The Wedding Planner

by G.A. Hauser

Though he was engaged to be married, handsome, thirty-year old stockbroker Jordon Buck never believed in the fairy tale romances or being ‘head over heels’ in love.

Gorgeous, gay, twenty-eight year old, Tyler Holliday wasn’t keen on his current career as a wedding planner. Tyler aspired for something greater, but a ghost from his youth haunted him. The day he met Jordon Buck and Fawn Lea to help them plan the big event, fate met up with Tyler Holliday.

In the middle of a Manhattan summer, the two men become friends, and then something happens between them to change them forever. A four letter word called ‘Love’.

Genres: M M Romance, Contemporary, Romance, Gay For You, Gay, Media Tie In, Friends To Lovers

217 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2009

About the author

About the Author Award-winning author G.A. Hauser was born in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, USA and attended university in New York City. She moved to Seattle, Washington where she worked as a patrol officer with the Seattle Police Department. In early 2000 G.A. moved to Hertfordshire, England where she began her writing in earnest and published her first book, In the Shadow of Alexander. Now a full-time writer, G.A. has written over eighty novels, including several best-sellers of gay fiction. GA is also the Executive Producer for her first feature film, CAPITAL GAMES. For more information on other books by G.A., visit the author at her official website. www.authorgahauser.com G.A. has won awards from All Romance eBooks for Best Author 2010, 2009, Best Novel 2008, Mile High, and Best Author 2008, Best Novel 2007, Secrets and Misdemeanors, Best Author 2007.

Note from Goodreads Staff:
G.A. has contacted us requesting for her blog not to be linked to her profile. Please do not update RSS feed settings.

Reviews

[Daisiemae · Rating 4 out of 5]

G.A. Hauser’s books have a tendency to be either a hit or miss with me. When I saw The Wedding Planner written by her, I thought I would give her another shot and read it. I’m very glad I did. There isn’t a lot of angst in this book and it’s a very easy and quick read.

When Jordon Buck’s fiancée, Fawn, wanted to hire a wedding planner, he was all for it. Neither he nor Fawn has the time or the inclination to be bothered with planning their upcoming nuptials. He and Fawn have been dating for over 3 years, and Jordon is starting to feel the pull of wanting to settle down and enjoy his life with someone, so asking his long-time girlfriend to marry him was a no brainer, especially since Jordon doesn’t really believe in “fairy tale” love and happy ever after.

This changes the moment Jordon lays eyes on the wedding planner, Tyler Halliday. Jordon was expecting an effeminate twink when he heard that Tyler was gay, but what he got is a handsome masculine man that he can’t keep his eyes off of. Not only is Tyler funny and smart, but he’s everything Jordon didn’t know he wanted until he met him.

I did have some problems with Fawn, Jordon’s fiancée. She is your stereotypical obnoxious female in the story. It was very easy not to like her, but I would have enjoyed her being more likeable than she was written to be. Jordan and Tyler pretty much fall in love at first sight. Even after Jordon decides to follow his heart and be with Tyler, there isn’t any conflict or drama over him completely changing his lifestyle from family, friends or work. I’m not sure that that’s very believable either, but I don’t read Hauser for its realism, so that ended up being pretty okay with me.

This is more of a gay for you story. Jordon really isn’t attracted to other men until he meets Tyler. Jordon’s brother is gay, so he might be more bi-curious than anything, but definitely not gay. There were times I though Jordon had a very male chauvinist attitude that I wasn’t crazy about, but all in all I did like him, and he was an interesting character.

I personally thought Tyler stole the show. He’s got a shady past that he’s trying to overcome. He’s wanting to branch out into modeling and acting, but because if the mistakes he’s made he is forced to support himself by being a wedding planner. He’s a warm-hearted man, who is determined to show Jordon that he has a misconception of gay men and gay life in general. I truly liked him, and I was very glad he got his happy ending.

This is honestly one of the better GA Hauser books that I’ve read. She is another author that is strictly a guilty pleasure to read, much like Carol Lynne or Stormy Glenn, and her books may not be for everyone. If you are interested in trying out Ms. Hauser’s books, this would be an excellent choice.

Solid 4 stars

[Darien · Rating 4 out of 5]

^^HERE COMES THE BRIDE,THATS STILL UP FOR DEBATE^^

So I read this book because the concept sounded so interesting, guy falls in love with the wedding planner while planning his own wedding. You think it would get all angsty and drama orientated, but its surprisingly sweet, and has a few life lessons about what you should feel about the person you are going to marry. Settling is never an option, you should, love and crave the person you want to spend the rest of your life with.

Jordan Buck is engaged to be married and life seems pretty sweet, he is a big time stock broker on wall street, his fiance is pretty and independent and he is in lurveeee, or so he thought. The signs that it's not a match made in heaven are pretty obvious, the fiance named Fawn( I know right, what kinda name is that) she refuses to have sex with him and when she does talk about corpse just lying there and taking it, surely kills the mood. Plus she prefers to hang out with her girls and get insanely drunk, miss dinner dates and scheduled time to spend with Jordan. All the signs are there but he always looks them over.

