When I first joined NetGalley, a website dedicated to gathering readers for unreleased books to garner reviews and feedback for authors, I was honestly just looking for new books to read. Out of all the books I’ve read, Not That Kind of Proposal stood out to me more than any other books I had read and previewed, and I knew I had to share my opinion. Not only with the author, but with the whole world as well. This book took up every waking moment I had, leaving me wanting more each time I had to put it down to sleep or eat. Victoria Lavine, the woman that you are, I want to hug you and tell you what a fabulous job you’ve done capturing what it looks to deal with family struggles, death, and even love. Spoilers ahead, so proceed with caution if you want to go in blind!
Gracie Holland is a wedding planner working at the fabulous Larkwood estate with her boss, Agatha Larkwood, and she lives on the property in a cute little cottage. Agatha describes Gracie on many occasions as, “Audrey Hepburn with an ass,” which is honestly one of the best compliments I’ve ever heard. Gracie is almost like a long-lost granddaughter of Agatha, and is loved just like family. Agatha has always mentioned a very handsome, young grandson to Gracie and hinted that they would be a great match, but Gracie has always politely turned down the offer. You see, three years ago Gracie got her heart absolutely decimated by her ex-boyfriend, Calvin, and has shied away from any sort of romantic entanglement since. But suddenly, when Calvin calls Gracie out of the blue to ask her to plan his shotgun wedding, she is left to confront her past and find a way to get through this wedding without falling apart. Why would she say yes in the first place? Well, Gracie has a habit of not being able to say no to people, which is something I can relate to very well. So alas, Gracie must plan this wedding in two months (which is a very short time period for a wedding, but again, shotgun wedding). At least she’ll have the help of her wonderful boss Agatha, right?
Wrong. Unfortunately, Agatha dies and Gracie is left to grieve for one of her greatest friends and role models. Fortunately, that very handsome, young grandson appears at Agatha’s funeral and tells tales of their adventures and laughs together. He turns a somber day into one filled with light, and Gracie can’t help but laugh along with him. When he rescues her from a particularly sharp cactus, Gracie is entranced by him. And she’s not the only one caught in his spell.
Jude Larkwood, Agatha’s grandson and sole heir to the Larkwood estate, is enraptured by Gracie until he finds out she’s Larkwood’s live-in event planner. Jude has other plans for Larkwood that don’t include keeping it as a wedding venue, and if he’s going to sell the estate to a buyer who requires total privacy, he needs Gracie’s cottage. After a rocky yet tension-you-can-cut-with-a-knife-filled introduction, Jude and Gracie are pitted against each other, each thinking they know what’s best for the estate. Jude is dead set on getting rid of it, and Gracie believes it was meant to be a wedding venue, especially since she needs it to be one for her ex’s wedding in two months. Gracie usually lets others walk all over her, but her passion for Larkwood is stronger than that. So she devises a plan.Â
Gracie proposes to Jude that they work on Calvin’s wedding together so he can see the joy that comes from weddings and hopefully change his mind about selling the estate. Will her plan work? You’ll see once this book is released!
I absolutely adored reading this book, and it made my rom-com filled heart so happy. The way Victoria Lavine writes yearning is unmatched, and it truly makes the book as amazing as it is. Not only does she write yearning in a way that makes you feel, but she also tackles difficult topics like death, grieving, and domestic abuse with such tact and sensitivity that it makes these heavy topics feel less heavy. I cannot recommend this book enough!