As I've learned to expect, a beautifully written and fun read. Jackson writes wonderfully believable stories with flawed but truly good heroes and heroines

Reese and I overheard Mama Laverne tell Grandaunt Marilyn that your future wife’s name is Ivy Chapman.” “Like hell the woman is my future wife.”

Nolan Madaris knows one thing for sure, he WILL NEVER get married. No matter how hard his great-grandmother tries to set his up with his perfect match, Ivy Chapman. He might be the “manwhore” of Houston but at least it will save him from becoming a groom. Ivy is a whip-smart and independent woman who doesn’t want to be tied down either. When both of their families start meddling in their love life, there’s only one way to, to each other.

Best Laid Plans is part of the Madaris Family & Friends Series. They can absolutely be read as standalone novels but I kind of wish I would have read the other ones too. The family dynamics was astounding and I loved every minute of reading this book. Nolan and Ivy were such a joy to read about. Two people that couldn’t be anymore different, are clearly meant to be.

“Ivy Chapman is not my type, and she made it pretty clear today that I’m not hers. There isn’t—and never will there be—anything between us.”

Which only means one thing, never doubt a grandmother. I enjoyed the banter between the main characters and it was inevitable that there was no one else in the whole entire world that was a better fit for them. I recommend this for readers who like a sweet romance for opposites that attract. For those that love a strong female lead and a hero with a heart of gold.

Great plans go awry when these two come together. Nolan Madaris and Ivy Chapman are no match going up against the champ of matchmaking, Mama Laverne Madaris. Another great Madaris Family story.

Ivy's grandmother and Nolan's great-grandmother decided to matchmake their granddaughter and grandson to be together that they did everything they can to make sure both of them meet up and so it happens. Two tech whiz couple decided to go along with their great-grandmother and grandmother plan except they only decided to pretend to be fall in love and somehow, they forgot their hearts.

"Because you love me and I love you, too, and everything should be all right, but it's not!"

When hearts overtake their plans that's when their lives get messy and their plan eventually becomes just a plan.

Anyway, Brenda Jackson writing is so easy to read and it was a fun reading that it is hard to put it down once you grab the book. I warn ya. This is my first time reading a book written by Brenda Jackson, it absolutely does not disappoint me at all. The way the author writing the story on the two couple's chemistry was on point and I can feel the attraction between them was strong and how they just could not resist one another. The love between them is wonderful.

All the characters in the book - All Madaris's family and Ivy's grandmother has made the story more alive. We can feel how close they are to one another, very reliable family in every way they can. It just wow me and made me smile all the way.

What I can say, Best Laid Plans not only about love between Nolan and Ivy but it is also the love from the families. So, I guess my February has been filled with love not only from my family but also from the book I read.

But I have to warn you, Best Laid Plans is suitable for Adult to read. If you know what I mean.

If you are into matchmaker, light and fun reading, I suggest you read Best Laid Plans by Brenda Jackson.

This was an okay read.

I don’t know if I maybe should have read any of the previous books, so that I could better understand the secondary characters etc.

It was a nice light-hearted easy read. A good filler on a rainy afternoon.

However, I expected a little more and it wasn’t as fulfilling as I expected it to be.

Towards the end, the story became very unbelievable and far-fetched and it put me off to be honest.

I continued reading even knowing there was going to be a happily ever after and not really being bothered by the characters.

Having read previous Brenda Jackson books I just expected a little more.

I do think a huge part of my disappointment though was not reading any of the others in this series. It doesn't read like a stand-alone because of all of the secondary characters.

I enjoy reading stories that have a family matriarch matchmaking with her friends to marry off the next generation. This story follows that formula but has several twists to keep you wondering how this will get to the expected conclusion. Nolan watches the rest of his cousins getting married and starting families and is now like a deer in the headlights of his great-grandmother. Ivy isn't interested in marriage either but her grandmother is good friends with Nolan's great-grandmother. Computer technology plays an important part with hacking taken right from the headlines. A very satisfying read. I received a copy of the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Brenda Jackson's latest in the Madaris Family Saga, Best Laid Plans, is a fun, sexy not-to-be missed romance. Nolan Madaris and Ivy Chapman are going to get married — except they haven't met. But fear not: Her grandma and his great-grandmother, the fiercest matchmaking grandmothers I have ever read in a romance novel, are actively working on it.

