Review - Plus One by Brighton Walsh

Plus One by Brighton Walsh
Release Date: May 6, 2013
Publisher: Carina Press
Source: Carina Press through NetGalley
Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads / Carina Press

My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis:
Olivia hates the singles scene, so her best guy friend, Ian, offers to be her plus one to a series of weddings she has to attend, she agrees. Although she doesn't want to complicate their lifelong friendship, she can't pass up the chance to have a steady date without the dating drama. What she doesn't expect is to now find Ian so incredibly sexy. 

When Ian sees his old friend Olivia dolled up for wedding #1, the boyhood crush he once nurtured transforms into smoldering attraction. It doesn't take long for their no-strings arrangement to turn physical. But as Olivia's desire to stay "just friends" become clear, Ian's feelings are deepening. In the time they have together, how will Ian convince Olivia that plus one can make for a lifelong pair?

            I loved this novella. It was short, sweet and juuust right. It was exactly what I needed after reading so many YA novels back to back. Brighton Walsh knows how to weave a story and have you falling in love right alongside with the characters. And I love the story line of friends to more. It makes my girly heart sigh in contentment and have me cheering the couple on.

Olivia is the kind of female heroine that I wish I see more of in books. She's a strong and independent woman without coming off as bitch. Ian is, oh my god, he's the kind of guy you would want to end up with in real life. He is so sweet and swoony and knows what he wants and knows how to work a suit.

Olivia has been on a string of bad dates and have nine (!) weddings to attend and Ian offers to be her plus one. They have been friends for twenty years but Ian has always nurtured a crush on Olivia and it has resurfaced when he sees her all dolled up for wedding #1. For her part, Olivia has always thought that Ian was attractive but when she's sees him working his suit for the wedding, she realizes that her friend is a lot more attractive than she originally thought.

For being a novella, Olivia's and Ian's story did not feel rushed at all. Everything happened at the right time and it felt believable. Most times, I'm always turned off from a book by how rushed and unrealistic the story line feels. This was not the case with Plus One. You can tell that there is history between Olivia and Ian by how they interact with each other. You can also see when it starts becoming more than just a friend doing a favor for another friend for Olivia. And it felt very natural when Ian realized that Olivia is the woman for him. If I wasn't already a fan of Ms. Walsh's work, I would have become a fan of hers with this novella.

Plus One is a wonderful story that I can see myself going back and rereading and recommending to all my friends. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Walsh's work and falling in love with more of her heroes. I may have gotten a copy from the publisher but I went out and bought my own ebook copy and you should too!