I enjoyed this enemies to lovers romance.

I liked RJ and Lear. How they progressed from enemies with benefits to more by slowly opening up to each other about their pasts.

There was something that was missing for me in this story, but I cannot quite put my finger on it. Perhaps it’s more of a right book but not quite the right time.

Overall, still an enjoyable book (3.5)

I loved Denise Williams's first book in this series and was excited to read more about RJ. RJ is the classic strong black woman and she's made herself like this to save herself hurt within her workplace and life.

I loved that this showcased a different kind of black woman - the one that is hard on the outside but soft on the inside - these women need love too and I feel like they are misunderstood a lot

Lear has been burned being the nice guy - he no longer wants to be taken advantage of. The shift in personality types was refreshing and more realistic.

The sex scene was just the amount of spicy we all needed.

The give and take between Lear and RJ was fun and a joy to be a part of. I read this book so fast - I will be adding the hardcopy to my collection

This ARC did NOT disappoint. It was cute, it was steamy, and it was so fun.
We have a strong fmc, a feminist love interest, and a brilliant love story. Lear has taken over his cousin's wedding planning service while she is *otherwise occupied* but RJ is surrounded by the broken lives of her clients. RJ doesn't believe in love any more. RJ has seen what happens to love in the long term, and she doesn't want that to happen to her...
After reading this, I really want to read the books previously published by this author!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Divorce attorney and famous officiant RJ stumbles (literally) upon the one man who infuriates her, riles her up, but also turns her on—Lear, the taking-a break-from-being-the-nice-guy wedding planner. When the two have to work on upcoming weddings together, will the forced proximity ignite their attraction to each other? Or, will they remain focused at the tasks at hand and let the tension fizzle out?

I will always read anything that Denise Williams writes. I had a bit of trouble in the beginning with this one, partly because I couldn’t wrap my head around the names (lol, silly I know), but I got to know Lear and RJ, and I loved their head butting turned romance. The whole wedding season made it fun, too—the gas station wedding was totally creative. Anyway, enjoyable and fun, DO YOU TAKE THIS MAN was a good mix of a hate-to-love romance and opening oneself up to love.

Denise Williams is a superstar to me and I will continue to read and shout about her books from the mountain top. I am squealing with delight waiting for readers to get their hands on this one and while they wait I will be telling them to read Seven Days in June.

And Event Planner and a divorce attorney? Perfect set up for an enemies to FWB situation. I love Denise Williams and her work. This one with dual POV was great. RJ was such a well formed female character that you just wanted to root for her.

I have really enjoyed continuing this romance series. I loved that RJ was a strong career woman and that even at the end of the book this didn't change. She is passionate about her job, and even her side job as a wedding officiate. I also loved that we had Lear who was a wedding planner which isn't a typical job for a male MC in a book. I loved that Denise kept them in these jobs/roles because it was refreshing. I didn't feel like I connected to Lear very well, his back story just left me wanted to know more about him and his family. RJ's story seemed more fleshed out to me. I loved how RJ is this tough worker, but she lets her walls down (eventually) and she and Lear learn how to lean on each other together and how communication is key to their different personalities. This was a slower burn for me, and it took me a little bit to get into compared to her last book with britta and wes, but overall I loved this installment and I am curious if another story will rise up from this world.

RJ is an unlikely wedding officiant, Lear is an unlikely wedding planner. After a disastrous first meeting, sparks fly. An enemies to enemies with benefits storyline. Lear's backstory was well-done. RJ's work life is well-written and realistic.

RJ is a divorced attorney who happened to be in the right place at the right time to perform a famous couples wedding ceremony. After going viral, everyone wants RJ to perform their ceremony. She is committed through the summer but then she is giving it up. When she literally runs into Lear on the job, the two immediately hate each other. having to work together to pull off the clients weddings though is bringing them closer. RJ doesn’t do serious relationships though, just sex.

