I am a huge fan of Jasmine Guillory's books, and Party of Two is no exception.

Dating is the last thing on Olivia Monroe’s mind when she moves to LA to start her own law firm. But when she meets a gorgeous man at a hotel bar and they spend the entire night flirting, she discovers too late that he is none other than hotshot junior senator Max Powell. Olivia has zero interest in dating a politician, but when a cake arrives at her office with the cutest message, she can’t resist—it is chocolate cake, after all.

Olivia and Max must navigate the minefield that is today's celebrity spotlight, if they are to have any chance of making this relationship work. Is she ready to have that spotlight shine on her if she publicly dates a US Senator? Or will she shield her heart to protect her privacy? Highly recommended romance.

I struggled with whether I really liked this story. I enjoyed reading about another character from this series but I found that Olivia was at times very insecure and really just not looking for a boyfriend. Max was the typical male not understanding how women may feel and the ending seemed rushed to get him to change his ways.

Everytime Jasmine Guillory releases a new book it is better than the last one! I was so invested in Max and Olivia's story! I really liked there characters and I like the authentic growth between the two of them that happened throughout the novel. I can't wait to read the next book that Jasmine Guillory puts out!
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

I love everything that Jasmine writes. Her books are utter perfect. Amazing characters, story lines and fully engaging. Couldn't put it down. And this cover is so beautiful. 10/10 recommend

I enjoyed the book but I liked the other books in the series more. I'm not sure if it was that the story line wasn't as compelling or if I wasn't as drawn to the main characters, especially the male. And the the conflict created by something the male did seemed out of character. at the end.

This book was a swoon-worthy, fun-filled delight!

I loved the fact that they are dating each other in a secret relationship at the beginning of the movie. It was so cute! It was fun to be in the fun with them as they tried to see each other as much as possible while living their professional lives separately. And Jasmine is so good at making you feel how much the characters WANT each other and desire just as they are.

I really enjoyed how much they cared for each other, how they maintained their independence, and eventually made it work together.

The crux of their issue is the media’s reaction to Mr. perfect white senator dating a Black woman professional. And how each of them reacts to that pressure and exposure. It felt like everything was justified in their emotions and reactions to the situations. And I LOVED how he made amends at the end, meeting her and showing her that he knew exactly who she was and what she needed.

McDreamy to McSteamy: McDreamy

Classy to Nasty: Classy, very sexy and romantic

Hero rating: 🍆🍆🍆🍆🍆

Heroine rating: 🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑

Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Party of Two is the first Jasmine Guillory book I've read and what a joy it was! This fast-paced romance novel tackles some tough issues while remaining light hearted. All the characters were a delight and fully realized.

This had popped up in my Goodreads feed a couple of times, so I was excited to see it here on NetGalley. And it was also so nice to see a book about personal politics and professional politics to be so progressive and wholesome. I really enjoyed the protagonist's perspective and the character growth that happened throughout the book, and that for once it wasn't the girl who needed to give something up or grow. Super sweet and also pulled no punches! I really enjoyed it.

Jasmine Guillory strikes again! This wonderful story of Olivia Monroe deciding to let love in when it arrives in the form of Max Powell was so much fun, I wish I could read it again for the first time!

I think this is my favorite of Jasmine Guillroy's books. This one seems to hit the perfect note between romantic and sexy. Olivia is a great lead character. I love that this features a strong black businesswoman and an mixed race couple. Love seeing books that normalize these underrepresented groups.

Book Reviews: Party of Two & Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory
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Party of Two ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Royal Holiday ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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I love this series of books by Jasmine Guillory so much! Each book follows a different character’s love story and the characters from each book are connected in some way (sister, friend, etc.).The first of this series was The Wedding Date, followed by The Proposal, The Wedding Party, Royal Holiday, and Party of Two. I recommend reading them all (just because I love them), but they can be read and understood if you choose not to read them in order. Jasmine includes diverse characters and her stories are fun and well written. While Royal Holiday wasn’t my favorite of the series, it still got a high rating because it is set in the U.K. and stories set in Britain hold a special place in my heart.

FYI: Her writing can be steamy (I’d give it a PG-13/R rating).
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Thanks to #netgalley for providing me with advanced copies of #theroyalholiday and #partyoftwo.

#somecallmecrunchyreads #somecallmecrunchybookreviews #bookstagram #jasmineguillory #jasmineguillorybooks

What a fascinating story! I loved how it tackled real world issues like racism, white male supremacy, and child arrests. These are issues we face in everyday society, and to represent it in a story makes it a more powerful novel. Characters were also well-written, and it was so cool to read about how opposites really do attract. I definitely enjoyed this story.

