This was an ok read for me. I didn't feel as much of an emotional connection between RJ and Lear which is the reason for the 3 stars, but overall a decent book to pass the time and I did enjoy watching their work and personal relationship progress after they started actually communicating with each other:). Thanks to Netgalley for giving me an early copy!

RJ (who we met in the author's previous book) is a lawyer who also is a wedding officiant on the side. She is forced to work with Lear, who she deems a dude-bro,
Lear is working as a wedding planner for his cousin, Penny after a relationship ending and his being fired by his previous employer in California. He and RJ do NOT have a meet cute. They pretty much despise each other on first meeting.
They are forced to work several weddings together and eventually decide to act on their attraction. RJ insists on calling it "enemies with benefits." Both start to catch feelings but can they forget about their difficult pasts and become something more?
I enjoyed both characters very much though they were both extremely guarded. I love how the fact that Lear is White and RJ is Black is never an issue in their relationship just as it wasn't for Wes and Britta before them. They are just a couple dealing with normal couple issues. I was surprised to see some characters from How to Fail at Flirting but it was an interesting look into what they are up to.

3.5*
A divorce lawyer moonlighting as a wedding officiant. Is it just me? Wouldn’t that be considered a conflict of interest? Then again it's probably job security too!?😅

Trope: enemies to…Well, friends with benefits 💁🏻‍♀️

Lear's life has been turned upside down with a devastating breakup. While he tries to figure out his next step he stays busy helping his cousin’s wedding-planning business.

RJ is a straight-shooting, take no prisoners divorce lawyer! She’s also one of the most sought after wedding officiants in the area.

As you might guess, Lear and RJ don’t exactly hit it off when the two collide…literally! But maybe, just maybe they can find a way to 'work' together.😉

Told from both perspectives RJ and Lear’s. I frequently had difficulty knowing who was narrating, forcing me to refer back to the chapter’s heading. Frustrating!

This was just an average read for me. I had a really hard time warming up to RJ, who at times, was so rude to Lear I wanted to tell him to “just move on”! But he just kept going back for more!🙄

There’s a lot of heat between the characters🔥 with multiple open door scenes. But everything just lacked heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing.

Do You Take This Man is a light-hearted, sweet, tempting enemies-to-lovers romance that will take your breath away. The characters are well written, and the author did a great job diving into their pasts which makes them easy to relate to. I enjoyed the complexity of the story and the fast-paced, spicy hot romance with serious emotional depth balanced by plenty of humor. I can't wait to see what she will come up with next.

I love the premise of this book, a divorce attorney that starts marrying people. I feel like RJ was the perfect divorce attorney and it does seems out of character to marry people since she is shying away from love. Lear is such a charming man and their chemistry is off the charts with their FWB arrangement. I enjojes the banter with this enemies to lovers romance. I also enjoyed seeing RJ's friends appear in this book. I adored Britta and Wes in The Fastest Way to Fail.

It’s a rare occasion when I click with a male MC over a female MC. It’s even rarer when I want to cry for the male MC. When I hurt for him, when I cry for him. But I did. I cried for Lear, my heart broke open for Lear, I felt his pain. I wanted to hold him, I wanted a lot of things for him.

And Dear God, did I cry. I sobbed. I have never, in my reading life, cried as hard as I did in this book. Both of these characters deserve so much. So much. And yet, they continue the push and pull. The ‘will they, won’t they’. They hurt each other because of their own issues, and it BREAKS. MY. FREAKING. HEART.

But did I love this story? Yes, yes I did. By golly I loved this story so much, even with the tears. There’s so much to unpack, and it all comes together so beautifully, and I can’t wait for the next installment in this world.

I could ramble about this book forever, but I will spare you…for now.

Thank you immensely Berkley for sending me a free finished copy of Do You Take This Man.
*This review is being left voluntarily all opinions are my own.

