The Winter Wedding Plan - Blog Tour Contemporary Women's Fiction Review

The Winter Wedding Plan by Olivia Miles

Rating: Very Good
Source: Publisher

Description:  Charlotte Daniels has made her share of mistakes, but now that she's a single mom, she vows to do better--and that starts with a new career. Working at her sister's event-planning company is just the fresh start she needs.
Kate Daniels has finally forgiven Charlotte for her betrayal, but forgetting it is harder. But as the holidays approach and Kate has her own wedding to plan, she has no choice but to turn to Charlotte for help to throw a high-profile client the holiday party of the season.

Charlotte leaps at the chance to redeem herself . . . until this irresistible client asks her to pretend to be his fiancée for the party. She knows their charade won't come without consequences--not just for her fresh start with Kate, but also for her own daughter.

As Kate's wedding draws near and Charlotte's fake romance starts to feel more and more real, will she fall back into the mistakes of her past, or finally prove herself to Kate once and for all?

Genre: Women's Fiction/ Contemporary Romance

Why I Picked This Book:  I really enjoyed the previous book in this series and I was really looking forward to reading Charlotte's story since she was kind of the villain in the last book.

My Impression:  I love a pretend romance turned not so pretend!  It's definitely on my list of favorite tropes.  This however isn't the fun romp this trope typically is.  These characters have some serious issues.  Charlotte started out as the villain in the first book, One Week to the Wedding, though it became apparent by the end that all was not as it seemed.  In this book the focus is much more on Charlotte and if anyone needs a hug and a helping hand it's her.   What she thought was a new beginning is quickly falling into pieces around here and she's desperate to prove to her family that she's not the irresponsible selfish child she was before as well as committed to earning a second chance with her sister Kate.

I couldn't help but root for Charlotte and while she did make things harder on herself by not fully explaining her precarious financial position to her family I understood her reasoning.  I did want to shake her family for not really looking at Charlotte and realizing just how close to breaking she was.

Greg Frost is a bit like Charlotte, alone and trying to be everything to everyone else all at once.  The fake relationship is offered in desperation and accepted in desperation but it was wonderful to watch the act of desperation start to lead to a little more strength and maybe even a little bit of healing.  Olivia Miles' books aren't fun romps but they are sweet with lots of heart and characters that seem like friends.

Would I Recommend this Book?  I would!  This is a good series with lots of feels.  If you haven't read the first book you'd probably be okay jumping in here though to really understand the dynamics between Kate and Charlotte you should go back and read One Week to the Wedding.  I don't think you'll be disappointed!