A recently relocated lawyer meets cute with a generically handsome white guy at her hotel bar, gushing over there love of basic desserts. She regrets not having a one night stand with him, but soon discovers via the nightly news he's the famously hot new California junior Senator. After another run in at a local board meeting, Olivia and Max agree to start dating, agreeing to keep it on the down low. Olivia's reluctance to be thrust into the spotlight and Max's tendency to jump head first into anything he believes in without though lead to struggles in their romance.

I found this romance dull. Olivia and Max spend most of the book apart and in their heads, and the times they do spend on page together are repetitive and lack any spark of real chemistry. The description of the copious amounts of cake, donuts, and food the characters eat are more exciting than the sex scenes.

Also, I am tired of political romances refusing to name political parties. The only allusion to Max's party is that "his date should be wearing blue, not red" and Olivia looking up his stance on the "Black Lives Matter" movement. Max is a Democrat, take a stance.

I'm sure this story will be wildly popular. The cover is cute and the marketing dollars will be pushing it in this 2020 election season.

Wow this is the fifth book in the series and fifth book by Jasmine Guillory. While it wasn't as good or enjoyable as some of her others in the series, it was still a quick, light and easy read. This time we follow Alexa's sister Olivia in her journey in love and in starting her own law firm and the struggles that go with that. I thought the love story was a little too predictable and not very realistic, which contributed to my not liking the book very much. Regardless, I'm still looking forward to Jasmine Guillory's next book!

Bestselling author and rising star in the romance genre, Guillory specializes in tales of modern love featuring high-powered professionals negotiating long distance relationships, and the fifth installment in her popular multicultural romance series (beginning with The Wedding Date) brings this theme full circle featuring Olivia Monroe, big sister to the series’ first heroine, Alexa. Olivia recently moved back to California from New York to start a new law firm and on her first night in L.A. she strikes up a conversation at her hotel bar with a very handsome, yet vaguely familiar, stranger. Assuming he just is another L.A. actor, Olivia is surprised to see him on the news that night and realizes she was flirting with Maxwell Stewart Powell III, hotshot junior US Senator! Luck brings them back together at a fundraiser where Max, who was smitten with Olivia from the start, vows to win her heart, sending her baked goods and promises that they can keep their fledgling romance a secret until Olivia is ready to go public. Being in the spotlight is not her cup of tea, but she’s willing to sacrifice some privacy and be supportive from the sidelines so long as Max can control his impulsive nature while on stage. Perfect for readers who enjoy uplifting, steamy, and diverse contemporary romances similar to authors Jamie Pope and Talia Hibbert.

I love all of Jasmine Guillory's books, so I was pretty sure I'd love this one too. I was right! Party of Two has all the elements that make her books so readable -- relatable characters, appealing and interesting settings, and best of all, a really great pace when it comes to setting up the romance. I can't wait to recommend Party of Two to library readers.

This was a nice, easy read. The characters were fun and the plot was easy to follow but not trite. I look forward to more books from Jasmine Guillory.

Olivia is a lawyer who has moved back to California to open her own firm. Max is the freshman California senator. After a chance meeting at a hotel bar—with some excellent banter and cookies— Olivia and Max start dating. But it’s not easy. She is pragmatic, a planner, and private; he is charming, impulsive, and suave. Can their love survive such drastic personality differences, especially with his job keeping him in DC most of the time and asking more of Olivia than a normal partner’s job would?

I was worried about Guillory’s newest after her previous had been less than stellar. But this one was just like the first several!! But it is also a breath of fresh air in that the protagonists are in their late 30’s (and have never been married before), and lack of communication isn’t what breaks down the relationship in the climax. Bonus: the great way Olivia (African-American) and Max (privileged and white) discuss race issues. It’s not a big part of the story, but it isn’t ignored either.

More, please!!!!

Diverse reads:
- Olivia is African-American and Max is white

I loved this book!! It was refreshing to read a romance novel involving an interracial couple and shining a light on some of the challenges unique to interracial relationships. Sweet, but a little steamy, and with the perfect amount of depth and drama, Jasmine Guillory managed to hit another home run with this latest novel in The Wedding Date series.

I've loved Jasmine Guillory's Wedding Date series; it's fresh and smart and fun (and I love that she's been a major factor in diversifying the romance genre). I was so excited to dip into the latest installment of the series. Party of Two was a cozy blanket to curl up with - not too much conflict or angst, which I really need from a book right now! I liked the slow burn of the romance as Olivia discovers her true feelings. The book also made me really hungry - make sure you have good snacks on hand as you read!

This was a great addition to the Wedding Date series.- the book was well paced and I enjoyed the main characters even if it was all a bit simplified.

Jasmine is one of my favorite authors and didn’t disappoint with this one! I absolutely love Max and Olivia and all their little quirks. 4 star rating from me!

