I always enjoy Susan Mallery. Her characters are life-like with realistic feelings. Meant to be Yours is part of the Happily Inc series, so we get to have visits from old friends. Our hero, Jasper, is a writer and I really enjoyed the peek into the life of an author. Jasper needs to write about a woman and finds his inspiration with Renee, who is a wedding planner. Renee and Jasper agree they can only be friends, as both of them are too emotionally damaged to commit to a relationship. Complete with fun wedding scenes, and behind the scene wedding scenarios this story was a quick, light-if predictable- read!

This is the latest book in this series but could be read as a stand alone. This series is a hit or miss for me. I did not like this book as much as her other series. There was too much info about being a wedding planner and it detracted from the story. Also, this book is more sexually graphic than most of her series books. .I will have to warm my customers who do not like sex in their books

I am a huge fan of Susan Mallery. I have not read her books in a several months since I attended a book convention and received so many books there. I have enjoyed the books I have been reading quite a bit and never expected the sensation of coming home when I began to read Meant To Be Yours. There is something that I cannot explain totally that overcame me. I suppose without realizing it, missed her special touch with storytelling.
I also never realized how much I missed the characters in the town of Happily Inc. Reading about them again definitely felt like I had returned to my hometown. Ex-military, recovering from PSTD, reclusive, broken Jasper, was always one of my favorite characters. I was so happy that in this book he would find his happily ever after. I was thrilled to find out his heroine was Rene, who was always standing on the outside of the gatherings, feeling not worthy, or not able to open herself up to become a part of the group. Obviously, she had issues in her past also.
What a great pairing of these two characters! Both had to deal with their past before becoming ready to accept the next step in their life. It is great timing that they came to healing at the same moment in time.
I enjoyed so much of this book. It was very insightful to learn so much of the writing process through Jasper’s struggle of writing his new book. It was also another great view into how much planning goes into holding an event, such as a wedding.
I adored Jasper’s new addition in this book, an abandoned dog, Koda, who really came along to rescue Jasper, instead of the other way around. Rene has a similar rescuing going on, but it is from the wonderful people of Happily, Inc. that have accepted her when she recently moved there, and now in this story, they also accept her unique mother, Verity. I will not go into what makes Verity such a gem, I do not want to let any of the storyline out, but I truly enjoyed her character so much!
Susan Mallery has done another amazing job of a great plot, wonderful characters - that I care about so much and a cherishing, romantic happily ever after for Jasper and Rene.
I want to thank NetGalley.com and HARLEQUIN - Romance (U.S. & Canada) for allowing me to read the ARC of this book.

Susan Mallery never fails to entertain! Renee and Jasper's story is a heartwarming one of a wedding planner and a NY Timès best selling author. I loved the behind-the-scenes glimpse into these professions as well as the continuing stories of other Happily Inc characters.
Meant to be yours is a great addition to the series!
Thanks to #Netgalley and Harlequin for the opportunity to read this book àn advanced copy of #MeantToBeYours in return for an honest review.

I loved this series!

In Meant to Be Yours we get Jasper and Renee’s story— spoiler alert, I loved every page of it! When Jasper and Renee first met their chemistry was undeniable! For different reasons neither wanted a relationship, but a no-strings-attached kinda deal was definitely in the realm of possibilities! Ultimately, Jasper or Renee organically form a solid friendship. Would a light-hearted fling ultimately work!?!?! From that point, I knew I was on the hook to see how Susan Mallery would work her magic with this awesome couple!

I loved Jasper and Renee!!! And further more, I love the entire cast of characters in the Happily Inc series. I really enjoyed how Jasper and Renee developed their friendship— completely swoony, but also with depth! Susan Mallery has such a gift of making every romance novel she writes fresh and original. I cannot wait for the next installment in the Happily Inc series!

I really enjoyed this story. Renee and Jasper came thru for each other and found love too. So did some others. Mallery never disappoints no matter what the story line.

