#BookReview: Falling for the Groomsman by Diane Alberts - 4 Wine Glasses

Title: Falling for the Groomsman 
Series: Wedding Dare #1
Author: Diane Alberts
Format: ebook, 157 pages
Published: June 9th 2014 by Entangled Publishing (Brazen)
ISBN: 1622667271
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | ARe
Source: Publisher
Reviewer: Linda
Rating: 4/5

A sexy category romance from Entangled’s Brazen imprint…

She’s the one that got away. He’s the one she can’t forget.

Photojournalist Christine Forsythe is ready to tackle her naughty little to-do list, and who better to tap for the job than a hot groomsman? But when she crashes into her best friend’s older brother, Christine realizes her list needs updating. And fast. Tyler Dresco took her virginity during the best night of her life, then bolted. Now that they’re trapped together at a destination wedding, she’s going to get her revenge.

Tyler has never forgiven himself for how completely he lost control all those years ago. Being in Christine’s arms had felt right…until he realized what he’d taken from her in the hallway of a cheap motel. And oh, how she’s making him pay for it now. The insatiable heat between them has only grown stronger, but every time things heat up, Christine walks away.

With every encounter, things go a little bit further until Christine’s caught in her own trap of seduction. And before their time’s up, Tyler’s not the only one wanting more…

Thoughts:
"But when we get too close... sparks fly.  Inevitably, you end up pressed against a wall with me between your legs.  Mexico.  Last night.  Tonight..."

FALLING FOR THE GROOMSMAN by Jen McLaughlin writing as Diane Alberts is a very enjoyable short, racy read!   It's the first novel in the Wedding Dare series, a series in which all the tales take place around the wedding  of Kady and Colt.   Kady and Colt's story was told in Laura Kaye's novella,  Dare to Resist.  FALLING FOR THE GROOMSMAN is the story of bridesmaid Christine Forsythe and groomsman Tyler Dresco.

Christine had been depressed after losing her parents suddenly and tragically when her sorority girlfriends had talked her into going with them to Mexico.  When she'd broken down crying, needing comfort on that trip, Tyler, her bestie's older brother, had been there for her.  When he'd taken her in his arms, their emotions had taken over.  It had been perfect until he'd fled muttering he was sorry.  She's not heard from him in years and all the memories she'd tried so hard to bury had returned with a vengeance upon seeing him again.  Unfortunately, he looked even more handsome than he did that night in Mexico and her libido wasn't listening to her brain telling her to ignore him.  

Tyler has never forgotten Christine.   Years ago, he took Christine's virginity in Mexico when he lost himself to a moment of passion with her.  It had felt so right, but he'd bolted immediately afterwards consumed by guilt.  Since then, he'd buried himself in his studies to become a doctor, then in helping those in third world countries.  But now at his sister's wedding, with Christine so near, his feelings for her can't be ignored.

I loved Christine and, honestly, wasn't crazy about Tyler, at first.  I mean, what a scumbag to do that to his sister's bestie when she needed comfort, not another crisis.  Then... as the story progressed, each of their stories drew me in.  Tyler had worked so hard to redeem what he had done and he really did care for Christine.   He had been young and stupid.  This time he was NOT going to walk away and repeat his mistake in Mexico;  He is going after what he should have kept close all those years ago.

All the bridesmaids had created lists of what they wanted to do the week leading up to the wedding.  Most had selected a groomsman they were going to make a move on; Christine didn't.  Instead, she wanted to stay away from Tyler and maybe exact some revenge for what he had done.  Christine's list included:

Kiss a stranger. 
Have sex outside. 
Make out in an elevator.

She had planned to check off her tasks with anyone except Tyler ; but, Tyler - and only Tyler - ended up being the one allowing her to check off her tasks.  I enjoyed watching Tyler grovel a bit.  :-)))  Following please find three of my favorite quotes:

And now, here they were. Should he say something to her? Break the silence? But what was he supposed to say? Sorry for popping your cherry and not talking to you for eight years. But, hey, can I buy you a drink?" Somehow, that didn't seem sufficient for the hatred she must feel for him by now.
---

"You're going to have to do more than dirty-talk me to get me to fall back into your arms."
---
"I can't stop thinking about you. I even dreamed about you last night. About how fucking amazing you tasted. How alive you were in my arms. Hell, I even dreamed about the way you cried out my name in Mexico when you came all those years ago. About how tight you felt around me... That's something I could never get out of my head, no matter how hard I've tried."
"Well, keep dreaming, because that's the only time you'll get to touch me, or hear me cry out in pleasure, again."

You can find more quotes from the book here:  https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/26690106

I loved that Tyler had become a doctor and that he had devoted himself to helping others.   What can I say?  I'm a sucker for second chance at love stories.  They certainly had smokin' chemistry!   There were loads of juicy sex scenes spiced with humor amidst wedding week dynamics.   You'll want to read this in one sitting.  Diane Alberts has interspersed oodles of orgasms, hot, well-crafted storytelling and a solid plot into a bang of a start for this series!  The epilogue totally rocked!  I recommend FALLING FOR THE GROOMSMAN to anyone who enjoys sweet erotic romance and I look forward to reading the rest of this series.