Until there was Tyler Halliday his wedding planner, talk about the sexiest guy he has ever seen. Jordan has no aversion to finding men attractive, he feels pretty open having a gay brother and gay men constantly hitting on him, but no other man has ever gotten him hard before, and he is all kinds of hard for Tyler. When Jordan's fluff of a fiance goes away for work, the preperations for the wedding brings the two closer and the attraction between the two is just beautiful. Neither hides the fact that they want each other but Mr Buck is loyal to a fault, he wants Tyler badly but still feels he should marry.

I loved the friendship between Tyler and Jordan it was just so sweet to read, their playful banter and how comfortable they were with each other is what dreams are made of. I would not call Jordan a just for you gay, I would say he is bi-curious because he is so open to the possibility of being with a man, but not just any man would Tyler is the one he wants. There is no infidelity on Jordan's part but I can't say the same for twitty Fawn. The back stabbing biach, all the lies but both Fawn and Jordan are equally to blame both hanging on to something that is not there.

I loved this book, I love Tyler and Jordan, I love the way they talked to each other, I loved the way they loved each other. This book would be considered a slice of life, in manga terms. Its not overly erotic but it's romantic, sweet and has a sexy innocence. The writing moves smoothly and you won't miss the dirty language or the raunchy sex not saying the book doesn't offer that, but it so much more. This is one my fave reads this year and G.A Hauser is now on my to buy list. A solid 4.5. I think I forgot to mention that both Tyler and Jordan are extremely gorgous, OH YEH!

P.S Fawn is a BITCH.

[Richard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Is it me?

A 15 year old boy involved in the porn industry is a gay icon, a star?

I was of the understanding it was child pornography.

One reviewer didn't understand why he gave his real name. Huh- maybe because he was 15.

Said it before and I'll say it again, if the character was a 15 year old girl, they would be screaming bloody murder.

Oh- the editing sucked and this book was nothing but absurd stereotypes.

[Nichole (DirrtyH) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This is the third book I've read by G.A. Hauser. I was so unimpressed by the first two that I had pretty much decided not to read any more of her stuff. But the blurb for this one just sounded so enticing I couldn't help myself.
I'm really glad I gave her a third chance. I ended up really enjoying this one.

I'm a fan of the slow burn - even while I'm yelling "Just do it already!" I'm loving it. This one was one of those - rife with sexual tension to the point where you're about to break. It makes the inevitable hook up that much sweeter. So if you're one that needs a lot of sex in your m/m romance, this may not be for you but if you like the torture of a long, slow tease, you'll love this.

The thing I disliked the most about the other books I read from Hauser was the stiff, formal dialogue that just did not gel for me. That was dialed way down in this one - it felt a lot more natural and allowed me to really get to know and like the characters rather than being annoyed by them all the time.

This was a sweet gay-for-you that was ultimately very satisfying. You'll like both Jordon and Tyler, and I think you'll love Jordon's mom. And if you're tired of novellas and shorts, rest assured this is a full length at over 300 pages.

[ElaineY · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so glad I read this Hauser, having been disappointed a few times before. For a detailed review, read Daisiemae's. I concur with everything :P

Tyler is everything I want in a man, whether as friend or lover. Jordon was a bit too naive to be credible as a successful Wall Street stockbroker and yes, Fawn was overdone.

That said, I am happy to have read a book I enjoyed right after I'm Your Drill Sergeant. I was worrying about what to pick after that, as usual, coz everything would be compared to my level of pleasure from that one. that it was a G A Hauser that passed this test is a surprise, indeed.

Hope there'll be more Hausers like this.

[♥Laddie♥ (Lee Lee) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm actually re-reading The Wedding Planner and I can't believe I'd forgotten what an adorable story this is.

Jordon Buck, in all of his confused angst, was nothing short of cute. I liked the way he didn't fail to see his fiance Fawn's shortcomings. He was annoyed with her but at the same time he didn't immediately blame her. He tried to see if he was part of the problem. I liked that he didn't immediately put all of the blame for the state of the relationship on someone else.

Jordon's interactions with his brother Bryan were heartwarming. You could tell how much they loved each other and Jordon never once let Fawn talk crap about his brother or any other gay man.

G.A. Hauser was so successful in making me believe that Jordon was, no matter how hard he tried to fight it, lost when it came to Tyler Holliday his wedding planner. Every time Jordon even thinks of Tyler it's like he's been lit on fire.

Tyler Holliday was such a sympathetic character. A man who was still a kid when he started in the porn business and is now trying to break away from that part of his life. Usually, I wouldn't be rooting for two people to get together when one of those people is engaged to someone else. This story had me rooting for Tyler and Jordon from the time they meet in the restaurant to discuss the planning of Jordon's wedding. The sweetest thing ever is when they have a home cooked dinner and then watch the Olympics, all cuddled up on the couch together.

I even wanted to squeeze the secondary characters. Jordon's brother Bryan knows from the very beginning that if Jordon gets married to Fawn it'll be a disaster. Bryan's not shy about saying it every chance he gets and joyfully calls his brother's fiance Bridezilla. Bryan is also smitten like a hormonal teenager with Tyler once he finds out that Tyler was an ex-pornstar. I thought it was hilarious that Bryan pretty much Myspace stalks Tyler.

