🔊Song Pairing: Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough

💭What I thought would happen:

Denise Williams is queen and I love everything she writes 😅

🗯Thoughts:

Okkkkkayyy this was a disappointment. I didn’t love the characters, their banter was petty and pointless. The MC was such a hard-ass. I don’t love all men but she truly seems to detest all men. It felt like beating down a cement wall to get her to lighten up even a smidge.

It is a bad sign when I turn the audiobook up to full speed and just pray my brain doesn’t turn to porridge.

Will I continue to read Denise? Absolutely. Maybe others will enjoy this more than I did. Perhaps I was just in a mood. Regardless won’t be re-reading this one. I’d sooner forget and move on.

Do You Take This Man by Denise Williams. Lear and RJ are force to work together and after a rocky first meeting they only way these two are willing to work together is if they sneak off every once in to destress.

This book had me kicking, giggling and blushing. I was hesitant with Lear. But I soon realize he was just a man who had been heavily hurt and hurt people lose themselves for a bit. And then there is independent, tough as nails RJ who doesn’t like letting people in. I think RJ had me crying the most. She’s someone who is careful around people, constantly wearing a mask, only showing people the versions of herself she thinks they’d be comfortable with. A slap in the face to me.

I really enjoyed this book but then again I always enjoy Denise’s books. They tap into parts of me I like to hide away.

Divorce attorney RJ is my favorite type of romance heroine; she's kind of mean, she takes no shit, and she cannot fathom why she's so attracted to Lear and she's so irritated by it. Especially since Lear is one of those guys who is universally likeable, and he can't deal with the fact maybe RJ does not, in fact, like him.

These hate to want stories I eat them up! I especially loved all the details of the weddings RJ and Lear were forced to be at together, and that RJ is so great at officiating them despite being a divorce attorney. She's also secretly a little squishy on the inside.

So much fun to read.

This is my first book by Denise Williams and the idea of a divorce attorney having a side gig as a wedding officiant is kind of hilarious. However, I did not connect with Rj and Lear as a couple. It felt like their chemistry was forced and that if we are honest, it’s a couple that would break up. I know the theme of the book is “I love you just the way you are,” but Rj seemed rude rather than assertive. And Lear would just take it, that is not a healthy relationship.

After the halfway mark, the story seemed to be going in a circle and not much of the plot was really developing. Adult miscommunication is my least favorite thing in a book, this had lots of that. If you are not mature to be open and honest, then you are not ready for a relation even in fictitious characters. Again, this might just be me not connecting with the characters.
**Teddy as a narrator is swoon worthy, I refuse to look him up.

RJ is a divorce lawyer and doesn’t see herself as a romantic woman. As she rushes to a wedding she officiates, she bumps into someone. When Lear bumps into her, RJ is expecting an apology, but all she gets is a nonchalant response.

Lear leaves her and walks away—his past has taught him not to be friendly, and he wasn’t starting now. He’s in town to help his cousin Penny plan weddings, and that’s all he’ll do. But then, he finds out that the officiating minister the bride-to-be wants is RJ. After all, she’s the woman who married the coolest couple in Hollywood. When he asks for her to officiate a wedding he’s planning, she refuses, but not until she finds out that he’s friends with her boss—now she can’t say no.

They both try to work together, but it isn’t easy. Lear seizes an opportunity to apologize for being difficult and asks RJ to start over. RJ and Lear have to decide if their scorching sexual needs are worth more than their feud.

This was a romance about a divorce attorney/wedding officiant and her enemies-to-FOB romance with an event planner who gets under her skin at every turn. It had all of the ingredients that I look for in a contemporary romance, but in the end, it was just way too long and drawn out to keep my attention.

Read if you like
❤️Diverse Characters
❤️ Romances
❤️ Strong female characters

I was so excited for my next read from Denise Williams and this one did not disappoint at all and she is now an auto-read author for me.

