Party of Two is the latest in Jasmine Guillory's series of romances revolving around a familiar cast of characters.
Olivia (who we've met before) and Max are well-drawn characters who have a typical meet cute, grow together in love, suffer from the all too well-known moment of doubt, and eventually overcome it all to be together. While all of Guillory's books are fun and satisfying, this might be one of my favorites. This book features a lot of the same elements and previous books in the series, and most modern romances. However, all of the elements are executed well and are enjoyable to read. I love Guillory's ability to weave in pertinent discussions about politics and social justice issues naturally within the context of the story.

Dare I say Party of Two is my favorite Jasmine Guillory book yet?

Olivia has recently moved from NYC to Los Angeles where she's establishing her own law firm with her best friend. With a new business, a new city, and her general badassness, Olivia does not have dating on the mind. So when she meets a cute guy at a hotel bar a little harmless flirting ensued, but nothing more happened. When she runs into him again at a professional event she realizes that the cute guy is actually Senator Max Powell.

A reluctant whirlwind, but realistic, romance begins despite Olivia's reticence and Max's enthusiasm.

I love how Jasmine Guillory infuses her books with realistic depictions of biracial romances. She doesn't shy from the harsh realities her characters face, but she also doesn't make caricatures of them. These are fully fleshed out characters who I learn from every time.

I really enjoyed “Party of Two” as I always enjoy Jasmine Guillory’s books. They are always fun, happy and a good escape from the world. Plus, they always make you crave a certain food; this time it was chocolate cake!
This story focuses Olivia, a lawyer that has just moved to California. She is the sister of the main character of the first book, which is another thing that I love about Jasmine’s books because she keeps them in the same world so you can continue to see what the characters are up to.
Olivia meets Max, who turns out to be a senator. Max spends a lot of his time in Washington D.C., so the two not only have to deal with deciding when to reveal their high profile relationship, but also have to navigate a long distance relationship. Additionally, Max is a white politician and Olivia is black, with something in her history that could stir up drama for the two. All of these factors create struggles in their relationship, but as any good romance novel ending, they get their HEA.
On a personal level, I had been in a reading rut for the last few months with everything that is happening in the world. This book lit a spark in me and made me excited to read again!
I hope Jasmine continues to write in this universe, because I will keep reading!

Jasmine Guillory delivered as always. I have been a huge fan of all her books since the day I picked up The Proposal (read them out the order, sue me). But no seriously, I love all of her books and this one did not disappoint at all.

Thank you to both NetGalley and Berkely Publishing for allowing me to review this book before its publication date.

I have been waiting for Olivia's story since she was introduced in The Wedding Date as a side character. This is the perfect summer read so I am so excited for it to be coming out at the end of this month.

Party of Two features Olivia Monroe, a kickass lawyer who just opened her firm in LA after living in NY. In her first weeks in LA, she meets a handsome stranger at a bar and they strike up a conversation. But Olivia would never have thought that the guy whom she meets at the bar is none other than hot junior Senator Maxwell Powell and that was the beginning of a romance she was not prepared for.

See Olivia likes to think things through and Max can be a little impulsive, one thing they do have in common is their love for all things dessert and all things food.

The book was an easy and enjoyable read, perfect summertime book. The relationship between Olivia and Max is sweet and fun and difficult to navigate due to Max's job, but together they make it work. Max is overly romantic and Olivia is perfect to level him out. Together they perfectly complement each other and are one of my favorite couples of 2020.

If you decide to read this book, you will not be disappointed, all of Jasmine Guillory's books are amazing and I can't wait to continue to read her work. I love it very much!

Again thank you to both NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC. I will be ordering a copy of the book when it's published to add it to my collection.

I absolutely adored this book. Max and Olivia are so cute together that I thought my heart was going to swell out of my chest. The discussions on criminal justice reform, racism, unconscious bias, and interracial relationships were well written and integrated perfectly into the romance narrative so that they were poignant but not preachy (note: definitely look to own voices reviews for more on this, they will have better and more important responses than I). Overall I love love love this book and really recommend it to everyone. This was my first Guillory book and I’m so glad there are four others for me to now!

Olivia Munroe has just moved to LA, and finds herself frequenting her hotel's bar as she navigates the rental process in LA. On her last night in the hotel, she meets a sexy stranger at the bar. They have a cute interaction, but go their separate ways. Olivia is stunned when she realizes the sexy stranger was in fact Max Powell, a hotshot junior senator from CA. The two have another chance encounter, and this time continue to see each other. But is Olivia ready for life in the public eye?

