Paper Roses by Lily Morton (Confetti Hitched #3)

TITLE: ⟫ Paper Roses

AUTHOR: ⟫ Lily Morton

SERIES: ⟫ Confetti Hitched #3

RATING: ⟫ 5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Jed Walker thinks he’s having a midlife crisis. The only trouble is that it feels too good to stop.

Widowed at a young age, he’s spent his life since then avoiding any relationships that might end up hurting him again. He has his successful wedding planning business, Confetti Hitched, and a series of uncomplicated hookups, and that’s all he needs in life

The one person disrupting this controlled stoicism is his younger assistant, Artie. He’s sweet and kind and has a funny way of calming Jed’s mind. So, when Artie comes to him with a problem, Jed moves heaven and earth to help, which is how he finds himself entering a fake marriage with the younger man and catching feelings. Too bad it’s all pretend. Or is it?

From bestselling author Lily Morton comes a story about how love can completely derail the best-laid plans.

This is the third book in the Confetti Hitched series, but it can be read as a standalone.

REVIEW: ⟫ Oh the squee of delight I let out when I received this ARC! I am part of Lily’s Facebook group and was extremely chuffed to discover that the third Confetti Hitched book was due out on my birthday, but I wasn’t about to say no to reading it early!

This book – oh my goodness, this book! Jed is such an idiot! He was so kind, so caring whilst protecting his heart with a solid brick wall between him and everyone else. He was so utterly blind to the fact that it was obvious he was head over heels in love with Artie that it was occasionally so heartbreaking.

Artie was such a brave young man – from a childhood marred by a horrid stepmother, he still remained kind, sensitive and caring and completely in love with Jed. He took the opportunity that fate presented to him and ran with it, making a home for he and Jed, and risking it all for love. I was in awe of how strong he was, especially with stepping away to allow Jed to figure out some things on his own.

The two of them together were just amazing – so witty, so damned sexy and just made for each other. I adore ALL of the crew of Confetti Hitched and laughed so loudly at Raff and other shenanigans and just loved the updates that we got on how everyone was doing. As always, the background cast of characters were entertaining, funny af and perfect additions to the story line. Special shout-out to Mal and Cadan (I LOVE those two) and the descriptions of the various weddings, brides and grooms and insane situations made this a laugh out loud situation.

I will still be buying this for my birthday because it was just so darned good – if you have read any of the other Confetti Hitched books, you will not be disappointed. This is Lily Morton at her absolute best! I received an ARC from GRR and am insanely grateful for getting my birthday present a couple of weeks early!

Something Borrowed by Lily Morton (Confetti Hitched Book #2)

TITLE: ⟫ Something Borrowed

AUTHOR: ⟫ Lily Morton

SERIES: ⟫ Confetti Hitched Book #2

RATING: ⟫ 5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Stan has never let his blindness hold him back, but he’s beginning to realise his love life is keeping him from moving forward.

He can’t remember a time when he wasn’t in love with his best friend. Rafferty is everything to him—his partner in crime, his confidante, and the person who understands him best. But Rafferty is incapable of reciprocating Stan’s feelings.

As a successful wedding planner, Rafferty is passionately committed to helping newlyweds begin their happily-ever-afters, but after a rootless childhood he’s equally determined not to seek his own. How can he trust in love and marriage when so many of his brides and grooms are repeat customers?

Stan is the glue that keeps the pieces of Rafferty’s life together, and as such Rafferty has always kept Stan safely in the friend box where he can’t lose him. However, lately that conviction has wavered and now Rafferty is bursting with complicated feelings for his best friend. The timing couldn’t be worse because Rafferty has realised he’s in love with Stan just as Stan is moving on.

From bestselling author Lily Morton comes a friends-to-lovers story about realising you have the perfect man when you’re on the brink of losing him.

This is the second book in the bestselling Confetti Hitched series, but it can be read as a standalone.

REVIEW: ⟫ This was a lovely, slightly frustrating, but ultimately satisfying read. As per usual, the sassy banter was top-notch and Rafferty and Stan were such an absolutely delightful couple that you couldn’t help but root for them. Rafferty is fighting off the effects of his parents on his lifestyle, unable to see that he already has a strong, solid relationship with Stan that his parents could never hope to emulate.

Stan was a brilliant character. I think there can occasionally be a tendency to make characters who have a disability either paragons of virtue or their disability becomes their entire personality. Stan was most definitely not like that. He was as acerbic (if not more so) as Rafferty, unwilling to suffer fools gladly and making the most of the life he has built with himself. The only thing that would make it more perfect would be to finally be rid of his patronising and controlling boyfriend, Bennett, and get over this useless love he has for Rafferty.

With a cast of familiar and new characters being less than subtle cupids, weddings to organise, and life to survive, the relationship between Rafferty and Stan was stellar. They simply fit together and everyone but them knows it. I loved this story – the flashbacks, the sex scenes, the music store – it all pulled together to make the time fly as I read it in one sitting. I always forget just how much I love reading Lily Morton books until I fall back into one and this was no exception.

Confetti Hearts by Lily Morton (Confetti Hitched #1)

Title: ⟫ Confetti Hearts (Confetti Hitched #1)

Author: ⟫ Lily Morton

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ Joe Bagshaw doesn’t believe in love or marriage anymore, which is rather a hindrance for a wedding planner.

His own marriage was a whirlwind affair that ended before the ink could dry on the wedding certificate. Nevertheless, even with his divorce pending, he’s getting by. Or at least he was until he finds himself snowed in at a remote Scottish hotel with the wedding party from hell, a terrible ABBA tribute band, and his soon-to-be ex-husband.

Lachlan has missed Joe from the second his husband walked away. He wants Joe back and is prepared to do anything to get him. Being snowed in together seems to offer the chance Lachlan needs, but does he have what it takes to get Joe to trust in love and their marriage again?

From bestselling author Lily Morton, comes a romantic comedy about love, matrimony, and the best of second chances.

This is the first book in the Confetti Hitched series.

Review: ⟫ I clicked request for this one as soon as I saw Lily Morton’s name, which meant that I didn’t read the blurb and got a little bit confused initially – Joe seemed to be in love with his husband, how was he going to fall in love with someone else?!

This was typical Lily Morton, full of banter, snark and sarcasm and oodles of chemistry between our two leads. Joe and Lachlan meet and hook up at a wedding – something Joe sees as an extremely hot and pleasant one-night kind of thing until he meets Lachlan at yet another wedding. And somehow those two nights have changed into something more, although neither him nor Lachlan are prepared to put a label on things.

When they end up drunkenly getting married, Joe realises just how little he knows about his husband, and this distance between them as well as some well hidden insecurities mean that he and Lachlan don’t go the distance, especially with Lachlan’s housekeeper and assistant making it perfectly clear that Joe just isn’t good enough.

Lachlan is feeling out of control and terrified of it, and when he should be making himself vulnerable and sharing himself with Joe, he’s pulling away, even whilst dragging Joe to the altar. It’s only when he loses Joe – to the point of divorce paperwork – that he finally realises what he has done and decides to do everything he can possibly do to get his husband back. (Can I just say the signing of the divorce papers had me giggling for ages?)

This is a very typical Lily Morton story so if you have enjoyed previous books of hers, you know what to expect. It’s hot, sweet and sexy, being a lot of fun to read as well as satisfying when you reach the end.

I received an ARC from GRR.