Review: "The Wedding Wager" by Barbara DeLeo (Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit)

	The Wedding Wager (#2) by Barbara DeLeo Publisher: Entangled Publishing - Bliss Series: Weddings in Westchester The Bouquet List (#1) (affil.) Genre: Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit Publication Date: May 16th 2016 (Affiliate links)
Description from Publisher: Nick Katsalos has a foolproof plan to save his parents' floundering wedding venue. The last thing he expects is for Erin O'Malley, the captivating daughter of his parents' biggest rival, to waltz in and charm the client who could finally get the family business back on track. Nick would be furious--if only he could stop thinking about her. When Erin and Nick enter into a wager to determine who will win the contract she prepares for the worst...and is surprised by the glimpses of warmth she sees in the man behind the numbers. But Erin isn't about to forfeit what could be the biggest wedding of the decade to a man as cold as Nick. Especially since securing it means she could finally prove to her father she's just as capable of handling the family business as him. But as the competition heats up, Erin and Nick must decide what's more important—winning or love.
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
I received a digital ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.com for an honest, unbiased review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is my 100% own. This was a cute and fluffy romance story that had a "rom-com" feel to it. There were some great lines and a good amount of humor throughout, which mixed well with the overall vibe of the story. The pacing did feel a bit fast, especially towards the end, and I'm not entirely sure I 'bought' that Nick and Erin were actually in love with one another. Some of the issues they had felt slightly glossed over. I didn't like Erin's family, even her sisters, and it seemed very sad that they needed to win the wager in order to be a family. I had hoped that Erin would realize why that was wrong by the end, especially seeing how close Nick's family was. Though even with how close Nick was to his staff and family, some of his backstory felt like it was missing. We know his parents are separated, but it doesn't feel very relevant to the story. One thing that was refreshing was how very straight-forward both Erin and Nick were about almost everything. Their issues weren't the usual misunderstanding that should have been resolved in minutes, which I liked a lot. The no-nonsense "So, this happened. This is how I feel about that. What do you think?" attitudes were a nice change. As someone who loves movies, and will hit up IMDB's Trivia and Goofs immediately after watching something (if not while I'm still watching), I really didn't understand why it was so awful and unromantic that Nick was aware of continuity issues and pointed them out. The fact that Vivian in "Pretty Woman" eats something different in almost each cut back to her in the breakfast scene is not something I can imagine would "ruin" the romance and fun of the movie. In fact, I actually think that knowing little bits of trivia like that are really fun because it sort of bonds you to the film. I imagine this being such a big point of the story won't bother most people, but I found it frustrating. Sweet, lighthearted romance, overall, that I think would be a great beach read. Especially for anyone who enjoys shows like "Say Yes to the Dress" or other wedding shows (and, let's be honest, who doesn't enjoy those from time to time :) ). A few favorite lines: 📚 She swallowed as her heart began to beat a tattoo against her ribcage.📚 📚 He chuckled and shrugged. “I’m a mathematician. What can you do? But at the very least you should take it as a compliment. I will work you out, Erin. I’ll find your variables and your points of differentiation. By the time we’re through, I guarantee I’ll have you summed up.”📚 📚 He tilted his head and gave her a look that made her feel as though he could see right into the most secret parts of her. “It’s pretty easy to get most people’s number, work out what makes them tick, how the sum of their parts will add up to a neat solution. Not with you.”📚