Do I adore @nicwillwrites? Yes, yes I really do. After loving her first two books, plus her recent novellas, I was so excited to read this book! Let me tell you, it did not disappoint. I recently saw this quote: “Being overly independent is a defense mechanism from constantly being let down.” This quote felt just perfect for RJ. I absolutely loved both RJ and Lear, and their banter was just perfection. Lovable characters, fantastic writing, and a wonderful story. I never expect anything less from Williams and this one was no different!

Do You Take This Man…yes..yes I do!

Attorney/wedding officiant RJ and newly minted wedding planning Lear are steamy enemies with benefits.

Of course they move on from enemies and see the challenge of each other as the real attraction. The usual – he wants more but is afraid to ask, then she wants more but gets shut down then finally (!) both wanting more with clever, funny and biting banter.

Denise Williams created characters that I really came to care for. Their backstories and past heartbreak seemed real. The interventions of family and friends rang true.

After Do You Take This Man you may never look at perfunctory wedding rehearsals the same way again.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

No one would ever describe divorce attorney RJ as being a soft-hearted romantic. She prides herself on being tough as nails and never letting anything ruffle her. But after a video of RJ officiating an impromptu wedding in the park goes viral, she suddenly becomes the most sought-after person when someone's looking to get hitched. RJ will never admit it, but she loves overseeing the "I do's" until she meets the new wedding planner she's forced to work with. Lear went from managing football events to working for his cousin's wedding business after his girlfriend ripped his world apart. He's focused on throwing all his attention into executing perfect events, but he'll have RJ to contend with. The pair instantly butt heads and refuse to compromise, but neither can deny the burning physical attraction they feel toward one another. Lear refuses to get hurt again, and RJ refuses to let her guard down, so they decide to engage in a little enemies with benefits deal. But will spending all their time surrounded by loving couples make them want to change their tunes?

I feel like Williams is a bit hit or miss for me. I've read a few of her books that I loved and others that I thought were okay. This leaned a little more towards the latter half for me. I love the enemies-to-lovers trope, but there were times I felt RJ and Lear were a little too mean to one another. They were both very passionate people, maybe a bit combative at times, and while that led to very steamy scenes between them, I couldn't help but feel like it was too much. I did enjoy all the banter, and once they finally started opening up to one another. Overall, I liked it, but it didn't blow me away, and I would still recommend it if you're looking for a new hate-to-love book to pick up.

Following a disastrous first encounter on an Ashville, NC sidewalk, two total strangers discover they actually have something in common. They’re both working the same weddings, where Lear is the event planner and RJ is the officiant. Lear Campbell is a sociable people-person who likes things to go smoothly and efficiently. RJ Brooks, whose day job is divorce attorney (ironic, right?), is a regimented control freak who just likes things done her way. So here they are, at the height of wedding season, exasperated, fascinated, and maybe a little infatuated, trying to keep it professional. Williams’ smooth writing style is a pleasure to read. Her characters bring plenty of drama to keep the reader engaged, and their clever banter and inner monologue are laugh-out-loud funny. Easily the best rom-com I’ve read in a long time.

Thank you so much Berkley for the ARC!

4 stars 💗

This book was kind of a dynamic I’ve never read before, and I had a fun time while reading it. Lear and RJ are basically frenemies with benefits, and watching them navigate that relationship was really fun for me. I loved the scene of her taking care of him while he was sick, that’s one of my favorite troops ever so I enjoyed that thoroughly. I also loved that at the end she acknowledged that she was wrong, I feel like that was a really good thing to happen because he was quite open with her and he constantly got shut down so it was good to kind of see her own up to it. Sing them fall in love with each other on their own accord was really cute, especially when you think about how they first originally met versus how they ended. I don’t know I had a blast while while reading, and it was centering a black woman being loved out loud. That is my all-time favorite trope so I was hooked from there!

