I want to start by saying, I really enjoyed this book, more than I was anticipating and I think it was because of the narration, it was wonderful. I had heard of the tradition of women asking men to marry them on Leap Day in Ireland, but this is the first book I read with that tradition spotlighted. Cara Kennedy was supposed to be heading to Ireland with her boyfriend for a long weekend while he attended a conference for work. Everything was in place, tickets bought, reservations made and vacation time booked, when he broke up with her two weeks before the conference. Rather than waste the ticket and time off, she booked her own room and headed off. After landing and an accident with a splashing Uber car, her Uber driver is a sexy, brogue speaking, jaw dropping, Finn Maguire. He becomes her "tour guide" for a couple of days and ends the weekend as the guitar player at a local pub on Leap Day. With fortification from some pretty strong punch, Cara pops the question and ends up bringing home the hunky Finn, as her husband.

This is a cute, light, and heartwarming romance. The characters are lovable, and who can resist a lovely Irish Accent. The scene where Cara has Finn "speak Irish" to her was hilarious. I was cheering for Cara and Finn right from the start. Cara puts up with a lot in her life, specifically at work, so I was happy she found something to make her happy, very happy. Finn seems like such a good guy, at times too good to be true, but he truly falls in love with Cara and wants to make her happy. The secondary characters were well developed for their role and added so much to the story. I loved the dogs and their roles in the story as well, especially their own love story. Of course there is some angst caused by secret keeping, but it is a romance, so you know they will get together, but the journey was entertaining. I love the feel-good ending and I truly enjoyed this one. As I stated earlier, the narration was excellent. It is hard to believe that there is only one narrator. Cady Zuckerman nailed the voices of the characters and did an amazing job with Finn. I definitely recommend you listen to this one if you can get your hands on it. It is pure entertainment and had me smiling all the way to my destination.

✍️ One Sentence Synopsis: A Vegas wedding—- Irish style.

💭 Overall Thoughts:
So this is overall a fun vacation romance/marriage of drunken convenience romcom. It’s witty, there’s some great banter and the characters find themselves in some interesting circumstances that keep you engaged. The characters definitely have chemistry and the narrator of the audio book does a wonderful job.

But it has a big pet peeve for me. A relationship built on deception. Yeah, they talk about it a little but the reconciliation is quick and it put a bad taste in my mouth.

It definitely, however, succeeded in making me want to go back to Ireland!

Highlights:
✈️ Vacation Romance
😄 Witty banter
🍻 Drunken shenanigans

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape media for allowing me to listen with request for review.

Typical but solid romance. I didn't fully draw me in but it was worth the read for something quick and stereotypical.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing me with this advance listener copy.

Description from NetGalley:
Up-and-coming screenwriter Cara Kennedy has the biggest meeting of her career in two days—but for now, she's on vacation. Her short trip to Ireland is all planned out:
1. See the sites around Dublin
2. Don't think about the jerk of an ex she was supposed to spend this trip with
3. Relax with some Irish whiskey
4. Propose to a sexy Irish musician on Leap Day
5. Wake up married
Wait, those last two things weren't on her list...
A whirlwind trip to Ireland is supposed to end with a suitcase full of wool sweaters and souvenir pint glasses—not a husband you only just met!
Now, her flight is in four hours, and that meeting is in exactly two days—nothing she can do except take her new husband (and his adorable dog) back to LA with her and try to untangle the mess she's made of her life…
I’m not a huge romance reader. I’d much rather read about giant mechs, magic, or killers. So this was a change of pace. I have also been lucky enough to have been to Dublin with my husband, so I was a little sad that most of this takes place in California instead of Dublin. This was a lighthearted rom-com about trying to step out of yourself. Cara tries to be a different version of herself and ends up married. The story was nice, just a little meh for me. Finn was a bit too perfect.
It’s a light-hearted read. 3.5/5

Typically I love a fake marriage story, but i struggled to get into this one, partially bc of the narrator. The narrator for this was just not my favorite. The story itself though was quite well written. Cara and Finn wake up married after a drunken night, The side characters of this book were one of the best parts (plus the dog lol)

I am giving this book half a star because it started out so promising! LUCKY LEAP DAY is my first book by Ann Marie Walker, so I went in blind hoping for the best. Our heroine was recently dumped by a cheating boyfriend and decided to take their trip for two to Dublin, Ireland, by herself – a classic setup for a rom-com. Everything is going wrong until she gets in an Uber, and the hero, a sexy Irish rocker, is her driver. By his design, they run into each other again, spend the day together and have a ton of fun.

By this point in the book, I am all in. The heroine is an adorable mess; the hero is cute and sexy (although the narrator’s attempt at a male Irish accent occasionally made me physically cringe). I am ready for the fun, promised-in-the-first-chapter-and-synopsis “oops we’re married” moment so they can spend more fun, cute times in Ireland… when the book suddenly goes off the rails.

