This was a fun story, however the 3rd person narration is one I personally have a hard time with. It pulls me out of the story and makes it harder for me to connect so that was a little distracting. Mostly because I listened rather than read, so it got confusing.

There was fun banter and just enough space for the story. Couldn't stand the MFC's mother, totally disagree with her take by the end 😅 but the side characters were great additions. I'm always up for a sweeter read, especially this summer!

*Review given freely of my own volition. My opinion is not all that should be taken into account and readers should be aware that not all tastes are the same and my view may not be the norm. This statement made remains fact, regardless of how I obtained any copy.

Cute second-chances/enemies to lovers title. It is perfect for summer reading! I adored the characters and the development, forgiveness, and ability to face challenges together. It was a great love story!

This book was so much fun! It was a quick listen with humor and deep emotion, and the conflict was thick and messy-exactly how I love my romances. The characters had great goals and fantastic growth. The story was entertaining, and I devoured this one from start to finish.
Julia and Carson had a complicated relationship. They knew and liked each other in high school, but things got complicated as relationships often do. They are thrown back together when Julia's mom and Carson's dad are getting married. To make matter's worse, both of them are in charge of the wedding plans. I adored this enemies to lovers story. The narrator, Meg Sylvan, did a fantastic job bringing all the characters to life. I enjoyed her voice and didn't notice at first that there wasn't a male narrator in this story.

This is my first book by this author, and it definitely won't be my last. I can't wait to listen to more! I received this book from Harlequin Audio and Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Net galley for the advanced copy of this audiobook. Sweet high school crush/ bully/enemy brought together again by their parents relationship for a second chance. The highlight of the story was the setting being in Belize and the love for the hometown and sharing the island with the readers. The narrator did a great job to keep you engaged.

Her high school bully returns in the form of her new stepbrother, their parents are getting married in Belize and both MCs are planning the wedding. They both had crushes on each other during their high school days and those feelings are back with a vengeance. It was short and fun with a little humor and lots of tension.

Really enjoyed this book. Great Banter, could not put it down. Beautiful story. The audiobook is so good. Chapters were the exact length. It also had so many funny parts. I really enjoyed this book.

Destination Weddings and Other Disasters is M. C. Vaughn’s second book in her Belize Dreams series. Julia Stone has completed her hospitality studies in Ithaca, New York and is now in search of a job. This trip back to California wasn’t planned but is necessary as she is attending her mother’s engagement party. Jim Miller, her mother Michelle’s fiancé, is a lovely man. The problem is his jerk of a son, Carson, who made Julia’s life miserable ten years ago in high school. A few years older, Carson is now a well established event planner in LA.

While Carson says he is truly repentant for the things that happened in high school, Julia doesn’t trust him or the chemistry they appear to have. When the pair is tasked with the last minute planning of an impromptu wedding of Michelle and Jim in Belize, Julia is not pleased. She is pleased even less when they must fly out in two days, her sister has no room for her to stay at their childhood home in Belize, and, of course, there is only one room available at the hotel due to a music festival.

With all the feels, a dynamic cast of characters, and an exotic setting, this is truly a fun tale, but with some very serious threads woven through. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

Former bully romances are a hard sell for me, but I was so excited by the premise for this one that I took a chance, and I ended up having conflicted feelings about that aspect of the book. On the one hand, it didn't focus on the bullying in a way that made me really hate the thought of them together. On the other hand, it felt like things got smoothed over a bit too easily. Carson's internal monologue includes a lot of guilt and from the beginning he's determined to make things up to Julia, which I really appreciated, but it felt like Julia capitulated too quickly. She was still hurt, but she extended a LOT of trust to him (like, spoilers ahead, the fact that she's willing to forgo a condom when they sleep together a few days after reconnecting). I did like the forced proximity of working together to plan their parents' wedding, and the complicated family dynamics. I think I wanted a little more from all the tension—romantic, familial, situational when plot things go wrong. I didn't love the book and wouldn't read it again, but I did enjoy it and would read more from the author. I also think that with a former-bully romance I would have preferred a dual narration, but I thought the narrator did a good job!