Fifth book in a series. Read it as a stand alone, but would’ve helped to read the previous books.
The characters were very like able and I enjoyed the ending

I would give the 3.5. While the story overall was fine, I had trouble liking the characters. Renee, the wedding planner, is just a bit too high strung for my taste. At times I felt like I was reading about a teenager. Jasper, the military veteran, who became a murder mystery writer was also a bit different. Claims he doesn't want commitment, but he is the first who jumps off into the "love" direction. I did like his dog though, and actually liked them together more than him with her. Just didn't feel the chemistry between them. Still though, would recommend the book, especially if you are a fan of the author.

I love Susan Mallery books, and her Happily Inc. ones have been some of my favorites. Her newest addition, MEANT TO BE YOURS was a bit of a disappointment for me.

Wedding planner/coordinator Renee is a modern woman with some serious ideas about marriage. She’s all for anyone who wants an HEA and gives her all to her clients to make their day the best it can be. She doesn’t envision her own HEA, though, due to abandonment and trust issues. This makes her, in my opinion, sympathetic, which is good. Her actions, though, regarding men and sex, were a little hard for me to take. She treats sex almost like a man would, namely, without any emotional entanglements and nothing more than a booty call. I found this disturbing. Maybe it’s because I’m older and can’t envision myself doing the same things she does, but it made her less sympathetic to me.

We’ve met Jasper Dembenski in the previous Happily, Inc books and in this one we get more into what makes him tick. Jasper I liked. Immensely. He suffers from PTSD, and is such an unusual mixture of clueless and sexy that it’s hard NOT to like him. He doesn’t think he can ever heal from his past trauma and is proven time and time again to be wrong, until he finally accepts that he is a whole man again, capable and willing to love and be loved. Unfortunately, he is in love with Renee who wants no part of that love.

Written with the usual stylish and witty Mallery flare, most of Happily Inc is seen in this book and their interactions are always fun to read. They all provide emotional foils for one another and hold mirrors up to one another’s behavior.

A plot arc about Renee’s mother, VERITY, is an unusual one to be sure. I don’t like spoilers so I won’t mention what it is, but the reader finds out about it halfway through the book.

All in all a well written addition to the Happliy INC franchise, just no

LOVED it! I really enjoyed that there were two books within this book- Jasper and Renee, then Cade and Bethany. I really enjoyed learning about each couple more and how they grew in love. As a Gilmore Girls fan, I LOVED that Jasper had a conversation with Renee about it after a binge of women’s movies and shows, so he could develop a woman in his book better. I totally agree with this author’s POV on GG (what the heck happened to Rory in the “year in the life”)!

Will post to Goodreads/ Amazon once book is released.

P.S. Invite to Susan: meet us in Kent for the Gilmore Girls Fan Fest, if you wanna go!

I am a big Susan Mallery fan and I have enjoyed this series and the previous Fool's Gold series. But this series for me has been a hit or miss series. I have read them all but I did not like the first book which featured the marriage organizer and the carpenter/artist and this story features Renee who works with her. For me this was a miss. I just felt really bored with Renee.

Jasper is a new character for me, he is a famous author and the story starts as he finds a dog on the way back to Happily. He pretty much bored me too. He is sorta a grumpy former officer with PTSD and he falls for this stray dog as he travels back home from his book tour. It took so long for the story with him to get started that I lost a lot of interest.

He ends up asking Renee for some help with his next story and they both think they are losers at love and so they hook up in a friendly with benefits way. The story is well written. My issue was the characters just were too boring and I needed a little more life in them for me to stay interested in the story. For me this story was a miss but it was fun to go back to Happily and catch up with the characters.

Meant to be Yours is a wonderful addition to the Happily Inc. series, which are great to begin with. A new romance in each installment, but we get to catch up with what’s happening in past character lives, which I enjoy. Author Jasper is just coming home from a long road trip promoting his novel when he finds himself adopting a stray dog. He and wedding planner Renee meet at a town game night, hit it off and start seeing each other. Mallory’s usual wonderful romance plot with added bonus learning about behind the scenes wedding planning, and other animal behaviors. I loved it.