Nolan and Ivy finally meet and soon after discover they're both booked into the same island house for a weekend getaway (why yes, that is the work of those scheming grannies). While there, they concoct a plan of their own: pretend to be dating so their grannies leave them alone. Actually giving romance a chance is out of the question: Nolan, a successful businessman, is a remorseless playboy, while Ivy, a brilliant computer programmer, has been hurt before and, in grand romance tradition, Will Never Love Again. But their sexual chemistry is as real and undeniable as the love blossoming between them. It isn't long before their fake romance is very real indeed.

3.5 stars!  Two intelligent, attractive people are being set up by their matchmaking great grandmother and grandmother. To outsmart them, they come up with "best laid plans" of faking falling in love and dating to prove their relatives wrong. It is a common romance trope done fairly well here. If you like the fake boyfriend/girlfriend storyline, I think that you will like this one.

I really liked Nolan and Ivy. Both graduated from MIT and had their own companies at young ages. She is a professional hacker with a cybersecurity company, and he runs Madaris Innovations, a tech company. So, I was a bit disappointed that the plan did not have a twist. 

The beginning was a bit expected as he became the "playboy" to throw off any prospects. Ivy wore glasses and swore that she was not pretty. She doesn't want to get married ever, and he simply doesn't want his great grandmother arranging any marriages for him. But as they went past that and got to know each other, that is where the story worked for me. There were lots of hot, sexy scenes too.

I enjoyed Tessa, her friend, and I was able to meet many Madaris family members as well as related or affiliated people. They helped to make it fun as they would keep Nolan on his toes.The suspense story with her ex-boyfriend, Damien, was building in the background until it became the main storyline. And the Madaris family pitched in to help. That is what families are supposed to do. The family theme was the strongest in this story and worked very well.
 
I have read a few Brenda Jackson romances before, which was one of the reasons that I signed up for this review tour. This was an easy, sexy, romance read without straying far from the expected. I really liked how close the Madaras family is and how the many relatives all played a role in getting Ivy and Nolan together.

Note: I received an advance reader copy from Netgalley. This is my honest review.

Y'all are used to me saying when it's a fave author I don't even read the synopsis, I one click and keep it moving. and when I got approved I did a happy dance. This one isn't part of the Westmoreland Clan it's one of her other series the Madaris family saga and I'm just as in love with it. This one is a great romantic story filled with comedy, hints of suspense, meddling elders and children who think they can outsmart them at their game.



I really enjoyed this one because it felt like coming home and being enveloped in with family. I really enjoyed how the story unfolded, how much these two tried their best to beat their elders at their matchmaking plans and inadvertently ended up right where they were supposed to. I loved that they were both headstrong individuals who were successful in so many aspects of their lives but this one. I absolutely loved their Elders; they were determined to get these two together and they knew they couldn't just introduce them, they had to meddle as much as possible.



Ivy is super successful, she created her own company because she knew she wouldn't fit in with corporate deadlines & politics. She created a firm that was successful based on her love for computers and while it might not make her the most popular person it does fulfill her. She has her best friend and her Grandmother, who needs more?? Nolan for his part grew up a nerd surrounded by a loving and supportive family with his Great Grandmother as the Matriarch, she pushed all her kids to be successful, to find love and make their community better. When she sees that Nolan isn't getting past her last relationship she decides to step in. Nolan was the nerd that went from Urkel to Stephan, he embraced the success that came with that change and when he realizes his Great Gran as about to but in he launched a plan to make himself extremely unattractive to women he doesn't believe is right for him.



From sending them letters and notes from each other to rigging events to get them together these older women were not to be deterred. Having been in relationships that ended poorly Nolan & Ivy were determined to find their own happiness without their Grandmother's and Great Gran's intervention. Making a plan to beat the two older women at their matchmaking they tried at first to fight fire with fire then they simply made it appear that they were giving in. Within this dance of deception comes the past bring with it danger and trouble and without the friends that Ivy has made can her heart survive??



I do have one bone to pick with this story, and that is with Nolan's choice of women to aide him in his subterfuge. I know he states it was a good option but for me it makes me give him the side eye other than that I loved this story so much, I laughed and commiserated with Ivy & Nolan. I loved their exploration of their feelings, I loved how Ivy confronted Nolan when she was uncertain and how Nolan reacted when he realized the plan was working a little better than he expected. Their chemistry was off the wall and I loved all the moments of them exploring these moments as well.



