3.5 stars, liked it but didn't love it. This is the second in a series: Julia is Alex's sister from "Romancing Miss Stone" (quite frankly, I think the author missed a golden opportunity to call this book "Julia in Denial," in keeping with the movie title theme she started with the first book). This is a quick read with a nice amount of humor, with contrasting dual 3rd-person POVS. I enjoyed the first book better, and while I enjoyed parts of it I never fully clicked with this one. I think that's mainly because I'm not a huge fan of the "falling for your former bully" trope. Julia's struggles to resolve her feelings about that felt genuine and relatable. I had a hard time at first with Carson and his current-day ex-jock, ex-frat bro vibe didn't endear him to me initially, although it was an improvement over high school-era insecure a-hole Carson. He got more likable as the book went on and I was able to buy in to Julia and Carson as a couple a bit more in the second half of the book. It did help that adult Carson seemed genuinely remorseful. I found the blended family vs. mutual attraction issue to be a bit distracting, especially in the first half of the book. If this book was a drinking game and I had to take a drink every time Julia or Carson referenced the step-sibling issue, I'd be too drunk to finish a chapter. I get that it was another emotional hurdle for them but it got to the point where each reference yanked me out of the story's flow. Like I said, this is the second in a series, and while characters from the first book are present in this one, I think you could read it as a standalone and not be lost. If you enjoy enemies-to-lovers second chance romances in tropical settings with high steam, then this is the book for you. Publishes July 1, 2025. This review was based on a complimentary eARC of the book, all opinions are my own.

4⭐️ 2🌶️ 4🎧 GAH I love a good step siblings’ trope!! Add in enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and a tropical climate, sign me up!! This is the second book in the Belize Dreams series and is a standalone novel. I haven’t read the 1st book in the series didn’t feel it was necessary; however, I have already added it to my TBR!

Julia and Carson really complimented each other as adults. Carson has mommy issues which lead to him being a bully in high school, thank goodness he grew up and showed Julia through action that he was ready to be the man she deserves. The 3rd act was disappointing, but I also understand where Carson came from in the way he acted and happy they found their HEA.

This audiobook is narrated by Meg Sylvan; she did a good job bringing this book to life.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Books for this advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My first from her and I loved it. The characters were my favorite and the settong was so cozy. the cover is beautiful just like the inside.

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁:

I really enjoyed this one. I’m in truly in my destination romances era right now! I went to Belize back in March and it was so fun to revisit and see it again through these characters eyes. I loved the characters backstory and how they have to team up to make their parent’s dream come true. Such a fun read with all the tropical vibes. Meg nailed this audio I completely forgot it was only one person reading this, it was just seamless and amazing.

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:

Julia recently graduated with a masters in hospitality and is having a hard time finding a job. Her sister who inherited her dad’s adventure business in Belize won’t hire her until she has some real life experience. So when Julia’s mom surprises them at their engagement party with the news she wants to get married on a beach in Belize next week, Julia hops into action.

Carson dad is getting married and he realized his new step sister is the girl who tutored him in high school and he wasn’t very nice to her. It’s been ten years maybe she can accept his apology and move on. But things are never that easy and now they will be forced to work together in Belize.

Planning a wedding in less than a week is not easy feet but Julia use to live in Belize and knows all the spots and has the hookups. Carson is impressed with her skills and can’t deny the crush he’s had on her for years. From food tastings, to concerts on the beach, to exploring local caves and waterfalls this week together will change them both. Maybe they can even pull off a wedding!

𝙁𝙖𝙫 𝙌𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚:

“Something he’d gotten right when he was eighteen—Julia Stone was endgame.”

𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒍𝒍 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒅:

* Enemies-to-Lovers
* Forced to Plan Parent’s Wedding Together
* She Has a Masters in Hospitality
* He Owns an Event Planning Business
* He Was Her High School Bully & She Tutored Him in English
* Soon to be Step Siblings
* Destination Wedding - Belize 🇧🇿
* Loss of Parent to Cancer
* Dual POV

🇧🇿💍🏝️🩵🇧🇿💍🏝️🩵 🇧🇿💍🏝️🩵🇧🇿

This was just about as cute as the first one! A fun quick read but it was so nice to come full circle on Alex and Julia's mom. A great low-stakes second chance romance with jaded/flawed FMC that's all too relatable. I would have loved some more flashbacks to when they were in HS but still a great read. Carter's growth after his accident was really fun to read as well.

