Customer Reviews

Wedding Survivor

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What do you get when you cross a mind numbing chatterbox wedding planner and a rough and ready sexy stunt coordinator/daredevil? Well, it just might be the makings of a Wedding Survivor!

Marnie Banks gets the chance of a lifetime to get her foot in the proverbial door of being a wedding planner to the stars. It is through the coordination of the Thrillseekers Anonymous to pull off the wedding of the century for the ultra famous movies stars, Vincent Vittorio and Olivia Dagwood, without the press getting wind of the event. Since Eli McCain is one of the foundering members of this elite group of daredevils it is his job to work closely with Marnie.

At first, it seems like Eli and Marnie are only going to bump heads and fling insults at each other. As things progress, the sexual attraction grows between them, getting stronger with each encounter. It is when the wedding goes haywire; cutting them off from the main lodge when a rope bridge is damaged that true survival feelings emerge. Now, get ready for the fur to fly, but in the most sexual of meanings!

Wedding Survivor is the newest release by author Julia London. From the moment you crack open this book the characters are all over you; immediately sending the readers into fits of hysterics! Leave it to Ms. London to pen something totally entertaining in printed word. Outstanding! The characters range from dingbat to bold and everything in between. Take your pick; they all add up to hilariously engaging!

A word of advice: plan on a no-holds-barred reading marathon, because once you pick this book up, you will not be putting it down!

It has only been one year since Eli was practically left at the alter and this wedding is an event he dreads. Marnie's happy ass attitude just makes the whole affair even harder. Eli and Marnie definitely start off on the wrong foot; just like spitting kittens.

As Eli gets to know Marnie on a deeper level, he finds her positive attitude and wondrous smile infectious. Eli cannot stop admiring Marnie's curvaceous attributes. Marnie looks at Eli like a long, tall, drink of refreshing water that any girl in her right mind should partake of. Or, maybe, Eli is sex-on-a-stick, anyway you dish it up he is yummy!

It is when Eli and Marnie get trapped on the wrong side of the ravine that is this reader's favorite part! The members of the stranded wedding party keep the momentum of this book going until the very end. You will be amazed at the ingenuity and adaptability that prevails amongst this stranded group.

This is a sexy, sidesplitting adventure that you will not want to miss! This reviewer loved every page-turning minute of Wedding Survivor by author Julia London.

Reviewed by © Janalee Ruschhaupt, 2005
Courtesy of Love Romances www.loveromances.com

Olivia Dagwood and Vincent Vittorio are two of the hottest stars of the big screen. They decide to wed, but want to do it with a thrilling twist. This couple wants to go into the San Juan Mountains for canyoning, followed by an elaborate wedding with nature surrounding them and the stars above them. They hire Eli McCain of Thrillseekers Anonymous "TA" to make it happen.

Eli and his TA partners have no problem with the canyoning. They are extreme-sports enthusiasts who have tackled every high risk adventure imaginable. Kite surfing on hurricane winds is minor stuff for these stuntmen. However, when it comes to arranging wedding, they are clueless. So they set up auditions to hire a wedding coordinator.

Marnie Banks is thrilled to get the job. She has dreams of making connections in Hollywood and becoming THE wedding planner of the stars. Easier said than done, because Olivia and Vincent break up and make up almost daily. Even worse, Olivia keeps changing her mind on how she wants the wedding done. Then there is Eli. He may be the stunt coordinator and look like every woman's fantasy, but he knows next to nothing about the finer things in life. Still, whenever Marnie and Eli are together things heat up in the romance department.

Then a freak storm comes up one night. Eli, Marnie, the wedding couple, and a chef are stranded on the wrong side of a ravine. They have only meager supplies and their lives become like a "Survivor" TV episode. But all the guests on the right side of the ravine have popped open the expensive champagne and are having the party to beat all parties! Sometimes it seems as though Life peels the lemons and rolls them in mud before giving them to you. But Marnie and Eli will find another way to make lemonade.

