Always the Best Man

by Fiona Harper

Standing at the altar, Damien is breathless as the woman he loves walks toward him—to marry another man. Knowing bridesmaid Zoe's watching him makes it harder still. The opposite of the bride, Zoe's too loud, too vibrant, too …everything! Zoe can't resist provoking him—just once, she'd like to see "Mr. Perfect" lose his cool. She can tell there are fireworks smoldering behind those pale blue eyes.

But before the wedding night is over, their unexpected connection will threaten to undermine everything they both believe about themselves and each other….

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Harlequin, Harlequin Romance, Category Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Contemporary Romance

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 21, 2012

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book. The book opens with Damien watching his best friend marry the woman he is in love with. He has been very careful not to let even a hint of his feelings show to anyone, but he is understandably very tense at the wedding. Also at the wedding is the maid of honor, a woman that irritates Damien to no end. She is far too extreme a personality for him to be comfortable around. He is calm and always has a plan, and Zoe is impulsive and outspoken. When she starts pushing his buttons, he kisses her to shut her up and is stunned by their chemistry. The next day he finds her on his friend's sailboat - after he has already taken it out of port. They come to an agreement to share the boat for the next two weeks, and slowly find themselves learning more about each other. Not only learning, but actually liking each other. Damien learns how to let go of his control a little, after she makes him realize that it has been a reaction to his father's actions. Zoe has always been self-conscious about herself, due to her own family life and the actions taken by people around her. Damien teaches her that it is okay to be herself, and the first thing about getting other people to like her is to like herself. Pretty soon they realize that they are developing feelings for each other that they never expected, and honestly didn't see a future in. When Zoe finds out about Damien's feelings for her friend, she feels betrayed, and leaves for home. I loved the way that they ended up having to actually work at repairing their relationship, that it wasn't just fixed in a quick and easy way. Damien's proposal at the end was so wonderfully done that it was just perfect for them.

[Darlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, I'll admit it. I'm a snobby reader. I assume that anything with 'Harlequin Romance' written on the cover is going to be drivel.

I WAS WRONG!

I was so thrilled that this book was smart, funny and heartwrenchingly sweet. I could have done with some (or ANY) sex scenes, but the story stood on it's own without using sex as a crutch.

Both characters were so well defined that I felt I would recognize them on the street. I hope this author has other titles!

[Heidi Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up for free at the recent RoNA awards ceremony in London as it was one of the nominated books for the RoNa Rose award (as well as one of mine!). I read it practically in one sitting and absolutely adored it. It's full of Harper's fabulous wit especially in the opening sequence when we first meet Damien Stone – the habitual best man of the title – who is having to support his best friend Luke while he marries Sara, the woman of Damien's dreams. But as with all of Harper's books the witty writing is matched by the emotional depth of her characters and their conflict. Damian is a wonderfully complex character whose secret yearning for the 'idea of Sara' is both funny and quietly tragic, stemming as it does from the insecurities of his childhood. Unfortunately for Damien, he doesn't get much of a chance to lick his wounds thanks to the brash, abrasive and ultimately infuriating presence of the maid of honour Zoe. Loud, impulsive and reckless Zoe is the woman of Damian's nightmares, or so he thinks. However, an incendiary kiss at the reception is followed by a monumental mix-up which results in Damian and Zoe being forced to spend two weeks trapped on a yacht together. A case of sunburn and an impromptu dunking had me laughing out loud as they begin their journey, but after those sparkling comedy moments, the book morphs into a wonderfully heartfelt and evocative tale of how two opposites don't just attract but end up learning some invaluable lessons from each other about when - and when not - to stick to your plan. And if you've ever wondered what it might be like to take a yachting holiday around the Cornwall and Devon coasts you couldn't find a better description than in this book. I'm the sort of person to get seasick in a dinghy but even I wanted to jump on board this boat once it had set sail!