This is my second Jasime Guillory book (The Wedding Party was my first), and I obviously liked the first enough to read this one, but I liked this one so much more! Olivia and Max were just such great characters, I fell in love with both of them pretty quickly. There's also some topical information about relations between the Black community and the police and politics at large, so that was super timely to read and adds an extra dimension to what would otherwise be a fluffy book. Really, aside from a couple of plot aspects that annoyed me personally, the only thing that bothered me was the lack of sex! Where is the sex?!?! There was soooooooo much sex in The Wedding Party that I expected a bunch here as well and was disappointed by it's absence, especially as I connected with these characters a little more.

I would generally recommend this to women's fiction readers, especially those who are looking for a slightly lighter way to read woke. 3.5 stars - it's somewhere in-between "I liked it" and "I really liked it" for me.

This book was so freaking good! I loved watching Olivia and Max's relationship develop. It was so sweet and their chemistry is great. I also really liked the humor throughout the story and the secondary characters were all awesome too. Highly recommend this one!

Jasmine Guillory does it again! This one was so enjoyable. Truth be told, this is one of the few series I’ve actually read over the years! I’m definitely a stand-alone kinda gal, but this series is great! I haven’t read the Royal Holiday yet because I’m holding off until Christmas time, but I heard I wouldn’t get any spoilers from this one, thank goodness.

Enough with my rambling - this book is everything we’ve come to expect from Guillory. It’s sweet, sassy, funny, has meaningful dialogue, and, of course, steamy! This is a perfect rom com for the summer.

Olivia Monroe is done with New York, back on the West Coast, diving into starting her own law firm with her bestie, and she's prepared to kick butt and take names in the courtroom. She's got everything planned out perfectly, and nothing will deter her from her plans. Not even the hot guy at the hotel bar she meets one night, who agrees with her on desserts, is super nice, and has a ready-list of all of the best places to eat in LA. Olivia regrets not getting his number... And then finds out that he's actually a U.S. Senator!

Maxwell "Max" Powell is serving his first term as senator of California, and when a broken water pipe means a night in a hotel, he's attracted to the beautiful woman at the bar who is disgusted by the lack of proper desserts. A woman after his own heart! Too bad he didn't get her number... until fate brings them together again at a function! Unable to get her out of his head, Max does what he does best: makes an impulsive decision and sends Olivia a cake.

This is the sweet beginning of... something. Neither are quite sure what it is, or what it can be. Opposites may attract, but will they be able to make a relationship work? Especially with the added hurdles of politics, paparazzi, and their respective pasts?

Jasmine Guillory's books never fail to make me happy (and hungry. Seriously, so much good food is described that you want to reach into the book and stuff your face with what the characters are eating). Guillory effortlessly blends in the fun, fluffy, and sexy parts of a relationship with the Hard Stuff. In this book, that includes: handling a relationship with someone of a different race and different economic classes growing up, coupled with that relationship being in the public eye and scrutinized on top of being mostly long-distance, all while also trying to achieve important career goals. Plus, Olivia and Max have two very different personalities. Olivia thinks long and hard about her decisions, while Max usually says or does the first thing that comes to mind. While these are factors that they both respect and like about the other, it can also make things difficult in a relationship as it can lead to frustration. However, Olivia and Max work together to find a happy balance without too much sacrifice on either end.

Without a doubt, Jasmine Guillory is the Queen of modern romance, showing the (all incredibly realistic) good, the bad, the ugly, and the fluffy of relationships and what love looks like, and "Party of Two" takes the cake. (See what I did there?)

This is my third Jasmine Guillory book & it might be my favorite. The romance was so sweet and the characters were so easy to like.
It's a great summer read for this year. The romance, the great characters, the talk of diversity and all the mention of cake. Max randomly surprises Olivia with cake & pies, SIGN ME UP!

