My Review:
I loved this book so, so much. The author wrote Jenny in a wonderful way. She's a red-head and has the temperament to match. She acts impulsively and easily gets her back up...with good reason. She's forever been the girl who the mean girls targeted and men took advantage of. From the wrong side of the tracks with a single mother, Jenny has had to fight for everything in her life, but the thing she fights for most is her 12 yo son. She is such a strong heroine, but has a vulnerable side to her that just made this book for me.  

A couple of years ago, Jenny and Owen dated for a few months, but when her emotions began to grow, she sabotaged the relationship. Something that she's regretted ever since. But in the interim, nothing has changed about their chemistry, although Owen has come into his own since then. Determined to become a better man he has undergone a transformation. He was always a brilliant, powerful man, but now he owns that and is more confident in that. 

There's a lot about family in this book. Neither Owen or Jenny come from the best family situations and that has definitely affected who they are as adults. I loved all those little details that ran throughout the story and how that played into who they were together. I also loved the addition of 12 yo Cooper. He is such a smart kid. He's a great addition to the story and is such a good balance to his mother. I loved him and especially loved his relationship with Owen. 

Everything about this story worked...from the mean girls at the class reunion and how that all played out with Dina (not sure I got her name right) and Jenny. To the wedding that Jenny and Owen attend to back in West Virginia and the whole family story line for Owen. I thoroughly LOVED this book. I'm listing it as one of my favorites for 2017...at least so far. I totally fell in love with this story and the couple it features. The road to love certainly wasn't easy for either Owen or Jenny, but I could believe in the hope of their future, because it was obvious from the very beginning that they were meant to be...they just had to sort it all out. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book in return for an honest review, but got online when I was only about 25% into the story to order a print copy because I could already tell this was a book I wanted on my keeper shelf for a later reread.

Meant for You by Michelle Major.......Oh my, this book was amazing as always. Michelle Major writes books that pulls the readers into the story and we feel all the emotions with the characters. Jenny and Owen get a second chance, while faking a relationship and I enjoyed every minute of it. I highly recommend this book, it is so good. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

A second chance romance and fake relationship story? With a nerdy hero? Sign me up!

Both Jenny and Owen come into this book with baggage galore. Besides their brief past romance that ended badly, they each have more than their share of family and past relationship drama. Jenny never knew her dad and was dumped in high school by her son's father, and now her mother is suffering from dementia. Owen, who's never felt like he fit in to his own family, lost a fiancee to his younger brother--a fiancee who's about to marry that younger brother in a few short weeks. Add in the fact that Jenny's the one who torpedoed their first attempt at an HEA, and yeah, this one's gonna be drama-filled with a capital D, with angst to spare.

Jenny drove me a little nuts with her insistence that she and Owen couldn't possibly have a future together. I mean, I get her hangups about being left--first her dad, then Cooper's--but her original freak out that ended relationship number 1 with Owen? I had a hard time feeling the panic behind her actions. Maybe that's because we only heard about it afterwards--it happened before the events of this story--but we get it from both her and Owen's POVs, and either way it left me feeling kind of...meh. This means I spent 90% of the book feeling vaguely annoyed with her, which was a bit of a bummer, but Owen and Cooper did their slightly geeky, manly best to keep me distracted from that fact.

Though I really did like Owen, Jenny's son Cooper stole the show in this one. He's polite and respectful towards adults, but with a mercenary streak a mile wide when it comes to looking out for his mom. Plus, you've got to love the kid who's so invested in his mother's fake relationship that he's the one who comes up with their "how we got engaged" story (it involved enchiladas...and fried ice cream...and a fireworks display--though Owen nixed the latter element as too much, party pooper that he is) ;)

Though it's not listed as part of a series, Meant for You has characters from at least three other Michelle Major books: Kissing Mr. Right , Recipe for Kisses , and Tell Me Again --the heroines of each are part of Jenny's group of friends, and Ty (aka "Mr. Right") is both Jenny's original BFF and friends with Owen. I've only read Ty and Kendall's book prior to this one, though; so reading Meant for You as a standalone should work out just fine.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars / C+

