Stand-in Groom

by Suzanne Brockmann

With a rare blend of humor, erotic tension, and dead-on emotional truth, New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Brockmann weaves this delightful romance of a man and woman brought together by chance, bound by choice, and in trouble deeper than they realize.Like a knight in a fairy tale, he appeared from out of nowhere and rescued her at the last moment. Now, sizing up the man who’d saved her purse and driven off her attackers, aspiring Boston entrepreneur Chelsea Spencer considered that this good-looking stranger could fit another role—not to mention a tuxedo—equally well. By the end of the week, Chelsea was scheduled to get married as a condition for earning the inheritance necessary to save her fledgling business. There was only one She was short a groom.Johnny Anziano would have been satisfied with a date, but the woman he’d dashed in to save during a street mugging had proposed much more than that. For two weeks’ “work,” he’d earn $75,000 and a luxurious tropical island vacation. By saying a simple, meaningless “I do,” he could save Chelsea one more time. But this time they were facing something a lot more dangerous than a gang of street thugs—their attraction for each other.From the Paperback edition.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Audiobook, Category Romance, Marriage Of Convenience

322 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 5, 1997

About the author

After childhood plans to become the captain of a starship didn’t pan out, Suzanne Brockmann took her fascination with military history, her respect for the men and women who serve, her reverence for diversity, and her love of storytelling, and explored brave new worlds as a bestselling romance author.

Over the past thirty years she has written sixty-three novels, including her award-winning Troubleshooters series about Navy SEAL heroes and the women—and sometimes men—who win their hearts. Her personal favorite is the one where her most popular character, gay FBI agent Jules Cassidy, wins his happily-ever-after and marries the man of his dreams. Called All Through the Night, this mainstream romance novel with a hero and a hero hit the New York Times hardcover fiction bestseller list. In 2007, Suz donated all of her earnings from this book, in perpetuity, to MassEquality, to help win and preserve equal marriage rights in Massachusetts.

In addition to writing books, Suz writes and produces indie movies and TV including the award-winning romantic comedy The Perfect Wedding. Her recent feature, Out of Body, is streaming on Amazon Prime.

In 2018, Suz was given the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award from the Romance Writers of America. Her latest projects are Blame It on Rio (Tall, Dark & Dangerous # 14), available in print and e-book from Suzanne Brockmann Books, and Marriage of Inconvenience, a six-episode LBGTQ rom-com TV series, streaming on Dekkoo in April 2023.

Reviews

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

For an "oldie" it's a hottie, a cutie and a funny! This is a wonderful Romance about a couple that were bound together by an agreement of convenience that ends up in true love. I loved it!

Johnny Anziano came face to face with the muggers who had stolen the woman's purse and gave them the beat down they had earned. He had high hopes for getting a date with the beauty he had rescued, but what he got was a offer he just couldn't refuse.

Chelsea Spencer couldn't believe the avenging warrior who saved her from a gang of thugs. Wow! What a Hottie! Chelsea was blown away and thought that Johnny could fill another role she needed. She needed a Stand-In-Groom in order to fulfill the terms of her Grandfather's will.

Soooo, they enter into an agreement but these things have a way of not working out as planned and this one is no different.

[Buggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opening Line:"Chelsea was being followed."

This was a sweet little read despite the somewhat fluffy, marriage of convenience storyline. Sometimes Brockmann just hit’s the spot though; so comfortable and easy, the perfect interim books when nothing else suits the mood. I’d forgotten how perfect some of her older romances can be. SB’s writing is just so damn good, the way she makes each character familiar yet unique, all their little quirks, the light humour and sexual chemistry -the fact that the hero usually cries *sigh*. Sadly some of the older stand alones are starting to feel a little dated now but I still highly recommend them.

Chelsea Spencer has just been mugged. As she scrambles down the Boston street after her purse we meet Giovanni “Johnny” Anziano; Hero, rescuer, bad guy bringer downer, chef extraordinaire, meals on wheels driver (did I mention gorgeous?) and all-round perfect man. Where do these guys exist in the real world? Oh right they only live in romance novels.

Anyways Johnny saves the day then offers Chelsea a ride back to where she left her shoes or a medical clinic, whatever it doesn’t matter, the attraction between them is immediate. Yet despite his chocolate eyes, easy smile, (great ass) and persistence Chelsea can’t agree to go on a date with him, she’s getting married in less then a week. It appears this romance is already doomed.