It was almost like the second half of the book was written by someone who only skimmed the first part. The hero and heroine inexplicably decide to go back to the heroine’s town, Los Angeles, where this book suddenly becomes about her professional development, her terror of a boss, and her friend group. She doesn’t even see the hero for, like, 48 hours after they land in LA. She just deserts him to stay at her house. Then comes the next 360… the hero is discovered. Not as a musician as one may assume by his character background – what little of it there is – but as an actor in the next big blockbuster. Like… what? There was never any mention that he was an actor or liked acting even, but he’s suddenly swooped up to land the next Marvel-like movie? I can suspend my disbelief for an excellent romance novel, but this was ridiculous.

In addition to the weird plot turns, I disliked a lot about this book. The hero has as much depth as a puddle. He’s perfect the entire time except for his “big secret,” which is also weird, but I will try not to spoil things more than I already have. Like, he’s perfect and patient and kind and apparently has the acting chops of a movie star without trying. And he can sing. Cool. The book is also fade to black with the intimate scenes, which is fine, but the first time the hero and heroine sleep together, the chapter ends, and then they don’t mention it for, like, four chapters! They finally deepen their relationship, and not only do we not get to read about their budding feelings through physical intimacy, but we don’t even get to hear them discuss how it changes things? Not okay.

Oh, and the epilogue is from the dog’s perspective, and, really, that just sent me off. It was weird and not cute as I think it was intended. A real bang of an ending to a book that just didn’t work for me. I would like eight hours of my life back, please.

**I received a free copy of this audiobook in order to provide an honest review**

3.5 stars rounded up.
🍀
This one was super cute, y’all. I was very excited about receiving this audio arc from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media in exchange for my honest review . For me, so many boxes were ticked before I even began listening:
cute cover ✔️
love interest with a swoon worthy brogue ✔️
accidental marriage (after which hilarity ensues) ✔️
and the cute Irish dude has a dog that loves our quirky heroine ✔️

So much to love here and it delivered on all of those fronts. However, I was just not buying into the conflict when it finally popped up. I mean, Finn was basically perfect for most of this book and then the conflict that was finally presented felt contrived to me. While the book started out strong, I feel like it fizzled out in the third act.
🤷🏻‍♀️
All in all, if you’re looking for a fast paced rom com of a story, I definitely recommend Lucky Leap Day. Kudos to Ann Marie Walker for choosing to keep this story clean when so many authors add unnecessary spice to simply appeal to the masses. Also internet high five for that epilogue because it was such a fun little twist!

DNF

Unfortunately, I won’t be finishing this book. I liked the premise of it but I don’t like the narration style of the narrator. It continuously dropped me out of the story and the overall plot wasn’t holding my attention anymore either.

I still will definitely be recommending this one as I know it will appeal to a lot of romance lovers. Thank you for the opportunity to read it!

I loved this sweet love story. The narrator was fantastic. I definitely recommend the book and the author.

Lucky Leap Day by Ann Marie Walker

4/5 🌟

I listened to this net galley and I really like this cute romance. It was so visual and quick witted that I felt completely transported to Ireland and California for this epic love story.

Cara is visiting Ireland for a quick getaway that was supposed to be with boyfriend but after a breakup she decides to take the trip solo. She is a planner and when her bag doesn’t land on time she jumps in a ride share and meets the authentic Irish man named Finn, who is an aspiring musician/actor. She is willing to hear him out for tips and travel ideas. Finn and Cara connect right away on a local v tourist level but it soon sparks fly when she shows up at his second job then they have a wild bar night on leap day.

After many Irish whiskeys and a self confidence shift Cara and Finn end up pulling a Ross and Rachel in Vegas marriage. Both want to get this reversed but Cara has to fly back to the states for work so Finn joins and they decide to just get to know each other in LA until it gets resolved.

This book was tons of fun and I love how they banter. It felt authentic and cute at the same time. Finn was so sweet and his attention and care for Cara comes though beautifully.

I do think this could be a bit too feel good but for a romance with some travel inspiration mixed in I loved the result. I could certainly see this being a movie!

When Cara wakes up married to Finn, she's hungover and panicked - her flight home is only a few hours away and she and Finn don't have enough time to sort out their marriage before she leaves. In (another) fit of spontaneity, she invited Finn to come back to LA with her. The two get along well, and it's clear they're really falling for each other, until a few lies of omission are set to destroy their relationship.

