Being a big fan of Susan Mallery's books, in Happily Inc ,this is Series #5.. Susan has so many wonderful books in series, I had to go back and recall the characters in this series. Ive read so many of hers and like stand alone books that dont continue but this one did catch my interest and will be looking for series #6.
We get to see the job of a wedding planner and Susan Mallery must've attended several pre-planned weddings by a planner, her research for this book was funny,dramatic and well enjoyed.
Renee, the wedding planner working with owner Palla', she meets Jasper, the ex military policeman who suffers from PTSD, and he is a best seller novelist in the town Happily Inc. His newest challenge is to write his last detective novel, but with a twist; to have a woman character who has a romantic endinghappy plot.
Jasper cant describe women in love because he doesnt beleive in falling in love in real life. So he doesn't know what real women feel like falling in love with him. or vice versa.
Renee and he meet and become the perfect match,she too doesnt want to fall in love with anyone.
Somehow she and Jasper want to spend alot of time together...freinds with benefits relationship,including "a booty call" relationship..
Despite Renee's beleif in her own no romance beleif, she pulls off dream come true without disaster weddings for her clients.
She has a phobia which makes it hard for her to be acquainted with jasper's abondoned new freind,Koda.
This beloved dog finds Jasper at a much needed time in his life.This Happily Inc series introduces us to new characters, in form of animals.. Renee too finds two new freinds at the animal shelter.
This Happily Inc series introduces us to new characters, in form of animals.
Kuddos to Susan for introducing the need for animal rescue awareness, and people to adopt dogs and cats in animal shelters.I loved how she takes us into an animal shelter and the love these dogs and cats can give to human beings and be quite gentle.I know because I rescued a one yr old scared Lab puppy and she became my family's best freinds for 14 years.
Jasper finds out Renees phobia with dogs. This is where we meet Renees unique mother, Verity.
I won't spoil what makes her unique, but it was a trully interesting insight on her special skill that brings out the genuinely gift she has with animals..
This book has a good feel romance in it with new and old characters, and the town that grows in each book.
I want to thank NetGalley and Harlequin-Romance for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

I am a fan of Susan Mallery, but this was not one of my favorites.

Wedding planner Renee is not looking for a relationship. She's had too many failed ones in her past and has decided marriage is her job not her future. Military man turn thriller writer Jasper suffers from PTSD and thinks he's too damage for a relationship. Can they shock even themselves and fall in love?

For me, it's not that this novel didn't work, it just was slow moving and I wasn't invested enough to move through the slow parts. I found myself wanting to skip ahead because I wasn't invested in the characters. This just wasn't the novel for me. It was a typical romance, but not one that worked for me.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are given freely and are completely my own.

This book is just so nice-- I love the Happily Inc series by Mallery and this is great addition to the series. I am a sucker for great secondary characters and the return to a favorite setting. This book delivers all while adding the romance of wedding coordinator, Renee, and ex=military Jasper.

After several disastrous relationships wedding coordinator Renee Grothen has determined that marriage is not in the cards for her. She feels she is better suited for planning weddings for others. But she never anticipated gorgeous, talented thriller writer Jasper Dembenski proposing that they have a fling with no strings attached.

After his time in the military and suffering with PTSD, Jasper is convinced that he’s too damaged to ever have a meaningful relationship with anyone.

The two of them will shockingly begin to re-think the possibilities of love and relationships when they start to realize unplanned feelings.

Renee, is a wedding planner who has all but given up on finding her happily ever after. She's had a crush on local writer, Jasper, from afar but when he finally notices her she's shocked. Jasper has PTSD from experiences when he was in the service so he doesn't do relationships. But he would love to have a friend with benefits and so would Renee. As they come to know each other better, their relationship deepens. I enjoyed this new addition in the Happily Inc series!

