Title: Insert Groom Here
Author: K.M. Jackson
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: December 2016
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Confession: I love reality dating shows. Specifically, I'm talking about The Bachelor and its' many spin-offs. I live for the cheesy catch phrases, the over the top dates, and, of course, the interpersonal drama. So I was ready to take a break from all of the intense and enraging news blowing up my Twitter feed after the ascension of a sentient Cheeto, and read some contemporary romance inspired by reality TV.
Insert Groom Here follows Eva, a successful, accomplished, driven young woman who wins the wedding of her dreams on live TV. Her potential groom, however, throws a wrench in the plan when he decides to break the engagement, on air, without any warning. The usually composed Eva loses her shit and, incensed by the live broadcast of embarrassment and her failed relationship, ends up getting physical with Aiden Walker, son of the head of the TV network. Of course, Aiden is hot, a playboy, and finds Eva's assault of him amusing instead of terrifying, and luckily Eva's character improves from this first impression. From there, Aiden campaigns to get Eva her own dating special to find Mr. Right, whom she will have to marry on live TV. Due to her overly-involved PR firm-running mother, Eva agrees if only to get some better publicity to make up for her on screen meltdown. The book follows Eva's string of dates as well as her love-hate relationship with Aiden Walker.
First, I have to say that, despite me not being into her kneeing someone in the balls in the beginning of the book (violence is never the answer), by the end of this book, I was ride or die for Eva. She is everything! She doesn't let herself get pushed around by the TV producers, she doesn't try to change who she is for her suitors, and she knows when to put someone in their place (verbally, she doesn't get violent again after the first meeting with Aiden). When one of her dates tells her that he loves "breaking" women (like a horse, essentially) and tries to figure out if she's one of the ladies who swooned for Christian Grey in 50 Shades, Eva's response is pretty amazing: "for the record, I'm fine just as I am and don't need a man like you to bring out any hidden depths. And side note, just because there was a popular book that eluded shades of bondage, not every woman fantasizes about being broken. It's called fiction for a reason." Yassss!!! She's just the best. Another favorite line: "Just as she thought, here was another man thinking he could somehow change her life with the magic of what he had between his legs."
Which brings me to Aiden, the love interest. Aiden's whole hang up is that Eva is the talent, and it would be unprofessional to start something with her, and he hates being 'tied down' (of course) and can't wait to get back to traveling and investigative reporting once his punishment of working for his dad is over. Even though he is cast as a womanizer, Aiden is extremely respectful of Eva's feelings and tries to be clear with setting boundaries. The tension between Aiden and Eva is very well done, and they both had quite a bit to learn from one another. I love the sort of rivals to lovers trope in romance, so I was definitely cheering for them to get together in the end, especially since Eva's dates were painfully dull.
Overall, this book was a lot of fun and featured some excellent critiques of the double standards that men and women face when it comes to marriage. Eva was also an extremely confident main character, which is always a lot more fun to read about than a doormat, and Aiden was a good combination of playboy and respectable, woke dude. If you like your romance with a healthy dose of humor and self-awareness, this is an excellent pick.
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