This was a fun read, and unexpected in a few (good) ways. I would highly recommend reading this if you're a fan of Ireland, stories about working in the movie industry in LA, or rom-coms in general. The only thing that I didn't love was the epilogue - having it be from the dog's POV was out of left field and felt a little disconnected from the rest of the book.

lucky leap day
by Ann Marie Walker
4 stars
I got the pleasure of listening to this audiobook and it had me laughing so hard at times.
Cara recently dumped through an email goes to Ireland has way too many to drink and ends up married and doesn't know if it's a good thing or not.
I did enjoy this book until closer to the ending it was one of those you had to throw that in there for the drama-type moments that no one fully cares for. I loved the narrator she did an excellent job telling the story and you can hear the emotions that one thing I've started liking with audiobooks is you can hear it in the narrator's voice. The main character did grow and got what she wanted at the end, which is always a win for me. The writing is light and playful. I just didn't think we needed the drama added in.
It was kind of giving me Leap year vibes while reading it. I highly enjoyed how the author threw in a mention of sex in the city part and if anyone has watched it you will know exactly what she is talking about.
Thank you, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for this advance for an honest review

This book was quite enjoyable. I loved the concept and the execution was pretty fun. The main character annoyed me at some points, but overall I liked the book. I was a little thrown off by the epilogue being in the dog’s point of view, definitely not my favorite part and o don’t think it was really necessary, but maybe that’s just because it wasn’t my cup of tea. This was a fun spin on the drunkenly married trope.

I loved the drama in this story and the forced relationship trope in this book! The audio was engaging and had me rushing to listen whenever I could.

The story was adorable. Very hallmarkesc but nothing super memorable. I liked this but didn’t absolutely love it. Would not be the first romance I would recommend. I liked the drama at the end. The epilogues chapter was a bit weird and I could have done without it all together.

This put me in the mood to watch PS I Love You or Leap Day the movie!

Thank you Sourcebooks & Netgalley for this audio copy in exchange for an honest review!

#bookreview Lucky Leap Day by Ann Marie Walker

☺️ the good ☺️
- Accidental marriage trope is almost always enjoyable. This one is no exception. Whiskey made them do it 🥃 and the magic of leap day.
- Finn is a lovable character/romantic interest.

🤨 the bad 😒
- There’s not even a subtle fade-to-black for sex scenes, they’re just skipped over, but then we get lots of discussion of how many orgasms she’s getting and etc. It seems a weird balance to me and was slightly jarring. The couple has a good amount of chemistry, but we miss a lot of it 🤷🏼‍♀️
- A little too perfect of an ending. Like, unrealistic entirely. I want it to feel realistic, but a full-on HEA with ALL of their dreams coming true was a bit much for me.


😍 the beautiful 😍
- Cute dogs are important to the story 🐶🐶
- The lead up to the accidental marriage was my favorite part of the book. Cara exploring Dublin and dealing with her heartbreak and pursuing Finn accidentally. That was the part I really loved. After they were married and came back is when it kind of fell flat for me, which is like 2/3 of the book 😒
- Audiobook gives a great Irish accent to enjoy for Finn 😍

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
steam: 💫 (a spark)
feelings: 💚💙💚
my face while reading: 😍😍🤨🤨😟😟😒😒

Girl who was recently dumped takes a trip to Ireland and drunkenly marries an Irishman on Leap Day. I liked the characters but never felt very invested in their story. It lacked tension and depth in a way I can’t quit put my finger on. I was bored throughout most of the story, and there was some sort of echo or reverb in the audio that drove me crazy. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I received an audio ARC of this for an honest review. I found this book to be a charming read-it was excellently narrated. Her Irish brogue was spot on, even portrayed as a deeper male voice and her American accent was perfect. I've found over the years that often you can have one or the other as far as accents go but you can't have both-this book was indeed lucky in that regards. It's definitely not a deep romance-the trend lately has been books filled with serious diagnoses and this one is much more lighthearted. It was enjoyable-the epilogue was very whimsical!

On the surface, this book has so many things I love: an Irish setting, an accidental marriage trope, a goofy dog, etc. However, this one just didn't work for me; I really couldn't get into it and ended up not being able to finish (and I usually push myself through nearly anything). I think that maybe it just wasn't the right time and I think other readers will really enjoy this, but it just wasn't for me at this point in time.

Thank you to Ann Marie Walker, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review Lucky Leap Day.

Having been recently dumped, Cara Kennedy leaves for the trip to Dublin Ireland that she was supposed to take with her former boyfriend. She is picked up at the airport by Finn, a local musician doing Uber on the side, and his dog. Cara soon finds out, after a whisky-fueled evening, that she proposed to and married Finn on Leap Day. Having no idea where to go from there, Cara brings Finn home with her to Malibu.

This story was very sweet and I recommend for anyone looking for a light romance.

What a delightful book! Loved the characters and their adorable romance. I loved the setting of the story to begin with in Ireland and the way the characters fell for each other. Very cute story.