Audiobook Blog Tour Review: The Learning Hours (How to Date a Douchebag #3) by Sara Ney

Book info:

Title:  The Learning Hours
Author:  Sara Ney
Series:  How to Date a Douchebag #3
Genre:  New adult romantic comedy
Narrated by:  Josh Goodman and Muffy Newton
Release Date:  September 26th, 2017
Source:  Audiobook from InkSlinger PR for honest review
My rating:  5 stars

Synopsis:
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He's not a douchebag; but that doesn't stop his friends from turning him into one.

MY FRIENDS WANT ME TO GET LAID.

So much so that they plastered my ugly mug all over campus, in bold printed letters:

Are you the lucky lady who's going to break our roommate's cherry?
Him: socially awkward man with average-sized penis looking for willing sexual partner. You: must have a pulse. He will reciprakate with oral. Text him at: 555-254-5551

The morons can't even spell. And the texts I've been receiving are what wet dreams are made of. But I'm not like these douchebags, no matter how hard they try to turn me into one.

THIS ISN'T THE KIND OF ATTENTION I WANT.

One text stands out from hundreds. One number I can't bring myself to block. She seems different. Hotter, even in black and white.

However, after seeing her in person, I know she's not the girl for me. But my friends won't let up--they just don't get it. Douchebags or not, there's one thing they'll never understand: GIRLS DON'T WANT ME.

Especially her.

LINKS:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2eUg3jU
Amazon UK:: http://bit.ly/LearningZonUK
iBooks: http://bit.ly/LearningiBooks
B&NOBLE: http://bit.ly/LearningBN
KOBO: http://bit.ly/LearningKobo

My Review:
This is my first book in this series, as well as by this author, but I can tell you that it won't be my last.  One thing that I really loved about the book is that we get the guy being the insecure one.  The one who knows/thinks he isn't attractive, and therefore judges all of his interactions with the love interest as not being anything more than friends.  I hated the way it started out, that Laurel didn't give Rhett her real name to start with, even though I understand why, and I also know it was going to add tension to the story.  I was also a bit shocked when that whole debacle blew up as early in the story as it did.  Overall Rhett was really just such a sweet guy.  I adored him so much!  His naivete was very adorable, although at times you could totally get where Laurel's frustration was coming from.  His sweetness would probably not work for me, as I need a guy to be the one to lead the way and take charge.  Although, this did make me think about taking charge with a guy I know who I might be interested in, but I think he might not know that I am for reasons similar to Rhett.  I know that I'm going to have to go back and read/listen to the first two in the series, to learn about the guys who are mentioned as already being hooked up.  And I totally loved the snarky dialogue between Rhett and the guys, as well as how much they were just guys.  I laughed so much at them.  I hope that a future book will be about his one roommate, Rex, who started out the narration of the story for us.  

When Laurel started googling Rhett and going gaga over him in his wrestling singlet, it almost made me interested to do that myself.  But then I remembered I think those are funny looking, and didn't want to go look at those pictures.  I did hate her cousin Alex, and I wonder if she'll feature as a love interest in any of the future stories, I would love to see her get the comeuppance she deserves, and in a good way probably.  Maybe she could end up with Rex?  This was such a fun read, with definitely sexy parts, and one of the best quotes:

"Hot guys are such assholes. I wish I was dating one."  

Now, for the audiobook itself, I really liked it!  Both narrators voices were perfect for the character.  I really liked the male better.  Sometimes the way the female narrator said the name Laurel was kind of over-exaggerated, but other than that, her voice was definitely perfect.  As I mentioned at the beginning of my review, I plan to go back and read the rest of the series, and honestly, I think I'd like to listen, the story definitely works very well for listening.

Excerpt:

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He’s seated at a table in the far corner when I spot him from the door. He’s not hard to miss—not with his purple t-shirt in a sea of black and yellow, and wavy mussed hair.

He’s slouching, hunched over his table.