I totally understood being cornered by those you love and feeling like you can't get out of it without hurting their feelings. I loved the glimpse of the expanse of the Madaris family and definitely need to catch up on this series. There were so many different family members introduced, with only small glimpses of their stories. I can't wait to see just where the series goes because she has introduced the next generation already and it should be interesting to see how they succeed.



★★★★☆

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Happy Reading my loves,

Best Laid Plans by Brenda Jackson is part of the Madaris Family and Friends Series.
Meet Nolan Madaris and Ivy Chapman. Both are successful business man/ owner , not man in Ivy's case. She's all woman, a bit geekish, brilliant, bohemian beauty, woman.
Both their grannies are determined to set them up and meddle heavily to get them together. Nolan and Ivy have no chance at escaping. First they're strictly opposed to aforementioned plans, only that changes over time and they become more.
Best Laid Plans is a beautiful story, very well written with lovable characters. Not only the hero and the heroine, the sidekicks are great too. I had a good time reading the witty and fun bicker between Nolan and Ivy and give sweet 4 stars

Mama Laverne and Ms. Helen have been friends for years, ever since the first time Mama Laverne had a parent-teacher conference with Ms. Helen about one of her sons. Now, they are working together to bring Mama Laverne’s grandson Nolan together with Ms. Helen’s granddaughter Ivy.
Neither Nolan nor Ivy want to be pushed into a relationship. When the pair is manipulated by the family and end up at the same house at the same time for a week, they come up with a foolproof plan to push back. They decide to fake a relationship, then after a while break up.
This story is just so good. I loved everything from the manipulating grandmothers, to the family’s involvement all the way through, to the pair themselves. This cast of characters are so real, it felt like watching a good movie instead of reading a totally awesome story. I wanted to keep reading, I didn’t want it to end! I believe that this might be the first book I’ve read by Ms. Jackson, but I can guarantee that it won’t be the last.

A sensual, adorable, and eloquent romance that had me swooning and sighing from one moment to the other.
I have said it before yet it bears to be repeated: Brenda Jackson can tell a story that seduces the mind and heart of the reader while the tale smoothly flows off the pages.
The Madaris family is a known and established book series, yet it was easy to jump into the story even if you haven't met the family before. The binding love, loyalty, and commitment the whole extended family has for each other is a beautiful thing to witness, and something to learn from, for sure.
I enjoy the pretend-relationship storyline, especially when it sizzles and swoons like this one did. Nolan Madaris and Ivy Chapman might think they are just pretending, but the fire, the chemistry, the connection between them is true, nearly a visible force, that even they can't deny for long.
I loved how the relationship developed over time between Nolan and Ivy. They are both stubborn, determined not to fall for what they feel are manipulations from their elders. Nolan is willing to go to great lengths to make sure there is no chance for anything to develop between him and Ivy, ever. Yet the first actual face to face meeting ignite the spark, and then it just takes its time to smolder until the adoration between them turns into an inferno.
Two smart, sharp, professionals who both have been hurt in relationships before, who both share the attributes of loyalty, honor, honesty, and dignity, who both love technology, their families, and jogging try to outsmart the grandparent who knows it the best. Mix in the alluring temptation of the attraction they feel for each other, sensual seduction of mind, heart, and body, fun with the family, and a dash of suspense and danger, and you have an intriguing story that was a pleasure to read and impossible to put down until the very satisfying, beautiful ending.
A well-written story that leaves you smiling and feeling all good, warm, and fuzzy inside. Ah, it was just perfectly lovely.
~ Five Spoons

This is one of the books in the Madaris Family & Friends series. I love books that you have an interfering grandmother or great grandmother. I knew this book would grabbed me from page 1 and would not let me go until the very end. Nolan & Ivy thinks they can out scheme their great grandmother and grandmother. When you put two people together like this, something will get complicated!!

This was my first book by this author and it won't be my last. I found a new to me author!

☆☆☆☆☆
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.
Recommend this book? Yes! Author? Yes!
Read more from this author? Yes!

Happy Reading!
Melissa
Review coming next

Nolan has watched the single family members around him fall victim to the matchmaking skills of his great-grandmother but he is about to prove that she isn’t always right.
Ivy’s experience with men has shown that they are not to be trusted and she is better off being single. She will ensure that she resists her grandmother’s matchmaking plans no matter how sexy Nolan is.

