New Release Review ~ The Best Man's Baby ~ Karen Booth (@karenbooth)

The Best Man's Baby by Karen Booth
Release Date: January 3, 2017
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the author. I voluntarily reviewed.
Rating: 4 Bookworms
Challenges: #2017NewRelease, #COYER, #ShelfLove
Goodreads ~ Amazon

Synopsis
It's a second-chance baby!

Julia Keys has everything going for her: beauty, brains and a Hollywood career. So why does she keep ending up in Logan Brandt's bed? The sexy former pro baseball player has wreaked havoc on her heart for years. But when their latest fling ends with a plus sign on the pregnancy test, Logan makes the case for marriage.

Julia knows the only wedding in their future is the one they're both attending, no matter how hot the chemistry between them still burns. Can two high school sweethearts who've made a mess of love finally get it right even if the baby isn't Logan's?

Alright, as I've said before about Harlequin, this isn't a title I'd necessarily pick up myself. Cheesy title aside, it's by Karen Booth and y'all, the woman knows how to write a romance! The Best Man's Baby has a lot going for it...second chances, small town setting, close-knit families... Oh! And it happens to feature an interracial couple. For all that, I can overlook the title.

I'm a sucker for second chances and Julia and Logan's story offered up a wonderful one. These two essentially grew up together and were high school sweethearts. But Julia broke things off before they both left for college feeling a break up was inevitable and not wanting her heart broken later. They've kept in contact over the years though and hook up yearly at their high school reunion. However, following the most recent reunion, Logan decided to break things off for good, feeling Julia doesn't have it in her to commit for the long haul. Cut to the present: they're both in town for Julia's sister's wedding (who happens to be marrying Logan's best friend) and Julia has quite a bomb to drop on Logan. It doesn't take long for the flames between them to reignite.

I immediately liked both Julia and Logan. They both fiercely loyal to their families and friends. Logan doesn't want to let anyone down and Julia is out to save everyone. They're both giving but Julia, for some reason, doesn't trust easily. Probably because in her effort to save people, she keeps getting into relationships with the wrong men.

I also liked their families. I could tell they were close and always had each others' backs. However, Julia's sister, Tracy, did get on my nerves at times. She acted rather bratty quite often and her being the bride didn't excuse her behavior in my book.

The interplay between Julia and Logan was fun but also poignant. Their chemistry was combustible but they were truly a match - everyone seemed to be waiting for them to figure it out.

The only issues I had aside from Tracy's behavior is that Julia's career and the repercussions from being pregnant were never resolved. Otherwise, I found the characters realistic and the story engaging. Another winner from Booth!