This one definitely has opposites attract with divorce attorney who married couples in her spare time being paired with her opposite who dared to tell her to smile more.

This one definitely gives great enemies to lovers vibes with how these two were brought together. I loved the hot and cold and push and pull of their relationship and definitely was something I enjoyed with this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for this free ARC! I am a big fan of Denise Williams and her latest did not disappoint. It's definitely even steamier, which I was very happy with. RJ is such a strong character who I loved, even if she says she's hard to love. Lear I wasn't so sure about, but he definitely proved himself to be a "good guy," despite trying to not be anymore. I'm a big enemies to lovers fan and who knew that Enemies with Benefits might be my new favorite trope!

"I know what skills I want to show you." (...) "Because I think you'll kiss like you want to win, and I haven't been able to get that out of my head."

"Do You Take This Man": 4 ⭐

Denise Williams has a very fluid, very easy to read writing. She brings us newness with characters who we fall in love instantly and a plot with so much mixture, such as attorneys and the law and wedding planners and wedding officiants.

RJ (Ruthie) is a successful attorney. She finally got her mentor, Gretchen, to accept her proposal to guide her. She is fierce, a powerful woman who's not afraid of showing it.

Lear was a coach for a football team, it was his dream job but with some things happening in his life, he changed courses and became a wedding planner with his sister.

When these two meet, we can only expect catastrophe but, the truth is, when two stars collide, after they burst into flames, a whole new world blasts around them. Lear and RJ make such an amazing couple. From their banter to their BANGING (no pun intended, or maybe it was👀) sex scenes, we see two friends with benefits who grow up so much in each other's presence. It's wonderful and unique and I absolutely loved every bit of it!

I will always love reading any of Denise Williams romance books. She has a talent for writing head-stronged females who ultimately fall in love with the most understanding male (never want to change them). And Do You Take This Man is no different.

Some may have mixed feelings regarding this book, but I absolutely fell in love with it. I may have had a few problems, just a few. Mostly, I loved this romance book.

Do You Take This Man introduces RJ, who is the literal definition of a grump but a female. She is a divorce attorney who is very cynical about life, especially dating. And it comes as a surprise when she officially couples ever since she got vital across social media. It’s pretty funny when you think about it. You literally have a female who doesn’t believe in love, and yet she is officially your marriage in her spare time.

RJ may have her time filled up with officially marriages, so it comes as no surprise when she clashes with Lear, the new event planner (sunshine male). Lear has always been a happy carefree person, but things have changed lately. He is a bit stuck in his life and he is tired of being taken advantage of. He wants no drama or baggage. He definitely doesn’t have time for RJ personality. They definitely clash with each other, but they have to work with each other (forced proximity).

They definitely don’t make sense together since they are totally opposite. But yet RJ and Lear make the most sense since they get to know each other in so many ways. Yes, they may have different personalities, but they never judge each other. The only thing I had problems with would be their lack of communication toward the end. RJ should have not rushed Lear when she has always been clear about their arrangements. It takes a bit of time to adjust when you change the rules, especially when they have their own problems to go through. RJ needs to be more understanding than judging so rashly.

A divorce attorney who officiates weddings, yet doesn't believe in romantic love? What a fun premise for a book. RJ meets Lear in an ill-fated meet cute and after the close proximity of the pair working weddings together, they decide to just hook up with no strings attached. RJ never faltered from being direct, specific with her needs and honest to a fault. I appreciated that out of her character. I wasn't the biggest fan of Lear after his cringe-worthy first encounter with RJ, but he slowly wormed his way into my heart with his total sweetness toward RJ and how hard he pushes her to realize what they have together.