In order to appease their families Nolan and Ivy agree to pretend to be together but will they be able to deny their attraction to each other and stick to their arrangement?

The combination of humor, suspense and chemistry makes this an enjoyable read. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

I liked this one. Fake couple is one of my favorite tropes because I always know that true feelings will shine through. Ivy and Nolan were very opposite on the surface but they had a lot in common where it really counts. One thing I kind of hate in books is meddling family members. I had about enough of Mama Laverne and Nana. Overall though it was a good read and I would recommend it.

As a fan of Brenda Jackson's I am happy to revisit the Madaris family once again. The 3rd generation is just as delicious as the 1st. Nolan and Ivy are being thrown together by their elders who feel that these two would make a great couple. The Matriarch of the Madaris family, Grandmother Felicia Madaris is known for matchmaking but Ivy is shocked that her Grandmother would go along with this plan. Fake notes, flower deliveries, being in the same place at the same time will ensure that these two will at least meet face to face and they take it from there. It was good to revisit with some of the Madaris men and women we loved from past books to offer advice and help.. The interaction between Nolan and Ivy was very "adult" to me and I appreciate that. The chemistry was smoking hot as always with Brenda Jackson's books and the story line brought a twist that I'm noticing a lot in this author books lately. Great read

This is the BJ novels that I love to read! I must admit I was hesitant to read this book because lately her books haven’t been up to par, but boy this book was like old times. It was steamy with good characters and plot. I liked how she tied in other family members and friends in this story. Ivy was endearing and Jake was hot! This is a book I’d highly recommend and is definitely one that deserves a reread. I’d would normally be irritated how the ex and his ridiculous flimsy scheme was thrown in to cause the damsel in distress in the plot, but this story was so good I didn’t mind.

Brenda Jackson welcomes readers back into the world of the Madaris family. Its matriarch, Mama Laverne, is ready to setup her great-grandson Nolan with his perfect match. But Nolan Madaris and Ivy Chapman have other ideas. They decide to act like a couple madly in love to beat her Nana and Mama Laverne at their own game!

Best Laid Plans is a sultry and fun read! Ivy and Nolan try so hard to resist the chemistry between them and the lengths they go through to fool their loved ones is hilarious. At every turn they fall harder for each other while playing right into Mama Laverne's plan. Ivy and Nolan are the ideal characters you'd want to see get together. They're both super intelligent and their passions lie in technology. Both own successful businesses and Their path in love hasn't been easy so both are afraid to believe in the romance blossoming between them.

Everything about this story is just what I expected it to be! The characters are so alive and as real as members of my own family. The Madaris family is large and filled with a variety of people who look out for one another. When danger turns up in the form of Ivy's ex, the Madaris family and their connections step in. It made the story more interesting and heightened the suspense of where Ivy and Nolan's relationship is going.

Brenda Jackson fans will love this new addition to the Madaris Family Saga!
*ARC provided in consideration for review*

Nolan Madaris is smarter than the average bear. He's prepared for his great-grandmother's matchmaking and he's not going to settle down with anyone, not even a gorgeous IT genius like Ivy Chapman. Sure, his foot-loose and fancy-free life might be wearing on him a bit but that doesn't mean he's ready to settle down.

Ivy has a terrible ex-boyfriend who has made her wary of all men. Even a smoking hot ladies man like Nolan. So when her grandmother starts working with his great-grandmother to try and hook them up, she knows it's time to do something drastic, something she would never normally do. She proposes a fake relationship.

As we know from most romance novels, this trick never works (at least in Romancelandia). While this is a perfectly fine book and I think regular Jackson readers won't be upset they bough the book, I never really connected with either Nolan or Ivy. They seemed like glossy, but rather shallow characters. A fast, fun, and fluffy read.



Three stars

This book comes out February 27th

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

A new story in one of my favorite series where the family matchmaking matriarch, Mama Laverne, has chosen the next Madaris to get married. Ladies man Nolan Madaris does not care what his great grandmother says she will not tell him who he will marry. Mama Laverne and her best friend Helen have decided her granddaughter, Ivy Chapman and Nolan are perfect for each other.

Ivy and Nolan plan to outsmart the matchmakers by coming up with their own plan. But they will soon learn they are no match when it comes to Mama Laverne. This new story will re-introduce so many characters from previous stories. A really great read.