Review - - The Worst Best Man

The Worst Best Man
by Mia Sosa
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: February 4, 2020
Reviewed by Santa
   

A wedding planner left at the altar? Yeah, the irony isn’t lost on Carolina Santos, either. But despite that embarrassing blip from her past, Lina’s offered an opportunity that could change her life. There’s just one hitch… she has to collaborate with the best (make that worst) man from her own failed nuptials. 

Marketing expert Max Hartley is determined to make his mark with a coveted hotel client looking to expand its brand. Then he learns he’ll be working with his brother’s whip-smart, stunning—absolutely off-limits—ex-fiancée. And she loathes him. 

If they can nail their presentation without killing each other, they’ll both come out ahead. Except Max has been public enemy number one ever since he encouraged his brother to jilt the bride, and Lina’s ready to dish out a little payback of her own. 

Soon Lina and Max discover animosity may not be the only emotion creating sparks between them. Still, this star-crossed couple can never be more than temporary playmates because Lina isn’t interested in falling in love and Max refuses to play runner-up to his brother ever again...

Santa says:

The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa was just what this reader needed. This 5 star book ticked all the boxes that make a great romance. Lina is a gorgeous, strong, slightly vulnerable heroine. Max is a gorgeous, strong, slightly vulnerable hero. Enemies to lovers. Heroine has a wonderful, loving, supportive family around her. Hero has a family that is, shall we say, challenging. Having this mix had me crying, laughing and, at times, ready to take off my earrings to do battle for my prima - my cousin. 

We are introduced to Max when he awakens to learn - via text - that his brother Andrew has decided, based on his advice, that he is not ready to marry Lina. It falls to Max to let her know Andrew is not going to marry her. 

For Lina - it’s bad enough to be left waiting at the altar - but as an up and coming wedding planner - it is beyond humiliating. One could say she would plan for brides and never be one herself. She kicks Max out of her suite and turns to her cousins to rally around her to do damage control.

Fast forward three years and Lina and her wedding planner business have caught the eye of Rebecca Cartwright, CEO of the prestigious Cartwright Hotel Group, the DC area. She would like Lina to apply for the position of wedding planner at their flagship hotel. Lina is honored and shares her news with her assistant and cousin Jaslene. Lina is very close to her Brazilian family and they share everything. Lina is determined to be as successful as her mother and aunts who came to this country, survived divorces, and banded together to start their own business.

And so while planning her cousin Natalia’s wedding, she agrees to meet with Rebecca to see what this opportunity has to offer her. Lina welcomes the challenge of competing against another candidate in showing Rebecca her vision for the hotel group. Rebecca offers the service of her marketing group to come up with and present her vision. Enter the representatives from Atlas Communications - none other than Max and Andrew Hartley. Talk about getting the wind knocked out of you but Carolina Santos is no pushover! She recovers quickly and pretends never to have known either one of them. Rebecca then proceeds to assign Lina one of the brothers to work with on marketing her vision to the Cartwright group.

Lina is paired with Max - a slightly better choice than Andrew. She had made her peace with him years ago. Lina is determined to present her vision without any help from anyone, particularly Max. Max, eager to get out from under his brother’s shadow is equally determined to show that the successes he had outside of DC were no accident. 

Can this enemies to lovers story work? Readers, are you in for a marvelous ride. Max and Lina try for the no strings attached approach and soon find that love has other plans for them. What also attracted me to the story was the fact that Lina was a first generation Brazilian American with close ties to her family who inspired and drove her to be a success. Her mother and aunts reminded me of the strong women in my own family. And the humor and the family gatherings were reminiscent of my own experiences as a first generation immigrant. Max’s family dynamic also drew me in, reflecting my husband’s more American upbringing. I also enjoyed the glimpses into Max’s friend who will be featured in Mia Sosa’s next book which I am very excited about. And who knows, maybe Andrew may turn out to be not such a monumental jerk in the future.

Crashing Into Her

Crashing Into Her: Love on Cue
by Mia Sosa
Publisher: Avon Impulse
Release Date: February 19, 2019
Reviewed by PJ

Relationships are a thing of the past for Eva Montgomery. Her current motto? You can’t spell “manipulative” without man. But Eva has needs, and a one-night-stand at her best friend’s wedding is the perfect way to kick off her new approach to singledom. Then a job opportunity puts her in the same city with the guy she can’t forget . . .

Anthony Castillo is a perpetual bachelor—no strings, just flings—a status he maintains by being honest about his intentions and never looking back. So why is he still thinking about the firecracker of a woman who rocked his world at his cousin’s wedding? It’s a question he refuses to answer, until she comes crashing back into his life, taking his emotional walls down with her.

When her father doubts her ability to make it in LA, Eva vows to go big and prove him wrong. With her athletic background, she’s an ideal candidate for stunt work. But first she’ll need training, and the instructor is none other than her former hookup, Anthony Castillo. Except he’s not as cocky as she remembers and he’s definitely still sexy as sin. The only problem is . . . Anthony doesn’t want her anywhere near his stunt school—or his heart.

My thoughts:

Warning: You may not want to read this book in public if you're reluctant to share raucous laughter, heartfelt emotion, and lusty sighs with strangers. On the other hand, Crashing Into Her can be an effective tool for making new friends, as I discovered while reading the book at the beach the other day. Total strangers were putting down their own books and asking the title of the one obviously bringing me so much enjoyment. :) 

I'm not sure why I haven't read Mia Sosa before now. You can be sure I won't make that mistake again. There's a binge ahead! Crashing Into Her is fun, flirty, a little dirty, and oh, so sensual. Her characters are so real and vividly portrayed. They pulled me into their world from the get-go, taking me on a fast-paced ride that had me swiping pages with excitement while, at the same time, wanting to savor each delicious scene. 

Eva and Anthony are both so darn likable and so very deserving of their HEA, even if neither believes they want a relationship. The banter between them is fun and flawless, and their chemistry could spark an inferno. Talk about sizzle! Their physical relationship is scorching but there's also a sweetness about them that captured my heart. 

Sosa places Anthony's Puerto Rican culture front and center in this story with plenty of music - I have a new appreciation for Reggaeton - and detailed descriptions of food that had me wiping the drool from my Kindle...and searching Yelp for local PR restaurants. She should write a cookbook. I'd buy it. 

Secondary characters - and couples from the first two books - seamlessly weave in and out of the story, adding richness and flavor without detracting from the main couple. I especially enjoyed Anthony's father and Eva's best friend (also Anthony's cousin), Tori (Book 1 - Acting on Impulse). I can't wait to read Tori's story! 

With sweet sighs, laugh-out-loud humor, and sensual scenes that left my heart racing, Crashing Into Her has vaulted Mia Sosa onto my author auto-buy list and earned my enthusiastic recommendation...and a few new friends.   


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