Fiction Fare

I have to disclose up front that I personally know this author. But I'm pretty sure I didn't let that sway my opinion of Plus One at all. One of the reasons I know Ms. Walsh personally is because I admire her as a writer and she always seems to know just what I'm looking for in heroines and heroes and she brings that to her writing. In Plus One, we meet Olivia, who is tired of endless dates with men that she just can't connect with. In fact, we meet her while she's on one such date... and I can't blame her for setting up a rescue phone call once I heard some of the first date horror stories! It turns out it isn't her best friend, Emma, calling to rescue her though. It's her best friends, younger brother, Ian. Ian has always been a part of her life, and over the years has become one of her best friends. Olivia has never entertained the idea of looking at him romantically simply because in her mind he was never an option. When Ian finds out that Olivia has 9 weddings to attend, either as a bridesmaid or a guest, he offers to be her 'Plus One' to each of them and after a moments hesitation, Olivia accepts.Like I said above, Walsh knows how to write heroines. The problem I often have with romance is that I find the actions of the characters to be unbelievable or just plain unexplained at times which then leads me to dislike the heroine/hero. I never had that problem with Plus One - the characters are so wonderfully written and developed, I thought I was reading a story about friends that I knew! Olivia is smart and successful and yet she struggles in this one area of her life. And while I may not have agreed with every decision she made along the way, her actions made sense. She struggled to wrap her head around the idea that this person who has been so much to her could possibly become more. And the niggling fear that is always there when you mess around with such an incredible friendship... what if something goes wrong, how do I go on without this person in my life, is excellently conveyed here, not only because he's her friend, but his sister is also her friend... would she lose both of them if it didn't work out? Definitely a believable struggle.Okay... so another thing that Brighton does wonderfully well... the naughty stuff. The banter between the two characters is so well done. It's light and funny, showing us just how great their friendship is and then it's full of tension and UST showing us their incredible chemistry. Ian ... *fans self* remember when I said Brighton knows what women want in a hero? well... imagine this ... While there's nothing wrong with a woman having her way with me, I prefer to be the one calling the shots in the bedroom."or He brushed a single finger down the line of her jaw, and instead of moving away, swept his finger over her lips.or Leaning in, he brushed his lips against her ear. "I need to taste you." I mean... he's sweet, and wonderful to her... not just as a guy trying to get in her pants, but also as a friend and confidant. And man, can that guy talk in the bedroom... Ian's story is slowly revealed to us and it turns out that he's crushed on Olivia for years. convincing himself that any sort of relationship other than friendship just isn't going to happen and so he's moved away trying to put some space between them and pursued other relationships which all ended up missing something. But he never ditched Olivia ... he has always been her friend and I admire that.His feelings for Livvy are obvious from the start to us readers, but it makes sense that Olivia didn't and couldn't see it and getting to see the evolution from friend to lover is one of my favorite kinds of romances around and Brighton Walsh captures what I love about it best. If you're a contemporary romance fan, this is definitely something you're going to want to pick up when it comes out on May 6th. It's a quick, light, read that will have you falling in love right along with Ian and Olivia. Definitely put Ms. Walsh on your favorite authors list... she's for sure on mine!Thank you to Ms. Walsh for an advance copy for an honest review. This review can be found on my blog, Fic Fare: