Jason is a cynical rich playboy. He doesn’t take life seriously. He doesn’t believe in settling down.
Eileen's twenty-seventh birthday is almost here. But as always she's an afterthought in her parent’s minds. Her family is too busy planning a shotgun wedding for her older sister to pay attention to her. And now she has to help. It’s just another year where she’s overlooked.
But the best man is smoking hot. He actually notices her, and makes her feel special.
Jason doesn’t believe in commitment, but Eileen intrigues him.
She’s not the kind of girl he usually hooks up with. She doesn’t even fall for his charm.
He’s made it his mission to convince her that he’s not the shallow man she thinks he is.
But can Jason give up his playboy lifestyle to become the man Eileen needs?
Claudia is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author. She writes alluring, thrilling stories about complicated women and the men who take their breath away. She lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband and her youngest two children. She has a sweet Bichon, Macey, who thinks she's the ruler of the house. She's only partially right. When Claudia is not writing, you can find her reading, knitting, or just hanging out with her family. At night, she likes to binge watch shows with her equally geeky husband.
Whew!! What a story! This is the second book I have read by this fantastic author and she continues to amaze me!
Then He Happened is Jason and Eileen's story. If you have read Maybe Later you were introduced to Jason. He is Jack's brother.
Jason's past has molded him into the person he is today. He was dealt a crap hand at love in the past and was literally left to deal with the damage and fall out by himself.
Eileen, oh this girl! I could so empathize with her plight. She is the poster child of the "Middle child syndrome" and learned to deal with it the best way she could and it too molded her into the person she has become. Too self sacrificing for her own good.
I loved how Jason and Eileen are brought together and I applauded how Jason wanted to become her protector and made Eileen see her worth and teach her to love herself more, to demand more and be a little selfish!
The chemistry between Jason and Eileen was epic and I loved how their quirkiness brought them together.
I also enjoyed the glimpses of past characters, it was nice to read what they were up too! Now I am hoping for more stories from the Spearman family! Well done Ms. Burgoa!
This is an incredibly heart warming tale about two people who both feel that life is against them, being forced into what they feel is the most impossible and horrible situation, and finding a miracle. Jason has been crushed by what he thought was his soulmate in his past. Eileen just gets stepped on, walked all over, and forgotten by her own family. These characters are so enchanting. They are relatable and feel so very real. This book grabs you by the heart and doesn't let go.
Then He Happened is the second book in The Spearman Family series by Claudia Burgoa. I do believe I have a brand new favorite book by Claudia. I loved every single thing about this book. It was the perfect mix of humor, steam, and sweet. These two were just so perfectly adorable together.
We first met Jason Spearman in Maybe Later, he is Jack Spearman’s brother. We got to know him as the wild, playboy. But I knew even then that there was so much more to him. In this book, we get to know his back story and I fell head over heels in love with him. Jason’s cousin, Marek, has always been a bit of a basket case. And Jason always comes to his rescue. He needs help again, only this time, he’s gotten his girlfriend pregnant. And now they want a wedding. So of course, Jason comes to his rescue.
Eileen McBean is twenty six years old and has spent her life trying to fix everything. Her family is dysfunctional at best. Everything that goes wrong is somehow Eileen’s fault. Now Eileen’s sister, Charlie, is pregnant and wants a quick wedding and all eyes are on Eileen to pull it off.
Eileen and Jason come together as a team to pull off Charlie and Marek’s dream wedding. Along the way, they begin to share their secrets, they become friends, and they begin to fall for each other. Jason finds that his new most important thing is to make sure that Eileen feels valued. That she knows how beautiful, smart, funny and wonderful she is. Jason doesn’t believe in love and Eileen just plain doesn’t have time for it. But when you find the missing piece of yourself, the part that makes you feel more whole than you have ever felt, everything in your life changes.
This book! These two!! They talked so much, they laughed so much. They just got each other. They were perfect together. And when they finally did come together, I don’t know if I’ve ever felt so much emotion in a love scene. Or maybe it was me because I loved them so much?! Either way, it was a beautiful thing.
The next book in this series is Once Upon A Holiday and is June Spearman’s book. I admit I’ve already read it and loved it. This really is such a fantastic series. The books can definitely be read as a stand alone but if you read them in order, you would have a better connection to all of the characters.
Claudia Burgoa is a new author to me. I tell ya I’ve added more new authors to my roster of the last year than in my entire reading and reviewing career. I am so glad that I have added Claudia. Lets just say we had some trouble getting my ARC to my kindle but she was a sweetie throughout the entire thing. Her writing and words have made me put her into my roster of favorite authors. And I have found out that she loves 80’s music. I am sitting here listening to the playlist for Then He Happened, which is chocked full of good 80’s music. Thank you Claudia for the ARC and music, seems we have similar taste.