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

This was quite the little firecracker of a book. I loved how the whole fake fiance came about. It showed exactly how spirited Jenny could be LOL And I also loved how Owen stepped outside his comfort zone to make it happen. It showed how truly meant to be these two kids were :)

Jenny and Owen have history. History that isn't very favorable. They also have similar social tendencies, meaning they were both looking from the outside in as they grew-up, just in different ways...Jenny lacked the money to be a cool kid and Owen lacked the balls, for lack of a better term lol But that was then and this is now and someone got Jenny aaaaaall riled up so she turns to Owen to help her save face. Cue the journey to HEA :)

I've never read a Michelle Major book and I kinda feel like I've been missing out. The story was easy (except maybe Jenny was a little too much. She got in her way a lot lol). It sucks you in and you get invested. Owen was an adorable character that stole the show on more than one occasion. Overall, very enjoyable second chance romance you can read in one afternoon :)

Copy provided for blog tour review

Jenny was a gullible teenager and because she was so easy to manipulate she fell pregnant. She's now a proud single mother of a great twelve-year-old. Cooper's father, however, has never been part of his life. Jenny grew up without a father herself and this made her insecure and vulnerable. Plants are Jenny's passion and she owns a nursery. Everything she earns is going towards her son and a brilliant care home for her mother. Her mother used to work for a rich family and therefore Jenny had the chance to go to a good school, but her classmates made sure she never felt she belonged. That's why when she's being goaded by one of them about a reunion she tells her that she has a fiancé, Owen, who is a billionaire with plenty of money and status. How will she convince Owen to go with her after breaking his heart several years ago?

Owen's family never appreciated him and the two women he loved left him. He is rich, drives a fast car and has a gorgeous place to live, but he doesn't have anyone to share it with. Jenny was the love of his life and when she asks Owen to play her fiancé he doesn't think it's a good idea, but he can't refuse her anything. He even buys her a ring and accompanies her to the reunion, but there's something Jenny has to do for him in return. He wants her to pretend to be his fiancée as well, for an entire week when he visits his family. Will they be able to keep their deal strictly business or are there so many feelings between them they forget their engagement isn't real?

Jenny always says what she thinks, she swears all the time and she's completely herself in every situation. I liked her immediately. She has a heart of gold and she's a wonderful mother. Owen is rich, but Jenny doesn't care much about money. She needs it to pay the bills, but she's happy when she's among her plants and doesn't need to have a fancy lifestyle. She likes Owen because of who he is, not because of what he's achieved and how much money he has, which is something I loved about Meant for You. Owen is a kind, caring and gentle man. He's a sexy nerd and always has the feeling he isn't good enough because he isn't athletic. This made me feel sad for him, because he's such an amazing person. He's sweet, generous and chivalrous and he doesn't get the appreciation he deserves. It's clear from the start that Owen and Jenny are soul mates, but Jenny is afraid he'll hurt her. I kept hoping she'd let him in and give him a chance. They have fantastic chemistry and there's a beautiful deep connection between them.

Michelle Major's writing has an easy flow and she has a great sense of humor. Jenny is funny, she usually speaks before she thinks and that lands her in the most complicated situations. She's bold and endearing at the same time and that combination of character traits managed to continuously put a big smile on my face. Owen is so adorable that he kept melting my heart. They're such fantastic main characters that I fell in love with their story from the beginning. Meant for You is a charming, cute and spellbinding romantic story and I highly recommend it.

Single mom Jenny Castelli has a temper to match her red hair. When the former mean girls of her high school insult her son, Jenny fires off a big lie—that she’s engaged to a rich, handsome guy and is bringing him to their ten-year reunion. Now she needs to find the perfect fake fiancé for one night. And only one man fits the bill.

Geek turned tech entrepreneur Owen Dalton already had his heart broken by Jenny Castelli. Still, he finds himself agreeing to her proposition—even as he struggles to remember that the chemistry sparking between them isn’t real. But when Jenny’s ex makes a play for custody and Owen is forced to deal with the family who always treated him as “second best,” their arrangement suddenly becomes very personal. And that lie they’ve been telling everyone? It isn’t nearly as big as the one they’ve been telling themselves.