I like Jasmine Guillory's books. This is the third in this series that I've read (not in order) and they are exactly what I like in a HEA romance/chick lit. I love the diversity, that they confront some social issues but not in a heavy-handed way, but in a way perfect for a light romance, they always have great dialogue and interesting, likeable characters. She is a good writer and I will probably read most of what she publishes.
This book was a little slow. It's brave to have your main couple not live in the same City because they aren't together as much as might be interesting in a book and you sort of need that to build a believable romance. To me it felt unnaturally fast that they were connected and in love, although I appreciate Olivia's reticence to just dive in. I enjoyed their communication challenges and the way they addressed those (and maybe even learned a thing or two myself) but felt the romance lacked a bit. I also thought she was a bad ass and he (Max) could use some work, but at least his privilege was addressed. She kept saying no one had ever loved her that way, looked at her that way, etc. which made me sad and also thought that he still wasn't the best and she could do better.
Overall, still enjoyable.
This was a 3.5 star for me and probably liked The Proposal better, but I would definitely recommend for a light and interesting read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wow, this was the perfect summer read. An addicting, fast-p[aced story, with buzzing chemistry between the two MC's that will leave you rooting for the couple the entire time...and probably craving cake and pie.

The story follows Olivia Monroe, as she moves to L.A to start her own law firm. She meets a handsome man at a hotel bar, and they spent the entire night flirting before realizing he's senator Max Powell. She had absolutely no interest in dating, but when a cake shows up at her apartment from Max, she can't resist.

Party of Two definitely pulled off the "opposites attract" trope. I found myself flipping through the pages because of the intense chemistry and cute banter between the two characters. The characters were very likeable. Olivia is fun, witty, determined and smart. Max is charming, heartwarming, outgoing and sweet. They're also flawed characters, which I personally love. It makes the story realistic.

I also love how they are both foodies! That added a charm to the story.

Overall, I highly recommend this book if you love romance. It's a great book to pick up for a summer day on the beach.

**ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.
I can’t say enough great things about this author! She never fails us! The relationship between the two characters is something we should all be aiming for. Perfect read!

Party of Two is an opposites attract romance following Olivia, the sister of the MC in The Wedding Date, as she moves back to Los Angeles to start her own law firm. She unexpectedly meets Max, a junior senator who is charming and does well in the spotlight. This book feels very timely in terms of having a hero who is an elected official advocating for a criminal justice reform bill. And in fact, we get some great conversations about the unequal effects of the criminal justice system on those from low income or minority communities.

I liked the thematic content and thought the romance had a good arc and some great moments. The early part of the book where they have very different expectations was fun, and I liked that it showed a couple working through conflict from personality differences and finding ways to resolve it.

On the other hand, this felt very bloated and really dragged in the middle. I'm not often bored in a romance, particularly a political one with so much potential, but parts of this were rather bland. I think with some editing to make this faster paced it could have been fantastic. As it is, it was fine but less memorable than I had hoped. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I love Max and Olivia. It's funny that when Olivia meets Max she has no clue he's the hot star senator! He's such a good guy and she's so likable too. She driven and right now a romance doesn't fit in her plans. He's busy wowing his constituents. They decide to keep their relationship under the radar and spend so much fun time together. Soon they're completely invested in their relationship but problems are inevitable. Their different races, her reluctance to live in the public eye, geographic distance, career demands all cause a great deal of conflict and create some heartbreaking situations.

I laughed, I cried, I enjoyed.

The best if The Wedding Date series to date! A great interracial romance read that has just the right touch of seriousness.

Jasmine Guillory is back again with another contemporary romance novel. It is the story of Olivia and Max as they fall in love and learn how to navigate a relationship in the spotlight.

I really liked this one! From the strong female friendships to how the mains worked to learn from each other, I found it to be a solid story, while still being a bit cheesy (in a good way!). If you're a fan of her other books, for sure check this one out - won't be disappointed.

This book was very entertaining, easy I finished them in 3 days, I was able to finish it earlier, but I was presented with some activities. Well, what I'll say about this story is that the protagonists are too deference, sometimes I doubt what chemistry they might have. History reflects politics, humor and drama. The cliché is that we know that the protagonists will stay together, but here the dire day is that in history they try to struggle to know if the relationship is worth it and not force to have the relationship as most romances are located. The characters are very different, but I've always said. Opposites attract, I must accept that these characters are very mature and do not do nonsense as I am accustomed to reading teenage romances that even becomes toxic the relationship. you can not miss this great story if you are looking for romance outside of what you are used to.

Jasmine Guillory just keeps getting better and bigger as the literary world that she has created expands. Olivia is the aspirational romantic lead that more people need to see get a happy ending in books and movies. I cannot wait for the next book.