Thank you Berkley Publishing for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

I am an unofficial but probably official fan girl of Denise Williams. Since her debut with How to Fail at Flirting, I’ve fallen in love with her writing. It’s fun and sexy but also so real and reflects the world we live in today. When she told us about her latest novel last year on Read It or List It, i’ve been chomping at the bit to get my eyeballs on it.

And it did not disappoint! I think it may be my new favorite of hers…but it’s hard to rank them because they’re all so individual. But I loved Lear and RJ and I hope you do too.

Synopsis:

“Divorce attorney RJ would never describe herself as romantic. But when she ends up officiating an unplanned wedding for a newly engaged couple in a park, her life is turned upside down. The video of the ceremony goes viral, and she finds herself in the unlikely position of being a sought-after local wedding officiant. Spending her free time overseeing “I dos” isn’t her most strategic career move, but she enjoys it, except for the type A dude-bro wedding planner she’s forced to work with.

Former pro-football event manager Lear is a people person, but after his longtime girlfriend betrayed him, he isn’t looking for love. He knows how to execute events and likes being in control, so working with an opinionated and inflexible officiant who can’t stand him is not high on his list. He’s never had trouble winning people over, but RJ seems immune to his charms.

Surrounded by love at every turn, their physical attraction pulls them together despite their best efforts to stay an arm’s length apart. Lear refuses to get hurt again. RJ refuses to let herself be vulnerable to anyone. But when it comes to happily ever after, their clients might not be the only ones saying “I do.” —StoryGraph

What I Liked:

The Concept—A wedding planner and a divorce attorney who can’t stand each other but are undeniably attracted to each other. Brilliant! So fun. Denise Williams is SO GOOD at crafting full, complex characters that you want to root for but also get frustrated with.

The Characters—I loved Lear and RJ. Especially Lear, but I could relate to RJ’s fears of letting people in so much. I love that Williams always writes women who are passionate about their careers.

The Spice—DENISE! She always writes good spice but wow, this one checked a lot of boxes. Their attraction to each other leaps off the page and it does not disappoint.

What Didn’t Work:

Nothing, I loved this book and swooned over RJ and Lear. Also, best names I’ve read in awhile!

Character Authenticity: 5/5 Spice Rating: 2.5/5 Overall Rating: 5/5

Content Warnings:

sexism, infidelity (past)

DNF at 42%.

This author is hit or miss for me. I DNFed her debut, loved The Fastest Way to Fall, and now we are back to another debut.

One of my biggest pet peeves is the whole misogynistic/mansplaining type of character ESPECIALLY when it's a white man addressing a Black woman, which is the case here.

RJ is an incredible character. She's a headstrong and intelligent divorce attorney who is trying to claw her way to the top of an elite firm while officiating marriages on the side thanks to some good press.

Enter Lear. The first time Lear bumps into (literally) RJ and knocking her over, there's some banter that's exchanged, but he ends on "you should smile more" knowing full well its a misogynistic dig that he even admits to. Ugh Whatever. Fast forward, and of course these two must work together on an upcoming wedding. Lear was instructed to have RJ take point because it's her specialty, but instead, he proceeds to talk over her, ignore her, and mansplain his way through the whole meeting with the clients. At this point, I just wanted to put him in a chokehold.

As a Black woman who is also incredibly type A as RJ is portrayed, I just wanted to take Lear out. Yes, RJ does give her a piece of his mind after completely embarrassing her in front of the clients, but it was just too much for me. I didn't care for their budding romance, and the chemistry just felt forced because the author is pawning the story off as "two headstrong people just finding their way" while completely ignoring the nuance surrounding how Black women are expected to shrink themselves to conform to society.

Well I guess this turned into a rant, but yeah, this is a hard pass for me. If you're going to write interracial romance, please put some damn respect on Black women. We don't need them talked down to or to cater to white men.

Thank you PRH Audio & Berkley Romance for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

This was another enjoyable book from Williams. With a strong heroine, an enemies with benefits to lovers trope, and taking place in the same universe as The Fastest Way to Fall, it was a good read!

This book was dual pov which seems to be more normal in romance books nowadays. I think the plot of this book was really well suited for dual pov. If it had only been RJ's pov, I think we would have missed a lot of development and emotional aspects from Lear, and vice versa.