Go to her website and check out the playlist!
Now to the book. Then He Happened is about second chances for love, and what a time I had reading this book. We meet the Eileen and Jason when they’re thrown together for his cousins wedding and Eileen’s older very selfish sister. I have a few choice words for these two but NONE of them are very nice, but I am going to keep it clean. We have a case of BRIDEZILLA x 50. Seriously, like %$@#%$#@&^@!!
Okay, I got that out my system. The two begin bonding over all the situations that arise from the two I won’t name again, they aren’t worth my time. Jason and Eileen are the only two who completely sane in the wedding party and are almost immediately allies.
I felt their chemistry at the beginning even if they didn’t because ladies and gents this is a slow burner, not insta-love. I am so glad for that, that is one trope I loathe with a passion. With a slow burner you get feel and see everything that feels like a real relationship. The progress they go through to get there.
I felt for both of them as I got to their backstories. They both went through so much in their separate lives, but the support each other during it. You can’t help but fall for Jason and his resilient heart. He is such a sexy, sweet guy, you can’t help but like him. He deserved a woman who would cherish the best parts of him. Screw his past &*^$%@$#%. Eileen on the other hand, is the middle child. And she definitely has that middle child syndrome.
But somehow she came out of it being the most dependable and responsible out of the three. She is very neglected and taken advantage of by her entire family. There were times I wanted to jump through the book and cause me brawl, especially with BRIDEZILLA. Despite their pasts they found each other and their attraction grew by the minute and I kept counting down until we got that MOMENT! The secondary cast is exceptional too! I loved every minute of the entire book! I can see why this is compared to Sixteen Candle meet 27 Dresses. I do recommend you read the book for the full experience. I for one WILL be checking Claudia’s other books!
I am in love. That is my simple and final reaction to Then He Happened by Claudia Burgoa. She literally ripped my heart out and healed it in the same stroke. The story was heartbreakingly beautiful.
Jason is a gorgeous, sexy man with a wicked sense of humor. He has golden heart that broke years back and the cracks are still here. He no longer believes in love and marriage. Enter Eileen. The sassy, adorable, whimsical, cheerful, infuriating, compassionate woman is breaking his walls. But she has own burden, vulnerabilities and issues. Can they find true happiness?
Claudia Burgoa can balance sassy witty banter with deep intense emotions like a pro and I love that about her writing. Her story telling is effortless, fluent and mesmerizing. I didn't even realize how the time passed while I was reading it. The crazy insane attraction grew painfully slowly and I savoured every moment. The author created a whole lot of secondary characters who added to the layers and complexities. My heart was aching for Jason and Eileen. They had to go through so much in their individual lives and they supported each other to come over everything. It was true love that made them better, stronger and closer.
If you want to read a true romance that will put smile on your face and tears in your eyes, I strongle recommend Then He Happened by Claudia Burgoa. I am still not ready to let the couple go.
That's just horrible... The writing, the characters and the plot line... Just horrible. Everything about this book is unbearable!
The heroine has an awful family and they treat her like crap and because she is a doormat, she lets them treat her so badly.
The hero is another story. Because once he was left at the altar, he becomes a man-wh*re and treats women like shit. He is unlikable for me, as well.
I don't know if they are going to make a good couple or not but I really don't care; most of the book seems to be about them planning a stupid wedding for the world's most selfish couple (heroine's sister & hero's cousin).
Everything feels plain boring and utterly annoying that I am DNF'ing it at Chapter 10.
Then this book happened! I love it. Miss Burgoa nailed Then He Happened. What I like the most is the chemistry and the banter. They were hilarious and fun. Alive, sexy and sweet.
The story of best man falling in love with bridesmaid is nothing new. The plot in this book is simple enough. Just push and pull here and there. Then He Happened is rom com done right.
Overall a wonderful book to close my Chirstmas holiday.
Nnnope. #DNF. Couldn't make it even halfway through. I hated the hero's POV straight away, and with dual perspective being iffy for me anyway, if I don't like the male 'voice' it's pretty much a deal breaker. I was done before the first chapter ended, but I did try before tapping out. I just can't with this writer - with most of them recently, if I'm honest. Too many disappointing reads have lowered my tolerance for anything I don't care for.
If you are looking for a sweet, friends-to-lovers, rom-com type romance, this one is definitely for you!
