are there to witness the reunion with the woman he has been mooning over for a year. Tori asks Josh to be her date for the wedding and to act like he’s crazy about her to prove to everyone she isn’t lying and that she isn’t out to ruin her best friends wedding. He agrees, with the intention of winning her heart because he isn’t faking anything when it comes to his feelings for Tori. Tori can’t believe she’s finally found a man who accepts her for all her weirdness and allows her to just be herself, she’s never had that with anyone. Josh loves every quirky little aspect of Tori’s personality and encourages her to just be herself.
When Tori’s best friend tries everything he can to split them up, Josh is just as determined to show her they belong together. You’ll learn to hate her best friend and his bridezilla, but Tori and Josh will make you laugh, smile and you’ll even learn a few new words courtesy of Grandma Ellie!
As always when reading a book from Erin, I know it’ll be fun, I’ll have lots of laughs and most of all I know I’ll find the steamy hot chemistry, and tons of romance too! You won’t want to miss this one!!
Somehow I always forget just how good Erin Nicholas books are until I start another one. Ms. Nicholas just whaps me upside the head with how wonderful her stories are! This story is steamy, it’s romantic, it’s laugh out loud funny and just so much fun to read that I could have stayed in the world of Erin Nicholas forever!
This is the first in a new series (even if it is a spin off), so how can ALL the characters be so well developed that you think you actually know them? Josh’s family is so extremely eccentric that you have to believe in them, because everybody has somebody that strange in their family (I’m not naming names). His siblings are pains in the butt, but family non the less.
Tori has plenty of her own quirks. She is a gaga for animals person. She’s a vet now, but boy did she do some things she shouldn’t have in her past to get back at people if they weren’t kind to their animals. Then there’s the bride and the groom. Don’t even get me started on the bride!
This book was a whirlwind of happenings and feelings that leaves you happy and wanting more of the Boys of the Bayou!
I was given a complimentary copy of this book via Booksprout. I am voluntarily leaving a review.
When Victoria (Tori) Kramer, a veterinarian from Iowa, met Josh Landry, a bartender at Bourbon O’s in N’Awlins, neither of them expected the sparks they experienced that amazing night during Mardi Gras. They both felt something, but knew there was no way it could go anywhere because of the distance, life, and responsibilities. So Josh asked Tori to meet him the following year if they were both still single and still interested.
“We’ll give it a year. And then, if we’re still thinking about each other and want to see each other again, we’ll both show up at Bourbon O on Mardi Gras. If we’re both there, we’ll know.”
Thankfully Tori’s best friend, Andrew, was getting married that week…putting her right in the city where she needed to be…but unfortunately, this also meant standing as a bridesmaid for “Princess” Paisley…Andrew’s fiancée who doesn’t like her and doesn’t want Tori near him.
“I think she represents everything easy and familiar to him.”
I love the flashbacks to a year ago…
“Free three sips of a drink. Fifty-cent payment for the advice to stay the hell away from N’Awlins boys who drink too much bourbon and barely recognize nice girls anymore.”
“You think I’m a nice girl?”
“I definitely do.”
One of the things I love about Author Erin Nicholas’s writing is the way she makes you feel like you are right there in the book. The scenery, the descriptions of everything, and the characters are just…PERFECT! I freaking LOVED Josh’s family and their conversations!
Ellie chuckled. “And she clearly has good taste.”
“I’ll bet she does,” Owen said, waggling his eyebrows.
“Uh, no,” Josh said.
“No, she doesn’t taste good?” Owen asked. “I don’t believe it.”
“No, YOU are not going to be thinking about how she tastes,” Josh said.
My Best Friend’s Mardi Gras Wedding, Book 1 of the Boys of the Bayou series, will keep you up all night because you will not want to put it down! This is an INCREDIBLE book with lots of humor, love, lust, heat, heartbreak, family, and a fun and fantastic storyline!!! EASY 5 star rating for me! I can’t wait for Sweet Home Louisiana, the next book in the series! You REALLY want to read this one!
What a wonderful start to this new series, The Boys of the Bayou. Josh’s family is so much fun! I think most everyone would love a crazy family like his, at least I know I would. They have the best stories of falling in love. They all seem to fall in love right away. Even though Josh doesn’t admit it, I think he fell in love with Tori the first time he met her. The tell is that he didn’t have sex for a year after they met and she went back to Iowa. Then when he kept going to the bar the next year on the day of Madi Gras to see if she showed, it was the clincher. Tori was such an interesting person and has always loved animals. It was so much fun hearing all the crazy things she did to people because of her love of animals. I hated it that her father and Andrew her best friend always tried to stop her from being herself. I thought it was funny how Andrew’s snooty fiancé was so threatened by Tori and Andrew’s relationship. There were some funny times around that too. This is such an awesome book, that I strongly encourage you to read it. I voluntarily read an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book.