Adrian Tripp, Jordon's hot and promiscuous, gay co-worker is a sweetheart. He hits on Jordon every chance he gets. The scene where Jordon asks Adrian if Adrian truthfully finds him handsome...it was sexy but it also made my heart break a little for Adrian. He's a playful guy but his compliments are sincere and he really likes Jordon. I got the feeling that Adrian wanted Jordon for more than just friends with benefits.

The number one reason why I adore this story is because the two characters fall in love before any sex happens. They spend time together, have conversations and relate to each other. At the end of the story I believed in the characters' HEA more than I have with any other book.

[Fangtasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kudos to Ms. Hauser for setting up all the necessary circumstances to make this a believable story. Jordon loves his gay brother Bryan, his mother's unconditional acceptance and support of both her sons is the right environment for him to be open to the idea of a different sexual orientation. He still freaks but hey, woudn't anyone, after believing themselves straight for their whole life? His work environment is also progressive and non-discriminatory. Jordon does have some ingrained stereotypes about women, is very sure about what he doesn't want in one, and also about gay men being unable to commit or be part of a long-term, monogamous relationship. But then, so do most people in real life.

The characters in this story are superbly crafted: Jordon is a sweet, down-to-earth (if a bit disillusioned) man. Tyler is the gorgeous hunk with a past that he's unable to shake. Fawn is a very shallow and confused young woman. Adrian is just perfect, loved his daily come-ons to Jordon! Alejandro, the latino gym stud, had me ROTFL every time he spoke. All of the people in this book are like you and me, flawed but well-intentioned.

The dialog is excellent, until it gets to the part where our two MCs get together and have sex for the first time and every time thereafter. Until then, I'd laughed as appropriate and been serious when necessary, but getting to that part I just couldn't help but feel that I was laughing at lines that the author did not intend to be funny. Everything else made sense, the sex scenes were good and hot, but when the guys started spewing purple prose, I just howled with laughter. Sorry, Ms. Hauser if that was not the intended reaction.

Still, conflict resolution was flawless, the ending was perfect, and I know that I'll be re-reading this book many times in the future. If you have been putting off reading it, don't procrastinate anymore. It's worth every cent.

P.S. My hubby is very glad for the increase in frequency of totally spontaneous and enthusiastic oral loving he's getting, as a result of me reading this book. See? It's a win-win all around!

[Ed Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, especially in the beginning. I liked Jordan’s attitude when flirted with by gay men. I also loved the slow burn attraction between Tyler and him.

I only gave it a three star rating for several reasons. First, it was so obvious that Fawn prefers running around and spending time with her girl friends than being with him. However, he went on blindly indulging her and making excuses for her actions. The second thing that really bothered me was how the book became so fluffy sweet after Tyler and Jordan got together. It was total fantasy. The third problem was the need of a good editor. I still read the book and didn’t have to resort to skimming so three stars says I liked it.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was expecting total fluff and fun with this one and it was fun but it had real emotions. Even made my chest hurt. I was waiting for silly but what I got felt genuine. I really loved this story. The editing could use a bit of help and some parts didn't seem very realistic but I enjoyed it anyways. Made me happy!

[Cindi · Rating 3 out of 5]

********** CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS **********

As much as I would love to start this with my opinions on the actual story, I can't. I have to start with something that bugged me throughout this entire book: bad editing. I don't know if it was just MY copy or what but there are major editing issues throughout this book. Misspelled words, names in places where they should not be (Tyler's name is where Jordon's should be several times), sentences that run together without proper punctuation, the list goes on. In one very small scene in the book, and by small I mean only two sentences, the two MC's are mentioning sports in passing and specific players. Normally the misspelling of a player's name would be no big deal.... maybe. :) But Derek Jeter, seriously? It was spelled JEETER, 3 or 4 times. I don't know if that was spelled that way intentionally (jokingly) or if maybe the author did not have permission to use the name? Who knows? All I know is that when I looked at the author page after having read that, I saw that she went to school in New York City and I can't imagine anyone living in New York and having no clue who Derek Jeter is or how to spell his name correctly. Even so, a quick Google search is all it would have taken to get it right... even if you know nothing about the New York Yankees or their most popular player. Not to mention that in regards to the other issues, spell-check should have been used... often.

Had this been a freebie, I could have easily overlooked the editing, regardless of how bad. Had it been a paid book with only a few minor issues, I could have overlooked that as well. But for me to pay full Amazon price for an ebook so full of mistakes like this one? That angered me. While this would never be a full 5 star book for me, I would have still given it more than the 3 that I am giving it now.

Now my thoughts on the actual BOOK:

Jordon Buck is engaged to be married to Fawn (yes, I said Fawn). Had the marriage occurred? FAWN BUCK. :) Jordon does not believe in fairy tale romance or the concept of falling head over heels in love with someone. While he thinks he loves Fawn, he has no expectations of their marriage being anything more than two people living together in companionship. Fawn is a selfish bitch. There is no other way to describe her. I will come back to that.

Jordon and Fawn make an appointment to meet with a wedding planner, Tyler Holliday. Tyler does not enjoy his job (at all) but he is good at it. Mistakes of his youth prevent him from doing what he really wants to do so he has settled with planning weddings for rich people.