The book description is about right, I can understand how this story brings “27 dresses” and “Sixteen candles” together. But while I was sceptical at first (I don’t necessary like sugar-sweet books), I soon realised that it was worth a try.
The main hero is introduced to us a broken, bad guy, but our opinion of him changes immediately when he shows his real colours and occurs to be a super funny, sweet and protective one.
The main heroine is someone that we can definitely relate to, her problem is just that she lets her family steer her. But she has reasons for it and she is definitely not weak or naive. It’s just her character which makes her help people no matter what.
It’s a slow burn, but we don’t get a very visible turn of events which I always appreciate!
Jason and Eileen are thrown together to put together a wedding for his cousin (Marek) and her sister (Charlie), they grow closer during this time and the sparks start flying.
I met Jason Spearman when I read his brother Jack's book, Maybe Later, there was something about him then that let me know he was hurt beyond repair but that was before he met Eileen. Poor Eileen, she really drew the short straw when it came to family. She is the middle child which is constantly neglected and overshadowed by her older sister and she is blamed for everything that goes wrong in the family. I mean seriously how can one person have all the power to cause every bad thing that happens to the family? THEY CAN'T, yet she is the one that gets blamed for it and is told to make things right again and again and again. YIKES! If I was her I would have taken off years ago and cut them all loose.
This is a slow burn romance there is no insta-love here which was nice, yes they found one another attractive but they grew to become friends and then more. If you enjoyed the Romantic Comedies Sixteen Candles and 27 Dresses this story is perfect for you, it has all the fun and charm each of those did as well as two characters you can't help but root for. Happy Reading!!!
There is a #GIVEAWAY on my BLOG so be sure to check it out! **I have voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book for my Blog, Nadine's Obsessed with Books**
You can see this and other Reviews I have written along with various cover reveals, excerpts, and giveaways here Nadine's Obsessed with Books
**I received this ARC in exchange for an honest voluntary review** This is my first read from the author & I'm honestly disappointed. Main problem: the couple doesn't get together until the last quarter of the story! This is the slowest burn within a few weeks time I've ever read. Jason & Eileen are the middle children of their respective families that are coming together when the are forced to plan a wedding for his artist cousin & her dramatic older sister. Eileen is such a doormat, always wanting to please others while she's treated like crap by anybody & everybody besides her bestie. Even when she finally stands up for herself, she still manages to be a doormat. Jason wasn't much of a hero either. As soon as his brother's gf or even his assistant gave him crap, he would back down. Main characters weren't strong, secondary characters were the worst (besides Jossie, who was a badass) & a dragging plot made me regret picking up this book.
I really wanted to like this book, as I have enjoyed past books by this author. But this one seemed very uneven to me. I liked the premise that the couple (Jason and Eileen) meet over the shared misery of helping family members plan a wedding. But the story seemed uneven and disjointed. I never got the full feeling of Jason being the cad that he was supposed to be. And to be perfectly frank, I couldn’t understand why both of them didn’t tell their relatives to take a flying leap – they both took way too much abuse to be believable, and the hideousness of the relatives took over the romance. Visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews for more thoughts. This review was written based on a complimentary pre-release digital ARC.
Eileen and Jason are brought together to plan and fund a wedding for Eileen's spoiled and selfish older sister Charlie and Jason's slack cousin Marek. Eileen and Jason have both have had some rough bumps in this road called life; Jason deserted by who he thought was his soul mate, and Eileen always forgotten and stepped over by her family in favor of her older sister. The stories of both of their pasts made me so sad and tear up. Yet they always kept their chin up and kept going. Eileen was constantly doing for her family and sacrificing herself.
Jason and Eileen's bonding over this wedding was a hoot, with all Bridezilla's demands and meltdowns, there was never a dull moment! Being the only sane people in a sea of insanity brings you closer together as shared allies. You could actually feel the progression to friends and then more. And the more was so hot!!! It was so much fun to see Jack, Jason's brother, and Emmaline, from Maybe Later here! To see them carrying on with their lives. I love that.
This is another great book by Claudia that will grab you from the first chapter and you will not be able to put down until you've turned the last page.
5 Star Review of Then He Happened by Claudia Y Burgoa
Claudia Burgoa is a relatively new author to me. Then He Happened was well written and had me engaged from the first chapter. I really loved Jason and Eileen, both separately and together, they really do make a great couple.
Eileen’s family are not nice, in fact if I were her I would disown them and write them off. The banter and humour between Eileen and Jason was at times hilarious and I found myself smiling often, it just made me happy and as their friendship developed all I could do was cheer them on.
