Elle devait se marier. Son ex-grand amour refait surface. Qui va-t-elle finir par choisir ?
Tout va bien dans la vie de Cassie. Elle est journaliste et fiancée à un brillant avocat, Timothy. Seul bémol agaçant, sa future belle-mère très envahissante a décidé d'avancer leur mariage et se mêle de tout... Bien sûr Cassie envisageait d'épouser un jour Timothy, mais pas dans trois mois ! Tout va beaucoup trop vite, et lorsque l'affreuse-belle-maman engage à sa place un photographe réputé pour le mariage, Cassie n'a aucune idée de la catastrophe qui s'annonce.
Car Jared est en réalité son ex-grand amour, qui l'avait quittée pour accomplir ses rêves et poursuivre sa carrière aux quatre coins du monde. Cassie a mis des années à l'oublier et à surmonter leur rupture.
Lorsqu'il ressurgit, plus réfléchi et toujours aussi irrésistible, toutes les convictions de Cassie volent en éclat : va-t-elle vraiment épouser Timothy, parfait en apparence, ou craquer de nouveau pour Jared, qui lui avoue qu'il l'aime encore ?
Karen King is an Amazon international bestselling author of psychological suspense and women's fiction.
Her 7th psychological suspense novel, Don't Trust Him, was published on 3 April 2025 by Bookouture and her 'golden years' novel, The Runaway Wives, was published by Boldwood on 24th March 2025. This was her 12th woman's fiction novel.
Karen has also had 120 children’s books, two young adult novels, and several short stories for women’s magazines published. Her early writing career was spent working on various teenage and children's magazines.
Her suspense novels The Mother In Law, The Perfect Stepmother and The Stranger in my Bed and her romantic novel The Cornish Hotel by the Sea all became International Amazon bestsellers.
Journalist Cassie is engaged to Timothy. He’s a rich successful and confident lawyer so when he proposed, in public, on Valentine’s Day, she couldn’t really refuse. But now his interfering and over-bearing mother has decided that the wedding should be in two months time. Cassie is worried she is being swept along with it all, but the venue her future mother-in-law has booked is just gorgeous, and then she also books the best photography studio in town to do the wedding photos. All seems to be going along okay until Cassie discovers that the photographer chosen to cover their wedding is in fact her first love, who broke her heart seven years ago.
I really loved this book. It had everything you need in a quick-read romantic comedy, and Cassie was really easy to relate to. She is desperately trying to retain her independence whilst at the same time being subtly controlled by both her fiancé and his mother. The writing style was light and very easy to read and if I’d had the time I would have loved to read it in one sitting. As it was I was excited to return to it when I went to bed and got totally caught up in the story while reading with a torch under the covers.
The main characters, Cassie, Timothy and photographer Jared, were all well written and I got a very clear picture in my mind of all of them. Jared was very sexy which is of course essential in this genre of book! The more minor characters including Timothy’s mother Sylvia, and Cassie’s best friend Sam, are also vividly portrayed. I always think the best friend is an essential part of a chick lit novel.
When Cassie is asked to write a wedding diary column in the paper she works for, the wrong article gets published and she is left in a very awkward situation. I don’t want to say too much more so as not to give anything away, but it kept me entertained and entranced right up to the end. An excellent read.
However, I do have a couple of concerns that I’d like to mention that I feel have more to do with the editing than the writing. Most of the book is seen from Cassie’s POV with sections being from Jared’s, and one from Timothy’s. That’s fine, but the head hopping occurred with no warning, in the middle of a page, and actually became a little disconcerting and confusing at times. I always feel it’s better to have a break (row of stars maybe) before a POV change to make it obvious that we are now in someone else’s head. This didn’t distract from the story at all, but would have made the reading a little easier.
My other concern is the actual editing. There were a couple of occasions when the wrong name was used for someone; a minor character who at the beginning was a single mum, had a loving husband later in the book, and on one occasion the word chronically was used instead of chronologically. Add to that the missed spelling mistakes and missing words and I feel the manuscript would definitely have benefited from another edit.
All that said, I really loved the book and would love to read more of Karen’s work. It’s lovely to find a new author that you enjoy and I would heartily recommend this book to anyone who likes a good escapist read.
Some novels read like a summer's afternoon - sipping elderflower champagne under a blanket of blue sky. Okay, so I read this in Winter, but King took me to a nostalgic place with her beautiful descriptive prose and witty dry-humour. This story takes rolling your eyes at your mother-in-law to a whole new level. The humour for me (which weaves the threads between a more compelling and relatable tale) put me in the mind of some of the classics. I was reminded of Austen's clever way of gently nodding to aspects of relationships that would sail over some readers' heads - and feel like taking a bullet for others. I would describe this novel as contemporary women's fiction at its best. Utterly charming. I will certainly purchase another book by this creative author- which I shall read in the summer to add to the ambience!
