Women's Fiction
![Denise Williams - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_denise_williams.jpg)
Do You Take This Man
"Do You Take This Man has one of the steamiest, most addictive, most satisfyingly hard-earned happily-ever-after I've read in ages!"-Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author of Love on the Brain
A wedding officiant who doesn't believe in love and an event planner who's been burned agree to say "I do" to being enemies with benefits.
Divorce attorney RJ would never describe herself as romantic. But when she ends up officiating an unplanned wedding for a newly engaged couple in a park, her life is turned upside down. The video of the ceremony goes viral, and she finds herself in the unlikely position of being a sought-after local wedding officiant. Spending her free time overseeing "I dos" isn't her most strategic career move, but she enjoys it, except for the type A dude-bro wedding planner she's forced to work with.
Former pro-football event manager Lear is a people person, but after his longtime girlfriend betrayed him, he isn't looking for love. He knows how to execute events and likes being in control, so working with an opinionated and inflexible officiant who can't stand him is not high on his list. He's never had trouble winning people over, but RJ seems immune to his charms.
Surrounded by love at every turn, their physical attraction pulls them together despite their best efforts to stay an arm's length apart. Lear refuses to get hurt again. RJ refuses to let herself be vulnerable to anyone. But when it comes to happily ever after, their clients might not be the only ones saying "I do."
A wedding officiant who doesn't believe in love and an event planner who's been burned agree to say "I do" to being enemies with benefits.
Divorce attorney RJ would never describe herself as romantic. But when she ends up officiating an unplanned wedding for a newly engaged couple in a park, her life is turned upside down. The video of the ceremony goes viral, and she finds herself in the unlikely position of being a sought-after local wedding officiant. Spending her free time overseeing "I dos" isn't her most strategic career move, but she enjoys it, except for the type A dude-bro wedding planner she's forced to work with.
Former pro-football event manager Lear is a people person, but after his longtime girlfriend betrayed him, he isn't looking for love. He knows how to execute events and likes being in control, so working with an opinionated and inflexible officiant who can't stand him is not high on his list. He's never had trouble winning people over, but RJ seems immune to his charms.
Surrounded by love at every turn, their physical attraction pulls them together despite their best efforts to stay an arm's length apart. Lear refuses to get hurt again. RJ refuses to let herself be vulnerable to anyone. But when it comes to happily ever after, their clients might not be the only ones saying "I do."
Editorial Reviews
"Denise Williams is known for her swoon-worthy tales that celebrate love, and her latest rom-com follows suit!"-Woman's World
"If, hypothetically, Denise Williams decided to establish an academy (let's call it The University of DW) and offered courses on how to write pent-up sexual tension, steamy banter, and enemies to lovers, I would burst into the classroom and yell "TAKE MY MONEY!!" The writing is unmatched, the chemistry is on fire, and Do You Take This Man has one of the steamiest, most addictive, most satisfyingly hard-earned happily-ever-after I've read in ages!"-Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis
"Denise Williams has mastered the art of writing fun, sexy banter. Smart and witty, with the perfect amount of steam, Do You Take This Man is a gift to romance readers."-Farrah Rochon, USA Today bestselling author of The Dating Playbook
"Once again, Denise Williams masterfully blends humor and heart with the perfect amount of steam. Do You Take This Man is full of authentic characters with relatable issues, hilarious wedding hijinks, and swoony sexy times. Lear earns a place on my list of favorite heroes, and Williams cements her spot on my list of favorite writers."-Falon Ballard, author of Lease on Love
"This annoyance-to-lovers story is steamy like the most luxurious bubble bath! Readers are in for a beautiful ride watching the deliciously prickly RJ learn to let someone care for her body and soul. Denise Williams consistently crafts romances that are so sweetly real. Her voice shines-full-hearted and playful-through every scene."-Rosie Danan, author of The Roommate
"Denise Williams delivers again with twice the banter, twice the heat, and the best enemies to lovers tension. A stellar romance!"-Jane Igharo, author of The Sweetest Remedy
"A fun enemies-to-lovers tale set in Asheville, North Carolina, featuring a no-nonsense divorce attorn...