Unfortunately, the book did fall flat for me. I was hoping for more character development from the pair. Outside of interacting at weddings and then for hook ups, the two didn't really see each other and I felt like the relationship didn't have a ton of real sustenance. I felt sorry for Lear, who tried relentlessly with RJ, but she was completely guarded and had so many guidelines for their interactions that I found myself frustrated with her character. The chapters were short and digestible, but I found the POV chapter switching within the same scene distractible. How many times can you use the word "fine" in a book? The answer is 56.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group, the author, and NetGalley for the free gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have always been a massive fan of Denise Williams's romance books. Do You Take This Man is an enemy to lovers' steamy romance but I think the best part of the book is the steam cause truly the plot is not much. The romance was a cute story but super predictable and at times the characters were just annoying.

I always love a strong independent woman main character but felt like her role in the weddings was super random and just didn’t get the connection.

I recommend it if you love Denise Williams's other books, and enjoy lighthearted funny enemies-to-lovers romance, with lots of STEAM.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! An enemies with benefits?! Sign me up. I love how steamy these scenes were, and how much fun the tension was. I also loved how real these characters are - Denise is a fabulous writer and I really appreciate how she creates real & flawed characters.

I don't even really want to write this review. I probably won't go into too much detail, to be honest. This book wasn't the hit I thought it was going to be. This book didn't live up to it's hype, or to the author's previous book.

I felt like nothing really happened, I struggled to like the MC because she was just mean - and yes I understand where it was coming from, but she could have been a little.. I don't know. Nicer isn't the word. It felt really boring, like it went nowhere and nothing really happened. I didn't fall in love with the love story, it didn't feel like they did either. It seemed like they had really great physical chemistry and forced the rest. The open door scenes were definitely excellent, as usual from Denise Williams. I did have a little bit of a soft spot for Lear and his story, but that's about it. This pained me to write.

Funny, biting, and hot as hell, Do You Take This Man is a romance that is complicated and challenging, inviting readers to engage with its prickly characters and fall in love with them, flaws and all. In the beginning, I wondered if I would ever root for the leads to fall in love, and by the end, I was gooey mess of feelings, ready to break out my pom poms and cheer them across the finish line. Which is a testament to Williams' expert character development and ability to craft a strong romantic arc. One of the best enemies-to-lovers romances I've read in some time.

My thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Denise Williams. Her books are well written and her characters are diverse and genuine. Unfortunately, Do You Take This Man was just okay for me. It was a good read, but I just couldn't connect with the characters. I will admit I've come off of a long streak of some really wonderful and solid romance novels. It might just be the timing of when I read the book.

RJ is a strong lawyer who is jaded on love. She sticks up for those who have been burned in their relationships and believes in herself. After officiating a wedding that goes viral, she becomes a bit of a celebrity and soon finds herself taking a side job officiating weddings for the summer.

Along comes Lear. He's been hurt due to a difficult breakup, he's lost his job standing up for what is right, and he's starting over. He takes a job with his cousin Penny's wedding planning business. Here he meets RJ.

I love a good enemies to lovers stories. I enjoyed the story overall, I just didn't have a passionate appreciation for it. The story is told from both Lear and RJ's point of view. At times I got confused at who was narrating and had to backtrack to the chapter heading as a reminder. The relationship is also very hot and cold. Normally, this wouldn't bother me, but with the pacing and my lack of connection to the characters, it got a bit frustrating.

All that being said, it's a decent read. It's probably not one I will read again, but I would not discourage fans of Williams or contemporary romance to read it. It's an easy read, it was just kind of lukewarm for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC and the opportunity to read and review Do You Take This Man by Denise Williams.

Damage. That’s the one word that came to mind about halfway through Do you Take This Man? (Berkley) by Denise Williams, and the word won’t let me go even now as I write this review. In fact, my playlist for this book would consist of one song — Damage by H.E.R. (Well two songs, but one is a scene spoiler, so I won’t mention it.)

This enemies-to-lovers romance, or as the main characters Lear and RJ have deemed it, “enemies-with-benefits,” is a specific type of enemies-to-lovers romance — a steamy one with lots of baggage.