Fawn is the most uninvolved bride-to-be I've ever seen. She turns everything over to Jordon and she shows no interest in any part of the planning process. She is a flight attendant who is away from home for weeks at at time. She and Jordon do not live together and when she is actually in town, she has no time for Jordon at all. She's a party girl who spends all of her "at home" time partying with her girlfriends. She refuses to have sex with Jordon and on the one or two occasions that it looks like it might happen, she just lays there bored... in one case, actually looking at her fingernails. She refuses to explore new things sexually Jordon is 30-years-old and has NEVER received a blowjob? Seriously? And he admits to being with A LOT of women before Fawn? And he has NEVER, EVER watched porn of any kind? and gets angry and makes excuses if Jordon suggests anything.

Jordon and Fawn meet with Tyler to get the wedding planning started. Before Tyler even walks in the door, Fawn is throwing out gay slurs in regards to the gay party planner. She makes these gay comments quite often during the book, not just about Tyler but about Jordon's gay brother, Bryan, as well. Jordon makes exactly one comment to her about how offensive this is but he basically ignores her and lets her continue.

When Jordon meets Tyler, he is floored by his reaction to him. Jordon has always considered himself to be straight but suddenly he is having what he considers inappropriate thoughts about the man sitting across the table from him. Those thoughts continue as the days and weeks go by. With Fawn either being out of town all the time or partying with her friends, Jordon is the one responsible for meeting with Tyler in regards to everything pertaining to the upcoming nuptials. A close friendship develops between the two men and the mutual attraction is hard to ignore. They even admit that attraction to each other but neither will act on it because Jordon is engaged. I have to point out that Jordon does NOT cheat on Fawn. . Had he done so, my rating would not have been so generous. I do not read cheating books when the cheating involves one of the main characters.

Jordon and Tyler spend a considerable amount of time together... as friends. Fawn is never around and I found myself wondering why she and Jordon were even engaged. They have no relationship really so what's the point? After reading again and again about how she would rush home, give Jordon and quick kiss and take off to be with her friends... not to mention her flat-out refusing to have sex... I started seeing Jordon as a wimp who should either put his foot down with her or just call off the wedding entirely. I never did figure out why there was even going to BE a wedding. After several calls from Jordon to Fawn where she was in a bar or shopping or whatever (instead of spending her limited time at home with him) I was thinking "Seriously dude, she is NOT into you. Walk away already!" What finally causes the end of the engagement is not even Jordon really. He finds Fawn in a compromising position. Had he not done so, would he still have married her? Of course. Did I mention that Jordon was clueless and had zero backbone?

The build up between Tyler and Jordon was written very well. They were allowed to become friends long before they took it a step further. They finally (after the demise of the engagement) get together... as a couple and sexually. While parts of that were written well I had a problem with Jordon. During... seriously, DURING... sex with Tyler.... Jordon's very first sexual experience with a man..., Jordon has this internal dialogue going where he is comparing the sex with Tyler to what he had had in the past with Fawn. And then he was thinking about his gay brother, Bryan, with thoughts like that lucky bastard! He has always experienced this type of sex. Lucky guy!... I'm paraphrasing but you get the gist of what I'm saying. I just got weirded out reading about his internal dialogue. He should be focusing on the time with Tyler but instead he is thinking about his ex.. and worse.. his brother? Ew.

Overall, this was a good story. It could have seriously used a good editor or hell, even a quick run-through would have caught at least most of the editing problems. At times this read like a first draft of a manuscript. Had the editing been done and the story cleaned up, this would have gotten 4 stars. Because it wasn't, I'm forced to leave it at 3.

[Andrea · Rating 1 out of 5]

I cringed my way through this entire book. The writing was atrocious, and boy does she need an editor. The horrible stereotypes of women and gay men were really off-putting. It was such a bad book.

[Elisa Rolle]

The Wedding Planner is a bit more on the usual trend of G.A. Hauser’s previous Gay Romance, where women have not exactly an exemplar role, but at least they manage to redeem a bit in the end.

Perfect Groom Jordon is the dream of every woman: successful stockbroker with penthouse apartment near Wall Street and detached house in the suburbs, he is soon to be married with bimbo flight attendant Fawn. It’s not that Fawn is not a nice girl, it’s only that she doesn’t give the impression to be ready to marry, all the opposite of Jordon. Jordon is 30 years old, and has already reached all the right steps in his life, good work, beautiful house and now he wants the perfect marriage and maybe a family. I have the impression that, when he reached that conclusion, Fawn was right there, and Jordon picked up the first woman who fit the bill, at least a bit.

Jordon has some “old fashioned” idea in mind, on what is marriage and family, and being gay doesn’t fit it. Even more a misfit, if he considers his gay brother Bryan, that, to be gentle, is a slut. So, even if Jordon is the epitome of a Martha Stewart in a male body, and everything in him screams “gay”, he stubbornly refuses to consider even only the idea. Jordon is not simply bi-curious, he is totally with the nose in the “cream”, and he wants so bad to lap it all (there is a bit of pun here, yes, I know), but he fears that, if he surrenders to temptation, he will have also to loose his old fashioned dreams of being the next June Cleaver.

Then in his life enters Tyler, the wedding planner. Tyler is handsome and nice, gentle and caring, and so cute. He has also a past as debauched innocent (a porn star career when he was only 15 years old) that arise the protectiveness feeling of Jordon. And he is at the opposite of Jordon’s brother, Bryan; Tyler believes in love and in family, and it tears his heart to see how much Jordon want them and how few chances he has to find them with Fawn. To give him credit, Tyler doesn’t try to ruin Fawn’s image in front of Jordon’s eyes, she is very good in doing that all by herself.