I love celebrity political/royal romances, and appreciated that this one is fairly lighthearted and low angst.

Olivia and Max are my favorite couple of this series. I found them very relatable, despite the fact that Max is basically the “Duke with all his teeth” of our times: a young, wealthy, hot, progressive new Senator with a vision for radical criminal justice reform.

What worked for me was his dynamic with Olivia. Max is impulsive, earnest and charming. She’s a driven, anxious, and strategic lawyer who’s starting a firm in her own, after years of putting up with sexist and racist coworkers. She knows her worth, which was refreshing, but needs someone to bring a little more fun into her life. Cue: Max, the life disrupted Olivia just can’t help but like. These two were adorable together, and while they start dating early on there’s plenty of twists and turns and they learn to deal with, mostly focused on dating while famous.

Olivia felt more clearly African American than some of Guillory’s heroines, and she talks directly about how her Blackness has impacted her life and work. And about her hair. Max was also much more well versed in racial justice than some Guillory’s other white heroes, and is able to provide plenty of emotional support. Speaking of support, Olivia’s friends Ellie and Jamila are #BFFgoals. The friendship focus was wonderful.

This would be my favorite Guillory book by far, if it wasn’t for the sex scenes. They are more explicit than this author usually writes, and they are TERRIBLE. Awkward, cringeworthy, and oddly paced. I skipped over them after the first two.

Dating is the last thing on Olivia Monroe’s mind when she moves to LA to start her own law firm. But when she meets a gorgeous man at a hotel bar and they spend the entire night flirting, she discovers too late that he is none other than hotshot junior senator Max Powell. Olivia is surprised to find that Max is sweet, funny, and noble—not just some privileged white politician she assumed him to be. Because of Max’s high-profile job, they start seeing each other secretly.  But when they finally go public, the intense media scrutiny means people are now digging up her rocky past and criticizing her job, even her suitability as a trophy girlfriend. Olivia knows what she has with Max is something special, but is it strong enough to survive the heat of the spotlight? review: This may be one of my favorite Jasmine Guillory books to date! The author always does such a great job at writing a page turner with strong female leads and Olivia's character is no exception. What I particularly enjoy about Guillory's books is that while it's romance forward, it always deals with tougher subjects as well like racial injustice. I always walk away with a different perspective after reading her books! I really enjoyed how Olivia and Max's biracial relationship unfolded and how mature each of them were when tough situations arose. This is definitely a smart rom-com that you should add to your reading list ASAP! rating: 4 out of 5 ⭐️

I've enjoyed Jasmine Guillory's books a great deal. She's still a relatively new author but she's certainly made a big splash in the romance world. I have to say that while overall I found Party of Two a pleasant read, I didn't enjoy it as much as Guillory's previous titles. Party of Two is definitely what I'd consider to be a low drama book. Typically that is something that I don't mind, but for me Party of Two just seemed to move along so slowly. When there was the big conflict that must be resolved, as there is in any romance, it kind of felt forced, like it shouldn't have been that big of a deal. End the end I did enjoy the story, it just took me a while to get there.

There were several things that I did enjoy about the book. I loved the friendships and relationships between the women in the book. The female main character is Olivia Monroe, sister to Alexa, the star of Guillory's debut novel the Wedding Date. It was good to see the supportive relationship the sisters had, as well as Olivia's friendships with Jamila and Ellie.
I also really liked Wes and I'm getting the feeling we'll probably be getting a book about him in the future.
I actually loved the end of the book. I think Max's idea for addressing their issues was really cute and romantic and thoughtful. It really was the highlight of the book.
Overall a pleasant read, but not a favorite. I'll definitely read more from this author because I know she's a great writer this just didn't hit the spot for me.

A quick and addictive read. I enjoyed the developing relationship between Olivia and Max and the struggles they faced. Party of Two had me craving cakes and pies.

