The Wedding Planner meets The Bachelor in Save the Date, the third standalone laugh-out-loud rom com in the Wild Wedding series. Rebecca Halstead has never been a bridesmaid, but she can certainly relate to the expression “always a bridesmaid, never a bride.” As one of Chicago’s top wedding planners, Rebecca has had a front row seat to countless ceremonies, yet her own walk down the aisle has … the aisle has started to feel like nothing more than a little girl’s fantasy. She’s the wallflower who, thanks to a clean bill of health from her oncologist, wants to live life to the fullest. If only she knew how.
Brody Dixon hasn’t heard the word “no” since he was drafted by the NFL. With cover model looks and an arm that’s earned him two Super Bowl MVPs, Brody can have his pick of women. But as the next celebrity bachelor on American Sweetheart, both his agent and publicist want him to clean up his image before the show begins. If only he knew how.
Then fate, and an impulsive wager, bring these two opposites together until an unlikely alliance is formed. For the next two months, Brody will get a crash course in romance. In return, he agrees to help Rebecca break out of her carefully constructed shell. On paper it makes perfect sense. But as they struggle to teach each other, Brody and Rebecca just might discover that falling in love is the most important lesson of all.
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The Wild Wedding Series is one of my favorite rom-com series. I love the entire cast of characters this series has created. While Cole, Olivia, Hank, Cassie and even Coner lend support, Rebecca and Brody truly shine in Save The Date.
Their banter, and progressing relationship lead you on a slow burn journey you’ll be happy you took.
Each book in this series can be read as a standalone, but I recommend reading the whole series.
“What a sweet and funny story. Save the Date was so delightful to read and is the third book of this amazing series! It follows the story of Rebecca and Brody’s story. They were totally opposites and as you can guess they were a match made in heaven. So well written and developed with humor and entertaining moments. Their chemistry was explosive! So romantic! Love this story and I highly recommend it to you!”
Rebecca is determined not to let her overprotective brother run her life now that she’s been cancer free for awhile. She had no way of knowing one of his friends, though, the man who literally ran into her in the park, would be THE ONE. But will Brody persist in his relationship with Rebecca even knowing he does not have her brother’s approval? And what about when he finds out her big health secret?
This a sweet, witty and fun read. Rebecca and Brody make for a wonderful couple, friends turned more. I love that they really were friends at first, even while being insanely attracted to each other. But what I love most? Rebecca. She’s strong and tough and absolutely did not allow her very, very overprotective caveman of a big brother run her. She let him help her with her medical bills, but did not allow him to rule her every decision and behavior. Kudos to her!
I enjoyed Ann Marie Walker’s “Save the Date,” the third book in the Wild Wedding series. Main characters Brody and Rebecca were both quite likeable, and their banter as they got to know each other made me chuckle frequently. I especially loved Brody’s terrible pickup lines and Rebecca’s efforts to turn him into “less of a Neanderthal” through activities such as ballroom dancing. Their relationship development was a nicely paced slow burn, and I couldn’t wait for the two of them to finally give into their feelings for each other.
There were a few things that didn’t entirely make sense to me about the plot, however. For example, how did Rebecca have so much free time to spend with Brody while he was filming for the reality show? As a wedding/event planner, I would think her Saturdays would be very busy with work, but it seemed like a lot of Brody’s filming as well as their dates were on Saturdays. Also, if Brody was being tracked by the paparazzi so closely, how did they miss that he was spending so much time with Rebecca and figure out that they were basically dating?
Further, as someone who has battled stage IV breast cancer for the past year, I have to comment on Rebecca’s illness and the effects it had on her character and relationship with Brody – or rather, DIDN’T seem to have. The type of cancer she battled was never specified, but if she had any type of surgery related to it, she may very well have had concerns about sharing her scars with a new partner. The fear of recurrence wasn’t addressed either, and that’s a pretty big one for most cancer survivors. Achieving remission, while a huge milestone, does not mean that the cancer is cured. There’s also the fact that Rebecca’s chemotherapy treatments may have affected her ability to have children in the future, and Brody wanted a “houseful of children.” Obviously, I am more sensitive to this issue than most readers, and I completely understand that this story is a rom-com and meant to be light and funny, but I still wish that this aspect of the story had been better developed.
At any rate, despite those issues, I really liked the main characters both individually and as a couple, plus the book made me laugh out loud. I recommend “Save the Date” for fans of contemporary romance and romantic comedy and will definitely be reading more books in this series.
*ARC provided by the author via L. Woods PR. All opinions expressed are my own.
Rebecca kept Brody on his toes during this story! There was a lot of sexual tension on this book which led to a slow burn for most of the story. I like that Rebecca didn’t automatically swoon at the rich football player but made him work for it and almost seemed to value Brody more as a friend.
Save the Date is an enjoyable, fun story filled with a few crazy moments, lots of friendships and a happily ever after!
This is the first book by Ann Marie Walker that I have read and I will definitely be checking our some of her other stories.
A chance encounter throws Brody and Olivia into each other’s lives but they soon find out they their lives are more connected than they thought.
I loved watching these two go from strangers to becoming friends and then finding the ultimate prize, love!
