The Book:
The Partner Plot by Kristina Forest
Published: February 27, 2024 by Berkley
Date read: September 1, 2023
More February 2024 new releases here.
The Characters:
Violet and Xavier
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The Plot (from Goodreads):
Two former high school sweethearts get a second chance in this marriage of convenience romance by Kristina Forest, author of The Neighbor Favor.
To Violet Greene, fashion is everything. As a successful celebrity stylist, she travels all over the world, living out her dreams. Professionally, she’s thriving, but her personal life is in shambles. After surviving a very public breakup with her ex-fiancé six months ago, Violet is now determined to focus on her career. But life hands her something—or rather, someone—that might derail everything…
Xavier Wright did not expect to run into his high school girlfriend Violet—the girl he once thought he’d marry—on a birthday trip to Vegas. As a high school teacher and basketball coach, he rarely leaves his New Jersey hometown, so what were the chances? But when the initial shock wears off, they decide to celebrate together. They feel young and reckless as they party the night away—and reckless they clearly were when the following morning, they wake up beside each other with rings on their fingers.
Their impulsive nuptials might be a blessing in disguise, though, when they realize that both of their careers could benefit from the marriage. So they play the part of a blissfully wedded couple. Yet when their passion comes hurling back, they realize their feelings are just as real as they were back when they were teens. But are their lives too different to stick it through or will they finally get a happy ending?
My Review:
The Partner Plot by Kristina Forest
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another Vegas wedding trope in a row–I was really looking forward to this sequel to The Neighbor Favor! I didn’t love it quite as much as its predecessor, but I think that’s mostly due to my preferred tropes. It was also possibly a little too similar to The Rule Book, which I had read right before. If I read this one first, I probably would have liked it more!
Regardless, Kristina Forest’s sophomore novel is one I’d recommend in general. The bit of caretaker romance was a lot of fun. Xavier seemed like a sweetie, and I loved his dedication to their hometown. These characters made a commendable effort to resolve the issues that caused them to break up the first time, and there was no gratuitous third act break up. I’m looking forward to Iris’s book!
I don’t remember getting such negative vibes from the Greene parents in The Neighbor Favor. Was Lily’s relationship with them as contentious as Violet’s?
The Greene Sisters series:
The Neighbor Favor
The Partner Plot
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For more accidental marriage stories, check out this list.
For more childhood crush romances, check out this list.
For more romances with no third-act breakup, check out this list.
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