Don't Kiss the Bride - by Carian Cole

 

I guess you could say I was a damsel in distress, and he was my knight in shining armor.

But more accurately, I was a girl with a lot of bad luck, and he was a guy with a lot of muscles and tattoos.

Jude “Lucky” Lucketti wasn’t just a sexy, brooding construction worker. He was my own personal hero who seemed to be in all the right places at the right times. Like when my car broke down and I needed a ride home, and when I face planted on the sidewalk right in front of him and had to be taken to the emergency room.

Those weren’t exactly my best moments, but they were his.

We became friends, and it didn’t matter that he was sixteen years older than me. We had a lot in common—like our love of old rock music and vintage fast cars, and our aversion to relationships.

When he approached me with a crazy idea to help me out, I couldn’t say no. The arrangement was supposed to be temporary. A marriage on paper and nothing else.

It should’ve been easy, but it wasn’t.

Because here I am, eighteen years-old, still in high school, and married to a man I was never supposed to fall in love with.

We had just one rule—no kissing the bride.

But we broke that rule, and it sealed our fate forever.

I've been so very curious about Lucky's story ever since we got a glimpse of him in Asher's book. Once again, Carian Cole does not disappoint! This story was beautiful and heart-squeezy in the absolute best ways. It's the story of two broken people, who enter a fake marriage to help each other. They intend to be just friends, but the chemistry between them in undeniable. The problem? He's 16 years older than her and she's still in high school.

I LOVED this book! It was so sweet how Jude happened to end up being wherever Skylar needed him, and instead of acknowledging that it really wasn't his responsibility to help her, he stepped up time and time again. Both of them had such bittersweet stories and together, they unknowingly were the healing the other needed. Their chemistry was amazing, on a deeply intimate level that wasn't just sexual. And I can't even count the number of times my heart squeezed, in both sympathy and gooey loviness. This story was so raw and real, with absolutely no fantastical or non-believable parts. It felt like a memoir of their life. It was so poignant and beautiful. I've loved all of Carion Cole's books, but I think this one is my favorite, for its depth and the immersion I felt in the story.

Thank you to Grey's Promotions for sending me an ARC of this book.