Despite their families, who really are clueless, Jason and Eileen come together to arrange a successful wedding. The support that they show for one another truly was heart warming. There were times throughout the story that I really wanted to smack some sense into Eileen’s sister, her parents and Jason’s cousin. I really felt like cheering when Eileen finally stood up for herself against her selfish family. Through it all Jason offered his friendship, support and eventually love and he just ticked the boxes for me.
If I hadn't already met the author, I would be concerned her personality might be something like Charlie. Dear God that's a scary thought! Bridezilla is a term but for Charlie it's a way of life! I'm legit terrified for any spawn of hers. Between her and her mess of a fiance future generations aren't looking so stable.
But enough about Charlie because everyone talks about Charlie. Let's talk about...what's her name again!?! I'm kidding but I get the distinct impression her family might not remember. Eileen is the middle child but her family makes the stereotype a harsh reality. No attention, unless it's negative. Eileen is the scapegoat and also required to fix any and all f@ck ups. Eileen is not someone to be envied because this family has way too many mess ups and zero love for the middle child.
It broke my heart and pissed me off at the same time. The family dynamic is brutal. I kept wishing her a better family or amnesia so she forgets how utterly messed up they are to her. Alas, it's not that kind of story. But Then He Happened...and things changed.
He might not be what she wished for but he is everything that she dreams of. Sweet, sexy, and actually cares is a big change for Eileen. Things might just be looking up...
Not sure what happened here. Either the author refused to accept the editors changes, or the editor is just that terrible. Or maybe a combination of the two. There were more mistakes than I could count between grammar, continuity, and just basic story telling. An absolute waste of $6. Take my advice. Don't waste your money.
A cute and relatable friends-to-lovers romance. Who can't relate to a broken heart and a bunch of crazy families and issues? I choked up, just a little bit, on the vows and the way they were delivered.
You want some cheese with that WINE? Geeze Louise, I cannot even with these two. I can understand the fem protag being scarred from the way her family treated her as a dependent young person, it was shit, there’s no denying that, and I can see her feeling obligated to help her family when they say they “need” her (though if it were me, I would have dropped them like a turkey sandwich that’s been left out for a week, right into the garbage). What I can’t stand is the fem protag whining about how shitty her family is all the time as a grown woman. She CHOOSES to continue picking up her phone and coming to their aid, she doesn’t have to depend on her parents anymore, she can cut them off, but because she’s made the decision to continue contact and always rushes in to help and she knows she’s being used, I don’t want to hear her bitching and moaning about how they treat her. You knowingly picked the bed with the termite infestation and the fleas and the bedbugs to sleep in, now you have to suck it up and deal with what comes after. The book didn’t start out this way, but within the last hour or so (audiobook), the fem protag’s tone has changed and she’s got this new “poor me” thing going on, which I cannot stand. I can also tell her sister deliberately sabotages her life and her major life events and it is burning my biscuits that the main chick is not aware enough to start asking the right questions.
The male protagonist also irritates me. He’s also an enabler and he lets his cousin and his cousin’s fiancé lead him by the nose when it’s his money and his connections that are helping them out. He has no pressure to keep bailing his cousin out and yet he does, and I don’t understand why. If the reason were deeper than “his mom depended on my dad for support now I support him” I would be more accepting, but that reason is about as deep as a puddle and doesn’t really address his motives. Why does he feel it’s his obligation to help his cousin out?
The two of them together have so far been pulling their hair out and complaining about the hoops they need to jump through when I’m silently screaming at them that they can throw a crap wedding together and tell their families to take a long walk off a short, but totally picturesque and wedding worthy pier.
Too angry with the MCs and there are no redeemable side characters to hold on for. I’m done.
Then He Happened is the second romantic comedy that Ms. Burgoa has written and she knocked it out of the park! It’s an entertaining, flirty and hilarious read with wonderful characters and a unique storyline.
Jason and Eileen met under unusual circumstances. Jason’s cousin (Marek) and Eileen’s sister (Charlie) who are both irresponsible and immature discover they are pregnant and need to get married quickly. Neither one of them have a penny to their name and of course it’s Jason and Eileen’s responsibility to plan and pay for the wedding. As they navigate through the wedding planning and the crazy adventures begin, they form a friendship, grow closer and their undeniable chemistry really heats up.