[•Anna• · Rating 3 out of 5]

C'è una sola parola, sulla copertina di un libro, che riesce a spaventarmi più di qualsiasi altra cosa. Vi starete chiedendo di cosa stia blaterando, e beh... eccovi accontentati: "harmony". Faccio di tutto per evitarla come la peste, ma stavolta una vocina nella mia testa mi diceva che questo libro poteva rivelarsi una sorpresa. Sentivo odore di Higgins, e cullata dalla possibilità che potesse somigliare ad uno dei suoi libri... TOH. Mi ci sono buttata!

Damien Stone (impossibile scordare questo nome, visto che ci viene ripetuto ogni 3x2, nemmeno fosse un messaggio subliminale) ama alla follia da ben diciotto mesi la sposa del suo migliore amico Luke, Sara. L'idea dell'imminente matrimonio lo divora da tempo, ma Luke è il suo più grande amico, e non ha motivo di dubitare della sua storia d'amore con Sara. Si ripromette, dunque, di essere il migliore testimone di nozze al mondo, di sostenere l'amico nel suo giorno più bello. Ma è così in tensione, così rigido (da palo ficcato in ....) che tutti si accorgono che qualcosa non va. A rigirare il dito nella piaga è la migliore amica di Sara, nonchè damigella, la rozza, maleducata e antipatica Zoe. Non si capisce perchè sia nata questa particolare antipatia, ma sappiamo che i due si odiano proprio.

Zoe, d'altra parte, gode così tanto ad infastidirlo che cerca in tutti i modi di farlo incazzare. Facendogli perdere il controllo per una volta e vedere quegli occhi di ghiaccio prendere fuoco. E' che lo voleva focoso, capito?

Poi succedono una serie di cose che fanno cambiare idea ai due protagonisti e bla bla bla. Bla.
Ad esempio, capisce che Zoe non è rozza quando vede l'elegantissimo anello che ha realizzato per Sara (...), oppure quando lei gli frega del cibo dal piatto, lei geme di piacere per una meringa e lui che fa? Avvampa, e si sente a disagio per essersi - cosa? ... eccitato? - guardandola mangiare.

Si aprono le danze, e i due si ritrovano vicini, gli unici a star fermi, a fissarsi e basta. Che fate, ballate? Ma si dai, tanto la canzone sta finendo... Ma oh, aspetta. E' iniziata la rumba. Che si possono mai separare, quando non si sono nemmeno mossi? Hell no. E qui avviene il cambiamento in Zoe: durante il ballo l'espressione imbornciata di Damien si è trasformata in uno sguardo sexy. Sono talmente vicini che le manca il respiro e tutte quelle cose lì. No, no, no. Damien doveva avere un punto debole e lei doveva scoprirlo per annientarlo. Poi però, mentre lei lo carica di insulti, lui si vede costretto a baciarla per tapparle la bocca. Per un pelo non finiscono tra le lenzuola. Fortuna che Luke li interrompe e poi Damien la guarda disgustato, e lei lo schiaffeggia, e poi si separano ecc.

Ma, i due hanno pure la fortuna di finire su una barca a vela per due settimane, ma non sanno di essere in compagnia l'uno dell'altra. Cioè, Luke cede la sua barca a Zoe, per prendersi un po' di riposo, e Sara fa lo stesso con Damien. In meno di 4 ore dalla fine del banchetto stanno già salpando, e appena si vedono D. finisce a mare per lo shock, lei lo aiuta a risalire sulla barca, nel frattempo si bagna e... oh! si accorge che indossa solo una magliettina trasparente e un paio di pantaloncini!! Passano i giorni, non parlano del loro bacio, iniziano a piacersi, fanno i bagni notturni, cenano fuori e dopo essersi fatti le migliori pippe mentali finalmente si baciano (e non vanno mai oltre quello fino alla fine del libro, per cui mi sono stupita) e capiscono di piacersi. Ma poi tornano a casa, si "lasciano" perchè si erano accordati che sarebbe stato solo un flirt da vacanza, anche se lui voleva continuare a vederla. Ma Zoe scopre che lui è stato innamorato si Sara, e lei dopo un quasi matrimonio finito proprio perchè il suo quasi marito aveva scoperto di amare Sara, non se la sente di ributtarsi in una storia con un uomo arrogante, bellissimo, e traditore. Dopo qualche mese lui la convince, le fa la proposta di matrimonio (con anelli creati da lei) e vivono felici e contenti (e penso che a questo punto hanno consumato).

