It Happened One Wedding by Julie James

Title: It Happened One Wedding

Series: FBI/US Attorney #5

Author: Julie James

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Blurb: SHE KNOWS BETTER THAN TO SAY “I DO”

After a humiliating end to her engagement, investment banker Sidney Sinclair is done with commitment-phobic men. But when her sister winds up engaged after a whirlwind courtship, she’s thrown in to close contact with exactly the kind of sexy playboy she wants to avoid—the gorgeous best man. She’s stuck with him, for better or worse, until her sister walks down the aisle, but that doesn’t mean she has to give in to his smooth advances, no matter how tempting they are…

BUT HE MAKES IT HARD TO SAY “I DON’T”

Special Agent Vaughn Roberts always gets his man on the job and his woman in bed. So Sidney’s refusal to fall for his charms only makes him more determined to win over the cool and confident redhead. Only what starts out as a battle of wills ends up as a serious play for her heart. Because the one woman who refuses to be caught may be the only one Vaughn can’t live without…

Thoughts: FBI Special Agent Vaughn Roberts knows how to read people.  From the moment the hot auburn-haired woman walked into the coffee shop, he could tell she was on a blind date that was going downhill.  He watched her let him down gently and honestly and had nothing but respect for her.

Sidney Sinclair knew how to read men.  Regardless of how attractive Vaughn was, she knew his type.  Heck she was engaged to his type, but she was done with that.  She knew she was done wasting time with men that really didn’t want to a commitment.  She had it down to a science….well a list at least.  A list of 34 must-haves for any commitment ready man.  The number one item on the list is that if a man tells you he isn’t looking for something serious, then he isn’t.
And Vaughn came right out and said it.  The end. She wasn’t having anything to do with him and she wasn’t holding back on the explanation.  By the end of their encounter at the coffee shop, Vaughn was happy to be away from the ball-busting woman and Sidney was happy to never seen Mr. Arrogant.

Except unbeknownst to them, they were both heading to the same place afterwards.  Sidney’s sister was marrying Vaughn’s brother and they were the maid-of-honor and best man.  Neither of them wanted to rehash the coffee shop experience, so they pretended to have never met.  Only now, they were going to have to deal with each other through this wedding. Sidney’s sister meets with her later and drops a bomb that she’s also pregnant and they want to keep the pregnancy a secret from the Roberts family.  She wants Sidney’s help and they’re wanting the wedding to happen before she starts to show.

With this wrench thrown in, Sidney is put in a situation where she is forced to be around Vaughn much more than anticipated.  To help keep the family from finding out, Sidney must come with her sister to an overnight stay with the Roberts family.  Vaughn isn’t stupid and he doesn’t miss the fact that they had to make several unexpected stops on the short trip, that his soon to be sister-in-law is pretending to drink (but her sister is slyly doing it for her), his brother is eating her food (while she is obviously feeling nauseous) and her trips to the bathroom.  He knows she pregnant, but can’t understand why the Sinclair women and his brother are keeping the secret from him.  He’s also seeing the sweet side of Sidney that would go through all of this for her sister.  Nobody else, though, is missing the sexually charged bickering going on between Sidney and Vaughn that culminates with a heated kiss at the end of the trip.

Shortly after the trip, Sidney has a bridal shower for her sister and Vaughn and his brother show up to pack up the presents.  The visit is sexually charged, but ends in disaster when her sister starts bleeding and ends up in the hospital.  After her sister is stable, Vaughn takes Sidney home and then end up having seriously hot no-strings-attached sex. Sidney is still going on dates to try to find the right guy, but when she uses Vaughn as a sounding board to question things about her dates.  For now, though, they are also keeping up the sexual side of their friendship.  Between this and the wedding plans, Vaughn and Sidney end up spending more time together and their feelings for each other grow.  What happens when Sidney finds somebody that matches her 34 point checklist?  Will Vaughn be ready to move on the next thing like always?  Is Sidney going to overlook chemistry for a possible commitment?

I haven’t read the other books in this series, but I didn’t think it was necessary to read this book and get totally sucked in.  I also enjoyed this book enough to want to read more from Julie James.  Sidney was a head-strong and smart woman who also showed sweetness and vulnerability.  She’s the type of woman you can’t help but admire.  I’m sure I am not alone when I say that I have a weak spot for guys like Vaughn.  He’s got a sexy job, a sexy body and a sexy attitude, but he’s also got a soft spot for his family, close friends and the one woman who can get through his heart.  swoooooon!

Grade: A