***** This novel is a fun romp through the mountains with a side of adventure. Author Julia London has written an irresistible romance with some comic relief that will capture the imagination of all her readers. People who enjoy outdoor sports will especially enjoy this novel, where everything that could go wrong, does. Highly recommended! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

The series follows the partners in Thrillseekers Anonymous (TA), a group of friends who do stunt work and extreme adventure trips. In Wedding Survivor the main TA member is Eli. Eli had been engaged to a Hollywood starlet who dumped him at the alter for an actor she thought could further her career more than Eli could. His romantic interest is Marnie, an out-of-work dot-com computer person with a shopping addiction. Marnie is living at home with her parents trying to make ends meet and took a wedding planning class. TA has been hired to plan an A-List extreme wedding and needs an unknown wedding planner to keep the wedding a secret affair. Eli is Marnie's primary contact with TA and constantly frustrates Marnie with his anti-wedding/anti-starlet attitude. They have instant chemistry and try to keep it on an "informal" basis. The funniest part of the book is when the A-list couple, Eli, Marnie, and a chef get abandoned in the extreme location the day of the wedding (that can't take place because the minister and the guests can't get in). Eli develops challenges for perks (a bath, a bed, etc.). The chemistry between the two main characters is good and the conflict between the two big stars is entertaining. A great summer read.

Julia London, better known by me as a historical romance writer proves with THE WEDDING SURVIVOR that she has what it takes to stay in the spotlight, and on top, no matter the genre!

Eli McCain is one of four partners who run Thrillseekers Anonymous (TA). They cater to the rich and famous providing extreme sports outing experiences. When two of Hollywood's biggest stars decide to combine an exhilarating sport outing culminating with a `secret' wedding, the details are assigned to Eli. Having been jilted at the alter a year ago, Eli is definitely not happy and wants no part planning a wedding. Outvoted the partners set out to find a `wedding planner'.

Marnie Banks, after losing a high tech six figure job in a dot com company, is recreating herself as a wedding planner for the rich and powerful. She's never coordinated a wedding totally on her own, but by a quirky process of elimination, she's hired. The opportunity to gain a foothold within the Hollywood jet set is a step in the right direction. Not only is this a golden opportunity for a novice, but her TA contact, Eli McCain could definitely be classified as a `dream come true', though a bit stand-offish!

A freak mountain storm on the eve of the wedding, traps Eli and Marnie on the wrong side of a mountainous ravine. While the guests on the other side are having a party popping corks and eating cavier, Marnie and Eli are dealing with a petulant bride, a groom and a rebellious chef with very little food. With her new career unraveling before her eyes, Marnie is left dealing with falling for a guy who blows her mind with hot sex but has profound issues with commitment!

*** This was a delectably amusing read that kept the sexual tension high and the chuckles coming throughout. You'll adore Marnie who is loveable, straightforward, quirky, and whose mom is a complete hoot! Eli is well-defined with a completely reasonable aversion to falling in love. Secondary characters are numerous; the dialogs are great; and the author leaves you wanting to find out which partner of Thrillseekers Anonymous falls next under the spell of love. This is a total entertaining delight!

It's "Survivor" meets "The Wedding Planner" when the guys at Thrillseekers Anonymous (TA) hire a party planner to plan the wedding portion of an extreme sports adventure for the current Hollywood IT couple. Eli, who was jilted at the altar a year earlier, drew the short straw, and must be the go to guy for the new wedding planner. Despite her poor athletic prowess, former wed developer cum party planner Marnie is hired on to plan the celebrity wedding of the century without any paparazzi intrusion on a secluded mountain in Colorado following a week long canyoning excursion. Of course, this bridezilla wants a 300 pound replica of the Arc d' Triomphe to be at the site. Marnie knows this wedding (her first solo gig) will make or break her career and enable her to move out of mom and dad's house.