Il libro non è malaccio, e mi diverto troppo a leggere questo tipo di storie condite con dettagli a casaccio e colmi, ripieni e strapieni di clichè di ogni tipo ("Oddio ma sei tutta scottata! Dammi 'sta crema che te la spalmo io..." *si ritrova ad accarezzare per ore la schiena di lei e a godersi lo spettacolo*).

3 STELLE per brevità e scene patetiche.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opposites attract in the latest mesmerizing charmer by award-winning Harlequin Romance author Fiona Harper!

Damien Stone has lost count of the number of times he’s been the best man at his friends’ weddings. Upstanding, fiercely intelligent and a thoroughly decent guy, Damien embodies all the honourable qualities which qualify him as the perfect candidate for the job. However, when his best friend Luke asked him to be the best man at his wedding, Damien was less than thrilled. Damien and Luke might be as close as brothers, but Damien has been keeping a secret from his best friend: he is madly in love with Luke’s soon-to-be wife, Sara! Watching the woman he’s loves from afar marrying his dear friend will be the hardest thing Damien has ever had to, but confessing his feelings to Sara is simply not an option! Damien would rather suffer the pain of unrequited love than cause his friends a moment’s unhappiness. He just wants to get through the day and try and find a way of getting over his feelings for Sara. However, Damien’s plans to remain calm and collected go awry when he claps eyes on Sara’s bridesmaid, her best friend Zoe St. James…

Zoe is as far removed from Sara as it is possible to get. Whilst Sara is elegant, serene and graceful, Zoe is loud, vibrant and vivacious. Damien has never quite understood how Sara could possibly be friends with somebody like Zoe and over the years he has made his derision for her perfectly clear! Zoe has always found Damien to be a boring stuffed shirt who is in desperate need of some fun in his life. When she finds out about his role in Luke and Sara’s wedding, she’s not exactly thrilled, but as she’d do anything for her beloved best friend, Zoe is prepared to let sleeping dogs lie and not rock the boat by telling Damien exactly what she thinks of him!

Watching her best friend marry the love of her life is not easy for Zoe. Although she’s thrilled for Sara and Luke, Zoe cannot help but wish that she could be as lucky as they are, but having already had her heart broken into tiny pieces in the past, she has resigned herself to being on her own. A man like Damien Stone is the complete opposite of what she looks for in a potential partner – but an unexpected kiss in a moonlit garden with the taciturn best man has her questioning whether she’d been too hasty in writing him off…

Are Zoe and Damien prepared to see where this burgeoning attraction will take them? Or will they let past disdain and tenuous preconceptions get between them?

Warm-hearted, witty and blissfully romantic, Always the Best Man is a wonderful story about taking a chance on love and unexpected blessings that shines with sparkling humour, delightful repartee, powerful emotional intensity and uplifting romance.

With a heroine you will adore and a gorgeous hero you cannot help but love, Always the Best Man is another gem from Fiona Harper’s consistently brilliant pen!

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely. Fiona Harper consistently writes entertaining romances and this is no different.

Damien Stone is in love with Sara, the woman marrying his best friend. She's elegant, graceful, perfect. Not like her best friend, Zoe. Yet when the original honeymoon sailing holiday is donated, Damien and Zoe find themselves at odds on a small yacht sailing the Devon and Cornish coasts.

Believable, likeable characters that each have something to teach the other, charm you through the book. It's a wonderful, slow unveiling of why first impressions aren't always right and Ms Harper uses the settings to full advantage as both foil and support for the growing relationship. I read this in one sitting.

BTW, what a beautiful model on the cover! Not Zoe, with all her bouncing curves, but beautiful.

[Lenore Kosinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gah! I wrote a review and Goodreads didn't save it! Meanies...

OK, sooooo.... This book had so many elements that equal a winner for me....insecure but sassy heroine...not-so-perfect hero....huge sigh worthy moments....lots of laughs....and even some eye pressure and chest tightness without actual tear production (sometimes it's nice to feel something, but not "epic bawl-fest" amount). So yeah, loved it...