A few days later Johnny receives a phone call, Chelsea has business proposition for him, will she meet him for coffee. A big hell yeah. Johnny can’t stop thinking about her, what might have been and all that. Her proposal leaves his head spinning however. She wants to marry him. It seems that Chelsea’s “fiancée” has pulled out of their wedding at the last minute and in order to get her grandfathers trust fund (and keep her business afloat) she needs to be married. Chelsea will pay Johnny 250,000 if he marries her for a matter of weeks including a nice trip to the Caribbean for their pretend honeymoon after which it can all be annulled and everybody walks away happy. Sounds easy right? Welcome to romancelandia.

The problems start right after their first kiss -which takes place at the alter and is totally hot. Talk about embarrassing now they can’t keep their hands (or mouths) off each other. How are they going to get an annulment if they consummate the business deal? Problem solved, they’ll just avoid each other; separate rooms for the honeymoon, out of sight out of mind. And that’s when the phone sex comes into play. Phew! *wipes sweat off brow*

This is a great story, as overused as the plot device is Brockmann still manages to make it believable and interesting. Johnny is just the perfect, nice guy hero, the sexual tension is off the charts and both characters are well developed and interesting. I particularly liked how Johnny wasn’t quite who he seemed to be, with his past slowly being revealed. I also got a kick out of how Chelsea was the one who most wanted to break her own rules and get-it-on! So no, this isn’t groundbreaking buts it’s everything I look for in a light romance and I’ll probably read it again one day. Cheers

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[*TANYA* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute book.

[NinaReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I enjoyed this story even though it's a bit dated. The audio is a good escape while commuting to work.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chelsea Spencer's grandfather put a codicil in his will concerning his grandchildren. Upon their marriages, they will inherit part of his estate. Chelsea doesn't want to get married, but she is in dire need of money to keep her business afloat. That is why when her groom left a voicemail saying that he met someone else, Chelsea needs to find herself another groom in time for this weekend's wedding. The candidate at the top of her list is Johnny Anziano, the guy who asked her out after rescuing her from being mugged yesterday. Now she just needs to call him up and ask him if he is busy this weekend.

This is a category romance from the 90s and feels dated. I liked that Chelsea told him why she needed to get married and offered to pay him a portion of her inheritance. And I really liked Johnny who was such a nice guy and totally head over heels in love with Chelsea. I didn't like that Chelsea kept going on and on about how she never wanted to get married. Then when she decides that she is in love with Johnny, she would not tell him because he could never love her. Ugh. Well, it was a quick read with a happy ending, so I was happy with that. My rating: 3 Stars.

[Duchess Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sad to say that I didn't like this book at all. I suppose I'm used to Ms. Brockmann's alpha boys with big ole hearts and women with at least half a brain. This was a lot of mushy romance and feminist political agenda. I'm all about equal rights, though I wouldn't call myself a hard core feminist. But I just wanted to smack Chelsea around a bit. She seemed to want it all. Here's this great guy playing at marriage with you so that you can get a truckload of money. He's hot, he starts wooing you. He wants you to be safe because he cares for you...WHOA, buddy! Back off! You can't tell ME to stay safe! I make my own choices! By the way, I'm vegan! Not sure why, but I am.

I guess the whole thing just felt like a hastily thrown together B movie. Character development was lacking, and Johnny could have been so much more if the reader could crawl inside his head for a bit. We didn't even really meet anyone else in his life. Done ranting! This was just not what I'd expect from one of my favorite authors :(

[Kaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only thing that kept this from being a 2-star review for me was that I did like the hero, Johnny, for what little I actually got to know about him in the story. He was a genuinely nice guy. Way too nice for someone like Chelsea.

Pretty much everything about her annoyed me. From her feminazi attitudes (and I'm a feminist!) to her lack of appreciation for anything Johnny did for her, to her insistence on calling him "John," when his name was Giovanni and he introduced himself to her as Johnny. Also, if you're a vegetarian (or vegan?) and you move into SOMEONE ELSE'S HOME, you don't immediately demand that meat can never come out of the kitchen (i.e., to the dining room table). She didn't even care enough about him that in the few weeks of the timeline of the book---including flying with him to Vegas, from Vegas to the Caribbean, and then back to Boston---to ask him what he did for a living.

