The Invitation

Excellent story. No breakups, just hard decisions. The banter was great. Development of both characters was smooth and very, very believable.

H: Hudson Rothschildh: Stella Rose BardotWoW just WoW!!! This is by far one of the best books I have read this year!!! I love the creativity of this story, the characters were so relatable. I love everything about it!!!We have Stella that after finding out her boyfriend was cheating with one of family members and also her roommate decided to leave her with bounce checks and stole some of her favorite choices, she decided to crash a wedding with her good friend in tow. The invitation was sent out to her ex roommate and she decided to go and act as her roommate. Hudson's sister is getting married and then he meets Stella who he knows is not who she is since he knows the actual person. Once Stella finds out she got caught she ran away but forgets her phone. Now she has to do the walk of shame to go back to retrieve the phone from Hudson. There we find out that Stella is struggling to get her company up and that Hudson can do that. I really love this whole story. The base of the story is really different and the audio made it 100% better.

“The truth was, I was afraid to take a chance. But I realized now that by not taking a chance, I might miss out on something really beautiful.”The Invitation is an all new standalone featuring the kismet/office/single dad romance of Hudson Rothschild & Stella Bardot. She crashed his sisters wedding but definitely made an impression, and it wasn’t because of the bottles of Dom she took with her as she escaped. She thought she was in the clear, until she realized that her cell phone was left behind and the only way to get it back is face the guy she ran from. And when he becomes the one person who can make her dreams of getting her custom perfume service off the ground, she knows she can’t cross that line begging to be crossed no matter how hot the attraction is. But Hunter is a patient man, and he’s got his sights set on Stella. The only problem? She doesn’t even realize she has the ability to shatter everything before it ever has a chance to begin.“Hold that thought, Stella. Your whisper is getting almost loud enough that I can hear it.”This is my 8th or 9th book of Vi’s, of those only the Rush duet was able to secure 5 stars from me.....I’ve had some I absolutely hated (looking at you Dirty Letters) and others that were solid 4 star enjoyments (hey there The Rivals).....I find I tend to like books of her own more than those she co-writes with Penelope (the same with Penelope as well). I was hoping The Invitation would be her first 5 star on her own but alas it wasn’t meant to be. There were a few good things that came from this story BUT there were two rather “big” elements that made 5 stars impossible for me.....My Thoughts:The Good:I loved Stella, she was written perfectly. But there was something about Hudson I felt a little something “extra” for. The way he “saw” Stella for everything she was, how he lifted her up and made sure she knew what a rarity she was.....“You’re not a woman who needs a man. You’re a woman a man needs. I’m not sure I even recognized the difference years ago. But you make it impossible to forget now.”.....how he was honored to be chosen by her. I love me an a-hole antihero, but every now and again I’m a sucker for an amazingly written good guy. Now I’m not saying he isn’t without fault, but that made him more authentic. And the way he calls her sweetheart....“You know, I think we should probably give in. We don’t stand a chance if the whole world is conspiring.” “Sweetheart, I didn’t stand a chance from the moment I looked at you.”....it could’ve gone all wrong, yet nothing felt more right.Reading as much as I do, it’s hard to find something truly unique and never before seen for me when reading....so when I do I have to give credit where it’s due. From Stella’s incredibly odd yet fascinating “talent”....“An enhanced ability to smell odors, an increased olfactory acuity.” “So you’re good at smelling s**t?” I laughed. “Exactly.”....that added such a fun little element to the story that I have never before seen (so I learned something new). I also found her little hobby to be interesting and a cool little “twist” to the plot.....“Okay! Wow. This is turning out to be a great day. I might have to celebrate by reading two entries from Marco tonight.” “You’re a real wild woman.” She shrugged. “I might not be, but sometimes the people in my diary are.”....I mean how did I not know there was this world of buying and reading other people’s diaries out there? It’s like the ultimate reading material.I laughed, quite a bit....which is usually something I know I can expect from Vi. Stella brought me the most laughs, from the office kitchen incident that had me in tears....“You were flailing your arms around—I thought you were choking.” Stella frowned. “I was conducting.” “Conducting?” “Yeah, you know, pretending to be the conductor in a symphony.” I stared at her like she had two heads. “No, I don’t know. It isn’t often that I conduct a symphony in the kitchen at the office.” “Well, that’s a shame. You should try it. It’s good for the soul.”....to her little “secret” revelation involving the turtle....I raised a brow. “You smuggled an animal into SeaWorld?” Stella nodded. “I like to think of it as helping him get asylum, but yes.”.....there were many other funny moments, one of my fave things about her writing!There is no shortage of great support characters in this book, but Fisher & Charlie took the cake in that dept. Fisher is the kind of best friend we should all have....“It didn’t look like you were too lonely. Who was that Adonis, anyway? You know I don’t like it when you have men in your life better-looking than me.”....he’s the perfect mix of arrogant and playful AND supportive and loving. But then there is little Charlie, with her obsession with making ice cream an essential food group....“There’s always room for ice cream, Daddy. It melts once it’s in your belly, so it’s not even really food.”....and her love for Dolly Parton and having no filter around adults. Another place Vi excels at, writing kids that I want to adopt as my own!The Bad:I have yet to read a book by Vi (or one she co-authors with Penelope) that I haven’t been able to figure out the big “bomb” fairly early on. No matter if I love the book or hate it, they all have one thing in common....they are ridiculously predictable which takes away from the overall suspense and excitement of the story. This one was no exception, there wasn’t an element of surprise bc it was all right there in your face.The Ugly:This is the definition of a slooowwww burnnnnn, which is fine with me except once it got to their first time between the sheets, she totally SKIPS OVER IT! Imagine waiting til the 70% mark for them to get it on, getting some foreplay and expecting to turn to the next chapter for it to continue, only to get this instead.....“How many times had Hudson and I had sex? Three? Four?”....like hold the f up? I had to wait that long for the action only to be locked out the bedroom? Nope, not a fan....I want at least some action here.The Verdict:I may not have loved everything about this book, but overall it’s a really sweet and unique story that I absolutely enjoyed reading. Will it be a fave of 2021? Not exactly, but it is a solid 4 star read that I think other readers might love even more than I did. Stella & Hudson are both phenomenally written characters and I definitely recommend everyone getting to know them as well....I promise they are worth the disappointment of the sexy time “skip”.“Stella Rose Bardot, let me give you your happily ever after. Be my wife, and I promise to try my hardest to make your life better than anything you’ve ever read in a book.”