My favorite romance books are those where there are "fake fiance's" and kids involved.  I will put this on my reread shelf.  Owen is kind of a sad guy to me.  His whole life he's been this dorky kid who's wanted to be accepted by his parents or specifically his dad and he just never felt like he measured up.  He's always been the smart one.  His younger brother's always had his dad's attention and love.  His fiance left him for his brother because she thought he was the better catch.  To me, I'd rather have brilliantly sexy over just "plain handsome" any day, but that's my opinion.  Owen's brother is a total tool in this book, and I disliked him to the point, I wanted him to beat him with his golf clubs (you'll see the part of the book where they play golf) but alas he didn't.  Jenny was a frustrating character because part of me wanted to slap her and the other part wanted to hug her.  She's so smart, but part of her is just dumb for letting Owen go in the first place.  They have excellent chemistry together, and Owen would do anything for her.  For Jenny to betray Owen once, I was like "okay she's running from her feelings!"  When she goes to do it again, I was about to throw my kindle to the side and pick up a paperback.  There were a couple of twists and turns I didn't see coming in this book, and when they were revealed, I was like...HOLY MOSES!!  I'm so used to books that have this "Big Reveal," and then it's something on the Heroine's side that when they revealed on Owen's side, I was left with WTF?  

Overall, I fell in love with the characters and would like to see Connor grow up and have his own book...Hint Hint!  He stole this book.  His "real" dad who showed up for a bit part was such a creeper and I know we have to have those types of characters in books but...uh, just put creeper dad and tool brother in a boat and ship them out to shore!!  I haven't read Michelle before, but I'll be picking up any previous books of hers and anything she writes after this because I really thought this was a cute read.  

I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on NetGalley for an honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's.

Michelle Major is one of my favorite authors. A big reason why is because she exposes love from all sides. She shows warts and all. That makes for stories that are at times heartbreaking but rewarding. Meant For You cast a spell on me. It's hard to be vulnerable when it can lead to open wounds, hurt feelings and insecurities. Jenny is a warrior when it comes to protecting her son and her pride, but this mama lion has scars embedded into her heart so deeply, that her biggest strengths have also become her worse weaknesses. Case in point, a lie of convenience snowballs into more than she bargained when she has to put up or shut up. Will the solution turn into an answer to a prayer or the beginning of an even bigger nightmare? I lost my heart to Owen. He was a man with his own share of painful insecurities but his heart was a thing of beauty. Identifiable characters and memory defining moments made for a poignant read.

Jenny Castelli has come a long way since high school. Her dream of opening her own gardening center has come true, and she is proud to be senior consultant to the design team at Rocky Mountain Landscapes, the company owned by her long-time best friend, Ty Bishop. But not all Jenny’s rough edges have been polished away, and the rough edges dominate during a chance encounter with two of the former mean girls who reigned in the exclusive private school that Jenny attended through the benevolence of Eric Bishop, Ty’s father and her mother’s employer. When the two women, whose behavior shows little change since the high school days that are more than a decade behind them, taunt Jenny about her high school boyfriend and call Jenny’s twelve-year-old son fathered by said boyfriend a “mistake,” Jenny’s temper and ungoverned mouth take over. She hints that her fiancé is more than a match for her ex in wealth and status and declares that he is eager to be a father to her son. Her former classmates leap to the conclusion that the “fiancé” is Owen Dalton, and they are soon spreading the word on social media that Jenny and Owen will attend the class reunion.

Jenny’s description fits Owen Dalton in every detail. He is wealthy and powerful; his microprocessors and mesh networks revolutionized the tech industry. He is also kind and genuine. Once he was crazy about Jenny, but she broke up with him in a particularly brutal fashion two years ago. Jenny must choose between two humiliating choices: she can let her old enemies discover that she was lying, or she can ask the man whose heart she broke to play the role of fiancé for the night of the reunion. No one is more surprised than Jenny when he says yes—with conditions.

Owen intends to say no. He has no intention of playing the fool for Jenny again, but his good memories of Jenny and her son, Cooper, have him agreeing to be her fiancé for one night. However, he demands that she in return play his fiancé for a week when he returns home for his brother’s wedding. All it takes to prove the sparks between these two are still capable of igniting is for them to spend time together. But old wounds that have them believing they are not enough and don’t deserve the happiness they desire make them wary of trusting themselves and each other. Can they learn to follow their hearts?