I fell head over heels in love with Jason and his strong, sexy and geeky down to earth persona. He has a guarded heart since he was jilted at the alter by his ex fiancée. Ms. Burgoa truly brought out the best in Jason and even though he’s wealthy and successful, he’s a genuine man who needs a good woman to cherish him. I was rooting for him throughout the book. And my heart truly went out to Eileen as she had to endure being the middle child of her three siblings. She’s such an amazing, lovable and independent woman who deserves to be adored and recognized for that. She’s also the most responsible, dependable and reliable out of the three children. Unfortunately, her family is neglectful towards her, they take advantage of her kindness and her inability to say no to them. They literally treat her like Samantha Baker from Sixteen Candles (yes they forgot her birthday) and Jan Brady from The Brady Bunch. There were several times that I found myself shaking my head and my fists at her family’s antics (especially Charlie aka bridezilla). And I must say the family’s antics were so unbelievable and hysterical at times.
Jason and Eileen are a romantic comedy match made in heaven. These two made my heart smile. I connected with their story, there was never a dull moment in the storyline as it flowed seamlessly and I wanted more and more of them. Then He Happened is a sexy and feel good romance that I highly recommend reading.
Fun, flirty, a little bit of a crazy family, and characters we already know and love. Does it get any better? Because I really don’t think so. And I absolutely adore Eileen and Jason, adore!! They’re definitely made for each other after reading this crazy adventure!
I have to say I was wondering about Jack's brother after book one and that one ended a bit abruptly. But you can see a bit of continuity here. Anyway this one is about Jason, this guy strikes me as odd in a way. He's a decent guy got burned badly like his brother and now hates relationships. But got roped into planning his cousin's shot gun wedding. Eileen was classic middle child and people pleaser, a bit to the extreme. She fixes her family's mess a lot and they look to her to do it at the expense of her own happiness. But she let's it even if she makes lemonade out of all the lemons they throw at her.
Seriously this family of the bride is nuts, her older sister is like a child. So bridezilla and apparently doted over by the parents. I felt bad for Eileen but she needs to say something and not let them do that. She feels like everything is her fault. That was frustrating to witness. Jason sees how awesome she is and they do form a friendship of sorts. The attraction is subtle not the for front of the story.
I don't quite know how I feel about this one to be honest. Both Jason and Eileen are weird in tastes but are weird together and that's why they work. But I got bored somehow along the way it didn't feel as fun as the first since the family drama is frustrating. If it got rid of that it would be better but it's what brought them closer so it has a place. Jason and Eileen both have issues, the other afraid to disappoint family, the other afraid of relationships. They're only honest with each other so in a way both of them get the other.
It was pretty slow burn-ish how things changed despite all the thoughts before. Actually it was slow in general lots going on and it took like at the near end for anything to really progress. Through all that crazy wedding stuff Jason and Eileen connected, how they went from friends to FWB to something else was choppy. The resolution felt rushed, I wanted more from the family and Jason and Eileen together. Regardless it worked out well in the end. I guess the message of finding your worth was the main poin and even if it took a while it got there.
This took a bit of time to complete. I started and stopped in between reading 3 books to finally get to the end. This is my second time reading from this author and I did enjoy it in parts because it was funny and heartwarming. The blurb painted a slightly different picture than the substance of the story and main characters. In particular, I was really expecting an intense alpha playboy but what we got was a poetic, romantic, funny but defeated heartbroken man constantly projecting. This was a surprise as a lot of his behavior was kind hearted and selfless. And similarly the heroine was a below the radar badass constantly battling an invisible awkward doormat personality which I chalked up to her horrible family. That’s one thing that really irked me I hated Eileen’s family with a passion. This was the worst family dynamic I think I’ve ever read. Eileen’s mom and dad, sister —all were awful and deserve a huge comeuppance pronto! Both the hero and heroine allowed themselves to be abused by their family and that was not okay. So I’ll leave it at that. Overall, this story was a bit bumpy— with gaps left unfulfilled, a bit slow and boring but funny and lighthearted read.
Jason and Eileen are two angsty characters who are soon to be cousins-in-law: Eileen's sister is getting married to Jason's cousin. A trope that promises to be fun and quirky, romantic and dripping with drama. And the book delivers on all those counts. I specially loved the build up to the romance between Jason and Eileen and their "falling in love" moments. Both are perfect for each other and they know it but well, won't admit it! The only cons to this otherwise perfect story are the over-use of the "f" word and the cliche introduction to Jason. I was ready to hate Jason but what can I say, he won me over! The other minor grouse I have is the portrayal of Eileen's family...all of them are screechy and annoying. How can the "entire family" be that bad, huh? Nevertheless, the pros more than made up for the cons. This is my first book by the author and certainly won't be the last!