Karen's Reviews > The Substitute

4 STARS


”You are singularly the best thing that has ever come into my life.”

Loved it! This was my first book by Denise Grover Swank, and it definitely won't be my last. Such a sweet and romantic story. I have to admit it got a bit zany at times. Far-fetched… absolutely. But definitely a lot of fun to read. The characters were so endearing. It would have been very difficult not to fall in love with them.



Megan Vandermeer was on her way home to Kansas City to attend her wedding. Unfortunately, she had broken up with her lying and cheating fiancé six weeks earlier, but has been terrified to tell her mother. Her bridezilla of a mother has been in a spending frenzy, busy preparing the wedding of the century, and Megan is distraught at the thought of shattering her dreams, not to mention the loss of all of the money she’s spent.



But on her way home on the plane, after a bit of over-indulgent self medication, Megan finds herself leaning on an innocent bystander, a man she met on the plane, who has seemingly been dragged into story by her drugged and drunken state, and helps her off the plane out of the kindness of his heart. Unfortunately, things start to spiral out of control when her family meets him and mistakenly takes him for her fiancé when they get off the plane.

“Mr. McMillan,” the woman next to him sing-songed in and undertone. “Will you have my babies?”




Josh McMillan has his own reason for keeping up the farce though. An opportunity of fate that has dropped in his lap. Knowing that his motives aren’t completely honorable, has him feeling guilty though. But the desperate nature of his situation and the beautiful woman who is more than worth the effort has him jumping through hoops to keep this fake engagement going as long as possible.



The amusement on her face faded. She grabbed his face in her hands and gave him a deep, lazy kiss that reached down to his soul, stirring a longing of which he’d never believed himself capable.



But as time goes by and Megan and Josh get to know each other better, and the chemistry between them ignites to an undeniable force, together they find that neither of them wants to walk away when the truth is finally revealed. Or will they stay together and actually go through with this charade.



Only problem, Josh has some secrets that just might ruin everything. He knows he could lose her, but the thought of leaving without her is too painful to contemplate. He must find find a way to keep her...

This is a really cute story. The supporting characters are really quite colorful. I did get a bit annoyed withe the OTT grandmother. I think that storyline was completely unnecessary. But all in all, I loved the book.



Lots of romance, both sweet and sexy. And with a great epilogue too! I look forward to the next book in the series!