THE BRIDESMAID'S BEST MAN – Susanna Carr
Harlequin Blaze #769
ISBN: 978-0-373-79773-8
October 2013
Contemporary Series Romance

Seattle, Washington – Present Day

Angie Lawson is so not enjoying her night in a strip club. She's already been finagled into being a bridesmaid to a woman she can barely stand, let alone trying to get along with her fellow bridesmaids. If it wasn't for the fact that she's doing the groom—her best friend—a favor, Angie wouldn't be here, even if there are nearly naked men gyrating in the room. But Angie's jaw nearly drops when she recognizes one of the male strippers as her ex-boyfriend, Cole Foster. What is he doing here?

Cole is undercover (or as much as one can be in a strip club) on an assignment as a PI investigating one of the bridesmaids. He knew there was a chance Angie would be there, but he took that chance. Heck, maybe he was hoping he'd run into her since he still hasn't forgotten her, even though it was he who dumped Angie when she started making noises about moving in together. Cole tries to keep Angie from spilling to others in the group that he's a cop (or now, ex-cop) so he keeps her occupied… with a sexy lap dance. When the object of his investigation ends up on the floor knocked out, and then another falls ill, Cole begins to realize someone is out to sabotage the wedding. Cole is going to have to make sure Angie isn't next on the list. And he'll do it any way he can, even if it means 24/7 protection.

What a fun, flirty tale THE BRIDESMAID'S BEST MAN is! Angie has always been like “one of the guys” and doesn't feel sexy at all in a dress and high heels, but in her position as a bridesmaid she is going to have to wear both. Cole was the one who got away a year ago—after they got serious and she thought it was time to take the next step by moving in together. Cole balked and broke up, then literally walked out of her life and she never saw him again—until that night. To see him out on the floor as a stripper leaves her stunned, and now wondering if she really ever knew him. Cole is relishing the part of his act where he gets to gyrate over Angie's lap, while trying to explain to her that he's in a middle of an investigation.

Angie is used to being called unsexy by most people because she prefers sweats to dresses and hanging with her male best friends. The bride and bridesmaids don't realize Cole and Angie used to date, so when they see him hanging all over her, their mouths drop in shock—a scene that will have readers chuckling and pumping their fists—go Angie! Cole convinces Angie to pretend to be lovers so that he can accompany her to pre-wedding events, which turns out to be a good thing when another incident happens. Angie better watch over her shoulder as someone may be taking out the bridesmaids!

Cole sticks close to Angie, and this ratchets up the heat between them as red-hot desire she thought was over rises again to the surface. But Cole still won't explain to Angie why he ran when she suggested a more committed relationship. In THE BRIDESMAID'S BEST MAN, Cole is going to have to trust Angie with the truth before they can reach the next level of their relationship. Along the way, the mystery of who is knocking off bridesmaids is solved. An enjoyable read that is both sensual and humorous, I highly recommend THE BRIDESMAID'S BEST MAN.

Patti Fischer