Defeated. Tired.

My stomach rolls with nerves, nerves that have me rooted to the spot in the doorway, watching him.

Just watching.

For the entire four minutes I stand here, he sits immobile, studying his laptop, eyes moving along the screen, completely transfixed by whatever he’s reading.

Learning.

“Just go over there,” I whisper to myself, blowing out a puff of pent-up air.

I put one foot in front of the other and begin toward him, spine ramrod straight, steeling myself, prepared for another argument.

Twenty feet.

Fifteen.

Eight.

Two.

“Hi.”

No reply.

“Do you mind if I sit here?” I lay my hand on the back of the wooden chair across from him, intending to pull it out.

He stiffens but doesn’t lift his head. “Yes I mind.”

“Would you mind if I sat at the table next to you?” I’m pushing his buttons, looking for a reaction, but he only spares me a brief glance.

Shrugs. “Free country.”

I bite my lip to hide a smile, glad he didn’t tell me to take a hike...

About the Author:

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Sara Ney is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the How to Date a Douchebag series, and is best known for her sexy, laugh-out-loud New Adult romances. Among her favorite vices, she includes: iced latte's, historical architecture and well-placed sarcasm. She lives colorfully, collects vintage books, art, loves flea markets, and fancies herself British.

She lives with her husband, children, and her ridiculously large dog.

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram   

Book Tour and Giveaway: Last Semester by Corine Mekaouche

Title:  Last Semester

Author:   Corine Mekaouche

Genre:  Comedy, New Adult, Romance

College. Party. Drama. Life.

When Johanna ‘Jo’ Gold, witty college life blogger and senior at Rutan University, decides to move in with three male strangers her last semester of school, her life unexpectedly turns upside down. While dealing with her new roommates, A.J., the pompous rich kid who feels trapped in following his father’s footsteps; Rob, the prematurely engaged former womanizer who tries to force Jo out of the house at all costs; and Drew, the 21-year-old virgin genius whose encounters with women have been more than limited, Jo learns that change isn't always easy and it's up to her to learn how to survive the remainder of her time at Rutan the best that she can. Along with searching for her missing mother, figuring out a clever way to pay for school tuition on her own, and dealing with the childish pranks brought on by a certain roommate, Jo’s issues seem more complicated than the average 21-year-old. Can Jo endure the dramatic perils of college while planning for life after graduation?

Navigating through college isn’t easy especially when you don’t know what the future holds, but Jo is determined to conquer her present even if it means figuring out what being an adult is all about. With graduation around the corner, Jo and her roommates have some growing up to do and the last semester is all they have.

College is complicated.

Partying is a necessity.

Drama is guaranteed.

Life is just beginning.

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The geek and the dreamer, Corine Mekaouche has always had the vision of becoming a writer. While growing up in the New Jersey suburbs, Corine spent her childhood immersed in music, novels, and writing. To her, the arts was the best escape ever. For college, she attended Rutgers University majoring in English and minoring in Theatre Arts. Somehow, Corine survived the college experience and became somewhat of a grown-up yet still kept the vision of being a writer alive because it may be all she’s qualified for. So, she wrote and wrote until Last Semester, a new adult novel about college life and growing up, was born. Currently, she is writing other novels and plays for future release. When she’s not writing, loudly singing to songs in her car or dancing in random places for no apparent reason, Corine is being an awesome wife and a mom residing outside of the wonderfully flawed New York City.

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Book Blitz and Giveaway: Last Semester by Corine Mekaouche

Book info:
Title:  Last Semester
Author:  Corine Mekaouche
Publication date: April 21st, 2017
Genres: Comedy, New Adult, Romance

When Johanna ‘Jo’ Gold, witty college life blogger and senior at Rutan University, decides to move in with three male strangers her last semester of school, her life unexpectedly turns upside down. While dealing with her new roommates, A.J., the pompous rich kid who feels trapped in following his father’s footsteps; Rob, the prematurely engaged former womanizer who tries to force Jo out of the house at all costs; and Drew, the 21-year-old virgin genius whose encounters with women have been more than limited, Jo learns that change isn’t always easy and it’s up to her to learn how to survive the remainder of her time at Rutan the best that she can. Along with searching for her missing mother, figuring out a clever way to pay for school tuition on her own, and dealing with the childish pranks brought on by a certain roommate, Jo’s issues seem more complicated than the average 21-year-old. Can Jo endure the dramatic perils of college while planning for life after graduation?

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

“Breathe, Rob! Just breathe!” I demand in a panicky voice from the back seat as we swiftly pull up to the entrance of the hospital. Clutching his chest in pain next to me, he heaves out a few spouts of air, but it’s not enough to help him.

Shit!
I watch my roommate Rob’s cheeks turn from a shade of deep pink to a dark crimson red. “A.J.! He’s getting worse!” I yell to my other roommate in the driver’s seat. He rolls his eyes then turns around.
“Calm down, Jo!” he exclaims. “I can’t think when you’re yelling like this!”
Drew, our other roommate, and usually the voice of reason, says nothing as he quickly jumps out of the Range Rover and runs into the hospital entrance.
“Can’t. Breathe,” Rob manages to force out of his mouth, then before I know it, his body falls limp and his head somehow ends up on my lap. His eyes roll to the back of his head.
“I think he’s dying!” I whine and suddenly I’m losing my breath.
Releasing a loud groan, A.J. climbs out of the SUV and casually walks into the hospital as if nothing is wrong.
Why is he so calm and I’m flipping the hell out?
I begin to shake Rob’s shoulders but he doesn’t respond and I’m almost positive that he’s not breathing at all now.
It’s official.
I killed my roommate.
Okay, maybe he’s not dead yet, but if death was a road, he just made a left turn for the worse then ran over a few annoying potholes and some week old roadkill…and probably drove off a cliff or something…
Ugh! I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore! I feel guilty for doing this to him and I feel even more guilty because I kinda hate his arrogant, smug ass, but just because someone is an asshole doesn’t mean that they deserve to die, does it?
The back door opens and I see A.J. and Drew standing outside with a wheelchair. A.J. roughly wraps his arms around Rob’s body and begins to pull him out of the car. “Fuck! He’s like the size of an ogre,” he complains as he struggles to get Rob into the wheelchair. The fact that Rob is as useless as a wet noodle right now makes it difficult for A.J. to adjust Rob’s body in the chair. I cringe just watching it.
“I knew this was going to happen one day,” Drew says shaking his head. “The inevitable always happens.”
Shooting Drew a snarling glare, A.J. grits his teeth. “Just roll the goddamn chair into the hospital,” he instructs. Drew turns the chair around and begins to jog into the emergency room with Rob’s body leaning to one side. A.J. looks at me in the SUV, annoyed. “Well, are you coming?” he asks and I just freeze.
Do I stay? Do I go? I don’t know what to do with myself!
Taking a quick yet deep breath, I climb out of the SUV, shut the door and join A.J. on the other side of the vehicle.
“I’m horrible,” I blurt out and I can feel wetness welling in my eyes. “I’m a horrible person.”
“Dammit, Jo! I hate it when girls cry,” he complains as he shuts the other back door and begins to walk into the hospital. He pauses in his tracks when he notices that I’m not following him.
I’m frozen.

Author Bio:

The geek and a dreamer, Corine Mekaouche has always had the vision of becoming a writer. While growing up in the New Jersey suburbs, Corine spent her childhood immersed in music, novels, and writing. To her, the arts was the best escape ever. For college, she attended Rutgers University majoring in English and minoring in Theatre Arts. Somehow, Corine survived the college experience and became somewhat of a grown-up yet still kept the vision of being a writer alive because it may be all she’s qualified for. So, she wrote and wrote until Last Semester, a new adult novel about college life and growing up, was born. Currently, she is writing other novels and plays for future release. When she’s not writing, loudly singing to songs in her car or dancing in random places for no apparent reason, Corine is being an awesome wife and a mom residing outside of the wonderfully flawed New York City.