A wonderful addition to the Happily, inc. series. Author Jasper and Renee both agree they want to be friends with benefits - neither is interested in a long term relationship. But things happen in the town of Happily, Inc, which often change the course of many people's lives. A remarkably fun book!

He’s a war veteran turned best-selling author who thinks he’s too damaged to love.

She’s a bridal coordinator who’s had her heart broken too many times to try again at love.

When after a hook up, he needs her help writing a love interest for his franchise book character, they both begin to find the courage and hope that maybe love can be for them after all.

I have enjoyed all the Happily Inc. books. It was great catching up with all the other characters from books past who make appearances in Meant To Be Yours.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Books for the ARC

Another great story in the Happily Inc. series. Susan Mallery manages to keep this series fresh , and fun in Meant to Be Yours. Fun and interesting characters , with a story line that keeps you turning the pages. LOVED IT !!!

Meant to Be Yours is the latest in Susan Mallery's Happily, Inc. series, however it works well as a standalone novel.

This book focuses on author Jasper Dembenski and wedding planner Renee Grothen. Renee thinks she'll never be married because of past relationship failures, and Jasper thinks he's too damaged for a real relationship so they decided to have a fling.

Jasper is trying to finish off his series of books by giving his main character a love interest. He has a little problem though. He can't write women. Their actions seem robotic and let's not even get into how the love scenes come across. He enlists Renee's help and asks to shadow her at work because he learns best by doing.

It is fun to watch their interactions progress through the story, but can they come to terms with their pasts and find happiness?

#MeantToBeYours #NetGalley

Meant to Be Yours, part of the Happily Inc. series tells the story of two people who think they are so damaged that meaningful relationships totally are out of their reach. He blames his inability to love on the horrors seen during his war service. She blames her mother’s unusual psychic gift. Wedding planner, Renee and thriller author, Jasper develop what each considers is a working relationship with benefits. Neither is looking for permanent...or so they say. The story is filled with quirky, interesting characters and situations that kept this reader engaged and eager to see where talented author, Susan Mallery’s imagination would take her next. Fans of Ms. Mallery know she is adept at writing romance stories that develop slowly enough to be believable while tantalizing readers with a touch of heat. Ms. Mallery, thankfully, also is adept at defining the fears of her characters without drowning her readers in angst...which this reader hates! Her writing is straightforward, her command of grammar outstanding and her stories immensely entertaining. I loved that this book which was received free from NetGalley also included the author’s A Very Merry Princess, about how Renee’s friend, Princess Bethany met her future husband. My review is voluntarily. Most highly recommend both stories.

Meant to Be Yours takes you back to Happy, Inc. and the great people of this series. I love Susan Mallery books and the community you get with each one.

Jasper is the successful author returning home from a book tour. Renee has been in town for a year or so. Jasper and Renee embark on a no strings- we will not fall in love- relationship. Of course, you know what happens in those scenarios. Jasper has a past he feels is too traumatized with PTSD and Renee has lifelong effects of dealing with disappointment and embarrassment of a mother she feels is too different for anyone to accept- especially Renee. These two coming to terms with their past and allowing themselves to have a future made for a great read. I really enjoyed Meant to Be Yours.

Renee was a wedding coordinator at Happily Inc., a place that was known for its weddings. But as they say, those that can’t do, teach. With all her bad relationships she closed her heart off and knew she would never get married.
She met Jasper at game night. He had suffered severe PTSD and had never been in a relationship but was a successful writer.
They had a strong attraction to each other but both held back and kept their walls up saying they could only be friends.
But what happens when one decides they want more?
The book, while predictable, kept my interest and was a perfect summer beach love story.

I loved loved this book. It was so nice meeting up with old friends and making new ones. Renee has been in town for about a year and is fitting in nicely. Jasper is finally back from his book tour. Things get hot and heavy fast, but Renee does not want anything lasting and neither does Jasper. Do they stick to the rules?

Thank you Harlequin and Netgalley for allowing me to read this title for an honest review.