High school nemesis Julia and Carson are reunited to plan a later in life wedding for their parents in Belize. With this forced proximity, Julia is beginning to know who Carson truly is as an adult while learning to let go of the immature high bully version of him that she used to know.
I have a little bit of a hard time understanding how some of the issues that arose in the last part of the book were resolved, but it ended in a HOA. The panty melting spice throughout this book is a bonus with my favorite quote being “morning timber”. Give it a go for funny, enemies to lovers, foreign country fun.

🎧 Title: Destination Weddings and Other Disasters-Belize Dreams #2

✍🏾 Author: M.C. Vaughan-new to me author

📅Publication date: 7/1/25 | Read: 7/9/25

🗣️Narrator: Meg Sylvan voices all the characters with standouts from Julia, Carson, and Michelle. The reading style brought the text to life, and the author and narrator worked together perfectly. The pacing and flow allowed me to get lost in the story. The narrator paused and announced new chapters and there was a table of contents which helped me follow along.

🏃🏾‍♀️‍➡️Run Time: 8:58

Genre:
*Contemporary Romance
* Adult Fic

Tropes:
* destination wedding
* enemies to lovers/rivals
* high school bully/tutor
* same room
* forced proximity
* family drama

👆🏾POV: 3rd person

⚠️TW: death of a parent, bullying, grief, car accident-past, toxic parent

🌎 Setting: LA, NY, to Belize

Summary: After her mother Michelle announces her 4th marriage, Julia is tasked with planning the last-minute wedding in Belize. Her new stepfather Jim just happens to be the father of her high school tormentor Carson. Ten years ago, she tutored him in English, and he made her life a living hell spreading rumors about her. He claims to be a changed man and volunteers to join with Julia to make their parents' wedding memorable. Will he prove his metamorphosis or is he the same selfish intimidator?

👩🏾 Heroine: Julia Stone-26-just finished graduate school in hospitality management, looking for a job
👨🏾 Hero: Carson Miller-28, CEO of Limitless Events-an events planning business.

🎭 Other Characters:

* Michelle-Julia's mother, a personal shopper
* Jim-Carson's father-construction renovations
* Alexandra/Alex + Bo-Julia's older sister + her fiancé, runs a resort and tours in Belize
* Roberto-Julia's ex-boyfriend
*Carson's mother-a sports agent, only took interest in Carson because he was a great baseball player
*Xavier- Julia's father, died 3 years ago

🤔 My Thoughts: There were some unresolved issues between the main characters and their parents. Julia, Alex, and Michelle dealt with their father's death and their mother's multiple marriages. Carson had issues with his mother who only had time for him as a baseballer with a chance to go to the MLB. Julia and Carson needed to make amends with the past and their unrequited crushes. Carson was the popular athlete with money, while Julia was the poor, shy, little girl. It took Carson losing his MLB dreams and his friends to change. Julia learned about the new man he was and fell for him.

----FYI: I didn't read Romancing Miss Stone, but I didn't feel lost. Alex and Bo fit right into this story.

Rating: 4/5 ✨
Spice level 4/5 🌶️open door, explicit sex

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Audio, and M.C. Vaughan for this ALC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

I breezed through this second-chance, soon-to-be-step-siblings romance set in beautiful Belize. The tropical setting gives off vacation vibes—and the author brings it to life beautifully.
If you’re craving a getaway read that would brighten an afternoon, I recommend this read.

3.75⭐️ rounded up to 4. This is the second book in the Belize Dreams series and can easily be read as a standalone. Julia’s mom is getting remarried to none other than to the father of Julia’s high school bully, Carson. The guy that made her life a living hell in high school is now her soon to be brother and the two have been assigned to plan their parents dream wedding.

Destination Weddings and Other Disasters was such a fun, summer read. The story takes you right into the heart of Belize. The author did an amazing job bringing Belize’s food and culture right to the reader.