I absolutely love this series! Save The Date was a fantastic addition!
I loved Rebecca and Brody! They were perfect for each other! It just took them a little while to figure it out! I loved the banter between them and their amazing chemistry! It was a fun, very enjoyable read with so many laugh out loud moments! If you like an enjoyable, fun romance, Save The Date is the Book for you!
Rebecca is a wedding planner, one that doesn’t have much spontaneity. She runs into a man in the park, literally, and sparks fly. But his cocksure attitude has her leaving the scene, so imagine her surprise when she encounters him again at her brothers house.
Brody is a Quarter Back and also a player. His ways seem to have landed him in trouble and in order to repair his image, his publicist has him signed up to find love and commitment on a reality dating show (like the Bachelor).
But he can’t seem to forget Rebecca and their attraction so they make a deal to help the other out. Rebecca will teach Brody about romance and wooing woman while Brody will work to get Rebecca out of her comfort zone and to enjoy life more.
So what will happen between the two? Will Brody find love on a show or realize what he has in front of him? Definitely one-click now.
I’m absolutely loving this series. Rebecca has just been given the best news from her doctor and she just wants to get back to normal, but her brother is making it difficult for her to do so. Brody is a star quarterback and thinks he has everything, until he meets Rebecca. He can’t get her out of his head. I loved Rebecca and Brody’s story, I loved their banter, their chemistry, and even though they were so different, they were perfect together. A wonderfully humorous and fun read and I definitely recommend it.
I loved the way they met. The fact that she shocks him by not fawning all over him because he’s so used to women just falling at him feet. Rebecca just intrigues him right from the start because of how they met the first time. Such a great story!
This is the 3rd book in this amazing series and is Rebecca and Brody’s story. Rebecca is a wedding planner, and Brody is a wealthy quarterback who is used to getting what he wants, and despite these two being total opposites, they are so perfect together. This is a beautifully written story which is humorous, emotional and an entertaining tale with witty banter and explosive chemistry. I recommend for all.
A brilliant, beautiful and humorous look at a Strangers to Friends to Lovers story that will have
you hoping and even helping (well trying to in your mind) to get these two to confess their thoughts and feelings.
Rebecca has not had the best of beginnings in her life but what she had, she loved fiercely and appreciated as well. When faced with the biggest challenge of her life it was with the love and support of her “new found” brother that she was able to conquer and come out stronger on the other side. Sadly said brother is now her self appointed body guard and overseer of her life. She wants to break free and experience all that she has missed. She wants to LIVE!!
Brody, although from humble beginnings is now a star quarterback in the NFL. He has the finances and the looks and the talent but what he doesn’t have is someone to share this with. He doesn’t know that he needs this because he thinks he has it all. One day, when his world collides with the woman of his dreams, he knows he needs to find her again but how does he do that if doesn’t even know her name?
When fate takes a hand and these two are brought together again, a deal is struck and in the end who will win the better end of the stick?
A refreshing story of friendship and love and laughs that will leave you lighter and happier in the end.
A brilliant, beautiful and humorous look at a Strangers to Friends to Lovers story that will have
you hoping and even helping (well trying to in your mind) to get these two to confess their thoughts and feelings.
Rebecca has not had the best of beginnings in her life but what she had, she loved fiercely and appreciated as well. When faced with the biggest challenge of her life it was with the love and support of her “new found” brother that she was able to conquer and come out stronger on the other side. Sadly said brother is now her self appointed body guard and overseer of her life. She wants to break free and experience all that she has missed. She wants to LIVE!!
Brody, although from humble beginnings is now a star quarterback in the NFL. He has the finances and the looks and the talent but what he doesn’t have is someone to share this with. He doesn’t know that he needs this because he thinks he has it all. One day, when his world collides with the woman of his dreams, he knows he needs to find her again but how does he do that if doesn’t even know her name?
When fate takes a hand and these two are brought together again, a deal is struck and in the end who will win the better end of the stick?
A refreshing story of friendship and love and laughs that will leave you lighter and happier in the end.
I love Rebecca’s strength!
Save the Date is a fun contemporary romance where quarterback Brody Dixon needs to clean up his reputation now that he’s moved to Chicago especially after the gossip sites had a field day with pictures that went viral. His agent signed him up on a dating show but when he couldn’t get wedding planner Rebecca Halstead out of his head because he was used to women knowing who he was.
Rebecca Halstead just wanted to get back to normal because her over-protective brother was trying to arrange her life, but Rebecca was having none of it other than helping Brody learn to how to date in return to helping her check off some things she wanted to do.
I loved reading Save The Date because I loved Rebecca’s strength in preventing Cole from running her life after cancer but now, I need to read the other books in the series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is a great read and another solid entry in this enjoyable series. I thought that there was a lot of cuteness and humor in Rebecca and Brody’s story but this book also adds healthy doses of emotion and a touch of seriousness to create a well rounded, well written all the feels type of romance. Brody and Rebecca could hardly be more different but that worked so perfectly for them and their story. I thought that they made a wonderful couple and I loved their clever banter and sparks generated by their impossible to resist chemistry. A very, very fun book! This is my independent, impartial review.