I read this book after I had read too many novels that were more about overpowering lust and the lead characters engaging in sex in multiple forms and positions than they were about two people falling in love and experiencing emotional intimacy as potent and rewarding as physical intimacy. Meant for You was a breath of fresh air and a reminder of why I love contemporary romance. Jenny and Owen are endearing characters—wounded, flawed, and essentially likable. With their daddy issues and their sense of not measuring up, they are far more alike than either realizes. Theirs is a second-chance-at-love story that follows a history which makes such a chance seem impossible. Add a male makeover thread and an adorable kid who made me laugh to that second chance and the book proved irresistible.

Meant for You is the fourth novel in Michelle Major’s Denver-set series, following Kissing Mr. Right, Recipe for Kisses, and Tell Me Again, but it can easily be read as a standalone. Readers familiar with characters from the other books will doubtless be pleased to see them playing supporting roles in this book, but my ignorance of their stories did not affect my enjoyment of this one. I did, however, like this one so much that I later downloaded the other three.

If you like contemporary romance with characters who captivate, stories that sustain your interest, and an emotional punch strong enough to remind you that a good romance is as much about the hungers of the heart as it is about sexual desires, I recommend that you add this book to your TBR list. I know I will be keeping an eye out for other books from this author.

Book Info 
Paperback, 268 pages
Expected publication: March 28th 2017 by Montlake Romance
ISBN 1503943666 (ISBN13: 9781503943667)
Other Editions (3)
Source:Netgalley EARC

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BOOK BLURB


Single mom Jenny Castelli has a temper to match her red hair. When the former mean girls of her high school insult her son, Jenny fires off a big lie—that she’s engaged to a rich, handsome guy and is bringing him to their ten-year reunion. Now she needs to find the perfect fake fiancé for one night. And only one man fits the bill.

Geek turned tech entrepreneur Owen Dalton already had his heart broken by Jenny Castelli. Still, he finds himself agreeing to her proposition—even as he struggles to remember that the chemistry sparking between them isn’t real. But when Jenny’s ex makes a play for custody and Owen is forced to deal with the family who always treated him as “second best,” their arrangement suddenly becomes very personal. And that lie they’ve been telling everyone? It isn’t nearly as big as the one they’ve been telling themselves.

My Thoughts


Growing up Jenny Castelli was often the target of ridicule as she did not have wealthy parents like many of the girls her age.

Owen Dalton always felt out of sync with his peers as well as his own family, a true geek at heart he did not play sports in school nor did he desire to be part of the popular crowd. At first he is wary of Jenny’s plan but upon further thought the benefits to both far outweighs any negatives.

Jenny finds herself in need of a fake fiancé to escort her on the night of the 10th reunion of her High School graduation. She had no intention of going until cornered by one of her former bullies, then for some reason the lies just started pouring out and Jenny found herself caught in a web of deceit.

What started out as a way for Jenny and Owen to provide each other support soon becomes so much more complicated, in the best way possible, than either ever dreamed about over the years.

What can I say but love second chance romances, especially the ones where the couple fight their feelings tooth and nail before finally realizing they are meant to be together.

[EArc from Netgalley in exchange for honest review]

On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

There’s a lot to like in this second chance romance with a bit of fake fiancé(e) thrown in for good measure. Mostly Owen, because he’s all kinds of sexy and special, but I also really liked Jenny’s son, Cooper, and the fierce way she loves him is wonderful.

I liked Jenny. She’s been through a lot, but she’s strong and fierce and determined, and when she loves someone she doesn’t hold anything back. So it was understandable that falling for a man was so terrifying for her. That didn’t stop me wanting to scream with frustration at the way she self-sabotages at times. I loved the way she defended Owen when he really needed it, which of course made me all the more annoyed when she hurts him. She’s a mess, and I’m not wholly convinced by how certain things were resolved.

I loved Owen. He’s smart and adorable and his family are horrible. He’s trying so hard to be the tough guy, but he’s just a marshmallow inside, and a wonderful one at that. He’s also super forgiving – which is lucky, else this book might have ended in a very different way.