What I don't like about Johnny---he's a total pushover for her. He's apparently becoming a culinary star in Boston known for his veal and lamb dishes. In the epilogue, he's now making stuff with tofu. Really? Also, he's turning down an opportunity of a lifetime to go study in Paris for three months because she doesn't want him to leave her. This is the same man she told to go away, that she didn't want to see him or get to know anything about him, when they were on their honeymoon. This is the same man who offered her all of the money he'd saved to go toward his own restaurant in order to help her move her office (a start-up computer security business or something) to a nicer/safer part of town. The same man who agreed, even though they were supposed to be married in name only, for her to move into his place because she was planning to put her house on the market in order to start paying her business loan back. The same man who agreed to stay married to her for a full year so that she could get her inheritance.

Men: It's a huge red flag when a woman has few to no female friends and doesn't get along with her own family at all. Stay away. Stay far, far away.

Poor Johnny. Hopefully he got a good settlement in the divorce (or took her for everything she had), given what she probably ended up putting him through in the three to five years he was able to put up with her.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me start by saying that I LOVE Suzanne Brockmann's books. Love the marriage of convenience angle. LOVE Johnny!!! Absolutely HATED Chelsea. She was absolutely the most self-centered, self-absorbed, selfish character I've read in awhile. I wanted to throw the book across the room numerous times.

His name is Giovanni and he introduces himself as Johnny, but she insists upon calling him John. Her eating habits? Don't get me started! They'd been married for how long and she still didn't know what he did for a living? She was bitter because she thought he was only in it for the money, when the whole thing was her idea? Have I mentioned how much I hated this character?

That being said, I loved Johnny. He was caring, easy-going and WAY too good for her.

[Rosina Lippi · Rating 3 out of 5]

the narrator did not do this novel any favors, but in the commentary that follows I tried to abstract away from that fact.

Johnny Anziano and Chelsea Spencer meet when Johnny foils a mugging in a questionable neighboorhood in Boston. She's from a rich family, elegant, fiercely protective of her independence (she started a business without her family's help, which is why she could only afford an office in a rough part of town). Johnny, as far as she can see, is a true child of working class Boston. He's friendly, forthcoming, very good looking with a strong Boston accent. As far as she can tell, he makes his living delivering food to homebound elderly. Not her social class, but a nice guy.

In the way of many romance novels, it turns out that Chelsea needs to get married fast to satisfy the conditions of her grandfather's will. She's got two days when the friend she had lined up to enter into a marriage of convenience with her drops out. He's Italian, and he fell in love at the wrong moment as far as Chelsea is concerned. In a panic, the only Italian looking guy she can think of is -- you know where this is going. Chelsea and Johnny end up married. Despite a strong sexual attraction, she keeps her distance on their so-called honeymoon. Johnny bends over backwards trying to wake her up to the Anzione charm.

The hurdles are significant. The difference in their backgrounds, their social positions, lifestyles, and Chelsea's determination not to enter into a real marriage for fear she'd be handing over control.

I liked both these characters, though Johnny was a little too broadly drawn for my east-coast Italian sensibilities. Of course, some of this turns out to be Chelsea's misconception, but there is a good dose of the everybody in the neighborhood knows and loves Johnny.

It's a warm and touching story, not excessively well developed or nuanced, but a comfy read.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story. Great prose, interesting start to good finish. 9 of 10 stars

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two-haiku review:

Her business needs cash
Must marry to inherit
He's quick to agree

Plot is big cliché
But I liked the characters
And enjoyed the book

[Patricia Solla · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast sweet read. The story revolves around Chelsea needing to get married in order to fulfill the wishes of her grandfather's will and get the money she has been left. There's a problem when the man she made a deal with to marry falls in love three days before he was to marry Chelsea. Now Chelsea must find another groom. Chelsea approaches a man who saved her from a mugging with the wedding proposition. The story continues with the wedding, Chelsea getting to know the man she "married" and dealing with the man himself who loves Chelsea and all her oddities. This would make a great beach read, a couple of hours and your done and happy with the story.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a big Suzanne Brockmann fan - I love the Troubleshooers series. I picked this book up just because it was written by Brockmann and I didn’t think I read it before. I loved the story and the characters! I could see how their different backgrounds could lead to what happened in the book. I enjoyed their interactions and hated to put the book down. I don’t want to give any spoilers so I’ll just say it’s a romance worth reading. Thanks Suzanne for the characters you’ve created & sharing their story.

