Book Review: Planning for Love by Christi Barth

Title: Planning for Love
Series: Aisle Bound Trilogy, #1
Author: Christi Barth
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Sensuality Rating: Innocent/Mild/Sensual/Steamy/Erotic
Source: review copy from author
Published: August 1, 2012 by Carina Press

Hopeless romantic Ivy Rhodes and anti-Cupid Bennett Westcott request the pleasure of your company for their disaster of a courtship.

Wedding planner Ivy Rhodes is the best in the business, and she's not about to let a personal problem stop her from getting ahead. So when she's asked to star in the reality TV show Planning for Love, it doesn't matter that the show's videographer happens to be a recent—and heartbreaking—one-night stand.

Bennett Westcott admits he didn't handle his encounter with Ivy very well. But looking at her beautiful smile—and great body—through a camera lens every day? He can't be faulted for suggesting they have some no-strings fun.

The more time they spend together, the more Ben realizes Ivy isn't the wedding-crazed bridezilla he'd imagined. But if he doesn't trust himself to make a relationship last, how can he convince Ivy to give him another chance?

Why I Read this Book: This book caught my attention when I saw one of my personal book pushers, Nicole, tweeting about it. She and I have similar tastes so I checked out the book and liked what I saw.

What I Liked: Ivy is extremely passionate in what she does. It’s clear that she loves being a wedding planning and she’s very good at it. When a problem arises, she tackles it’s cool, calm, and collectively. And she’s driven. She excels as a wedding planner and she takes the next logical step by expanding her flourishing business.

Ivy friends accepted Ben as a friend; not just as a friend/lover of Ivy’s. When Ivy and Ben had their spat towards the end, Ivy’s friends didn’t take sides. They had faith and confidence in Ben and sought him out to make sure he was alright and to help him with Ivy.

What I Didn’t Like: I wasn’t convinced that Ben was ‘anti-romantic’. Up until the very end of the book (and by that point it was too little, too late), it was more of me being told rather than shown that he was Mr. Anti-Romantic. He’s actions contradicted what I was told as a reader.

Memorable Moment:

“Ladies, I’m standing right here. Could you maybe not talk about me like I’m sex on a stick?”

Overall Impression: Planning for Love was a middle-of-the-road read for me. It had its funny moments and a great and likeable heroine but it was just too predictable for me and lacked substantial conflict.

Brianna’s Rating: