The Fun & Spicy Romance Book Dominating The Kindle Charts Right Now
If you've heard of author Meghan Quinn, then you know she has a knack for writing about bridesmaids, weddings, meet-cutes, and all the best spicy drama that comes with those situations. With her latest novel, "Bridesmaid for Hire," she does it again. Currently sitting pretty at the top spot on Amazon's Best Sellers in the Kindle Store with over 1,000 five-star reviews, while also having garnered almost 2,000 five-star reviews on GoodReads, this rom-com is all the rage with readers. And there's a very good reason for this: Quinn has found a formula that sells.
"My brand is heart, humor, and heat," Quinn told The Denver Gazette in 2020. "The heartbreak and torture is what I feel like I've really become known for. I love breakups. They're my absolute favorite thing. There's always a happily ever after, but getting to that point is my favorite part. That's where I torture readers." But it seems to be the torturing that Quinn's audience loves, because they keep coming back for more.
With beach season close enough that we can almost taste it in the northern hemisphere, it's time to start putting together a list of beach reads. If you're into love, some deceit, and sexual tension set in Bora Bora, then "Bridesmaid for Hire" should go on your beach reads list immediately.
Bridesmaid for Hire features some favorite romance novel tropes
As Quinn said herself to The Denver Gazette, she loves breakups, so you better believe there's going to be some love-gone-wrong in "Bridesmaid for Hire," along with a bunch of other theatrics. The story centers around an event planner named Maggie Mitchell who's on holiday in Bora Bora. Yet, despite being a world away from her everyday life, a man named Brody McFadden, with whom Maggie has a complicated (they made out once) past, waltzes into the picture because he's in town for a wedding. Realizing that the wedding, which is for the daughter of Brody's boss, could give Maggie a leg up in her career, she devises a plan to get herself invited. However, to do that will involve pretending to be Brody's girlfriend, which also means letting him stay with her because, you know, you have to make these fake relationships look as legit as possible to outsiders.
Naturally, a situation like this is going to lead to emotional and sexual feelings, despite the fact that Maggie declares Brody an enemy early on in the novel ("Pride and Prejudice" much?). Also, once you take into consideration that Brody is the BFF of Maggie's brother, it adds another layer of complication to the mix, as do the other supporting characters in the novel.
Who will like it
If you're into the whole enemies-turned-lovers trope that's built on a fake relationship, quirky yet predictable storylines and outcomes, and can't wrap your brain around how anyone could possibly enjoy Dostoevsky in a world where novels like this exist, then "Bridesmaid for Hire" is for you. As one GoodReads reviewer put it, "This has all the brothers best friend, fake dating, enemies to lovers goodness packaged together in an adventure full of second-hand embarrassment and swoon-worthy moments. Brody and Maggie had one of my favorite character dynamics, where one is effortlessly charming and magnetic and the other is grumpy and socially obtuse (I'll let you guess which is which here)."
Of course, there's also a whole slew of reviewers on GoodReads who couldn't even finish the book, labeling it boring, unrelatable, and repetitive. But someone has probably said the same about "The Great Gatsby" at one point in time too. Either way, it's a fun, spicy read for those who need to escape to Bora Bora and the sexual tension of Maggie and Brody, making it worth adding to your summer to-do list.