The Paid Bridesmaid was a story filled with humor, romance and charm, and I was obsessed. With a unique story-line and characters that were easy to connect with, I devoured this book in no time at all. It you're a fan of adult romance that has some angst and heart in the pages, then you definitely need this book in your life!

Rachel Vinson owned her company, which provided bridesmaids for weddings. With signed NDA's and bridesmaids that wouldn't create drama and help the day unfold seamlessly; her business was a huge hit! Her latest client was Sadie, who was an Instagram influencer. Her destination wedding in Hawaii was going to be not only sponsored but live streamed too. And Rachel would be acting as maid of honor and bff. But the best man was highly suspicious of Rachel and I loved watching everything unfold!

Rachel was driven, focused and thoughtful. She was passionate about her business and all of her energy went into her job. With a no dating guest rule, it had been a long time since she ever did anything for herself. That is until Camden Lewis entered the picture. Not only was he the best man, but he was business partners with the groom. And he had dealt with people trying to steal information from their high tech company multiple times. With Rachel being pegged as a possible spy, it led to wonderful angst and a slow burn romance.

I adored Camden from page one. He was kind, thoughtful, charming, smart and yet a tad overly suspicious. But that didn't stop the instant attraction the both of them felt. Or the spark that was between them, anytime they were together. And the more time they spent with each other, the harder it was to ignore. Yet Rachel was nervous. Was Camden only interested in her because he was trying to find out if she was going to steal from their tech company? Or did he truly like her? But regardless, she was lying to him. She could never tell him why she was there. Rachel's heart was torn with what to do.

This story was so much fun! I loved all of the wedding festivities! I loved that Rachel and Sadie started to actually form a friendship. I loved Rachel's employee, Krista who was also a bridesmaid, who pushed Rachel to get together with Camden. But most of all I loved the tension between Rachel and Camden! They were a very slow burn romance that never went spicy, but was a ton of fun. And while there was definitely some family drama, and Rachel had some of her own too, all in all this was a very heartfelt story.

The Paid Bridesmaid was an adorably unique story that had a lot of heart and was a ton of fun. And somehow my emotions sneaked up on me because I found myself with happy tears in my eyes towards the end of this book. So if you're looking for a sweet and cute romance story, that ends with an epilogue and fabulous happily ever after, this is definitely you're book! This was another huge win by Sarah Wilson and I'm looking forward to her next release!

I rarely read romance novels*, but this was the most interesting option of the Amazon First selections. I loved the concept of a paid bridesmaid.

Rachel is a paid bridesmaid. Brides hire her (and her employees) to be in their wedding party. The actual job ends up being part personal assistant, part wedding day coordinator. Rachel has a strict rule about not dating anyone from these weddings, at least partly due to the confidentiality. (Rachel and the bride make up a story about their friendship).

This book takes place over a week in Hawaii. Rachel is serving as the maid of honor for Sadie, a social media influencer who has sponsors for her wedding. Camden is the best man.

Honestly, the premise is so much fun, and I loved the over-the-top Hawaii dream wedding setting.

Most of the characters are delightful, and even the obnoxious family members are sympathetic.

Yes, it has the typical "falling in love very quickly" romance shtick, but there's a scene of intense conversation that helps make it work.

Finally, I loved the epilogue. All romances should have an epilogue, to tie up everything nicely!

*I read tons of books with romance, but they're usually fantasy fiction or fairy tale retellings. They don't fit the romance novel formula.

With a super fun premise, fantastic characters, a tropical setting, and chemistry oozing off the pages, this story is a winner.

Rachel owns a business where brides can hire bridesmaids...and it's all discrete. I loved the friendship she developed with social media influencer, Sadie, and I especially loved the interactions and banter she encountered with the best man, Camden.