When Stella opens the fancy invitation her ex-roommate received in the mail, she has no idea she's going to be sent on the ride of her life with the man who will change her life. Ending up leaving the wedding she crashed like Cinderella leaving the ball before midnight, she leaves her phone behind for the bride's gorgeous brother Hudson to find, unable to get the woman who smelled so good, who seemed to have the sniffer of a bloodhound, and the body of a goddess, off his mind. He isn't Prince Charming, though, because the things he wants to do to the woman he only knows as Evelyn are far more dirty than that fairy tale.By a quirk of fate, Stella ends up pitching her signature perfume company to Hudson's VC, so now they're colleagues, and neither wants to mix business with pleasure. Well, Hudson's willing but Stella's afraid of ruining her business AND getting her heart broken. Her ex fiancé's betrayal left a lasting impression on her, and she's not gung ho about opening herself up to more possible pain. Will she ever give into the smoldering attraction that's obvious to everyone around them? The ball's in her court because Hudson refuses to ask her out twice. Now she has to choose to take a chance or stick to the safety of her comfort zone. Will things end in a Cinderella fairy tale for Stella and Hudson, or will something come up out of the blue and tilt both their worlds, especially Hudson's, off their axis, never to be righted again?I loved this beautifully told story. From the very first page, Stella had me hooked - she's so whimsical and fun, and she has such a unique way of looking at the world, but has the largest capacity for love and compassion, that I just knew her soulmate would have to be as wonderful a person as she. Thank God Hudson turned out to be a sweetheart (after he got over his grumpster phase 😋) who could see the beautiful person inside Stella that she couldn't see about herself. And, lest I forget, the most adorable little scene stealer, ever, Charlie. She was probably the best part of this quirky, beautiful love story. I don't think I'll ever forget Stella the perfumist, Hudson the investor, and Charlie the precocious little girl, and the meant to be family they created for themselves.

The characters are well defined. The story unfolds beautifully. There are many surprises along the way. The dialogue is well written. I didn't want to stop reading. I'd love to see this as a movie on Hallmark!

This is actually a lovely book. The characters are unique and the chemistry is off the charts. Very well written. I smiled quite a bit and loved the main female character.

Van begin tot einde een fantastisch verhaal. De karakters zijn zo liefdevol ik vind Hudson een fantastische vader en broer. Heb enorm veel gelachen de trouwerij van Olivia en Mason waar het verhaal begon was een giller. Hudson schrijft ontzettend leuke teksten op bananen waar ik krom van lach. LOL. Stella en Hudson echt een match made in heaven, ik zou graag en vervolg lezen over hun.

Character driven, drawn out love and lust, witty dialogue and mystery/suspense

Amé a la protagonista, su personalidad fue lo mejor! Un libro muy divertido 🥰.Llegó a tiempo y sin ningún rasguño.

❌Sorry in advance for the language ❌Oh my god! This was the best of the best!What a amazing and original story! Vi Just swept the rug beneath my feet.Hudson and the beautiful Stella were the perfect couple!!! The development was perfect, truly!!!!!This is a must read!!You are not going to regret it!

I usually don't write reviews....... If I ever did it was to Catherine Edwards TLBQ....... Next to Catherine you are my most favorite author...... I read many of ur works within 2-3 months, a time where I m supposed to be studying for my upcoming exams that's how much I love ur passion....... Hudson n Stella are my new favorite😍😍😍😍....... Thank u for such an amazing book for bookworms like me🤭.....