Both RJ and Lear were Type A people so it was nice to see them so put together for the weddings they worked together and so out of sorts about their relationship. Depsite this similarity, we still see a lot of differences between them which makes for a nice enemies to lovers trope. As well, they both had skeletons in their closets they had to deal with before they could get serious with each other which added to the plot. It also added some mystery as we slowly got to know both Lear and RJ and what they were so desperately running from.

I thought there were lots of great side characters that were well thought out and gave wonderful support to our two protagonists. I wonder if we're going to get to return to this world again with a third book? I wouldn't mind.

I don't love a friends/enemies with benefits trope so maybe that's why I didn't connect with this book as much as I would have liked, but it was still enjoyable. I think I'd recommend this book more for people who enjoy that trope than for those who don't.

This is a difficult book to review. I like both the MCs but I didn’t really like them together until about 80 percent into the book. RJ is a successful divorce attorney working her way up in a firm. As a side hustle she officiates at weddings because she got notoriety when a video of her performing a spontaneous wedding goes viral. She limits herself it to clients and their friends and families not wanting it to impact her career. Lear is a former professional football player who is now working in for his cousin as an event planner. Sparks fly between RJ and Lear. They are sizzling hot and competitive with each other. But the hot and cold games between them fit RJ's character but it doesn’t make you feel like they’re building a relationship.

I really liked the role reversal with the man as the event planner and a woman being the attorney. They begin a very steamy friends with benefits relationship but because many of the hook-ups are in a closet or against a wall at events I found it unprofessional and cringe worthy. (There are other more tender moments.) Also I thought Lear’s back story has holes. I thought the thing with his ex was dramatic and enough to make him change coasts. But I didn’t think the whole him getting beat black and blue by a team mate and getting fired made sense. The fact that he threw the first punch didn’t help me like him more. And if he’s been playing pro ball for years it didn’t fit that he is living in his cousins basement. I was confused that money or finances were never brought up and discussed.

The book doesn’t say it is a sequel but her best friend is Britta who is featured in The Fastest Way to Fall (2021). I was happy to catch up a little with her and Wes. Even though there were a few things that didn’t work for me the story is still smart and sensitive. There is good representation, they are interracial, and several side characters are queer. And yay for the cover fitting the story. I will look forward to Denise Williams next book. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Denise is an automatic read for me. She delivers a romance full of quirk, sex appeal, drama, and the warm and fuzzies. Do You Take This Man was the spiciest of them yet and I look forward to what she has in store for her readers next.

Many thanks to Netgalley for my arc! I'm a huge Denise Williams fan!

What happens when a divorce attorney and a wedding planner start working together at weddings? And these two decide to embark upon a "with benefits" relationship, not a "friends with benefits" relationship, because they are not friends.

One thing I enjoyed about this book is the fact that the female MC was so prickly! I don't often see that in romance novels. Being (maybe) (possibly) hard to read myself, it was nice to see that represented. RJ knew EXACTLY what she wanted and was not afraid to take charge. I also liked when she talked about her name and how some people knew her as Ruthie and some others knew her as RJ and why.

Lear was such a fun character. I loved seeing a male sensitive side shine through. He seemed to be always up for a challenge and maintaining a relationship with RJ was definitely a challenge.

I also enjoyed seeing friends from Denise's previous two books. I can't wait to see what she will come up with next. This book is a winner!

First of all--INTERRACIAL RELATIONSHIP!!! I'm sooooo here for this! I have grown to love Denise Williams book so much as of late and listen when you get a hot divorce attorney and a fine stud together and make the sparks going I'M THERE!!! Omg I loved this book. These character were so complex. One deals in the aftermath of of love ending and the other literally had his heart broken. They are set up to fail but somehow come together. I love the steam!!! I just can't wait to have this on my shelf!