Over the years Jasmine Guillory has become my go to authors. I don’t even have to read the synopsis, I just have to buy/sign up for ARC.
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There are a lot of social issues being talked about in this book, women empowerment, how women are treated in the workforce, how you are treated differently in the public eye based on the color of your skin and so much more. And I like that how, even though this book technically comes under the romance genre, it offers more than that to its readers.
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I have always enjoyed a book with headstrong women, who know what they want and work towards that and Olivia was just that girl. #iloveher
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When it comes to racial differences; you can see how Max, has had all the privileges in life and doesn’t think twice before making decisions. On the other hand Olivia, has to put a lot of thought into her decisions; and when she has weighed all the pros and cons then only she makes an informed decision. It just makes the story more real and so apt with what’s happening in the western world.
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Everything about this book was perfect. I could easily have read this book in one sitting with some cake (mind you there is ALOT of cake in this cake; keep some close by) but life gets in the way and I had to read it slowly

i actually did enjoy the book but their relationship just wasn’t convincing, it seemed very dull and i was more bored than in awe. their relationship in general was boring like it wasn’t friends to lovers or anything, they just meet, immediately take interest in each other and date.

which i just find very boring, on top of that the smut scenes were fade to black which is fine but when the relationship is this boring the people need more. i do like the senator aspect and how they had to keep it a secret but all in all i was bored the entire time.

olivia was my least favorite part, she was dramatic. the argument at the end was annoying as hell and she most definitely overdramatic especially the part where she broke up with him? it’s like the author couldn’t come up with a better argument so she just quickly came up with something. it really ruined the book for me. their argument was stupid and they hadn’t had any problems before so for her to break up with him for the reason she did was completely irrational.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing this copy to review.

Representation: Black woman MC

Olivia Monroe just moved to LA to start her own law firm with a good friend of hers, and anything but work is far from her mind, especially dating. While in transition at a hotel, she strikes up a conversation with a gorgeous man at the hotel's bar, and they flirt the whole night. Only after separating for the night does she discover that the man is none other than junior senator of California, Max Powell. A while later, she gets a cake delivered to her law office, and while she doesn't really want to date a politician, she can't just outright say no to that. They go on a few dates, keeping everything secret due to Max's high-profile job. Olivia is happy to learn that Max is not at all like the privileged white politician she imagined him to be. They find their rhythm and after a while, they agree to go public. They try to prepare for the spotlight that comes with it, but Olivia gets a lot of not quite desirable attention. She has to decide if it's worth it for Max, or if she can't handle the heat.

Rating: 3.75/5 (rounded up to 4 on GR) This is the second Guillory book I've read, the first being The Wedding Date. They're all interconnected, but can stand alone, which I appreciate. The characters are well-developed, and I really appreciate that Guillory seems to have a habit of writing them like real adults that communicate their feelings and work at relationships. The romances don't feel like they're some fantasy ideal, where everything is perfect and nothing is hard. Especially in this one, they have to have these conversations due to Max's job. I liked that Olivia is very much her own person with ideas and goals, and doesn't give that up just to go after Max. I would've loved to see more of her side though, looking at when the book talks about their jobs. It was a little more detailed on Max's side, and I would have liked to see more of the clients and jobs that Olivia takes on. These characters are so easy to like, and you'll speed through this, no problem. If it wasn’t clear, Olivia is black and I did mention that Max is white. They have some conversations about race and how that can play into their interactions, but I felt like it came up only for causing problems. The climax or the breaking point was a little sudden, there wasn't any--or maybe enough--foreshadowing or little things being built in to have that point make sense. It would’ve been good to see a bit more of that woven in the story. Sometimes, the domestic side of things got a little repetitive, and I didn't feel that was necessary to have. Since they're seeing each other so little, I would've liked to see more variety in what they did while together. But that was pretty minor, and I very much enjoyed this. Good warning: there is so. much. food. Beautiful and plentiful descriptions of food is a thing in the Guillory books that I've read, so be aware of that! All in all, I enjoyed this and would recommend it if you've read any of her other books and liked them. Even if you haven't, if you like romance that isn't completely unrealistic, this is a good one.

Hooray for Jasmine Guillory and her Wedding Date series! I love the characters and scenarios and the fact that the love interests act like grown-ups. I also like that the main characters are peripheral characters in the other books. Like we're all a bunch of friends - these books make me feel comfortable and happy.

This is Olivia Monroe's (sister of book 1's Alexa) story. She is a lawyer originally from the Bay Area, who began her corporate career in NYC and has moved to LA to start a small firm with a friend. All she was doing was enjoying a drink at a hotel bar while she waited for her house to be ready. She wasn't looking for anything...and then this hot man starts talking with her and the bartender...about one of Olivia's favorite subjects: cake and pie. It isn't until she goes to her room and turns on the TV that she recognizes Max. He's the junior senator from CA.

Olivia and Max meet again at a luncheon. Many cakes later, their relationship develops and they juggle long-distance love and differing personalities and quirks.

This is a great book for kicking back and relaxing. Perfect for summer!

My thanks to Berkley/Penguin Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.