FROM PAST ENEMIES TO FUTURE LOVERS

RJ Brooks is an Asheville, North Carolina attorney that mainly works on divorce cases. She’s also a wedding officiant.

Well, that second one was a happy accident that turned into a bit of a side hustle. She’s agreed to officiate several weddings for event planner Penny, but shortly after agreeing, Penny and her spouse adopt a newborn. Penny takes parental leave and turns the season’s weddings over to her cousin Lear Campbell. Lear has left behind an event planning job — not to mention a former fiancé — in Los Angeles to start over in Asheville and help Penny with her expanding business.

Lear and RJ literally run into each other as each are (unknowingly) headed to the same wedding rehearsal. But it’s not a cute romantic comedy run-in. It’s an ugly, sprawling, bickering about being independent versus needing help, cocky, antagonistic collision, which starts the enemies-to-lovers vibe between RJ and Lear.

As these two work a couple of weddings, they succumb to the physical attraction they share. But emotional intimacy is not something RJ is willing to give, and Lear seems unable to. Readers quickly see why: both RJ and Lear have had disastrous past relationships that make them unwilling to feel.

Their heated banter is part of what attracts them to each other, but it is also a defense and avoidance mechanism. RJ wants to keep her distance and avoid being hurt again; Lear wants to prove he’s immune to RJ’s caustic wit and little jabs at his personality.

Both of them want to prevent the pain they think is inevitable if they become vulnerable and do something stupid like fall in love, so they keep the antagonistic veneer between them for most of the novel.

HATRED TURNS TO PASSIONATE ROMANCE

However, as much as they fight to keep their distance from each other, sexual attraction keeps pulling them closer together. These two can’t keep their hands off each other, finding hideaways at wedding venues and hooking up after wedding parties have left for the rehearsal dinner.

While they know little about each other’s lives and past, they are fully aware of erogenous zones on each other’s bodies. For readers who love a lot of spice during foreplay, this book gives you that. Do You Take This Man? is firmly in the spicy/steamy category without having a lot of love scenes on page.

I especially loved the character’s personalities shining through during these scenes. Both RJ and Lear have distinct moments that ring true to what we know of these characters, which make them so relatable as they pull off one inventive wedding after another.

A FUN SERIES WITH SERIOUS UNDERTONES

Do You Take This Man? is the third book in the unnamed series/shared world Ms. Williams has created that, while mostly funny and light, has a thread of serious topics through it.

In this novel, the author includes issues of abandonment, fidelity, and mental trauma/mental health that can arise with the hijinks and antics of wedding ceremonies.

Books one and two also touch on serious societal topics, such as domestic abuse (How to Fail at Flirting), eating disorders and body positivity (The Fastest Way to Fall). Readers will be entertained, but many may also relate to these characters through their life struggles and dysfunctions.

Overall, this enemies-to-lovers romance is both entertaining and enlightening, something readers and fans have come to look for with Ms. Williams’ romance stories.

I love Denise Williams! I think she is one the queen of romances. Plus a diverse writer! I have read so many books by her this year including this one!
Heres what worked for me:
The enemies to lovers is always a favorite for me
Friends with benefits plus spice!
Strong independent female lead
Loved the friends and continuing to get a glimpse into Britta and Wes
The character development

Heres what didn't work for me:
felt the pacing was a bit slow, it dragged for me a bit
I don't enjoy the hot cold plot… and that was present in this story where they kept feeling hot and cold for each other just when you thought things would move forward

RJ was definitely a strong character and I'm so glad Lear was able to get close to her and love her as she was. There was a good amount of humour to balance the personal angst, and I was glad to see the diversity and variety of weddings depicted in the book.

I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Denise Williams has written some of my all-time favorite romances so I jumped into this one with the highest expectations. I might have been let down in some areas, like when Lear was kind of rude and just not on my good side. But overall, RJ was the one who saved this story. She was an incredibly strong character who did not allow for others to walk over her. I genuinely swooned and adored this book!