This book would be ideal for fans of books like The Fastest Way to Fall by Denise Williams, The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang, Book Lovers by Emily Henry, Set On You by Amy Lea, and Thank You, Next by Andie J Christopher as well as fans of movies like The Wedding Planner. Some potential trigger warnings include off-page death of parent and absentee parent, recalled cheating and trauma surrounding infant paternity, and infant NICU stay.

I found the concept of this book, a divorce attorney/ wedding officiant with a wedding planner, to be unique and I was happy that there were some unexpected twists in the plot. Also, having previously read and enjoyed The Fastest Way to Fall by Denise Williams, I was happily surprised that Britta and Wes (the main characters in The Fastest Way to Fall) made frequent appearances in Do You Take This Man.

Given the fact that RJ is a wedding officiant and Lear is a wedding planner, I anticipated that there would be a fair number of weddings in this book, but there was even more weddings (and pre-wedding events) present in this book than I was expecting. On the one hand, if you enjoy weddings and are a fan of movies like The Wedding Planner, this book will be right up your alley! But, if weddings aren’t really your thing, the abundance of weddings, rehearsal dinners, and wedding planning in this book may be a turnoff.

I personally found it hard to get into Do You Take This Man and I found the middle of this book to be quite repetitive (there seemed to be a constant cycle of weddings and secret hook-ups). Also, even though their relationship was steamy, RJ and Lear had a tendency of hooking-up after rehearsals in secluded areas of wedding venues, which I thought was rather cringy.

Overall, I thought that Do You Take This Man was steamy, romantic, and unique. If you are a wedding enthusiast and are a fan of Williams’ other romance novels, then I highly recommend picking up a copy of Do You Take This Man!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy! This is a fun and sexy enemies-to-lovers fun story by Denise Williams, who is a contemporary romance master. RJ is a divorce lawyer in North Carolina, who starts officiating weddings after a viral wedding of celebrities. Lear is helping his cousin with wedding planning while starting over after a traumatic break-up. They hate each other at first, but find themselves drawn together through working together at many different weddings. I thought the chemistry between RJ and Lear was great, and I enjoyed how their feelings for each other grew, along with their friendship. There were some parts in the beginning and the middle that were a little slow for me, but once this book found its rhythm with the steam, banter, friendships, and love story it was really cute, fun, and thoughtful. I always love a story with a woman who is perceived as angry, but is growing from trauma, and RJ is portrayed really well in this role. Overall, I recommend this book for fans of Denise Williams, contemporary romance, and enemies-to-lovers steamy stories.

Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for an eARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

To be completely fair in this review I have absolutely adored everything Williams has written up to this point. And Do You Take This Man is no exception to my Williams love. This book was full of character development, steam, banter, and an entertaining plot.

This is the second romance book I’ve read with a divorce lawyer FMC in the last month, and I’m not upset about it. I adore it. RJ is prickly and has her walls up high. I loved her transformation and growth in the book. The fact that she ordains weddings is the icing on the cake for me (hahaha). Her back story through her work relationships are beautiful and the way she is there for her friends is so great to read. I loved RJ but her life would be HECTIC to live.

Lear is one of those amazing MMCs that start off in one place but peeling back each of the layers creates an even better character. He starts as a bit of a prick, but as the story unfolds and you start to get more glimpses of him you understand why and end up fully in love with this sweet man.

While the book is fully centered around a character driven plot and their character arcs, there are enough secondary plots to continuously help propel the story forward while bringing out key elements of the characters. It’s incredibly done and you don’t realize how masterful it is until you’ve finished and sat with yourself a long time. Williams is an expert story crafter, and I don’t think myself or anyone else can properly sing her praises.

Do I recommend this book? Yes! 1000% yes I recommend picking up this book. The banter, wit, chemistry, and character development are all top notch in this book and I think it will appeal to almost every contemporary romance reader. Highly recommend for those who like Emily Henry, Olivia Dade, or Andie Christopher! An absolutely wonderful book (that I already preordered after reading this ARC because I NEED it in physical form).