"If, hypothetically, Denise Williams decided to establish an academy (let's call it The University of DW) and offered courses on how to write pent-up sexual tension, steamy banter, and enemies to lovers, I would burst into the classroom and yell "TAKE MY MONEY!!" The writing is unmatched, the chemistry is on fire, and Do You Take This Man has one of the steamiest, most addictive, most satisfyingly hard-earned happily-ever-after I've read in ages!"-Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis
"Denise Williams has mastered the art of writing fun, sexy banter. Smart and witty, with the perfect amount of steam, Do You Take This Man is a gift to romance readers."-Farrah Rochon, USA Today bestselling author of The Dating Playbook
"Once again, Denise Williams masterfully blends humor and heart with the perfect amount of steam. Do You Take This Man is full of authentic characters with relatable issues, hilarious wedding hijinks, and swoony sexy times. Lear earns a place on my list of favorite heroes, and Williams cements her spot on my list of favorite writers."-Falon Ballard, author of Lease on Love
"This annoyance-to-lovers story is steamy like the most luxurious bubble bath! Readers are in for a beautiful ride watching the deliciously prickly RJ learn to let someone care for her body and soul. Denise Williams consistently crafts romances that are so sweetly real. Her voice shines-full-hearted and playful-through every scene."-Rosie Danan, author of The Roommate
"Denise Williams delivers again with twice the banter, twice the heat, and the best enemies to lovers tension. A stellar romance!"-Jane Igharo, author of The Sweetest Remedy
"A fun enemies-to-lovers tale set in Asheville, North Carolina, featuring a no-nonsense divorce attorn...
Readers Top Reviews
randi
I've been a big fan of this author since her debut, How to Fail at Flirting. I've read all her books since. I enjoyed this one, though it wasn't my favorite of hers. I didn't feel that the Lear and RJ really knew each other. It was more of a "You annoy me, but I am attracted to you, so let's have sex" relationship. I didn't feel any real connection between them. I listened to the audiobook and both January LaVoy and Teddy Hamilton did an awesome job.
Ariel • The Book Vie
This was another enjoyable book from Williams. With a strong heroine, an enemies with benefits to lovers trope, and taking place in the same universe as The Fastest Way to Fall, it was a good read! This book was dual pov which seems to be more normal in romance books nowadays. I think the plot of this book was really well suited for dual pov. If it had only been RJ's pov, I think we would have missed a lot of development and emotional aspects from Lear, and vice versa. Both RJ and Lear were Type A people so it was nice to see them so put together for the weddings they worked together and so out of sorts about their relationship. Depsite this similarity, we still see a lot of differences between them which makes for a nice enemies to lovers trope. As well, they both had skeletons in their closets they had to deal with before they could get serious with each other which added to the plot. It also added some mystery as we slowly got to know both Lear and RJ and what they were so desperately running from. I thought there were lots of great side characters that were well thought out and gave wonderful support to our two protagonists. I wonder if we're going to get to return to this world again with a third book? I wouldn't mind. I don't love a friends/enemies with benefits trope so maybe that's why I didn't connect with this book as much as I would have liked, but it was still enjoyable. I think I'd recommend this book more for people who enjoy that trope than for those who don't.
BookwormancmarilynBo
2.5 stars. I'm disappointed. The story was good enough for me to read it to the end but it just wasn't as good as Williams' first two books. I loved those stories so much that, once I finished reading them the first time, I went back to page one and read them again. I also bought the audiobooks and listened to them. This one, not so much. I initially liked the main characters and, until about a third of the way through the story, I was enjoying it. However, if there's an underlying agenda to a story, it takes away from my enjoyment and this book felt too preachy for me. Also, I started getting annoyed with RJ's and Lear's inability to clearly communicate with each other about their issues. It was almost like this story should have been a novella or a short story as it didn't ring true for me that these two intelligent and competent people were unable to (as one of my favorite GR friends says) "use your words, people!" over and over again. So, hoping that this is just a glitch and that Williams' next book about Cord and Pearl is as good her first two which I'm going to re-read again. Some profanity and graphic sex.