[Kristen Lewendon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting more. It’s cute, and I loved Johnny, but Chelsea made me absolutely mental. She comes across as a spoiled, selfish, diva with little or no regard for the thoughts and feelings of other people. I realize that some of it is the upbringing she had, but most of it’s presented as her choice. He’s such a sweetheart with a big heart, I honestly think Johnny could do so much better than her.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun story - a release of an older book, but still enjoyable. I really got a kick out of the main characters. A chef and a computer whiz who meet so accidentally and then some barely believable relationship hijinks ensue. They were people I’d like to know if they were real, which is always a plus in any book. I’m a big fan of Ms. Brockmann’s writing, and this trip in the “way back machine” was a good read.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little dated, but still entertaining. I enjoyed the audio book version with the New York accents. The heroine, Chelsea, is awfully frustrating in her obstinance about never having a relationship (despite marrying a perfectly lovely stranger for convenience and getting along very well both in and out of the bedroom). The hero, Johnny, is one of those too-good-to-be-true romance heroes, but it makes a nice story.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story was very dated; worse though was the main character, Chelsea. She was so annoying that it was difficult to like her at all. I'm sure the author was going for strong, independent woman but failed at it completely. She makes really stupid business and financial decisions and acts like a teenager in her personal life. No thanks.

[Gale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story!

Even though this is from the 90s, it in no way took away from the story. I loved Johnny! Chelsea was a wee bit over the top sometimes but Johnny hung in there. Sweet story.

[Dassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very cute and light hearted! Which is what I was looking for.

I honestly found this pretty well written too!
Brockmann definitely knows how to articulate emotion from both Povs! The protagonist got annoying but then again she needed to make a change and needed to be pushed over the edge to make that change, so I get it.

I did find her POV switches to be very liberal in use but somehow she managed to pull it off!

Also to have a love interest be an actually nice, good guy was sooooo refreshing!! Loved him!!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable story to listen while doing housework. Could have used a little more depth on some aspects but I loved that the relationship avoided big misunderstandings.

[Onixcia Perley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just have to say the all stars in this review re for Johnny I totally hated how selfish Chelsea was.

Life and marriage is about compromise.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

read on a dare

[Romance]

I started it but just couldn’t get into it. So back to the library it goes.

[Maria Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

They talked to each other!

Yes, no unnecessary angst. Communication happened. Love and sex, definitely, but the ability to talk and share their thoughts, priceless.

[DeAnna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. Normally I love Brockmann’s books, but this one was really dated with a super-irritating heroine.

[HatGirl8]

10/4/2013

[Jessica Jensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually really like this author, but I found the female lead super stereo-type and frankly whiny and inflexible until the very end.

[Caroline R · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[LoveAGoodBook · Rating 3 out of 5]

L S+ Just a basic romance to me. A little annoying with the he/she loves me, he/she loves me not throughout the book.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stand in Groom was a contemporary romance that involoved a woman named Chelsea needing to marry a man (Johnny)to receive her inheritance. Chelsea is a very independant woman who never had any intention of marrying anyone, but a stipulation in her grandfather's will stated that she needed to marry in order to receive her portion of her inheritance, in which she needed in order to keep her business from becoming bankrupt. She had a groom in place, but he backed out at the last minute, so she got a stand in from a complete stranger named Johnny who rescued her purse after she got mugged.

The story was worth the 6 hour listening time and had a nice flow. There was a lot of confusion because Chelsea and Johnny were strangers who married for a business arrangement, but they complimented one another. Chelsea was an independent woman who didn't want to get married because she thought that she would lose her independence and individuality if she married a man the same way she thought her mother and sister had done. Johnny was a genuinely nice guy, who just wanted to help a woman whom he thought was cute. Johnny was easy and mellow compared to Chelsea who was very strong-willed. They had to stay married for a year and in that time, they got to know each other and decided that they liked and wanted to stay married to one another.

I liked Johnny Angioni. He was a man who was secure with himself. He knew that with a woman like Chelsea he had to use a different approach. He had to phrase things in a non-authoritative way and I liked how he was able to navigate his way through those situations. Chelsea had to learn that not all men wanted to take away womens' rights, but they can compromise and make a relationship a wonderful experience.