This was way out there on the far end of my fluffy fiction spectrum, it was completely predictable and unoriginal but I didn't hate it. There was a bit of fun to it and I did like the protagonist. It was a bit cutesy and mindless... but sometimes that can be okay.
"En résumé, un roman frais, de saison qui vous fera passer un bon moment. Certaines m'ont fait tirer la grimace, mais dans l'ensemble, j'ai passé un excellent moment ! Si l'idée du triangle amoureux vous freine, ne vous y fiez pas. Vous savez que je déteste les triangles amoureux, alors si j'ai pu aller au bout, c'est qu'il n'était pas si présent que ça !"
I just can’t enjoy romance. You know how it will end as soon as you get started. The in-between part of the how and why are standard. Then it’s done. The end. This specific romance was funny at times. I don’t get the whole genre - not just this one.
"I do… Or do I?" by Karen King took me on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I have to admit that the first 50%-60% of the book felt slow and somewhat boring, making it a bit of a struggle to persevere. However, my patience paid off when I reached the last part of the book and experienced the satisfying ending.
When I initially picked up this book, I expected a quick Rom-Com due to its brevity, but I quickly realized that the beginning drags quite a bit. Despite the slow start, I couldn't help but fall in love with the characters as the story unfolded. The journalistic aspect added a unique and intriguing dimension to the plot, which I found particularly interesting.
In the end, "I do… Or do I?" is a book that demands patience but rewards readers with a heartwarming and fulfilling conclusion. If you can push through the initial tedium, you'll be treated to a delightful story with engaging characters and a captivating exploration of the world of journalism.
Perfectly drawn characters. Can't wait to read her next book!
Cassie and Timothy's engagement has become a whirlwind. But that's ok - Timothy's reliable- He's a safe bet for Cassie whose heart was broken when her first love, Jared, left her to follow his dream. Timothy won't let her down. Will he? Timothy's mother, Sylvia, is a monster-in-law who's already taken control of most of the wedding plans. Bet hey, she'll calm down after the wedding. Won't she? Cassie has the odd misgiving at how fast everything's happening. But most brides have the occasional jitter. Don't they? And what about Jared? Of all the photographers Sylvia could have picked for the wedding! Karen King has drawn her characters perfectly. In turn they had me chuckling, indignant, smiling, worrying, laughing out loud. A thoroughly entertaining read and I can't wait for her next book
TW: food restriction to lose weight A simple, light-hearted read - all I wanted from the book. There was a lot of talking about how important it is not to be a fat bride and lose weight before the wedding which I didn't think was necessary. I understand that Sylvia (the future mother-in-law) could be making such remarks as it fits the character, but I wish Cassie opposed to that and not gave in into that thinking; she was trying to be independent after all.
A full review will be on my blog soon: writersinsomnia.blogspot.com
Lu en deux jours.... C'est vraiment le bouquin rafraîchissant et pleins d'humour; zéro prise de tête.
Idéal pour les vacances ou pour décompresser.
Cassie vivait un Grand Amour Parfait jusqu'à ce qu'elle dise "OUI" et se retrouve avec sa belle mère qui organise son mariage et embauche accidentellement comme photographe son ex fiancé, partie sans donner de raison.... Déconcentration total pour les préparatifs.
2,5/5 romance mignonne mais rien de fou! j’ai bien aimé la personnalité de Cassie. J’aime la fin même si un épilogue aurait été chouette pour savoir comment elle et Jared s’organisent les articles qu’elles écrient sont marrants et j’ai aimé les passages avec sa meilleure amie
Thank you to Accent Press for a copy of the book in exchange for my unbiased opinion!
Would you get married for safety? No, I don’t mean the protection from harm, type safety. I’m talking about being in a relationship that is….safe. That is it. Just…safe. Would you get married just for that? Add a monster-in-law to the mix and you’re pretty much walking into a marriage that you have no say in. Well, not you, Cassie. She is engaged to a popular, rich, ‘well respected’ man who is governed by his mother. A man who lets mummy make all the decisions, even when it comes to the wedding photographer. How much will Cassie be able to take before she says ‘I don’t’ instead of ‘I do?’?
Oh my goodness me! Sylvia is such an interfering witch, but Karen has written her absolutely perfectly! Such an on point description of an interfering family member, I’m sure a lot of readers will be able to relate with a personality such as Sylvia’s. I’m sure a lot of families have extended family members like her, I know I do!
I couldn’t put this book down at all, it only took me a few hours to read because I was absolutely hooked! I was eager to find out whether Cassie married Timothy, did Sylvia get put in her place, what else Sylvia interfered with….everything! It is definitely the type of book that shouts ‘drama’, I mean, look at the title of it! But the level of drama within the storyline will be determined by your perception of interference.
