The Wedding Planner and the CEO

by Alison Roberts

Could he be the one she's been looking for?

Penelope Collins is determined that her first shot at planning a celebrity wedding won't be her last. And if that means begging gorgeous CEO Rafe Edwards for a spectacular last-minute fireworks display, so be it!

They may seem like total opposites, but brooding Rafe also knows what it's like to never have had the warmth of a loving family. There are plenty of fireworks—some sparked by his kisses!—but he's also the only man who understands what she's craving. A family—one she and Rafe can build together…?

Genres: Romance, Harlequin

252 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 2015

About the author

I was born and raised in Dunedin, New Zealand, but had my first year of school in London, UK and the second in Washington DC. I became a primary school teacher and began writing when I was living in Glasgow, Scotland for two years and teachers were all on strike. My first novel was a medical thriller with a good dash of romance thrown in.
I have now written well over a hundred romance novels with more than a dash of medicine thrown in. I love weaving the emotional journey of a love story through the background drama the medical world can provide. I also love the rabbit holes I can go down in the name of research.
Above all, I love romance. And a happy ending!

Reviews

[Veronica · Rating 1 out of 5]

There was too much going on and it had an overly sappy ending.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is now the fourth book in a row that I have read about two people, with very difficult childhoods and copying mechanism, to find each other is their safe place. Penelope was raised by her grandparents after (she was told) that her mother abandoned her and her father was unknown. While she received lots of love from her grandfather, her grandmother was the opposed, very strict and oppressive. Rafe was raised in one bad foster home after another, but managed to build a global company specializing in fireworks. Penelope is building her business as an event planner and comes to Rafe after her celebrity bride decided last minute that she wants fireworks. Intrigued and remembering how he felt when he was building his business, he decided not only to take her business but to do it himself. They create their own fireworks and learn to trust each other. It was a pleasant read, but disappointing at the end when after Rafe has discovered the truth about Rachel's parents that we did not get to witness her meeting her father, who never knew she existed.

[Harlequin Books]

"This heartfelt romance will make readers swoon, especially over handsome Rafe. His strong personality is the glue that keeps this book together. This is a wonderful love story — with fireworks!" (RT Book Reviews, 4 stars)

[Megan]

Pleasant read, but not my favorite by Roberts. Penelope in particular was an interesting protagonist to read about, with a complicated family story and complicated feelings and emotional armor that grew from that. I wanted more time-spent-together between the two protagonists, though, because the road to love felt too fast for me to really believe in it.