Lee
If you’re into enemies to lovers this is a great one, especially for guy falls first storyline. I also enjoyed the diversity.
Short Excerpt Teaser
Chapter 1
RJ
I didn't blame Maddie Anderson for scowling at her soon-to-be ex-husband.
He appeared calm and collected in a somber Italian suit, remaining quiet and deferent, and seeming reasonable. He almost looked bored by the proceedings and the minutiae of his marriage ending. I made note of the gray at his temples and supposed it was easy to look dignified as a fifty-seven-year-old sitting next to one's twenty-three-year-old wife, and probably easy to look bored when you'd done this a time or two before.
Behind the makeup, Maddie's eyes were puffy, and the cuticle on her thumb looked shredded, like she'd been nervously scratching it. Since walking in on her husband with not one but two women during their son's first birthday party, she'd been through a lot. The hurt and embarrassment were clear in the woman's mannerisms, but Mr. Anderson didn't seem to care.
I'd never been in Ms. Anderson's shoes-today, a pair of crystal-encrusted pink stilettos. I'd learned young that people were rarely worth trusting, and baring your teeth was easier than baring your soul only to be shown you weren't worth someone's time. It didn't make me bitter, but it made me careful. It also made me enjoy these little moments when I could help someone else bare their teeth.
Granted, my client huffed anytime opposing counsel spoke. I glanced at the clock on the far side of the wall and estimated how long this would take. Despite the eye-rolling, gum popping, and faint smell of a perfume probably marketed to teenagers, Maddie Anderson was going to leave this office a very rich woman.
Twenty-five minutes later and before rushing back to my desk, I smiled at Maddie, whose philandering ex-husband was not as covert in his affairs as he'd hoped, and who'd chosen the wrong woman to underestimate.
"Everything should be finalized by the end of the month." I shook Maddie's hand to interrupt the hug coming my way and shared her smile. One point for the wronged woman and one more win for me. I rushed down the hall, trying not to look like I was in a hurry even though it was five fifteen and there was no way I was going to be on time.
"RJ." The smoky voice of one of the senior partners left me cursing in my head as I turned to greet her. Gretchen Vanderkin-Shaw would have scared the crap out of me if I didn't admire her so much. Really, she still scared the crap out of me, but as a named partner before forty with a success rate through the roof, she was a force to be reckoned with, and she liked me. Gretchen was the lawyer I wanted to be, and I was gathering my courage to ask her to be my mentor.
She nodded toward the conference room. "The Anderson case?"
"We were able to come to a resolution that worked in our favor." That was code for crushing them like tiny little bugs and then doing a victory dance that might involve some light professional twerking.
She nodded, a faint smile on her lips because I'd learned the victory dance from her. "Excellent. Eric mentioned you wanting to talk to me. I have a free hour now."
I stole a quick glance at my watch, because nine times out of ten, if Gretchen asked to meet, we did. Hell, if she'd asked me to hop, I'd have gone full Cha Cha Slide.
"Do you have somewhere to be?"
I could have lied and said a conference call or a client meeting, but what was the point? Everything I was doing was happening because the firm wanted to keep a client happy. Well, mostly. "I have to be downtown at six."
Her mouth formed into a thin line, and I knew she'd decoded my reason for needing to be downtown. She nodded. "Well, you'd better go. You know how I feel about this, though, RJ. You're better than some publicity stunt."
I fumbled for a response, biting my lower lip. That wasn't characteristic of me-I held my shoulders back and chin up on the regular, and I never backed down from anything. I made powerful people want to cower, and I was good at it. She was right, and I was better than a publicity stunt, but I had to admit, I enjoyed this particular stunt. "Thank you for checking in. I'll talk to your assistant and make an appointment."
I hurried into the back of a waiting Uber, with plans to change clothes modestly in the back seat. Was I telling myself I would be modest, knowing that I was about to give anyone looking a bit of a show? Absolutely.
Penny: Where are you?
RJ: On my way. There's traffic.
Penny: You're killing me.
I sent her the knife emoji. Top of my class in law school and this is my life now. Event planners harassing me as I strip down in the back of an Uber. My phone buzzed again from the seat as I brushed powder onto my cheeks and checked my edges in a compact.