Another amazing read from Jasmine Guillory! I loved following along with Max and Olivia’s story from the start, and it was a fun surprise to see Alexa and Drew written in as well! Olivia’s character was so well written - she was strong and independent, worked hard for what she wanted and knew how she deserved to be treated - and she wouldn’t fall for a man who accepted anything less! I love reading Jasmine Guillory’s books because I always feel like I get sucked into the story and the characters are usually fairly relatable and hard not to love and root for. Thank you , NetGalley for the ARC!

Wow! This may be my new favorite in this series. I absolutely adored The Wedding Date but this one actually has it beat. Both characters are fabulous. They are smart, funny, caring and a little bit flawed just like all of us. Plus, like most relationships theirs has some big obstacles and it is not clear through the book how they will work through those problems. You know they will because they are head over heels in love and not just in lust. That too was something I appreciated. Olivia and Max were clearly attracted to each other and had great sex but they also really loved, admired and respected each other. Although they did have an almost immediate attraction to each other and began to care for one another fairly quickly, the author gave the relationship enough time to build and fell believable. So much so that I cried quite a bit when it looked like they wouldn’t work out. On top of all that there was plenty of adorable, cute moments that I look for in a book like this. Plus, there is lots of rich gooey cake! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

This book read very quickly (would definitely be a good plane read), Almost to the point of their being limited character development. Its hard not to love Jasmine's writing, she's so good at telling stories. Waiting for the Kara and Wes get together story!

Party of Two is such a joy. Jasmine Guillory’s characters always have such great jobs. And this story is no different. We find Max and Olivia bonding over cake at a hotel bar but nothing ever comes of the flirtation. Until Olivia realized that Max is The Max Powell, United States Senator. They eventually meet back up and Max tries to win Olivia’s heart with a good cake. Max is impulsive, the complete opposite of Olivia. Can Olivia handle the impulsiveness and the stress of having a public relationship?

The book we all need right now. Light with a side a romance and race relations.
I love a good Jasmine Guillory and this one does not disappoint.

Olivia is making a change in her life, moving from her New York to Los Angeles and starting a new firm with her friend is all Olivia really has time for. She carefully and thoughtfully made all these plans and now she needs to focus solely and making it work. Until she meets Max at a hotel bar.
Max is a new Senator with grand ideas who tends to act on impulse.
A love story with fun characters and writing with difficult conversations thrown in. Guillory writes characters that you would want to be friends with in person.

This book was great. A fun romance between two strong characters. I loved how Olivia was so independent and didn’t give up her values just because she was in a relationship. It was great to see Olivia and Max’s relationship developed - how they worked together, supported each other, and also pushed each other to do better. This is a super fun read.

I'm so glad this was a return to form for Jasmine Guillory! I had been disappointed by The Royal Holiday so I went into this one with low expectations and ended up very pleasantly surprised.

This entry in the Wedding Date series focuses on Olivia, older sister to The Wedding Date's Alexa, and her relationship with Max, a California senator she meets after moving back to the west coast. I thought the characters were engaging and well-rounded, with believable flaws and great chemistry.

Can i just say I am so grateful I stumbled upon Ms. Guillory two years ago and happy that I was able to start her author journey with her. This is her 5th book and let's just say she keeps getting better and better. Is it possible that this is cuter than book 1 maybe? perhaps?. Out of her five novels three are interracial couples and am here for it. This is story is about Olivia.(heroine of book one sister)She has just moved back to California and started up her lawyer office along with her friend Ellie. While at a bar she strikes up a conversation with a stunning handsome white man but tried not to be too interested. She finds out later on he is the Senator Max. This novels had all the feels some comedic layers and talks about a whole lot cake and wine. I enjoy how Ms. Guillory does not hold back about the race difference between them. She does not sugarcoat it but yet is still able to make them believable and lovable. I enjoyed how Max was all in with Olivia before she even knew that she wanted that. Review on Goodreads and amazon.com

Another delightful entry in Jasmine Guillory's Wedding Date series. The capable and driven Olivia Monroe, older sister of Alexa from the first book, has just moved to LA to open a law firm with her best friend. She meets Max at a hotel bar, not realizing that he's actually US Senator Max Powell. The two hit it off but are both reluctant to get involved with someone because of their careers. However, their terrific chemistry and deepening friendship make it harder to stay apart.

Guillory does a great job of writing characters, especially women, who are passionate about their jobs, and not just biding time until a man comes along. This story had a similar plot issue to The Wedding Date, in which two people who both love their work have to figure out how to compromise to be together, without sacrificing their own priorities or identity. She's mostly successful, although I still have some questions about how this will work long-term. But I am 100% rooting for Olivia and Max!

Party of Two is an enticing romance destined to encourage you to keep reading to discover how Olivia and Max survive the media's 'reaction to the handsome bachelor senator from California dating again. When Olivia who is determined to succeed in her recently established law firm in LA and Max who is equally determined to get some of his bills passed in the Senate collide, fireworks explode. It is a great read.