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Book Blitz and Giveaway: The Billionaire Duke by Gina Robinson

Book info:
Title:  The Billionaire Duke
Author:  Gina Robinson
Series:  The Billionaire Duke #1
Publication date: January 31st, 2016
Genres: Comedy, New Adult, Romance

Once a duke’s enough…
SEATTLE’S SECOND HOTTEST BILLIONAIRE JUST GOT HOTTER

American billionaire and Flashionista cofounder Riggins Feldhem’s life is exactly the way he likes it. Until a visit from a British solicitor turns everything upside down. Riggins has just inherited a dukedom complete with a large British estate, an aristocratic title, and the obligation to marry and produce an heir. With a woman his predecessor, the Dead Duke, has selected for him. A woman who uncomfortably stirs his jaded heart. But no one is going to force him into marriage. There has to be a way out of this mess.

Haley Hamilton is young, just out of college, and looking for a hero. Riggins could give her everything. Or completely break her heart. She doesn’t want to be anyone’s forced duchess. But the Dead Duke and Riggins’ irresistible charm are making it impossible to resist.

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—

EXCERPT:

I needed time to check the facts and make sure what Thorne was alleging was actually true. “What does the Dead Duke want from me?”

I was buying time. If what Thorne said was true, there had to be a workaround.
“That you do your duty. It’s all in that envelope. In short, however, he wants you to do what all good dukes must do—marry and produce a male heir. And a spare would be nice, though not required under the terms the late duke specified. Though I believe there may be a bonus for one.”
I snorted. “You’ve got to be kidding? This is the twenty-first century!”
Thorne sat calmly, legs still crossed. “The late duke had no sense of humor. He didn’t joke, I assure you.”
“What are the terms?” I said as I frantically tried to find an out. “I assume there’s a timeline?”
I sure as hell would have made a timeline. It was time to start thinking like my adversary.
“The late duke specified that you must be married by midnight of the date one month from the date of his death. In this case, Valentine’s Day.”
Damn.
“Pacific Standard Time, I hope.” I tried to keep calm and match Thorne’s demeanor while I plotted a way to escape this fate. “I would hate to be caught by a technicality.”
“Exactly so, Pacific Standard Time.”
“I’m not even seeing anyone. What does the Dead Duke want me to do? Advertise for a bride?” I laughed. The whole situation was ridiculous.
“Surely, Your Grace, getting a bride shouldn’t be a difficulty for Seattle’s Second Hottest Bachelor?” He had the traces of a tease in his voice.
Did Thorne actually have a sense of humor?
Damn that magazine article that was sitting open on my table. Thorne must have been able to read upside down.
“Less than a month isn’t even enough time for a bride-to-be to get a decent wedding gown, let alone plan a wedding. Assuming there was already a
bride-to-be.” I shook my head. “The Dead Duke wants me to snap up just any bride?”
I snorted, losing my amusement at the situation. There were adventures. And there were disasters. This was shaping up to be the latter. “He’s not as discriminating as I would have expected about the mother of his future heirs!
“Isn’t a year more traditional and a more reasonable amount of time to find a wife? If there’s ever a timeline stipulated in stories and movies, it’s always a year. What’s the damn hurry?” I was hoping to buy some time.
“I’m a young man,” I argued. “I need more than a damn month to find the right girl and fall in love.” Not that that seemed likely. “Even a matchmaking service will need more than that.”
Thorne nodded. “I appreciate your concerns. The late duke was a cautious man. Because you are the last male Feldhem, there is no time. If something should happen to you…”
He let the unsaid hang in the air a moment. “Being in love has never been a prerequisite for aristocratic British marriages. Lineage, breeding, family name, and money are much more important.”
I sighed, heavily, wondering how I could outwit him.
“Once again, you underestimate the late duke,” Thorne said. “He was supremely concerned about the mother of his continuing line. Before his death, he, in essence, picked out your bride.”
“What the hell!”
Thorne ignored my outburst. “The late duke wants his bloodline to merge with his American first wife’s, as he believes it should have in the first place. His will stipulates you must marry a single, childbearing woman from her line.” He paused. “There is only one woman left who meets the requirements.”
Of course there is. Fantastic. An arranged marriage. What’s next?
“So who is this woman?” I said, hoping she would be as against marrying a stranger as I was. And not a complete mess.