Probably the most unexpected thing of this novel, it was that, even if there was a lot of sex talking, the act itself happens quite far in the book, something I’m not quite used in a G.A. Hauser’s novel. Here there is actually a story, a love story, and the author leaves a lot of space to it to evolve, in a nice and quite way, without rush or anything to make the reader feel like the character were skipping steps.

Loosely connected to The Vampire and the Man-Eater, Jordon is friend of Brock Harris and colleague of Adrian, Brock's best friend, and to The Kiss, Jordon is first cousin with Claire and Scott.

http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/93...

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 -4 stars

What a nice slow burn for Tyler, the wedding planner, and Jordon, the stockbroker! Jordon is a bit bicurious, a bit GFY. He is getting married....I'm not sure why other than he thinks he should be. When we meet his fiance she is nothing like you expect! She is completely self centered!

Jordon and Tyler become friends and are completely in lust with each other!

I loved Jordon's mom! I felt that Jordon was too naive....I mean he has NEVER....WATCHED....PORN!!! WHHHAATTTT? NO. WAY.!!

The gay slurs by Fawn were over the top, especially with what we find out T the end!

It was weird that Jordon and Fawn dated for three years and suddenly in one weekend he opens his eyes and sees that she doesn't like BJ's, doesn't really like sex, and doesn't want to spend any time with him. They have zero in common!

Anyway, I found Tyler and Jordon totally hot together!

[FloJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a much better Hauser than that Acting Badly/Dirty series.
Truly enjoyable. The characters did not have that high volume voice they often have in her books and the peripheral characters all seemed real. There was a cameo from Claire Epstein (the modelling agency from The Kiss) she is the cousin of our hero Jordan.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this story. I thought it was a very sweet romance. All I can say about Fawn (Jordon was engaged to her) is that I'm glad Jordon ditched the bitch and that she isn't in the story that much be cause she was really ANNOYING!

[Sakuko · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book just feels really off. How people act and react and interact. It's a bit like fanfiction written by a schoolkid with very limited life experiences. You know, that uncanny valley where things seems normal enough on the surface, but enough things are slightly off to be really creepy.

Even the basic premises. Jordon is engaged to be married to a woman he doesn't really love, who acts like a teenager or maybe a young twenty and suddenly, inexplicably get the hots for his wedding planner. But instead of maybe questioning his relationship he shamelessly flirts with the guy, who actually flirts back and they just kind of ignore the pink elephant in the room that Jordon is going to get married. Jordon only breaks up the engagement after he finds Fawn cheating. He doesn't even contemplate his emotional involvement with Tyler as a reason to do that.

A lot of the gay characters act very stereotypical, too. Flirting with everyone, gay or straight, very sexual, very lascivious. And Jordon has this weird notion, that gays cannot be monogamous because gay man keep offering him blowjobs. Apparently he's just that good looking.

And the dialog is just very artificial and stilted, especially after Tyler and Jordon actually hook up. It's sickeningly sweet and cloying. It's also very nearly insta-love.

There's just so much wrong logically with the book, too. E.x. Tyler has business cards with his MySpace profile, where he's friends with pornstars and has posted nude pictures. And then he's surprised that Jordon has figured out he was a pornstar?
Also, how could he have done porn as a 15 year old under his own name? That's illegal, no company could have been stupid enough to just slap prove of their misdeeds right on the movie, even if Tyler was too young to thing about using an alias.
Also, Tyler uses his real age on the internet nowadays, how can't people know he did the movies at 15 instead of 18, as he says. It's simple math.

There where actually some scenes I really liked, especially Tyler and Jordon working out together, cooking, watching the Olympics and becoming friends. It's just all blanketed in a whole empire of weirdness.

[Alina]

Way too much heterosexuality and Fawn here for my liking.

The story was good and I loved Tyler and Jordon, but I actually hated all Jordon's whining and begging in hopes to have sex with Fawn. Seriously it was embarrassing to read and not at all what I want to see in m/m romance books. Actually him getting hard from the sight of her boobs was way out of place in this type of story, imo. Here goes countless mentions of periods and such.

And I didn't get the basics of Jordon and Fawn's odd relationship at all. I mean he's a successful stockbrocker living in a penthouse condo and she's just a flight attendant. He's a catch in this pair, not her, but still she acts like she couldn't care less about him or their impending wedding and he's going out of his way to fulfill her every wish and the funny thing is - he doesn't even love her. I mean what man in his right mind would put up with so much crap?? She's only hanging out with her friends, she doesn't want to have sex, she doesn't like to spend time with her fiance, then why said fiance still wants to marry her? Yeah, she doesn't piss him off like some other women do, but is it a valid reason to marry? He's only 30 for God's sake, he isn't in any rush. And his pityful attempts and imploring to get her to spend at least a little of her free time with him - I almost stopped reading I was so pissed at Jordon, what a doormat!

It looked to me like Jordon's relationship with Tyler had started only because Fawn'd kept rejecting him over and over again and till the end he's remained only a second best. Worst of all Jordon wasn't even the initiator of their break up with Fawn! Her being with female was too contrived and again Jordon landed a passive role in all this. If he wouldn't see her cheating he'd still marry her despite of all his growing feelings toward Tyler. I can't stand such weak-willed characters.