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

RJ is a lawyer, but she went viral officiating a wedding spontaneously in the park. And now she she is officiating weddings in whatever spare time she can find. Lear is helping his cousin's wedding planning business, so RJ and Lear get thrown together a lot.

With alternating perspectives for different chapters, I often find myself wondering what the other person is thinking. But Denise Williams is a master at this. She goes back in time a bit for pivotal scenes, so we can fully understand where each character is coming from.

I loved getting to revisit Britta and Wes. All of the secondary characters added to the book. The plot was so well developed throughout.

Despite all these great aspects, this wasn't my favorite from Denise Williams. I was missing the emotional connection that I would have liked to see between RJ and Lear. I'm still super excited for her next book because I adore her writing so much. And if enemies-to-lovers is your favorite trope, then you may love this one most.

I really enjoyed this enemies to friends with benefits to lovers. It had a little of everything I enjoy in a novel, starting with some steamy romance, laugh out loud moments, sexy banter, and a whole lot of fun. Not only was the romance and chemistry amazing, but the characters were very raw & relatable. The dual pov was very enjoyable, as you get to see what the other person is thinking etc. & I definitely love that with an enemies to lovers trope! I also loved the premise about a wedding planner (hero) & and a divorce attorney (heroine) that cross paths in the most unexpected way. Not only do they have the cutest meet cute, but they bump heads from the start. Which made the push & pull between these two quite fun !

You can expect:

* Enemies to Lovers
* Sexy + Fun Banter
* Laugh Out Loud Romcom
* Divorce Attorney/ Wedding Officiant
* Ex-Football Player Wedding Planner
* Strong + Prickly Female Lead
* Forced Proximity
* Steamy Romance
* Dual POV
* Friends With Benefits Romance

I had read "The Fastest Way to Fall' by Denise Williams, and enjoyed it, so was happy to read another of her books. There were some things I liked about "Do You Take This Man,' but overall it wasn't a win for me as a reader.

I enjoyed that RJ was a high-powered divorce attorney and Lear was the wedding planner -- somewhat of a role reversal compared to what we usually (stereo)typically see for men's & women's careers in rom-coms. It was also a great twist that RJ, who makes her living facilitating divorce, sort of fell into this gig of officiating at weddings -- I think more could have been made of this.

But, overall, the relationship just never clicked or gelled or whatever it needed to do to form a believable build up & romance. I found the initial stages of RJ & Lear's relationship juddered too quickly from barely knowing each other to hate/attraction - and then back to stilted interaction. The dialog and action also grew repetitive -- meet at a wedding that Lear is organizing and RJ officiating, feign hatred toward each other, actually lust after each other, repeat. I just never really felt the romance was believable; it didn't take off.

I have a love/hate relationship with this book (much like Lear and RJ have with each other). On one hand, I really loved both of these characters and their prickly natures, hard exteriors, and resistance to vulnerability. But also, I’m a lot like them, so it’s hard to read and enjoy a book you relate to so hard, while it isn’t really showing you in the best light. Did I say you? I mean the characters. Ha.

The dedication says “For the ones who think they’re hard to love,” and that is exactly what this book is… a love letter to those of us that feel like we can be hard to love because we are snarky and have a hard time trusting others and letting people in to care for us the same way we want to care for them. For those of us who hold back because we have been burned before.

RJ and Lear have both been vulnerable and burned by that and both are reeling from recent experiences with trust being betrayed. They have been left behind and feel used and the both promise to not let it happen again. So when they are forced to work with each other over and over and they keep butting heads, they decide that being enemies-with-benefits is the way to go.

AND THEY HAVE STEAM. SO MUCH STEAM. LIKE MY KINDLE SCREEN KEPT FOGGING UP KIND OF STEAM.

But they both start to catch feels and both sabotage the relationship before it can even become one. This story really was so incredible to read because we rarely get two grumps making it work. At times you want to shake them both. And other times you feel so burned by how hurtful they can be because they want to protect theirselves. But you will equally feel so much passions and care because often, those of us who love the least love the hardest.

I highly recommend this one and I cannot wait to help curate this book for the September Authentic Book box!