*Swoon Alert!* Camden is the complete package--he's attentive and sweet, fun and engaging, and loyal and devout. But he's a tad bit suspicious of Rachel, which leads to some funny moments and sticky situations. He's a swoony-worthy hero for sure! I loved Rachel's stability and common sense, but all that disappears with the setting Hawaiian sun where Cam is concerned.

Sariah Wilson knows how to write chemistry that jumps right out of a book and grasps a reader's heart. The characters feel like friends and the plots are so entertaining. I loved this story so much!

Content: mild+ romance (some innuendo, kissing)

I enjoyed this book. I flew threw it in one sitting. I think the premise had a lot of potential but the characters fell flat to me.

The main characters (Camden and Rachel) were too perfect. You get a little bit of "imperfection" thrown in at the very end, but it didn't feel very well developed. I hate the trope of women who eat a ton of unhealthy food but somehow they never work out and never gain weight, and a man who loves how much a girl eats because all of his other girlfriends would starve themselves. Yawn. Eating unhealthily is not a character trait.

Rachel's best friend (Karina? Karisa?) never takes anything seriously. She was constantly pushing Rachel towards this guy for no other reason than he was hot. I don't think they ever had a single conversation about Camden that didn't center around how hot he was and how attracted to him Rachel was. She also never took Rachel's concerns about dating him seriously. A true best friend listens to their friends concerns and tries to relieve them. Most of Rachel and Karisa's conversations went something like this: "Nothing happened between us" "Sure it didn't!!!!" "I swear, we just stayed up and talked" "oooh is that what you're calling it?" In real life, now you're annoyed at your friend for not taking you at your word.

Rachel's mother was just obnoxious with absolutely no redeeming qualities.

The author also attempts to shoehorn in conversations about very serious topics (domestic abuse and alcoholism) that felt out of place and undeveloped in the story. I have read romance books that touch on these topics very well, but in this instance they fell flat for me.

The most interesting part of this story is Ben & Sadie and the actual job of "paid bridesmaid". I do think the sexual tension between Camden and Rachel was well done, if a tad repetitive. It's definitely not a smutty book if you're worried about that.

Overall, I think this author's writing is not for me as I believe romantic comedy books need strong characters to carry the story, but it did keep me entertained.

When I read these days, I don‘t make myself finish books unless I really want to. I couldn‘t put this one down! As I got into the story, I was thinking “This will probably be a 3, but I‘ll give it a good review to go with it.“ And then I keep reading - and more and more, I realized that this story was JUST what I wanted to read!

The characters are so well-developed and fun to read. Also, the tension and chemistry between Rachel & Camden was perfect! It was just the right amount of build up - it never got boring waiting for THE moment! Finally, I have to give props to the author for creating a beautiful romantic book that didn‘t dip it‘s toes (or dive headlong) into the realm of erotica. No judgement from me on books that contain sex (I‘ve read and enjoyed a few of them, too!), but it was nice to read a romance that wasn‘t focused on writing the next fifty shades.

Great book! Definitely recommend!

3.5-4 stars. I liked the story concept. Rachel Vinson runs a discreet business where she and her staff will fill in as bridesmaids for a bride's wedding. It's very much a no mess or fuss type of situation where there are no politics involved and the wedding can go off without a hitch. Rachel is currently working for a very influential Instagrammer, Sadie, and the NDA explicitly states that Rachel cannot disclose that she is a paid bridesmaid, but instead, she is a longtime close friend of Sadie's. The groom's best man, Camden, is both attracted and suspicious of Rachel. He thinks she might be a con and he's specifically concerned that Rachel is trying to con him or the groom because they own a tech company that is about to go public and stand to amass a fortune. I found this part to be especially amusing because Camden is very inquisitive and can't seem to leave Rachel alone. She tries to keep him at a distance because she thinks he's simply trying to charm her so he can seduce the secrets out of her and she's not falling for it no matter how tempted she is. In the meantime, Rachel is also juggling all of the wedding duties to make sure Sadie has a memorable and amazing experience. Sometimes the story dragged a little, but otherwise it was entertaining and has funny or witty moments while being character driven. I really liked Camden and Rachel together, but Rachel has to keep her secrets for the sake of her job that could cost her both Camden and her business. The ending was cute and in between Camden's interrogations, he was also charming.

