3.5 Wine Glass #Review of The Bouquet List by Barbara DeLeo

Title: THE BOUQUET LIST
Series: Weddings in Westchester #1
Author: Barbara DeLeo
Format: Kindle, 208 pages
Published: Entangled: Bliss (September 15, 2014)
ISBN: ASIN:B00N0408SC
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Reviewer: Linda
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 Wine Glasses

He's #5 on her Bouquet List. Tall, dark...and completely forbidden.

After a too-close call with death, Yasmin Katsalos is checking some things off her Bouquet List—things to do after you thought you were going to die. Fun fashion choices? Check. Purple hair and a cute diamond nose stud? Check, check. Now she's on to item #5: a flirty fling with a man who's tall, dark, rich...and totally out of her league.

And restaurateur Lane Griffiths definitely fits the bill.

Lane isn't just out of Yasmin's league. He's also her brother's best friend and therefore off-limits. Now that they're working together on renovations for her family's wedding hall, however, Yasmin has plenty of opportunities to bewitch, bother, and boldly seduce. He's reserved. She's relaxed. The only thing they share is a spark of attraction that's too strong to resist. But is Lane just another item on her bouquet list... or has Yasmin found something on her list that will last? 

Linda's Thoughts:
"Bouquet list. You've heard of the Jack Nicholson movie, right? The Bucket List? Two old guys who make a list of everything they want to do before they die. Well, when I was starting to recover, I wrote a list of the things I want to do now that I know I'm not going to die - my bouquet list."

THE BOUQUET LIST by Barbara DeLeo was a delightful romance about a young woman who creates a bouquet list as opposed to a bucket list after having a close brush with death. The story is set against a renovation of her  family's Greek wedding chapel which had fallen on rough times. While the old chapel held many favorite memories, it was past time for a fresh look and innovative upgrades that would make it competitive in the cut-throat wedding venue market.  Our heroine is determined to return it to prosperity while she recovers her health and re-discovers her happy place.

This was the story of Yasmin Katsalos and Lane Griffiths. After almost dying from a bout with dengue fever, Yasmin creates a bouquet list to make her feel alive again. She'd already completed the first and second items on her list by getting a nose piercing and adding purple highlights to her black hair. Number five on that list was to seduce a tall, dark, mysterious man who was totally out of her league.

Enter Lane, her brother's best friend, who meets all three of the required attributes. It just so happens that he's also helping Yasmin save her parents' restaurant/banquet facility while he waits on his own to open. First of all, is a flirty fling with him even a possibility? Yasmin's brother will certainly not be happy about it. Lane undoubtedly has trouble concentrating when she is around, but will he end up solely being a check-mark off her list? She is feisty and fun and not at all what he envisioned as his wife. He tries to do the right thing...

Following please find a few of my favorite quotes from this fun read:

He tore his focus from her mouth, wondering how he could endure thirty days of this torture. Maybe he could make sure he wasn't around when she ate. Whipped cream especially.
---

He lifted her chin so she was looking directly in his eyes. "I have every faith that whatever you take on in your life, you'll do it with passion and determination, and I know you'll succeed."
And then before she could make any sort of reply, he dipped his chin and placed his lips on hers.
---

"I thought you said you didn't want this to happen," she whispered, still dizzy from his kiss. "That there was too much at stake."
"You're a hard woman to resist, Yasmin Katsalos..."

I enjoyed this fresh spin on the traditional bucket list. Reading about all the Greek food made me hungry and all the included snippets about Greek culture and heritage were fascinating. With well-written, sizzling love scenes, engaging characters and plenty of humor, I would recommend THE BOUQUET LIST to anyone who enjoys light, fun romances.


Suggested Reading Order: 
THE BOUQUET LIST (Book #1)
THE WEDDING WAGER (Book #2)