P...
RJ
I didn't blame Maddie Anderson for scowling at her soon-to-be ex-husband.
He appeared calm and collected in a somber Italian suit, remaining quiet and deferent, and seeming reasonable. He almost looked bored by the proceedings and the minutiae of his marriage ending. I made note of the gray at his temples and supposed it was easy to look dignified as a fifty-seven-year-old sitting next to one's twenty-three-year-old wife, and probably easy to look bored when you'd done this a time or two before.
Behind the makeup, Maddie's eyes were puffy, and the cuticle on her thumb looked shredded, like she'd been nervously scratching it. Since walking in on her husband with not one but two women during their son's first birthday party, she'd been through a lot. The hurt and embarrassment were clear in the woman's mannerisms, but Mr. Anderson didn't seem to care.
I'd never been in Ms. Anderson's shoes-today, a pair of crystal-encrusted pink stilettos. I'd learned young that people were rarely worth trusting, and baring your teeth was easier than baring your soul only to be shown you weren't worth someone's time. It didn't make me bitter, but it made me careful. It also made me enjoy these little moments when I could help someone else bare their teeth.
Granted, my client huffed anytime opposing counsel spoke. I glanced at the clock on the far side of the wall and estimated how long this would take. Despite the eye-rolling, gum popping, and faint smell of a perfume probably marketed to teenagers, Maddie Anderson was going to leave this office a very rich woman.
Twenty-five minutes later and before rushing back to my desk, I smiled at Maddie, whose philandering ex-husband was not as covert in his affairs as he'd hoped, and who'd chosen the wrong woman to underestimate.
"Everything should be finalized by the end of the month." I shook Maddie's hand to interrupt the hug coming my way and shared her smile. One point for the wronged woman and one more win for me. I rushed down the hall, trying not to look like I was in a hurry even though it was five fifteen and there was no way I was going to be on time.
"RJ." The smoky voice of one of the senior partners left me cursing in my head as I turned to greet her. Gretchen Vanderkin-Shaw would have scared the crap out of me if I didn't admire her so much. Really, she still scared the crap out of me, but as a named partner before forty with a success rate through the roof, she was a force to be reckoned with, and she liked me. Gretchen was the lawyer I wanted to be, and I was gathering my courage to ask her to be my mentor.
She nodded toward the conference room. "The Anderson case?"
"We were able to come to a resolution that worked in our favor." That was code for crushing them like tiny little bugs and then doing a victory dance that might involve some light professional twerking.
She nodded, a faint smile on her lips because I'd learned the victory dance from her. "Excellent. Eric mentioned you wanting to talk to me. I have a free hour now."
I stole a quick glance at my watch, because nine times out of ten, if Gretchen asked to meet, we did. Hell, if she'd asked me to hop, I'd have gone full Cha Cha Slide.
"Do you have somewhere to be?"
I could have lied and said a conference call or a client meeting, but what was the point? Everything I was doing was happening because the firm wanted to keep a client happy. Well, mostly. "I have to be downtown at six."
Her mouth formed into a thin line, and I knew she'd decoded my reason for needing to be downtown. She nodded. "Well, you'd better go. You know how I feel about this, though, RJ. You're better than some publicity stunt."
I fumbled for a response, biting my lower lip. That wasn't characteristic of me-I held my shoulders back and chin up on the regular, and I never backed down from anything. I made powerful people want to cower, and I was good at it. She was right, and I was better than a publicity stunt, but I had to admit, I enjoyed this particular stunt. "Thank you for checking in. I'll talk to your assistant and make an appointment."
I hurried into the back of a waiting Uber, with plans to change clothes modestly in the back seat. Was I telling myself I would be modest, knowing that I was about to give anyone looking a bit of a show? Absolutely.
Penny: Where are you?
RJ: On my way. There's traffic.
Penny: You're killing me.
I sent her the knife emoji. Top of my class in law school and this is my life now. Event planners harassing me as I strip down in the back of an Uber. My phone buzzed again from the seat as I brushed powder onto my cheeks and checked my edges in a compact.
P...