[Tia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually didn't mind this novel too much, at parts it was a bit too slow for my liking but at other times it was almost perfect. I loved the ending though. I still feel somehow that the hero and heroine were lost.

[Sabrina (Soter) Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Zoe l’aveva definita una magia. Lui aveva trovato una spiegazione molto più razionale, ma gli piaceva pensare che Zoe avesse ragione. Era pura magia."

Copertina colorata e deliziosa (nella versione italiana XD) tanto quanto la breve storia di Damien e Zoe. Solitamente abbiamo l'eterna damigella d'onore zitella...in questo caso invece è Damien l'eterno testimone, il testimone perfetto e impeccabile. Perfino mentre guarda avanzare verso l'altare la donna dei suoi sogni, verso il suo migliore amico. Certo la presenza della formosa e sfacciata damigella d'onore, l'esuberante Zoe, non aiuta e la tensione si taglia col coltello. Così quando i due si ritrovano "incastrati" nella stessa barca per due settimane il disastro è assicurato. Eppure Zoe insegnerà a Damien a godersi la vita, ad uscire dai suoi rigidi schemi mentre lui le darà più fiducia in sé stessa convincendola a realizzare i suoi sogni nel cassetto. Un bel viaggio pieno di risate, passione e anche tensione quando verranno fuori ricordi poco piacevoli e rivelazioni dolorose. Ma come sempre il lieto fine è assicurato e Zoe per la prima volta sarà la protagonista al fianco di un uomo affascinante e sensibile...un pezzo di ghiaccio sciolto XD ;D

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The thing I like most aout this book is that the heroine is not physically perfect. I know that seems like such a silly thing, but in so many romance novels, the female lead is absolutely perfect and just has low self-esteem because some man broke her heart in the past. Zoe, though, is apparently actually overweight and her hair is out of control. So, okay, she's not a leper and her face isn't disfigured or anything. It's still refreshing as a woman to read a book about a real woman who isn't a beauty queen getting a good, solid, attractive man of her own. And Damien, well, he is quite a man. Like most romance novels, he has some emotional damage of his own, but he's never an unforgiveable jerk that she suddenly forgives which is nice for a change. This is a great romance and a fast read.

[April Hollingworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damien's in love with his best friends girl. So being his best man at his wedding is exceptionally hard, a fact not helped by Zoe the woman he loves best friend and highly annoying too loud to everything pain.
Zoe is fed up with the aloof manner of Mr Perfect and totally gorgeous Damien. She is determined to set the fireworks hidden behind his icy demeaner free. What she didn't take into consideration was their budding attraction.

Wonderfully fun. A heart warming novel of misguided hearts and sidekicks. A must read, I loved it!

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Keine tiefgründig-komplexe Lektüre, aber unterhaltsam – und das ist bei einer flotten Liebesgeschichte ja auch die Hauptsache. Bei zwei Protagonisten, die ungewollt miteinander auf einem Segelboot festsitzen und sich nicht leiden können, ist jede Menge gegenseitige Angriffsfläche vorprogrammiert. Die screwballig anmutenden Dialoge des ungleichen Paars machen Spaß zu lesen und das Happy End lässt natürlich das Herz aufgehen. :)

[Viivika Tamm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Damien ja Zoe kohtuvad oma sõprade pulmas, kus mõlemad kogevad kohest ebasümpaatiat. Rikas ja üleolev Damien meenutab Zoele liiga tema endist kihlatut ning elav ja vormikas Zoe esindab kõike, mida Damien oma tulevikus näha ei taha. Üks suudlus ja lõbusõidujahi topeltbroneerimine hiljem leiavad nad end aga purjejahil puhkust veetmas just teineteise seltsis.

[Filomena · Rating 1 out of 5]

Forse sono stata troppo cattiva ma l'ho trovato di una noia mortale... Davvero non vedevo l'ora di finirlo e fortunatamente è composto di poche pagine. I dialoghi tra i protagonisti sono inesistenti, i luogi comuni sono infiniti e il tutto condito da scenette ai limiti del ridicolo. Per fortuna è almeno scritto decentemente.