Author Bio:

Gina Robinson is the bestselling and award-winning author of the popular Switched at Marriage, Billionaire Duke, and Billionaire Matchmaker romantic comedy series, featuring a billionaire in a surprising marriage of convenience, a billionaire who inherits a British dukedom, and a playboy billionaire in business with a Manhattan matchmaker, the Reckless and Rushed contemporary new adult romance series, and the Agent Ex series of humorous romantic suspense novels. Her books have delighted readers and received praise in Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Romantic Times Book Reviews.
She writes romance and women's fiction across a wide variety of subgenres—new adult, contemporary, historical, romantic suspense and romantic comedy.
Her love stories are infused with a happy blend of romance, adventure, a bit of mystery, and humor. Readers are drawn to the light touch she gives even serious topics and the fast, fun, easy-to-read pace of her books. From college campus to Seattle to Las Vegas to England, her settings become almost characters of their own, driving the story.
She believes in the power of true love and passion, and that every great romance should have a happily-ever-after.
To keep informed of her new releases, sign up for her mailing list at www.ginarobinson.com

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Review: Easy (Labeled #2) by Jordan S. Gray

Book info:
Title:  Easy
Author:  Jordan S. Gray
Series:  Labeled #2
Genre:  New Adult Romance
Published:  January 26th, 2017
Source:  E-galley received from author
My rating:  4.5 stars

I loved this author's debut novel, Prude, and was very excited when she contacted me to see about reading the sequel.  This story featured one of the friends of the main character in Prude, and we were left knowing it would be her in the epilogue of that book.  

Shayler is our main character, she was one of Rebecca's best friends from the first book.  As the titles of both books describe their main characters, Shayler was the wild, party girl, considered easy by guys.  Up until lately, that's been her M.O., she goes out to the bars, picks up guys, goes home with them for one night, maybe more, but usually not.  She's not looking for a relationship, and in fact just being around her best friend Rebecca and her boyfriend Derek is nauseating to Shayler.

Unfortunately for Shayler, she's hit quite the dry spell, a whole month, where she's had to rely on her vibrator for her orgasms.  She can't seem to get the guys to go home with her.  Only the ones that she knows want more than just a casual relationship, and the creepy older bartender seem to be interested.  So when she sees a sexy, kinda nerdy guy at the bar one night, she heads over, pretty sure he'll be a definite conquest for the evening.  However, he turns her down flat, doesn't even seem interested at all when she comes over and flirts with him, tells her he's not interested in that type of relationship, or lack of relationship.  He even calls her easy.  And from that moment on, Shayler feels like he put some kind of curse on her.  The next time she goes hit on a guy at a bar, she gets the same kind of reaction, well, they don't pay much attention to her, and they basically call her easy as well.  

But it's not only her love life that seems to be going downhill, turns out in order to stay at school with her scholarships, she has to pick a major.  Shayler has no idea what she wants to do.  She also finally goes to a class she's yet to attend so far this new semester, and it turns out the TA in the class is the nerdy guy from the bar, David.  Her first day in the class isn't a good one.  The professor is a jerk, and embarrasses Shayler in front of the whole class.  But Shayler is pretty sure she can tell that this professor is like the others, and that if she just dresses the right way, and lets him know she's available, she can pass this class as she's done other classes in the past.  But the professor doesn't seem to pick up on that, or else he's just a jerk, because he definitely checks out the skin she shows, even while scowling at her the whole time.  