[vLadimiR · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jordon Buck is a middle-aged stock broker on the verge of getting married to his fiance, Fawn and since the couple are very busy, they hired the services of wedding planner Tyler Holliday.

The conflict arises when Fawn starts to deprive her future groom of much needed time in bed. To complicate the situation further, Jordon's life is thrown off its axis after meeting their wedding planner. The attraction was instant and although both men were reluctant to admit their feelings initially, Jordon and Tyler were drawn to each other with every moment they spend together.

As the wedding day approaches, Jordon must decide whether to choose the woman he promised to marry or the man he has come to love.

In retrospect, I appreciate the story for giving me the warm fuzzies and for making Jordon and Tyler noble enough to avoid cheating. But after reading the book for a second time, I couldn't help but be baffled at how Jordon keeps insisting on going through with the wedding even though he so obviously loves Tyler. I mean, it should've been a no-brainer considering the wedding invitations haven't been sent out yet, right? But I guess Jordon's dilemma was drawn out to prolong the plot.

I was a bit irked on how Fawn was portrayed as a woman who constantly stereotyped gays. She's pretty decent if you take away that quality but it seemed the author kept featuring her negative qualities to put Tyler in a good light. Luckily, the matriarchs were enough to induce positive female influence the book.

I also wish Tyler's was given further focus apart from his controversial past because he seemed one dimensional. Even though the story left a few things to be desired, it was still enjoyable nonetheless.

[Vivian ♪(┌・。・)┌ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

This book was quite good, despite my 3.5 rating. It would have actually the 4 except for some really. . . "urgh" parts. I loved the sexual tension and playful banter between the two characters, and how even though he was attracted to Tyler he didn't act upon it. I thought the little twist (if it could be called that, since it was pretty damn obvious) was pretty hilarious. And I loved loved loved the very secondary characters, such as Adrian and the Spanish? guy (forgot his name. . .) from the gym who kept hitting on him, they were VERY VERY adorable. I want a second book based on them alone. Damn.

The "urgh" thing was the incredibly melodramatic bit after the "twist" when they were crying and confessing their love and shit. It was overplayed and dramatic and all I wanted to do was #facepalm#headdesk. Seriously.

And I sometimes wanted to laugh at very inappropriate times. Like near the end. And during the sex scenes. Awkward.

Overall it was a pretty good book and you should try it out if you're into this genre! Recommendish.

[Lisa J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Jordon is engaged to be married to one of the most disinterested brides in the history of brides. It's not a love match. Jordon thinks it's time to get married, and Fawn will do. It's not clear why he puts up with her, even though she treats him like crap. His cluelessness was a bit grating (as was his stereotypes about gay men).

He meets Tyler the wedding planner and is instantly smitten. Soon, they're working out together and sharing meals Jordon prepared. Tyler has a past that people won't let him forget. Jordon accepts him as he is, mistakes and all. The banter between these guys was cute. I liked that they became friends first, and they truly did seem to adore each other. There's a twist with Fawn, but I wish Jordon had made a decision before that. I wanted him to make the choice, and not let circumstances make it for him.

I mostly enjoyed this book. It was very low angst (not even any anxiety about coming out). I felt the MCs' connection and passion for each other. And Fawn was even redeemed a tiny bit in the end.

[Leigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two complaints with this book. First, everyone is gay, to the point of ridiculousness. They only straight people are the parents and every other side character and relative is gay. Second, who really does porn in their own name? Everyone knows porn stars have fake names, so that was the dumbest plot device ever.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sitting on my couch, wrapped in a comfy blanket, and grinning like a fool while feeling warm and cuddly on the inside... The only thing missing was a cup of hot chocolate.

Now imagine that feeling, and that describes how much I loved this book.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Saw this on sale for $0.99 and picked it up since I loved the premise. Premise was great, but the execution left a lot to be desired. Poorly edited, and several characters were very cliched, almost to the point of being caricatures.

[Snowtulip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, this is completely a guilty pleasure read! So many times throughout the book I kept saying that is just so wrong, but I couldn't stop myself from just loving these two!

[Simsala · Rating 2 out of 5]

2-2,5 stars

Groom falls for the wedding-planner.
Cute story but stereotypical characters and the awkward writing with dialogue on elemantary school level made me want to pull my hair out...

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. What more to say?

[JD Waggy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm on page 43 at the moment and I can already tell I'm going to toss this trash in the recycling bin where it belongs. So far, we've had: mocking erasure of bisexuals; an eye-watering array of misogynistic tropes including 1950s relationship roles, period shaming, and mild attempts at sexual coercion; a heck ton of bigoted language and stereotypes poorly masked under "this is to make you distrust this character"; and I'm pretty sure a celebration of an underage kid in professional porn, which is illegal.
In under fifty pages.
Skip this whole mess. If I could give it negative stars, I would, but for now I'm going to rip off the cover and recycle this before going to read decent gay romances that don't stoop to 1970s-era tropes despite being published in 2010.