Julia Stone's mother is getting married. For a 4th time. This time, to the father of a guy who teased her mercilessly in high school, Carson Miller. Carson has a big secret, though, and it's that he had the biggest crush on Julia, but when things went sideways, he lashed out. Therapy and a decade of growth has helped him. But now, both hospitality professionals, they need to plan their parents' destination wedding in Belize, in under two weeks.

I loved the first book in this series, Romancing Miss Stone, but I was really hesitant to pick up the second because falling for the high school bully isn't a thing I typically enjoy. But MC Vaughan does a great job at making Carson's growth believable and showing the possibility of Julia falling in love with him. It works because he falls first and fast and hard, and the years of therapy (and a life changing event) have really paid off. But really, this works well because the tone of the book is whimsical and fun.

Honestly, I skimmed 80% of this book. The language the author used was so cringy and almost juvenile most of the time that it took me out of the story so much. There was no tension or build up because she just tells you everything upfront. And I didn’t now care about the characters at all. The family was annoying. I did enjoy the descriptions of Belize though so there’s that I guess

Julia works in hospitality management and agrees to plan her mom’s wedding. Only downside is her soon-to-be stepfather is her high school enemy’s dad. Carson is a high school bully turned event planner who is voluntold to plan his dad’s wedding. He and Julia must work together to plan the wedding in Belize. They have time to explore Belize in between wedding planning, and get into some fun adventures.

Quick fun read for the summer! Loved the banter between Julia and Carson. Enemies to lovers is my favorite!

Thanks to Net Galley, Harlequin, and M.C. Vaughan for the ARC! Pub date July 1, 2025

This is the kind of romantic escape you reach for when you need a sweet, refreshing reset—especially after a string of less-than-stellar reads. M.C. Vaughan’s novel delivers just that, wrapping second chances, family chaos, and a sun-drenched destination into one utterly charming story.

The setup is a fun twist on the enemies-to-lovers trope: Julia and Carson, once high school acquaintances with a rocky history, are about to become step-siblings. When their respective parents announce a destination wedding in Belize, the two are unexpectedly thrown together to plan the event. Cue the awkward tension, unresolved history, and the gradual unraveling of old resentments.

What makes this story stand out is how maturely the emotional arc is handled. Carson, who was undeniably awful to Julia during their teen years, doesn’t try to rewrite the past. Instead, he owns up to his behavior, offers an apology with depth, and lets Julia decide what to do with it. That kind of accountability—especially in a romcom!—is rare and so refreshing.

Julia, too, is a wonderfully grounded heroine. She’s sharp, successful in her own right, and doesn’t let old wounds define her—but she also doesn’t forgive instantly, which made the progression of their relationship feel natural and earned.

If you’re looking for a light-hearted romance with a tropical setting, believable emotional growth, and a satisfying redemption arc, Destination Weddings and Other Disasters will hit the spot. It’s perfect for fans of second-chance stories, destination escapism, and love that grows through mutual respect—and a little forced proximity.

Cute. Quick. Spicy.

This is the second book in a series of interconnected standalone, but you definitely don’t need to read the first to enjoy! It’s my first by the author but I’ll be keeping an eye out for books from them in the future!

Conceptually this book is a wild ride. Julia and Carson had unrequited crushes on each other in high school. Carson was the hot headed jock and Julia his tutor, fast forward to the present these too are soon to be step-siblings planning their parents destination wedding in Belize (in less than a week)!

What’s to love…
- Second Chance, high school crush
- Strong confident FMC
- golden retriever MMC and reformed bad boy/asshole
- lots of LOL moments
- spectacular tension + well executed spice!
- travel/tropical setting
- excellent character growth and development for such a short book!
- Only one room (I mean not quite as good as one bed but still good!)

What I didn’t love…
- I didn’t jive well with the prose at first, but if you’ve been following my reviews at all you’ve probably noticed I’m rather picky with my prose. It’s actually a running joke among my bookish friends. But I digress… Once I switched to the audio format the prose became a non issue.

🌶️- 16, 19 Explicit, on page & very sexy! I may have missed some, I mostly listened and I’l terrible at bookmarking when reading via audio.

*A Note about the step-sibling aspect. This is much less taboo than it seems. Their parent’s romance is whirlwind and they see each other again (since high school) for the first time right before being whisked off to Belize to plan the wedding. Don’t let the step-sibling situation scare you off, it’s actually a rather fun quirky “what if” aspect.