David ends up offering to help her study, and soon she is back keeping up with her class, and trying to also figure out what she wants to major in.  She and David become friends, and soon it seems that maybe there is more between them, which will scare Shayler, who has never wanted to be in a relationship.  Between her fears, and other things going on, this relationship will have trouble going anywhere, and she will also start having trouble in other relationships in her life, pushing her friends away even.  

Once again the author has written dialogue that caused me to laugh out loud, almost snorting at times, even sitting in public!  I had trouble putting it down, needing to know what would happen next.  There were all the funny parts, but then even the big disaster before the finish had me in tears.  It also had me wanting to go back and reread the first book.  Which I may have to do soon!  

My only real issue with the book is that I have some trouble believing that a pretty girl would not find someone with  her easy reputation. That guys like the ones, not David, but the other guys, would not take her up on her offer as being easy.  But who knows. 

Oh yeah, she calls her 35 day dry spell a desert.  And I have to say, no sweetie, that's only a grain of sand compared to my dry spell. 
 

Review: A Promise Kept by Anissa Garcia

Book info:
Title:  A Promise Kept
Author:  Anissa Garcia
Genre:  New Adult Romance
Published:  June 1st, 2016
Source:  Egalley from Barclay Publicity through Netgalley
My rating:  4 stars

I really enjoyed this book.  It was a fun story, the main character Evan was hilarious, and I loved that Grace was a romance author.  

We got the story from both  points of view. Sometimes from Grace and sometimes from Evan.  Grace is a romance author, but for her "day job" she manages some properties where she takes care of the houses and the people who move in.  At the beginning of the book she goes to one of the new resident's place because there is a plumbing emergency.  She has to leave in the middle of her own book signing, and when she gets there, it turns out not to be something that is technically an emergency, or that she can really take care of at that moment.  The person who answers the door when she gets there is movie star Evan Matthews.  Evan is immediately intrigued by this woman who can fix things and seems so much different from the women he usually meets.  What's even more intriguing is that she doesn't seem to be interested in him at all.  Or at least that's what she says.  Evan is sure that he can convince her otherwise, and he sets out to do that.  First he makes a bet over a game of cards, and he loses on purpose so that she has to go out on dates with him, AND go back to his hometown with him.  

Grace lost her brother in a terrible accident, and because it had something to do with a boy from back then, she is very much cautious about getting into a new relationship, or any relationship for that matter.  Slowly Evan works his way into her life, of course as friends first, followed by giving into the physical feelings later.  But of course Grace's past is between them, including her not wanting to reconnect with her parents, who she feels deserted her because they always blamed her for what happened to her brother.

Grace's friends are all fun, and they all like Evan and think the two of them belong together.  In the end it takes a very scary event to force Grace to face  how she really feels about Evan and decide that she can be with him, and still keep that promise she made her brother so long ago.  

I had a few issues with some of the dialogue, such as characters constantly saying the other person's name almost every time they said something to each other.  It seemed a bit much to me.  A few grammatical errors, such as "sewing oats" as opposed to "sowing oats" like it should be.  

Other than that, the story was pretty addictive, I had trouble stopping to go back to work or sleep when I was working.  Great characters, great story. 

 

Book Blitz and Giveaway: Royally Wed (Ladies-in-Waiting #2) by Pamela DuMond

Book Info:
Title:  Royally Wed
Author:  Pamela DuMond
Series:  Ladies-in-Waiting #2
Publication date: October 13th 2016
Genres: Comedy, New Adult, Romance

Ring the wedding bells, pour the champagne, and get thee to the cathedral for Royally Wed, the LOL sequel to Part-time Princess (Ladies-in-Waiting, #1)!
Lucy Trabbicio, former cocktail waitress and down-to-earth American commoner, is about to marry the man of her dreams, Prince Nicholas of Fredonia in the posh royal wedding of the year.
But something goes very wrong on the way to the altar. Now it’s up to Lucy, her party-hard, take-no-prisoners Ladies-in-Waiting, and Nick’s opinionated Royal Nana to solve the debacle, and get her back into sexy Prince Nick’s arms in time to be Royally Wed, as well as royally bed.
A modern day, sexy tale with romance, twists and turns, laughter, and a whole lot of hanky-panky!