Meant to Be Yours was a fun & sweet read. Any time I see a story with an ex-soldier I am drawn to these strong but tortured men. Enter Jasper, who has left the military and become a successful thriller author. Still dealing with the effects of PTSD Jasper believes he is too damaged and can’t form any type of lasting relationship. However when he meets Renee, a wedding planner who thinks she has lost any chance for her own HEA, sparks fly. Cue a no-strings-attached relationship that becomes very…well stringy even though both fight their feelings for each other.
Susan is known for her very sweet & contemporary romances. This is no different. There was a bit more steam than I expected which was nice. Add in Renee’s mother who added a lot of laughs & some levity to this story and it was just a very light & happy romance. I feel like this is the perfect rainy Saturday afternoon read when you are laying on your couch all cozy. Not a lot of drama, not tons of steam but there are laughs & love and a just really beautiful romance.
I received an ARC from @netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Susan Mallery's Meant to Be Yours was a fun read. Happily, Inc is a wedding destination city in California. Renee is a wedding planner and she loves her job, planning everyone else's "dream come true" wedding. But not her own. She has sworn off marriage. Enter Jasper a mystery writer. After many years in the service, he is dealing with his PTSD and doesn't consider himself marriage material. So they decide they will have a purely sexual relationship, no strings attached. Jasper is an up and coming author with some notoriety and thinks he will make one of his characters a wedding planner and that is where the sparks fly. A great Rom-Com and I would definitely recommend it

This was a standard casual relationship turns to love story. I am a fan of Happily Inc and I enjoyed catching up with past characters and seeing where their life has taken them. However, there wasn't much unique or original to this story... until one character comes in. I wasn't a fan of this character. However, the story is a cute, quick read perfect for someone looking for a light, happy story. Also, at the end is a novella of two other Happily Inc characters!

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A bit disappointed in this romance. Both protagonists meet each other again and it's instant attraction and then a rushed, awkward sex scenes that left much to be desired. They agree to a sex only relationship and of course things go hairy from there. Too lengthy and bland. Barely any chemistry between the couple. Did not enjoy it.

Meant to be Yours is a great addition to the series. I enjoyed it. I look forward to more in this series.

Susan Mallery has a way with a sweet readable romance. Strong characters with a few flaws and a lovely setting that makes you wish Happily Inc was a real town. Will be hand selling in the store.

This is the latest book in the Happily Inc. series. You can read this as a stand alone but I prefer reading books in order. Characters from past books are included.
If you want to read a book with humor, romance, friendship and some heartwarming moments, this is a book you should read. The two main characters are Renee, a wedding planner and Jasper, a reclusive writer that suffers from PTSD.
Thank you to NetGallery, Harlequin Books and author, Susan Mallery for the opportunity to read and review this book and give my honest review.
Warning: “Meant to be Yours” has more graphic sex scenes then previous books in the series.

Such a fun read from the Happily Inc series. Renee, a wedding planner is not looking for love just a little fun. Jasper, an author with PTSD is working on his latest novel shadows Renee to base his latest character off of. Loved their love story! I am looking forward to Susan Mallery next book.

Bonus: A Very Merry Princess novella was great!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

Renee has given up on relationships for herself but she makes dreams come true at her job at Weddings Out of the Box until Jasper writes his way into her life. ARC.

Renee is a wedding planner who, despite her bleak outlook on marriage for herself, is devoted to ensuring that all of her clients get the wedding of their dreams. Jasper is a veteran and best-selling author who writes thriller stories and believes he's too broken to be in a real relationship. They both agree to a no-strings-attached relationship, but the lines begin to blur when Jasper uses Renee and her work as the inspiration for his next book.

Mallery's small town romances are comfortingly formulaic and she always tries to change it up by throwing in some extra quirkiness. As if a niche-themed wedding destination where zoo animals running around is the norm, she just had to throw in the fact that Renee's mother can "understand animals" which further contributes to Renee's inability to allow others to love the real her.