This is an epic first novel in the series! We’ve met Josh before in the Boys of the Big Easy series, but I had no idea who he really was. He’s sweet, hot, sexy, funny and ridiculously charming. And Tori is so wonderfully adorable. She has a clear passion for animals and has been misunderstood her whole life by the people she trusts the most. I realize they are fictional characters, but I’m so happy that they found each other!!!
I received an advanced copy of this book from the author through Booksprout, in exchange for an honest review.
Erin Nicholas has outdone herself with this book! I have at least 20 of her books under my (literary) belt and I must say that this one was by far my absolute favorite!!! It is a spin off from her Boys of the Big Easy series that is its own starter book of the Boys of the Bayou series!
This is an absolute must read! Tori is a hoot! She made me laugh so much! I wanted to punch Paisley and Andrew but everything works out perfect in the end! And let me tell you, the end is nothing like you would expect!
Absolutely Fantastic!!!
Awesome start to the Boys of the Bayou series! It made me laugh, cry and swoon.
Josh Landry is a bartender in Louisiana and Victoria “Tori” Kramer is a veterinarian in Iowa.
They meet in New Orleans during Mardi Gras and decide to meet up again in a year if they are still single.
Tori comes back for her best friend’s wedding. There is a mistaken identity mishap with the groom and Josh comes to the rescue.
What happens and will Josh and Tori get their Happily Ever After?
I loved that Josh lets Tori be herself and doesn’t try to “contain” her like others have. Josh’s family is the best!
Now I’m eagerly waiting for Owen’s book
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a hot small town romance with lots of heart.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Erin Nicholas is becoming one of favorite authors to read. I can’t tell you how many times I got called out for having a smile on my face while reading about Josh & Tori!!
They were so much fun to read about. I loved that they were just wholeheartedly into each other and so accepting of who they are.
I can’t wait to see what Erin comes up with next for these Bayou Boys!!!
You guys….just wait until you read about Josh and Tori. I didn’t put this book down…I started and finished it in one long sitting!
When I say this story is hot….it’s Bayou in summer hot. Josh meets Tori at the bar he works at on Mardi Gras and there is an immediate connection. After some steamy kisses, Josh reluctantly sends Tori back home but tells her that if she still thinks about him and wants him after a year that they should meet back at the same bar on Mardi Gras. Well of course Tori can’t stop thinking about the hot bartender. But when she goes back to NOLA for her best friends wedding, she gets to the bar and….misses Josh. But she doesn’t give up and tracks him down. And he still wants her…bad. When she needs a date to the best friends wedding, Josh is more than happy to step up. And this is where they really get to know one another and form their relationship…and of course, fall in love.
My Best Friend’s Mardi Gras Wedding is CLASSIC Erin Nicholas. If you loved her Sapphire Falls and Billionaire’s series, I promise you will love the Boys on the Bayou!
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Welcome to the Bayou!!! Woo Whee!!!! Another awesome series from Erin Nicholas with a few familiar characters in the mix!!
Josh and Tori start the series. It’s a love at first sight kind of thing…but they decide to give it a year and see if the feelings are still there or if it is a fly by night deal. Sure enough, enough crazy family members, a stuffy wedding party, a BrideZilla and some very special needs animals add the humor that we love to read. So the love story is there, the steam is there but the set up for a new series in an unusual location on the Bayou is definitely right on track. Can’t wait to see how this all plays out!!!!
Absolutely loved Josh and Tori!! What a great beginning to what promises to be another terrific series by Erin Nicholas!
This book is hands down one of the sweetest in the world. An instant connection, a beautiful once in a lifetime kind of love, a perfect dash of drama and some seriously great laugh out loud humor all rolled into one unforgettable story. That’s what My Best Friend’s Mardi Gras Wedding is. I don’t think I’ve ever swooned as hard as I did while reading this.
Josh is the absolute swooniest, sweetest, most romantic southern man in existence. Every time he said or did something that made my heart leap I would think he couldn’t get any better, but he. just. kept. getting. better. I swear I think I was in love with this man on the first page. He’s just that magnificent!
Erin Nicholas has once again brought to life a story that’s not only entertaining and fun, but it’s relatable and romantic, all while still having her usually level of steaminess. Josh and Tori’s story is one of second chance at a happy ending after a years separation. Tori and Josh met one year ago at a bar during Mardi Gras. They went their separate ways with an agreement to meet again the following year if they both still feel the same way. Well, one year later Tori comes back to the Big Easy, but not for the reason you thinks. She’s back for her best friend’s wedding and, after landing a kiss on the wrong guy, she tracks down Josh to convince him to play the role of her boyfriend to fix the mishap. Josh is, of course, all to happy to step into the role of ‘fake’ boyfriend. He figures I’ll play the ‘fake’ boyfriend until I can be the real boyfriend. This story is filled with good times, laughs and steamy nights. I really enjoyed this first look behind the scenes of the Landry boys, who I’ve wanted to know more about since the first time they were introduced in BOTBE, and I look forward to reading more. Well done to the author.