Despite putting out all the fires, on the eve of the wedding, Eli, Marnie, Olivia and Vince (the Hollywood couple who bicker a lot in order to have loud make up sex), and the surly star chef are stranded in a freak storm on top of the mountain, while the guests are at a lodge getting totally inebriated with all the Cristal champagne and caviar they can consume. With tempers flaring from the bridezilla from hell, and a definite lack of food and water, Marnie finds herself falling in love with commitment-phobe Eli - must be their compatibility in the bedroom (and tent for that matter). Will their passion be able to survive once they come down from the mountain?

"Wedding Survivor" is a funny and rollicking story, chock full of engaging secondary characters like the chef and bride Olivia's horny mother - it is obvious in reading the story that the rest of the TA guys will get their own stories.

This was a really fun, sexy and fast paced romance novel. The story is about Marnie and Eli, a wedding coordinator and a stunt man turned business man, who at first seam like the most unlikely couple. They quickly butt heads, he is too bossy and she too chatty. These two end up coordinating a wedding for a spoiled rotten famous Hollywood couple, and ultimately end up stranded on top of a Colorado mountain living like contestants on a Survivor game. Not too far into the story we begin to learn more about our Hero and Heroine, and you start to see what a perfect fit they are really are for each other. The build up of passion and attraction between them was believable and written very well. Since he is her new boss, the dynamics of their relationship takes some fun turns. He is also getting over being jilted at the alter one year earlier, a pain he never believed he would recover from. Marnie is quite talkative, but never to an annoying level. She is also beautiful, easy going, bright, funny, and laughs a lot. She rarely complains, always willing to try, and overall impresses the heck out of Eli. Eli quickly realizes she is a joy to be around, and he begins to open up to her but his new feelings confuse him. He finds himself quite attracted to her, but he had sworn off marriage and relationships. He is a very charming and sexy hero, and the chemistry between these two is just great. I like how she has the gumption to speak her mind and address the situation at hand. Overall, a great romance novel with a fun story. Highly recommended.

I loved this book so much. It was funny and delightful. I enjoyed the characters, especially Marnie's mothers' "bookclub". I thought the hero/heroine had awesome chemistry and really set the pages afire. This is my first Julia London novel and now I'm going back to read the Lear sister's trilogy, starting with "Material Girl". I fully expect to enjoy those as well. I can't say enough good things about this book, so I won't even try and in the end it really is a matter of opinion. I wholeheartedly recommend "Wedding Survivor" to anyone looking for an entertaining read, especially if you are a fan of the t.v. show "Survivor", as it spoofs that show a little towards the end, but in a nice way.

This book introduced me to Julia London and now I'm determined to read everything she's ever written. What a truly fun book. Some of the other reviewers mention that it's not as deep as some of her other stuff, and having just run out and read Material Girl I can testify that that's probably true. But depth, schmepth. Wedding Survivor is one of the funniest, most romantic stories I've read in a long time. I really liked the main characters - Ms. London did a great job of creating a *nice* heroine who's not so nice I hate her and not so good there's nothing about her to change. She's real, as is the delicious hero Eli. A yummy book that will bring a smile to your day ... perfect for anyone who's looking for a lift. Highly highly recommended!

I confess - I had never read a romance novel before this one! Julia London's excellent writing and humor now have me hooked. Fast-paced, exciting, and, above all, an original and well thought out story line kept me turning the pages. Yes, it was smoking hot, and very entertaining. One of the most impressive aspects of Julia London's writing is her wit! I read a quote one time (from a source I can not remember -sorry!) that said "the funniest person in the room is probably the most intelligent person in the room". Keep that in mind if you are looking for a romance novel that not only has sex and humor done well, but well "fleshed out" characters that move the plot forward in a very believable manner. Loved it! And I will definitely read more of Julia London's books.

This is one of those books you almost hate to admit you read...much less that you liked it. Every bit of it was bury your face in your hands, laugh until you snort funny. I read it twice in a row and have no doubt that the next time I'm in dire need of a laugh I will be opening it again. From the book club meetings without books to the $20K wedding gown stuck in a tree the story doesn't disappoint. "Survivor" is exactly ight for this wedding.