I always know when I pick up a Denise Williams novel (or novella!) that the work will leave me smiling, and Do You Take This Man is no exception. While Williams excels at giving us easily likeable characters, it was such fun seeing her present us with a hero and heroine who, shall we say, take a bit more work? Unapologetically abrasive and prone-to-assume-the worst RJ meets her match in Lear, a man on a mission to stop being a “nice guy.” Though the two clash at first (and at several other points along the way) walls gradually come down and stories unfold that reveal the reasons behind their fears of vulnerability, until they realize they’re crazy about each other. What’s even better? The characteristics others have been so quick to criticize may end up being the things they love best about each other. With a tight focus on its two leads and a series of delightful, heart-melting, and occasionally disastrous weddings as a backdrop, pick this one up for a joyous celebration of finding that special someone who embraces the whole prickly package, and for a sly overturning of the idea that someone has to be likeable in order to be lovable.

💍 Enemies to Lovers
💍 Forced Proximity
💍 Strong, successful female lead
💍 Slow Build Romance
💍 Dual POV
💍 Banter

I have enjoyed each of Denise Williams recent Contemporary Romance releases and this book was no exception. In her prior full length novel releases, How To Fail At Flirting and The Fastest Way To Fall, I felt like they fell more into the rom-dram vibe. With this newest release, I felt like the book kept up a slightly lighter vibe (more in line with her novellas) and felt like it had more of a romcom vibe.

I enjoyed that this one felt a bit more lighthearted, and really loved the whole meet cute / instant dislike / enemies to lovers premise. RJ and Lear were both interesting characters and it was great getting a dual POV to get to ‘see’ both sides of their stories, feelings, and experiences. I was happy to see the relationship between the two progressing slowly over the course of the story.

I actually really enjoyed RJ in particular as a character. I like to see strong, driven female characters portrayed in a positive light. I liked that sure she has a softer side, but she could choose when, where, and who to share that with.

Overall, it was a fast and fun read for me. I really look forward to what Denise Williams writes next. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkeley Pub for the opportunity to read an early copy! All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and freely offered.

Will be posted on smexybooks.com near release date


Denise Williams is an auto-buy author for me, and I was eager to get my hands on her latest release. The premise promised everything I love in a book: bad-ass woman divorce lawyer who happens to moonlight part-time as a wedding officiant meets cinnamon roll party planner hero who has secret pain. They instantly dislike each other, but have pants feelings, and are stuck at weddings together over the course of the next few months.

The book was engaging - and I really loved the meet-cute and the dual POV. The book needed the dual POV, because both characters were so bad at communicating their wants and needs. Like, for a lawyer and a wedding planner, both of whom presumably spend a good chunk of their professional lives communicating well - they were epically bad at doing so in their relationship.

And this is where the book lost me a bit. RJ, our ice queen heroine, is honestly mean. She is a little too hot-and-cold for me, and her motives for being mean were light. I loved that she was a strong Black woman - and I adored that Williams showed her as always working (because duh, she is a career-oriented boss lady) - but I didn’t love how indifferently she acted with Lear for most of the book.

Lear isn’t great at communicating either, and he starts the book out as a bit of a jerk (telling RJ to smile more… really??). But because we get his point of view, we understand a bit more about why he is that way, and frankly, the guy has been through hell. He kept putting himself out there to RJ, and she shut it down pretty quickly, wanting to remain friends-with-benefits.

Quite frankly, I wanted to smack both of their heads together and send both of them to therapy.

Williams recognizes their communication issues, as Britta, one of RJ’s best friends (and heroine of The Fastest Way to Fall), gives her some tough love:

“I say this with love,” she said.
“No one says that before anything nice, either.”
“They don’t.”
I set my tissue aside, having forced my tears back into submission.
“Maybe you need to bite the bullet and use your words. You’re good at words, and your current tactic is to avoid communicating.”

Yes, Britta. Preach, girl.

And maybe that’s why this most recent release felt a little flat to me. Denise Williams is an incredibly talented author with complex characters and some heartbreak in each of her books. She writes these incredible career women that I want to be friends with. But in this book, because the obstacles preventing the main characters are all internal, I ended up frustrated by their behaviors - it felt like having the same discussion with a good friend about her toxic behavior, over and over again, and not having the behavior change until the 11th hour. We are happy she finally got there - but good lord, it was a tiring journey.