I have always enjoyed author Sariah Wilson’s books, so buying and reading this one was an easy choice for me. Still, I am constantly amazed at her ability to suck me into a story and hold me captive until the end. I started the book last night, and just couldn’t put it down.

I loved the protagonist Rachel and especially reading from her perspective. She is smart, organized, kind and a rule-follower. She is a “paid bridesmaid” at a very public wedding in Hawaii. Enter the best man- a super swoony guy named Camden and things start to heat up.

I loved the romance and building tension between these two!! The author did such a fantastic job of creating a toe-curling romance and building up the story, all while keeping my attention and keeping the story clean. There were moments I wasn’t sure how things would work out, but the ending was just so completely satisfying…dreamy sigh. This is one book you won’t want to miss!!

I don't generally read romance as a genre. I don't mind a love story included in the books I read but I don't really seek out books marketed as such. However, I had gone out on a limb on a past First Reads choice and read "Roommaid" by this author and enjoyed it enough to choose her again.

This is blatantly a romance, and in order to enjoy this type of book I have to simply sit back, stop analyzing everything and just have fun reading. It's a light, fast, fun, escape read, not to be taken too seriously. I do find the constant commentary on how hot the guy is and how attracted the girl is to him somewhat overdone, and just a little irritating, but I really appreciate how the author keeps her stories clean while still maintaining the attraction the characters feel for each other.

The story is fast-paced, flows naturally, and has fun dialogue, humorous situations, and likeable characters.

If you are looking for a romance where the characters don't jump into bed with one another in the second chapter, and can actually speak without using an expletive in every sentence, then I recommend this author. Even if romance isn't really your chosen genre yet you appreciate light humor and fun, likeable characters, then you may enjoy her as well.

If you can't suspend believe long enough for a light, escape read, or want something more gritty, action packed, or explicit, then skip this.

It's not the type of book I would read all the time but for an occasional escape read I would consider this author again.

Such a great read. Well developed characters and I Ioved every one of them. A great mix of joy, fun, romance and trouble.

I found this story line very fresh and delightful.

I loved the protagonists Camden and Rachel, absolutely loved the banter and the page turning nature of this romance.

There was not a single thing or character or scene that was unnecessary or out of place.

Enjoyed so much from start to finish, couldn't stop reading from one chapter to the next, loved the characters and story, absolutely would love to see this on the but screen. Story of love, trust, friendship and absolutely hilarious moments.

Can I be your bridesmaid? It seems like a great way to have fun and find everlasting hot, quirky, guy love in Sarah Wilson's

THE PAID BRIDESMAID

Rachel is a professional bridesmaid, I kid you not! Apparently, they are a thing - or at least my career aspirations hope so. She's an uber organised, rule-following career girl who runs her own business full of professional bridesmaids and this could possibly be the job of a lifetime. Being maid of honour to a mega Instagram influencer.

Throw in the obligatory hot best man, who's quirky and smouldering and slightly suspicious. An overzealous mother. Warring family members. And feelings that she just can't control no matter how much she tries to tamp them down. Everything that can go wrong at a dream destination wedding does and it brings full of laughter and tears and the kind of odd gifts that I would love for someone to buy me.

So please, please, can I be your bridesmaid. I'll provide the dress, you provide the groomsman to love me. I won't even require payment - though if he'd like to pay in kind I'm ok with that. LOL.

Read this one Reading Ninjas, I bet you can't get through the whole thing without sighing with a little vicarious jealousy, laughing at the antics, smiling at the friendship and sheading just a little tear.

Lovely, light story that was the distraction I needed. It gave me beautiful Hawaii and a hunky, flirty guy, what more could I ask for?