There were lots of silly moments that had me giggling but it was its upbeat cute storyline that is what made this the perfect warm weather read to add to your summer TBR. I enjoyed the fast pace and the easy flowing dialogue. The characters were well developed and leapt off the page. I read in tandem with an audio ARC and you really can’t go wrong with either option. M.C. Vaughan is officially on my radar and I’m excited to checkout her other novels.

This was a first time reading a book by M.C. but can truly say I enjoyed it. Who doesnt love second chance romance, forced proximity and enemies to lovers all mixed into one. Love the family support and also the family drama. Destination weddings are also always a fun read. Didn't realize this was a 2nd book so off to read the 1st I go.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this arc.

What a perfectly charming quick romcom read. I really enjoyed the balance of humor and emotional moments. The settings were great. I enjoyed the character development as well. A great addition to any romcom readers shelf.
I enjoyed this book so much and am looking forward. to ready more by M.C. Vaughan.

Enemies to lovers destination wedding planning snafus as the adult children have to help plan their parents wedding in Belize on very little notice. This had tons of family drama, a redemption arc for the MMC who fell first when they were kids but made a stupid mistake. There's spice and some cameos from the first book in the series but it can definitely be read as a standalone and was good on audio. A fun summer beach read romance! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

I went in to this relatively blind and was so wonderfully surprised. This story is a continuous ride of surprises as the high school bully tries to win over his high school crush (cuz you always hurt the ones you love, right?). And did I mention this reunion happens while co-planning their parents wedding? Awkward! It has been 10 years since high school but this to clearly still carry a torch. The enemies to lovers vibes abound mixed with some forbidden romance shenanigans and plenty of forced proximity. A recipe for love if I’ve ever seen one. I fully lost myself in longing for Carson and Julia to get their act together. In the end he pulls out all the stops to show her he “sees” her like no one else. A beautiful tropical HEA and a wonderful story.

Solo Narration done by Meg Sylvan was a treat. Honestly, I completely forgot this was solo. Meg did a fabulous job blending unique character voices all throughout.

Unfortunately this was a miss for me. It was a perfectly pleasant listen for work, but it was also perfectly boring. The plot and conflicts felt too manufactured and I just found there was nothing compelling to cling to. The mom was the most objectively interesting part of the story, and she was annoying and agrivating.

I think there's a large audience for this love story, I unfortunately am not a part of it.

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Audio & author M.C. Vaughan for the advanced listener copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

It’s official! I have a new GO TO AUTHOR for romance reads!! Destination Weddings and Other Disasters is book 2 in the Belize Dreams Series. This was my first MC Vaughan book, and it read fantastic as a stand-alone (though I will 100% be backtracking to Book 1!!).

As our story opens, Julia finds out at her Mother’s engagement party that her former high school bully is about to be her new step-brother. Not only that, but their parents spring the surprise of a destination wedding in under 2 weeks. With Julia’s Hospitality degree from Cornell, and Carson owning an event planning business, they are charged with planning the event.

I found the read to have great dialogue, chemistry, character growth and humor. Our narrator Meg Sylvan brought the personalities of each character to life. The pacing felt natural keeping me fully immersed throughout.

This book would resonate with readers who enjoy the works of Christina Lauren, Abby Jimenez and Emily Henry. This was a fantastic 4.25/5⭐️ star read for me. I can be very picky about romance reads, but this one is a highly recommend!

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. The narrator did a great job, however, at times I was confused as to who was speaking and thinking. Other than that, I really liked the chemistry between Julia and Carson, once former friends-turned-enemies (due to a misunderstanding). Now that they are thrown together, planning their parents wedding, old feelings arise, and things take off from there. Also, the side characters and disasters are hilarious!

2.75 out of 5 (rounded to 3)

This is the second book in the series, and while it wasn’t quite the cozy romance for me, there were still a few highlights. The author did an excellent job painting the setting—her descriptions of Belize were vivid and immersive.

That said, some of the banter felt a bit off, especially with the word choices the characters used. The rivals-to-lovers trope also didn’t land as strongly as I hoped. The tension fizzled quickly since the FMC seemed to be lusting after the MMC from the beginning, which undercut the rivals dynamic.

Nothing inherently wrong with the story—it just didn’t fully hit the mark for me.