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—

EXCERPT:

“Hang on.” Cheryl slipped a silver flask from the bustle of her bridesmaid dress. “This is cause for celebration. We don’t get to cheer on one of our own all that often. We’re always stuck buying fancy presents for the girls getting married who we don’t care that much about because we know they don’t care that much about us, either.”

“Here, here!” Joan said as Cheryl took a shot from the flask.
“And then,” Cheryl said and wiped her mouth on her sleeve, “those bitches complain behind our backs, but we always find out about it through the royal grapevine, that we should have bought them a pricier item on their registry. So here’s to our Lucy, who we care about, who would never say bitchy things behind our backs.”
“I’ll say them straight to your face.”
“That’s one of the reasons I like you. Here’s to Lucy’s wedding day.” She slugged back a shot and handed it to Joan. “May it be everything you ever dreamed and more.”
“Cheers!” Joan knocked back a shot and handed it to Alida.
“Salute!” She took a sip, grimaced, and passed it to Mr. Philips who took a quick sip.
“Nicely done, ladies. Prince Harry’s Private Reserve?”
Cheryl nodded. “I don’t skimp for weddings.”
“You don’t skimp for anything.” Esmeralda took the flask from Philips and downed a shot, then dabbed a little behind her ears and on her cleavage. “One of the reasons I like you.”
“You’re wasting good liquor,” Mr. Philips said.
“I prefer to think it’s an investment. The scent of Prince Harry’s Private Reserve is practically an aphrodisiac for any titled man at a wedding reception,” she said and passed the flask to me. “I’m tragically single, you know.”
“Not so tragic,” Cheryl said. “You told me you never wanted to get married.”
Esmeralda put her finger to her lips. “Shh!”
“No thanks on the shot.” I shook my head. “The Champagne finally wore off. I’m only getting married—for real—once. I’m not walking down the aisle tipsy, let alone with scotch on my breath.”
“But you have to,” Cheryl said. “It’s tradition.”
“Not where I’m from.” I grabbed a bottle of Fredonia Mineral Water, raised it high in the air, and toasted my Ladies-in-Waiting and the boys. “Cheers!” I took a healthy slug.
“Dios mio!” Alida exclaimed.
“Merde!” Joan said.
“Crap!” Esmeralda leapt toward me and knocked the bottle out of my hands. It flew across the room, splattered Mr. Philips tuxedo trousers and landed open-mouthed on his shoe as it poured out.
He stared down at it and sighed.
“Why’d you do that?” I asked.
Alida crossed herself. “Don’t you know, Lucy?”
Cheryl’s face turned ashen. “It’s terrible luck to toast with water.”
“That’s just an old wives tale,” I said and waved my hand at them. “Go forth and march down that aisle now because I am finally getting married. My worries are over. Does anyone have any chocolate? I’m a little lightheaded. Probably my low blood sugar. I’m good. I’m ready. Besides, what could possibly go wrong?”

Author Bio:

Pam pitched Erin Brockovich's story to 'Hollywood'. ERIN BROCKOVICH the movie earned 4 Academy Award nominations, and Erin became a household name for environmental activism.
Pam writes Romance, YA, Mysteries, and even Self-Help. All her stories have humor and heart.
She's addicted to TV shows -- The Voice, The Blacklist, and GOT. She likes dogs and cats equally, prefers her coffee strong, her cabernet hearty, her chocolate dark, and her foods non-GMO. She lives for a good giggle in Venice, California with her fur-babies.
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