Overall, I enjoyed this book - the divorce lawyer-turned-wedding-officiant was cute, and I liked the diverse cast of secondary characters. I also grew to really love the hero, who kept showing up and being the “nice guy” he was at his core. But the way the characters kept miscommunicating and mistreating each other made the read less enjoyable than some of her previous works.

Either way, I’ll keep Williams on my permanent auto-buy list.

Grade: B-

Big thanks to Berkeley for the advanced copy of this book. This review is being given honestly and all thoughts and opinions are my own.


Overall 3.5/5 rounded up to 4 stars

I’m a big fan of Denise Williams and have been eager to get my hand on it. I thought the premise sounded amazing and I’m happy that the book lived up to my expectations. I really liked Lear and RN and thought they were perfect for each other, mutual baggage and all.

I think the reason this wasn’t 4 stars or more was that the relationship buildup wasn’t totally there for me and I was not a big fan of the hot and cold aspect of their relationship.

I enjoyed Denise Williams adding details and soft moments to their arrangement but felt a lot of it was more telling me about it than showing me. I feel the relationship build up would have benefited from actually displaying these moments rather than mentioning them after the fact. An aspect of the relationship buildup that was missing for me was definitely the emotions. I think the characters had a really hard time opening up and being vulnerable to each other which led to a lot of hurt feelings and is something I’m not a fan of. Regardless, I did feel very connected to both characters in their individual internal dialogue on the emotional front because I could relate to some of their issues.

Of course I still really liked this book and thought the enemies/annoyance banter was very much on point. and encourage people to preorder this and/or read How To Fail At Flirting, which is a connected book (same ‘world’ with intertwining characters).

I read Denise Williams' "How to Fail at Flirting" and "The Fastest Way to Fall" earlier this summer and she immediately became one of my new favorite authors. She writes the BEST banter, and her books manage to deal with some serious issues while still being cozy, fun reads.

In "Do You Take This Man," Williams gives us a "difficult" heroine -- divorce attorney RJ, who doesn't believe in love, but has a highly ironic avocation as a wedding officiant. She finds herself having to work frequently with a new-in-town wedding planner named Lear, who has recently moved to North Carolina from California, having lost his dream job working for a sports team. (We find out why later on.) At first, RJ can't stand Lear (at their first meeting, he told her she should smile -- NO NO NO, Lear!!), but he's a good-looking single man, and eventually they strike up a friends with benefits arrangement. The novel's main question is, can RJ overcome her conviction that love is not for her, and allow Lear into her heart?

We get alternating chapters giving us both protagonists' points of view, which proved helpful in learning more about both of their back stories. They've both gone through traumatic experiences and have very good reasons for being hesitant to trust other people.

At times, both RJ and Lear behave pretty poorly toward each other, which can be uncomfortable to read about. But their HEA is well-earned. I didn't love "Do You Take This Man" quite as much as her first two novels but Williams has a way with a steamy love scene, and I thought the character development was solid. Lear's uncle appears in a few scenes and was a real delight.

Thanks to Berkley for the advance review copy via NetGalley!

⭐️⭐️⭐️½

I thought this was an entertaining book with a hot AF enemies-to-lovers story. RJ and Lear had very palpable hate for one another and I was excited to see how their relationship would pan out. I liked that they approached sex with the same passion and fervor with which they disliked each other. This book has some of the best hate sex scenes that I've read and they got me really hot and bothered!

As usual, Denise William's writing is excellent in this book. She writes smart and sassy stories with great dialogue and banter.

Steam level: 🔥🔥🔥½
⚠️: mention of death of parents & infidelity (not between the main characters)

Oh my heart!!!! Denise Williams writes such fun + witty banter and such smart modern rom coms. This book completely charmed and captivated me. Her characters feel incredibly authentic and it’s so easy to relate to their feelings, their insecurities, and their desires. Her writing has so much heart and humor and the chemistry practically sizzles off the page. I didn’t want this love story to end but I was so happy with the conclusion. Perfect for fans of enemies to lovers, grump/sunshine, weddings, strong female friendships, steamy sex (who even needs a bed?!) and swoonworthy grand gestures! Thank you so much to Berkley romance + Netgalley for my copy.