Audio Narration:5/5 Great performance, no notes!

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

First, let me say I didn’t know this was a book two in a series when I requested it. While I feel like this can be read as a standalone, I definitely want to read this first one. But this was a super cute and sweet enemies to lovers. Julia and Carson are about to be step siblings and have been forced together to plan the wedding of their parents. He was a jerk to her in high school and she definitely has not forgotten it. But he says he’s changed and feelings start to develop between the two. 3.5 stars rounded up.

fun and cute romance, but like SO MANY enemies-to-lovers romances that I read, this isn't enemies so much as it is awkward crushes. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

Based on the cover I thought this would be more of an adventure type romance, but it wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong, there is exploring but I mean like an action-adventure—like along the lines of Indiana Jones. For some reason I thought they’d get lost on the way to Belize and the “zip-lining and waterfall exploring” would be them escaping villains. The MMC and FMC are going to Belize to help plan their parents wedding. I think this could be a good beach read for some as it has that vacation/tropical vibe going on.

Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. The pacing was slow. I felt like the first third of the book wasn’t necessary. The book really started to sour for be because Julia incessantly talked about how Carson bullied her. I get the need to have that conflict there for the enemies to lovers aspect but she kept bringing it up. It was kinda unrealistic to keep holding on to something like that and just assume nobody changes their behavior from when they are in high school. Oddly, I found myself NOT rooting for the couple.

There also was like a mix of POV’s that I didn’t really care for. It was confusing to follow at times.

I can be objective and say that the writing was good and Belize was described well. It’s not a bad book I just had the wrong expectations. So I think someone might enjoy reading this if they give it a shot.

First off this is #2 in a series I did not know until I finished it so can definitely be read as a standalone, however i will be going back to read the first one
Julia and Carson knew each other in high school- he was a Jerry teenage boy to her and as an adult knows it and now their respective mom (julia) and dad (carson) are getting married - both in the hospitality and event business they are chosen to go to Belize early and plan the wedding (Julia's sister lives there and they have family history there) - they do work together and plan a wedding, with obvious chemistry and of course only one room available, the book is very well written and the descriptions and discussions about Belize are beautiful and make me want to visit ASAP-

Thank you net galley for the arc in exchange for an honest!

loved this romance and helping planning the wedding of her mom. Glad that she found love too and that she was able to have better relationships with her mom and sister. Loved that she fell her step brother and her mom was okay with it. Thanks netgalley

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a review.

I loved the first book in this series, Romancing Miss Stone, and I was excited for another adventure romance story but this one was never different. It was very different in plotting and pacing and while it took some adjustment but it was a great story. I rooted for our main couple the whole time and it would make a great beach read this summer.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book to review.

This was a fun romance novel, and I enjoyed it a lot. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

A fast-paced, somewhat messy, and fun romance. This isn’t a true enemies-to-lovers romance, since the hero has been in love with the heroine since high school. The heroine was a bit of a pushover, I wished she had more of a backbone. She often got steamrolled by her mother, sister, and even the hero. The hero gave off frat boy vibes, but was working on maturing and becoming better. Overall, I liked it and thought it was cute, but I wouldn’t read it again. I would recommended it to other romance readers.

A fun read - cute and easy to get through with a great concept. A fun palate cleanser rom-com. I love a good enemies to lovers arc and the tropical setting added a nice flare to the story!

Thank you Harlequin Books and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC!

This wasn’t a hit for me, unfortunately. I loved the concept and it had a lot of potential. But the execution flopped. I didn’t understand the author’s choice of starting the book off from Carson’s pov, and immediately letting us know how much of a crush he has on the FMC. I think the whole purpose of the rivals to lovers trope is letting that tension build, and that revelation right at the beginning basically defeated the whole purpose of the trope. Combined with the fact that Julia, after her initial rejection of Carson, proceeds to spend the next 3/4 of the book lusting over him… by the time they got together it just wasn’t that exciting.

I also just think the premise was weak. Carson wasn’t really a bully, sorry. He teased her and flirted with her. And she did the same! It just didn’t really make sense.

And the choice to be 3rd person pov didn’t really work for me. So much of the book is the characters inner monologue … it actually would have worked better being first person.

I did love the descriptions of Belize - it was enticing and the author clearly did her homework there. I just think the story could have been better.