The nitty gritty, intense storyline was absolutely brilliant. I only found one part of the book predictable, to an extent, but then the drama train came along again and had me on tenterhooks! Every character within the book stood out, they all had a purpose, all be it some of them annoyed me, but they were still memorable. If Karen had written the same book but without the nuisance characters, it wouldn’t have the same effect. You need the drama and pain in the bouquet type people in amongst the rest, it gives the storyline that extra depth.
Not only did the storyline contain intense moments, the added hilarity was perfectly timed as well as creating a way for the reader to become more involved with the book. Such a cleverly written, hilarious and fun book with bucketful’s of drama. Absolutely loved it! Karen’s way of writing is so refreshing, modern and flows perfectly; a bit like a light breeze on a summer’s day: amazing.
There's nothing I like more in a wedding plot than a wedding plot with a vile relative who likes nothing more than to dominate the whole affair. The very concept of someone else taking over your big day is enough to make any bride's blood boil, especially if it happens to be the dreaded mother in law to be. Fortunately for me my inherited second mother is nice as punch and nothing but supportive. If interfering relatives get on your nerves, but you still love reading about their input, you will love I Do Or Do I.
From the very first chapter the domineering dragon is already raising her head and I was already rolling my eyes telling her to naff off, in the politest way possible. How leading lady Cassie keeps it all in is amazing! Making her life worse is that the wedding has less than 2 months to go and the first photographer appointment brings her face to face with Jared, her first love and ex fiancé, who ditched her!
In addition to the extreme pressure and regular snide comments from the mother in law to be from hell, Cassie is also landed even more work to add to her already heavy workload. A regular column counting down to her big day. Everything goes fine with Cassie batting ideas around but when the wrong draft gets sent to the printer she's not only in hot water, but her reader fan base soars.
I Do Or Do I is an entertaining read which will have you flicking through wedding brochures before you've finished the book. The idealistic perfect wedding meets conflictions of the heart is a classic storyline which never fails to get old and I thoroughly enjoyed King's take on it. With the added element of a career enhancement for Cassie, this book empowers readers to read more into subjects often associated with fashion and current trends. Writing is something I love, so to see a woman succeeding in a similar field of journalism, while her life is turned upside down, is completely refreshing and invigorating.
I reward I Do Or Do I with 5 stars and implore you to read it for yourself for a great read and cosy night in.
Cassie prépare son mariage avec Timothy quand elle a la surprise de voir que son futur photographe n'est autre que son ex, qui a préféré poursuivre ses rêves à leur histoire.
Si j'ai eu peur du triangle amoureux ou je devrai choisir entre le fiancé ou l'ex, j'ai très vite fait mon choix tellement Timothy est imbuvable 😅 et je ne vous parle pas de sa mère 🤭 mais Jared ayant mal agit par le passé envers Cassie, rien n'est finalement joué entre les 2 prétendants 😏
Concernant belle-maman, j'ai d'ailleurs regretté que Cassie se laisse autant faire, quand elle semble pourtant savoir ce qu'elle veut et ne se laisse pas facilement dicter sa conduite !
J'ai adoré les touches d'humour posées ici et là dans le livre, Cassie et Jared sont mignons par moment, quand Timothy arrive à nous surprendre, et on a hâte que la demoiselle finisse par se décider 😁
J'en ressort cependant quelque peu mitigée, alors oui, on a de l'humour et de l'amour, mais trop de petites choses prennent le pas dessus 😕 J'ai également noté un bon manque de communication entre les différents personnages, amenant parfois des situations qui auraient clairement pu être évitées 🤷🏻♀️
N'en reste cependant une très belle découverte de l'auteure, avec une bonne description des tourments par lesquels passent Cassie. On a également de temps en temps les 2 points de vue, ce qui sera toujours un plus pour moi 😊
This book is not the usual genre I read, so I was pleasantly surprised at what an enjoyable story it was. The story, told in the third person, enfolds mostly from Cassie’s view point and from Jarrard, who is to be the wedding photographer, and also isCassie’s ex-boyfriend. I really liked the main character Cassie, and could imagine her being a good friend. At first I thought she was feeble, but her values and confidence grew as the book progressed. I felt empathy with her as she was swept away with the wedding plans, to rich and influential lawyer, Timothy, with most of the plans being made by her interfering Mother-in-law. Cassie is not only marrying her weak fiancé, but also his dominating mother. I enjoyed reading the extracts from Cassie’s newspaper column, and waited for the next one in anticipation as if I were one of the newspaper’s readers, and wondering what she would write next. The book encourages individuals to be true to themselves, and to encourage others to fulfill their dreams too, rather than doing what is expected for the sake of appearances. I particularly liked the wise old man, that Cassie briefly meets, only a small part character, but with such good advice. Anyone who likes stories about conflict within relationships will enjoy this book
The pacing was slow, the writing style was quite bland, and the heroine was a bit flat, making it difficult to connect with her. This was a DNF for me.