EDIT: I finished it, largely because I can't not finish books (yes, it's nigh on a compulsion) but also because I wanted to see if maybe I wasn't being too harsh.
I was not. This is trash.
I'm happy to report that there wasn't, actually, a celebration of an underage kid in porn; the main character is very clear that that is wrong. Gold star. Star immediately revoked by the fact that every character has a weirdly toxic relationship to porn as a profession and to the character who was in it, oscillating between near-fixation and a kind of shaming. It's a very weird subplot.
The writing is also just tortured--what's a kid gotta do to stop romance authors from describing things "masculinely"? On p. 204 we get the gem, "As his confidence grew, Jordon [sic] hips plunged deeper with more masculine thrusts." They are? Just thrusts? What gives them gendered overtones?
I have a whole reaction to the arc of Fawn and how obvious it was that she was Plot Obstacle #2 rather than a real character (you want to say what about infidelity, Hauser?), but the kicker of this book for me and why I will continue telling you it is literal trash is this: "When she pushed past him, he began to wonder if he'd ever get fucked again. Did sliding an engagement ring on a woman's finger suddenly kill her sex drive? Was her conquest finished? She seduced, got the diamond ring, now her obligation to make love had been terminated?" (157)
SAY WHAT. Let me explain to you, Author Hauser, since no one else seems to have done so: There is never an obligation to have sex in a relationship. Say it with me. Never. And the fact that that pressure by the proposed hero of the book is followed by a scene that I would say is borderline assault and everyone seems fine with this is just absolutely horrifying for any time period, but especially 2010. Do better.
There are gay romances that are actually lovely to read (see the collected works of Cat Sebastian, for one). This is not one of them.

[Ociany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Premise: A groom to be and a wedding planner fall in love when the latter is planning for the former’s wedding.

What I liked about it:
+ I liked the gay revelation Jordan goes through. Seeing him admitting he is attracted to Tyler is interesting.
+ I liked how supportive the mother is.
+ I liked the tension between them and the whole I’m in love with you but we can’t be together situation. Since their relationship is so superficial at that point, this tension feels nice and not at all angsty.

What I didn’t like about it:
- The writing is very awkward at times, making this feel like a fanfic rather than a book. It is difficult to enjoy the story when the writing makes you cringe at times.
- I didn’t like the fiancée because she seems like a horrible person. I didn’t like how they used this cliche to justify the groom falling for the wedding planner.
- I didn’t like how the book treated gay people at times, making it seem they are all sex-maniacs ready to jump on any man (the blowjob scene at the beginning of the book is just so cringey).
- The pacing feels off. I didn’t like how fast Jordan fell for Tyler with no buildup. Tyler and Jordan’s interactions all seem sex based. There are no meaningful interactions between them. Reading both men’s dirty thoughts is just awkward. When they say they are in love, the revelation just feels empty and out of nowhere.
- The story is very cliche. I also didn’t like the cheating aspect. Despite being in love with Tyler and engaged to Fawn, he still spends a lot of time with Tyler, hugging him and enjoying the closeness. Despite having not kissed him, this is basically cheating. It all worked out because Fawn was cheating as well as it turned out. This feels like a cop out and removed all potential drama that could have come in this situation.

Conclusion: This book had a good premise that was executed badly. In the end, all we have left is a disappointment.

[Wyrn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the idea of this book but I spent a lot of it wanting to shout at it. I cringed at all the stereotypes. I was really uncomfortable at Jordan pushing Fawn to have sex and his upset at her having her period. I could understand him being upset at the lack of intimacy but I was truly put off by the way he tried to resolve it rather than sitting down and having a serious adult conversation with her. At times it the story felt so absurd that Fawn wasn't living with her fiancé or the fact that they never really spoke about anything.

It also really annoyed me that Jordan came off as the good guy / victim and Fawn as the baddie. Sure Fawn had an affair but Jordan had one too - an emotional one.

[Anna C · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Well, terlepas dari karakter MC yg nyebelin bgt, ceritanya menarik dan menghibur, sehingga kupikir 4 bintang cukup layak. Tapi, akhirnya kuturunkan 0.5 bintang karena sewaktu memasuki adegan seks di bagian akhir buku aku jadi ngerasa "Huh? WTH? LOL" gitu sama tingkah kedua MC, terutama si Jordon yg lagi 'diservis' sama Tyler itu kok sempat2nya ingat sama hubungan seksnya dengan Fawn (mantan tunangan), dan adiknya si Bryan dan berpikir betapa beruntungnya Bryan krn selama ini kehidupan seksnya begitu mantap, bisa dapat servis dll. Bisa ga sih kalo dia fokus sama Tyler yg lagi servisin dia? Sudah begitu, setelah ngerasain enaknya BJ (dia ini katanya punya BUANYAK mantan cewek, tapi dari sekian banyaknya cewek itu, ga ada yg pernah BJ dia, aneh ga sih?) dan dipuja-puja Tyler, dia tiba2 menyatakan cinta pada Tyler dengan lebay (aku biasanya sebisa mungkin menghindari menggunakan kata "lebay" utk mendeskripsikan sesuatu, tapi aku rasa kali ini rasanya tiada kata lain yg bisa kugunakan utk menggambarkan apa yg kurasakan saat mendengar pengakuan Jordon). Aku tahu sih kalo Jordon memang cinta sama Tyler, tapi ummm, kalimatnya kok rasanya kedengaran palsu ya, momentumnya juga ga pas, setelah diservis gitu, semacam rebound and there, Tyler the second best yg menghujani Jordon yg "kekeringan" seks dan cinta selama bertahun-tahun. Dan rupanya bkn cuma aku saja yg ga sreg sama adegan seks mereka ini, haha. Ada pembaca lain yg ngerasa gitu juga.

