4.5 stars
Review by Lisa Kane
Stella Bardot is a perfumist. She's a former employee of Estee Lauder and developed some of their most popular scents. But her dream is to have her own company where she develops individual scents for customers based on their own preferences. Each scent would be personalized and unique to their tastes.
But after buying out a former partner (who happens to be a former cheating fiance) she is strapped for cash and her business is on hold. When Fisher, her best friend comes up with a scheme for the two of them to become wedding crashers, Stella is in a big enough funk that she goes along with it. Her roommate Evelyn, skipped out on Stella along with some of her clothes and shoes and a check for two months back rent. Of course, the check bounced. An invitation, a gorgeous invitation came to Stella's apartment. She was confused as to why she would get invited as she had no idea who the bride or groom was, but then she realized, SHE didn't get invited. The invitation was meant for Evelyn. (Although as the story progresses, I don't know why she would have been invited either)
The wedding is at the New York Public Library (think Carrie's doomed wedding to Big) and Stella has a great fascination for the building. One of her guilty pleasures is collecting other people's diaries and reading them. Seriously, she buys them on Ebay and at flea markets and is fascinated by their writings. One of the diaries is about a woman whose wedding took place at the library. The same place she would meet her lover while having an affair. How can Stella not go?
The wedding reception is out of this world beautiful. One of the groomsman catches her eye. She becomes involved in a bet between Hudson (the hottie) and his friend, Jack. Her sense of smell wins her some cash, but ensures Hudson is interested in her. One swoon worthy dance and a few questions and Stella senses that Hudson catches on to who she is-how is that possible? Well, Hudson is the bride's brother. He puts her on the spot (I have to sat not a thing that endeared me to him) and she rises to the occasion. Then she gets her butt out of there, after snagging a few expensive bottles of bubbly.
Does she make a clean getaway? Almost, but she forgot her phone. Hudson does a little detective work, finds out the phone is Stella's and texts her to come and get it. Stella has made contact with the bride, who is forgiving and intrigued by the woman who sent her a personalized scent. One that she is crazy about and wants to gift scents to her bridesmaids. The bride, Olivia, works for a venture capitalist group who invest in companies with great potential. (see where this is going?)
Hudson and Stella had a fiery reunion, and then fizzle. Hudson works with his sister. He's not crazy about funding Stella's company. For more than one reason. This is when the story really takes off. Don't expect to be a fan of Hudson's through out the book. He pissed me off more than once. I think he is more than a little bitter about his divorce, but he is a devoted dad to his daughter Charlie and I am a sucker for a single dad.
There's a bit of a mystery in the story, I figured it out pretty quickly. I still had unanswered questions after the big reveal at the end and that bothered me. I like my mysteries tied up in little silk bows at the end. Ties that aren't completely tied leave me a little unsettled. There is also the issue of her cheating fiance and those that enabled him. I was left with way too many questions about how all that came about and why they would be part of it.
But moving these aside, The Invitation is a great read, the characters have amazing chemistry. The little girl is a charmer, without being sickeningly sweet. This one needs her own book further down the line!
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