Overall, though, this book was sweet. Jasper not only crosses the line at times, but Renee lets him know it and refuses to give him any leeway when he doesn't apologize for his mistakes. It was interesting to see how this "stubbornness" also worked against her later in the story and I started to get more frustrated with her. The ending definitely seemed a bit rushed, but still a fun addition to the Happily Inc. series.

Publisher’s description: Wedding coordinator Renee Grothen isn’t meant for marriage. Those who can, do. Those who can’t, plan. But she never could have planned on gorgeous, talented thriller writer Jasper Dembenski proposing—a fling, that is. Fun without a future. And the attraction between them is too strong for Renee to resist. Now she can have her no-wedding cake…and eat it, too.

After years in the military, Jasper is convinced he’s too damaged for relationships. So a flirtation—and more—with fiery, determined Renee is way too good to pass up…until his flame becomes his muse.

Renee is an expert at averting every crisis. But is she finally ready to leap into the one thing that can never be controlled: love?

************
Fans of Susan Mallery’s Happily Inc series seem to enjoy “Meant To Be Yours” more than I did. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either. It’s a nice enough story. Renee is the quirky wedding planner, and Jasper is the solitary writer. Both of them think they don’t have a future with love so they start up a friends with benefits arrangement that turns into a relationship without them even trying. I liked the characters, and I liked their interactions, but Renee overreacted A LOT, and Jasper was always having to apologize.

What really turned me off was how many times they talked about how damaged and broken they were, how they weren’t made for love...over and over and over. And Renee’s mysterious past that explains why she couldn’t be in a relationship and why she has such a visceral reaction to animals just didn’t live up to the hype. I totally didn’t buy it that her life was ruined again and again and again once we got the big reveal.

As I said, fans of the series as a whole will probably enjoy this more. For me, it was just ok.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. This title is scheduled for release on October 22, 2010.

Loved this book. Chick-lit at its finest. Latest entry in the Happily, Inc. series. Hope Susan Mallery is hard at work on the next one. This copy contains an older story, A Very Merry Princess. Nice novella. Fills in the story of Cade and Bethany in the Happily Inc. series..

Happily, Inc.
Wedding coordinator Renee Grothen doesn't plan to plan her own wedding. Two exes have seen to that.
Author Jasper Dembenski is still battling PTSD after serving his country and doesn't believe he will ever be 'normal'.
They both believe a happy-ever-after is not in their cards, but maybe a happy for now is.
Their plans for a no strings relationship doesn't work...they have both fallen in love...but to get to the HEA, they have to work through their issues.
Take a town, make it a wedding destination, add some quirks, animals and a variety of different people to make a wonderful place to spend some time.
I requested and received a NetGalley ARC and offer my opinion freely.

Meant to be yours is the latest romantic drama by Susan Mallery. While it is 5th in a series, it reads as a stand alone story. The story involves a wedding planner named Renee and a budding romance with a reclusive writer named Jasper, that is experiencing PTSD from his time in the military. Spend a day in the life with Renee, planning weddings and making dreams come true, while Jasper studies wedding planning for his new book. The story takes a whimsical turn when it is discovered that Renee’s mother, Verity can communicate with animals and she is a rising star on Animal Planet. Renee self sabotages the budding romance, because of her mothers gift and the problems it has caused her entire life. While this is a predictable love story, it’s an enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an advanced copy of "Meant to Be Yours" by Susan Mallery in exchange for an honest review.

In "Meant to Be Yours" by Susan Mallery it's time for Renee to find love in the town of Happily Inc. I've been a fan of the Happily Inc. series since the first book ("You Say It First") introduced readers to Pallas (her friends, and business Weddings in a Box) and the Mitchell brothers.

The flirtation and connection between Renee and Jasper is at the forefront of this novel. We meet Renee's mom and learn more about her childhood and what brought her to Happily Inc. Jasper is a complicated character and it took a bit for me to warm up to him. Once I did, I really enjoyed the banter between the characters.

I'm looking forward to the next Happily Inc novel - hopefully it's planned for a release date sooner rather than later.