Cooper was also a great character, smart and crafty, he brought some much needed lightness to Jenny at times, while her mother’s Alzheimer’s provided real emotional turmoil.

In all, I enjoyed this. It has it’s lighter moments and it’s sadder ones, but also heat and romance and plenty of family woes. Throw in a set of likeable characters and I couldn’t ask for much more – although less foolishness from Jenny might have been nice. Overall it was a good second chance read. On the strength of this one, I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author in the future.

Jenny Castelli can put up with a lot of things in life except for anyone talking bad about her son. When she runs into the clique of mean girls from high school, several comments are made about her son and how he is being raised by a single mom. Before Jenny can stop herself, she lets out a whopper of a lie claiming that she is engaged to mega rich Owen Dalton and that she’ll be bringing him to their reunion.  Jenny somehow manages to convince Owen to be her date despite the fact that the two have a history and that Jenny sabotaged their relationship.  All Owen wants in return is for Jenny to be his date to a family wedding that he is dreading.  The more time that Jenny and Owen spend together, the more they remember what brought them together in the first place.  Will Jenny and Owen get a second chance at love?
Jenny has a HUGE chip on her shoulder for a good chunk of the book. The daughter of a single mom herself, Jenny feels a ton of guilt for doing the same to Cooper, her son, even if his dad is a complete jerk. She is constantly trying to prove to herself that she doesn’t need any help raising her son. 
Strangely enough though, Jenny has a big fear of commitment.  She purposely destroyed her first relationship with Owen by cheating on him.  This time around she is even more hesitant to commit to Owen because he just seems too good to be true and she wants to protect Cooper. 
After his relationship with Jenny the first time around, Owen had a massive broken heart. Tired of being the geeky guy who got friend zoned all the time, Owen comes to the conclusion that he just isn’t good enough for any woman.  So he sets out on a mission to change his appearance and shed’s his geeky façade.  Fortunately for Jenny, the nice guy is still there waiting to love her.
Much like Jenny, Owen has massive insecurities.  Despite being CEO of a huge tech company and doing so much good for the community through his foundation, Owen still doesn’t see himself as successful.  The visit home to West Virginia shows just how much Owen wants to earn his father’s love but seems to never measure up. 
Meant For You by Michelle Major is a fantastic standalone romance. Major focuses on the insecurities we all have in life, while proving that they don’t have to control us. If you love contemporary romance/second chance romance, this would be a good read for you.

This is the first book I have read by this author and it won't be the last, I really enjoyed this second chance romance.
Jenny Castello is a single mum doing her best to raise her son, run her business and provide for her mum who is in a care home. The last thing she needs is a high school reunion with girls who made her life a misery but more to the point she doesn't need to see her sons father who walked away when he found out she was pregnant, Jenny comes up with a big fat lie letting them believe she is engaged to a rich sexy geek turned entrepreneur, problem is she needs to convince Owen to go along with her....
Owen Dalton had his heart broken by Jenny once before and now he finds himself being asked to play a fake fiancé for the night, he can't say no to Jenny but she must do something for him in return. Owen has always been the child that was never good enough, even though he is now one of the US's most eligible bachelors he stills thinks he has to prove himself so taking the beautiful Jenny to his brothers wedding is perfect. Will the feelings that Owen and Jenny still have for each bring happiness or will the people from their past ruin their stab at second chance romance......
I loved this sweet romantic story, the characters are loveable and once you add in a delightful little boy call Cooper you have the perfect book to take to the beach or curl up in front of the fire with. 
Looking forward to reading more from Michelle Major

3.5 Here's Showing Them Stars
* * *1/2
Sometimes it just has to happen...
The pain and anger of being targeted once again by all the Mean Girls from her High School Days... Hit the chord...
Before she knew it, our gal proclaims her life is amazing and she has a wonderful man... so special and successful it shuts the cat calls from these women.
Only trouble is now what to do...
Good thing she approaches the Tech Tycoon who was the geek... and he decides to play along.
Better thing is when drama happens and all the playing along becomes real.

Reviewing for publication RT Book Reviews May edition