Anyway, buku ini full stereotype yg menyebalkan. Jordon yg punya adik yg gay dan hobi tidur sana-sini membuat Jordon yakin kalo semua cowok gay itu tukang selingkuh *semacam yg straight itu semuanya dijamin setia, ga bisa selingkuh, pgn kubogem cowok idiot ini saking guoblokkknya dia itu*.
Dan dia ogah menjalin hubungan dgn cowok biarpun dia itu bi. Dia mati2an menolak mengakui dia itu bi padahal setelah ketemu Tyler dia terus-terusan masturbasi sambil bayangin Tyler. Si pengecut idiot ini juga tdk mau membatalkan rencana pernikahannya dgn Fawn (ceweknya yg juga ga beres karakternya), padahal jelas2 dia lebih semangat menyusun persiapan kencannya dgn Tyler daripada mengurus acara pernikahannya. Dia begitu terobsesi utk merit di usia 30 dan punya keluarga, tapi blm mau punya anak dulu (kontradiksi) dan benci cewek yg jadi ibu RT total setelah menikah sehingga Fawn si pramugari yg super sibuk ini pasangan yg tepat utknya, walaupun tdk ada cinta di antara mereka. Gila deh pokoknya pasangan Jordon x Fawn ini, mau menikah tapi dua2nya ga peduli gitu sama urusan pernikahan mereka. Aku paling ga suka dgn tipe org macam Jordon ini, menikah bkn krn cinta, tapi krn keharusan. Pokoknya targetnya usia 30 merit dah, sama siapapun jadilah, yg penting bisa wujudkan impian keluarga ideal. Cinta? cuih, bagi Jordon cinta itu cuma adanya di dongeng. Si anak besar Jordon ini. Ah sudahlah, pokoknya nanti Jordon akhirnya sadar juga setelah disemprot Tyler soal stereotype dia sama cowok gay. Aku lebih suka kalo dia sadar sendiri tanpa bantuan Tyler. Begitu juga waktu dia akhirnya tau rahasia Fawn dan (AKHIRNYA!!) memutuskan pertunangan mereka, kuharap dia bisa lebih berani menghadapi kenyataan dan perasaannya pada Tyler dan juga memikirkan perasaan Tyler yg disakiti dia terus-menerus, dan memutuskan pertunangan mereka sebelum dia mengetahui rahasia Fawn itu. Tapi, dia ini pengecut, malah kurasa kalo dia tdk pernah tahu rahasia Fawn, pernikahan akan berlangsung lancar.

Tapi yg paling bikin aku ga nyaman adalah author ingin menegaskan bahwa cowok harusnya sama cowok karena cewek menolak berhubungan seks dengan cowok saat lagi mens, sedangkan cowok bisa berhubungan seks dgn cowok sepanjang waktu. WIH, aku kesal bgt. Jangan salah, aku ini pendukung LGBT. Tapi jangan jadikan menstruasi sebagai alasan untuk menjadi gay ataupun untuk berselingkuh! Itu sama saja dengan pernyataan "Hei, sayang, kamu lagi mens/hamil, jadi aku 'jajan' pelacur di luar gpp kan? siapa suruh kamu lagi mens/hamil." Dan menurutku pernyataan "jadi gay supaya bebas ML kapanpun tanpa dihalangi mens" itu benar2 menghina kaum gay yg menjadi gay karena orientasi seksual bawaan mereka sedari lahir.

Fawn the bitch menolak ML sama Jordon karena lagi mens dan lelah. Jordon kesal, tapi berharap setidaknya dapat BJ. Tapi ditolak Fawn krn dia jijik. Jordon kesal bukan main krn lagi horny berat. Marah krn tunangannya terus-menerus menolak ML sama dia, apalagi Fawn dan Jordon cuma bisa ketemu beberapa hari dikarenakan jadwal terbang Fawn yg padat, dan Fawn sendiri juga total bitch yg bahkan handjob pun ogah dia lakukan, dia malah pergi bersenang-senang sama sohibnya di hari liburnya, bknnya menghabiskan waktu bersama tunangannya dan mengurus pernikahan mereka. Jordon yg frustasi ini yah harus selalu menyabarkan diri krn dia butuh tipe cewek seperti Fawn ini, biarpun ga ada cinta di antara mereka. Dia ga suka cewek manja, dan cewek yg setelah anak mereka besar nantinya tdk mau berkarier lagi. Dia suka wanita independen, bebas, workaholic.

All in all, poin2 negatif di atas termasuk karakter para MC (terutama Jordon dan Fawn) memang menyebalkan, tapi ceritanya tetap menarik, kubaca habis dalam sekali duduk dan kadang ceritanya bikin ngakak juga. Sulit melepaskan mata dari hp (haha, sudah lama ga baca e-book dari hp, biasa dari desktop pc) walaupun terkadang beberapa kali memutar bola mata dan menghela napas melihat tingkah Jordon.