It began with a cock.
Of the rooster variety.
It ended with a groomsman toppling into the wedding cake.
Heidi hadn’t meant to be a bad bridesmaid. She loved her best friend and the man Kate was marrying.
Who she didn’t love?
The groom’s brother.
The cocky—no pun intended—jerk had made Heidi aware of exactly what he thought of her. That being, she wasn’t worth anything more than a quick romp and a disappearing act before the sun rose.
Fine. Whatever. She’d done her own version of the Disappearing Act on more than one occasion. It didn’t matter that she had thought they had shared something… well, something more.
Clearly, she’d been wrong, and now he was dead to her.
Of course, that was before she had to walk down the aisle with him.
Because that’s when all hell broke loose.
| Title: | Bad Bridesmaid |
| Author: | Elise Faber |
| Series: | Billionaire’s Club (Book 11) |
| Pages: | 231 |
| Genre(s): | Contemporary |
| Trope(s): | Enemies to Lovers Second Chance Romance |
| Point of View: | Third person, Past Tense, Dual Viewpoint (H & h) |
| Location: | US |
| HEA: | ✔️ |
| Release Date: | 1st March, 2021 |
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Likeable with no drama
I have read and enjoyed Elise Faber before and based on the premise, I was looking forward to another exciting tale of hijinks, wedding shenanigans and a bit of enemies to lovers romance.
And for the first wee while, that’s exactly what we get. Brad and Heidi have a history. A history that consists of one night together and then Brad sneaking out come morning without a word or even a note. So when our pair meet again at a wedding between Heidi’s best friend and Brad’s brother, sparks fly again. But this time Heidi has learnt her lesson and no matter how hard Brad tries, and no matter how much she wants to, she refuses to go there again with him.
From the first, Heidi came across as quite a feisty, kick-ass kind of girl. She knew what she wanted and even though she had her insecurities over her worth, she refused to sway from her decisions. When I found out she was a nerdy scientist, I did find it hard to reconcile with what I’d already learnt about her, but it’s always nice to see some STEM women killing it in their careers.
I liked Brad, too. He was a good guy and all he wanted to do was get to know Heidi better and get her to give him a chance. He was never pushy and I loved the way he was respectful of Heidi and her boundaries. Heidi calls Brad her unicorn and yes, he was perhaps just a little too perfect – but hey, book boyfriends should be nothing less, right? I didn’t even mind his caveman antics when Heidi fell, even if he was a tad overdramatic!
“…[Brad] was perhaps just a little too perfect – but hey, book boyfriends should be nothing less, right?”
I definitely felt the chemistry between our couple, even when they were bickering with each other in the beginning. But I flat out adored the way that their relationship naturally evolved into a friendship before it took that turn back into something more. It proved that they were perfect for each other. I’m also a bit of a sucker for a couple that use pet names with each other which Heidi and Brad do almost constantly.
Okay, onto the not so enjoyable parts of the book for me…
I’m never really a fan of a character who is (or has been) a world wanderer. I always find it difficult to 100% believe that someone can go from having wanderlust to wanting to settle down – and that obviously calls into question any potential HEAs. Also, Brad’s introspection was, for me, a little forced. He was so deeply trying to figure himself out yet there seemed little reason for him to do so. If he was happy – and he seemed to be for the most part – then what was the problem?
The other issue was that nothing much happened. I know we’re all here primarily for the romance but I’m also looking for something more. This story was quite linear in that our couple aren’t together, then they are. There were no bumps in the road and no real moments of fear that our couple might not make it. To my eyes, there were three ‘big’ moments of drama, the fall and the mother were a little contrived for my liking – but regardless didn’t really move the story on. And the problem at Heidi’s lab only seemed to serve to stop our couple having sex rather than making a difference to their story.
I like Elise Faber’s writing. Her characters and storytelling are always so likeable and charming and this story is no exception. I ended the book feeling happy and I definitely believe in the love of Heidi and Brad. I suppose my takeaway was that I was happy but not overly moved by this book. Still a likeable story, especially if you’re reading through the Billionaire’s Club stories. 3 stars from me.
USA Today bestselling author, Elise Faber, loves chocolate, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and hockey (the order depending on the day and how well her team — the Sharks! — are playing). She and her husband also play as much hockey as they can squeeze into their schedules, so much so that their typical date night is spent on the ice. Elise is the mom to two exuberant boys and lives in Northern California.
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Billionaire’s Club Series:
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