Review: "Wood You Marry Me?" by Daphne Elliot

Wood You Marry Me? by Daphne Elliot
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

PhD candidate Hazel Markey recently returned to her hometown of Lovewell, Maine and is working part-time as a bartender while she researches and writes her dissertation. She's studying the effects of the opioid epidemic on small communities like the one where she grew up, a topic close to her heart because her late mother was an addict. Until she graduates and finds a full-time job, Hazel won't have health insurance - a major problem because she needs surgery to remove her inflamed gall bladder, and she's been putting it off because she can't afford to pay out of pocket. Her older brother Dylan, a teacher, has offered to help her pay for it, but he's been taking care of her since she was a kid, and Hazel refuses to let him sacrifice anything else for her.

When Dylan jokingly suggests that Hazel marry his best friend, Remy Gagnon, for his insurance, none of them take it seriously at first, but Remy can't get the idea out of his head. Hazel isn't just his best friend's little sister, she's his friend too, and he wants to help her. Besides that, it's a way for him to begin to atone for the mistakes he made after learning that his fiancee, Crystal, had cheated on him a few months earlier. Persuading Hazel to go along with the plan isn't so easy until Remy admits that he needs her help too; he's trying to become a professional timber sports athlete, and having a wife would help him look good in front of potential sponsors. It would also be easier to focus on the upcoming competition season if Hazel is there to distract Remy from his ex-fiancee, who will be attending with her new boyfriend. Finally, Hazel agrees, as long as Remy promises that no one besides her brother and best friend Lydia will know that the marriage is fake.

The first book of this series was one of my favorites of the year so far, so to say that I had high expectations for this one is probably something of an understatement. Happily, it exceeded every single one of them. The chemistry between Remy and Hazel was phenomenal! It was obvious that they'd known and cared about each other forever, and maybe even had secret crushes at certain points in the past, but had never let their minds go beyond that. As soon as they were married, they began to see each other differently. I loved how sweetly protective Remy was of Hazel, as well as the way he took care of her after her surgery. Also, the fact that he surprised her with a gift of bookcases had me swooning! That alone was enough for him to earn a place on my list of favorite book boyfriends of all time.

In addition to the central romantic relationship between Hazel and Remy, I loved the elements of mystery and suspense related to the investigation into Remy's father's death and the possible connections to drug trafficking. Even though it remained a rom-com, the mystery gave this story a unique twist I really enjoyed.

Overall, I adored this funny, sweet, and perfectly steamy story and highly recommend it for all fans of contemporary/small town romance and romantic comedy. I hope we'll see Hazel's brother Dylan again in a future story! (I sensed some tension between him and her friend Lydia...)

*Review copy provided by the author. All opinions expressed are my own.

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