[Cadiva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book

This is just a great feel good read. There's no clever twists or obstacles thrown in the way,just a slow realisation that what we thought we wanted when it comes to love isn't always the case.
It just made me smile reading it.

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet story about opposites attracting. I loved how Damien and Zoe complemented each other.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slightly better than your average mills and boon. There was a lack of power play/imbalance between the two characters which is typical for this type of book so I didn't feel like slapping anyone.

[Nath · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 (C)

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful, easy read.
I've liked very much h/H: great characters.

[ѕєяєηιтι · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

[Annette Bower · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm reviewing some books by tears. This was a 4 tear book. I read it beside a pool on holiday and scrubbed at tears because Fiona Harper had me engaged with her characters.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well worth the short read.

[Baby.ladykira · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5

[Anna Björklund · Rating 1 out of 5]

Inte min tekopp! Lite för gulligt, barnsligt och förutsägbart.

[Deranged Dreamer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short book. But I liked it.
Real insecurities. Real people.

3.5 stars

[Romanticamente Fantasy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Damien e Zoe, due persone completamente diverse, ma allo stesso tempo uguali, un uomo ed una donna che neanche nel loro immaginario più fantascientifico, pensavano di poter andare d’accordo per poche ore, figuriamoci avere una relazione duratura… è con queste premesse inizia il libro di Fiona Harper “Il testimone cerca la sua sposa” di cui mi accingo a scrivere il mio pensiero. Romanzo carino, che mi ha fatto sorridere in moltissime situazioni, ma che non mi ha appassionata in modo particolare, non perché sia scritto male, anzi, la storia si legge piacevolmente in poche ore dato che il libro ha meno di 200 pagine, ma manca di quello “spirito” (passatemi il termine) che rende un libro indimenticabile. Dico questo, perché sia i Damien che Zoe, sono si simpatici, ma non sono personaggi che rimangono impressi nella mente, e appena terminato il libro, finiscono nel dimenticatoio. Non so dirvi se comperarlo o meno (se lo trovate usato a poco prezzo si), e sicuramente se lo fate, potete anche darlo da leggere anche ad una lettrice giovane in quanto le scene di sesso sono praticamente insistenti.

[June Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

A predictable romance, new what the ending would be from the outset, very boring.

[Max Pink · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Tropes: Enemies to Lovers

This was very cute! Their banter was good and the travel was fun. Definitely better than I remembered from when I read it as a kid.

[Esra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zoe'nin sürekli kendiyle dalga geçmesi Damien'ın içten içe buna sinir olması ve bunu yapma diye yalvarması.. Damien'ın planlarına bağlı kalma takıntısı ve bunun nedeni... Zoe'nin de tam tersi davranması ve bunun nedeni... Ve tabi ki Sara ve Luke... Ehh işte keyifle okudum diyebilirim :D Aradaki bazı atışmaları ve özellikle de şu restorandaki yemek muhabbetini zevkle okudum... Ama son okuduğum kitaptan sonra bu gitmedi pekk cıksss...

[Libros Min · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝑩𝒖𝒆𝒏𝒐 𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒃𝒓𝒐 𝒎𝒆 𝒍𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒐́ 𝒎𝒊 𝒑𝒂𝒅𝒓𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆 𝒆𝒔 𝒃𝒖𝒆𝒏𝒐, 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒐 𝒒𝒖𝒆 𝒆𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒂 𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒂 𝒒𝒖𝒆 𝒕𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒋𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒏 𝒍𝒂 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒂. 𝑨 𝒎𝒊 𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒖𝒃𝒊𝒆𝒓𝒂 𝒈𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒅𝒐 𝒒𝒖𝒆 𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒆́ 𝒎𝒂́𝒔 𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒂 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒂 𝒑𝒐𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒂𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒒𝒖𝒆́ 𝒎𝒂́𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒆𝒅𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒅𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏 𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒔 𝒅𝒆 𝒎𝒂́𝒔.