The Invitation

Ah, romance novels. When they’re brilliant, they offer a sublime respite from the world. When they’re predictable, they’re… fine.

The Invitation is fine. It’s the sort of romance where hot leads engage in sexy shenanigans and fate conspires to make us believe in love at first sight (or at least first mishap). Its strongest moments are its firsts but after that I was… bored.

Stella, our heroine, and her out and proud and pretty damn fabulous best friend Fisher, decide to crash a wedding at the New York Public Library. The invite was meant for Stella’s ex-roommate, Evelyn, who skedaddled, after leaving behind a bounced rent check and stealing a pair of Stella’s favorite shoes. Stella, though normally a level headed type, decides to go. She dons a sexy dress, heads to the Library–a place she loves–and introduces herself as Evelyn.

Enter Hudson Rothschild (this name made me crazy and not in a good way), the bride’s hunky brother, who actually knows Evelyn and thus quickly sees through Stella’s charade. He very publically busts her. Stella and Fisher make a hasty exit, swiping high end champagne bottles as they go, but Stella (of course) inadvertently forgets her phone, which Hudson, in true fairy-tale fashion, swipes.

What follows is a flirty game of cat and mouse, starting with Hudson sending Stella a cheeky note with his business card: “If you want what you left behind, come and get it.” She does just that, they snark at one another, and sparks fly. 

The Invitation is as predictable as my friend Liz texting Here five minutes before she actually arrives.

Stella is a bounteous beauty with brains who crafts perfumes. She also has this very odd hobby of reading strangers’ diaries–she buys them on eBay. Hudson is rich, gorgeous, sexy, witty, intelligent and runs a very successful venture capital firm. His primary role in this novel, besides falling for Stella, is to help her perfume business flourish after his sister Olivia becomes smitten with one of Stella’s scents.

Their professional relationship quickly veers into personal territory, despite the clear conflict of interest. Hudson, clearly unacquainted with workplace decorum, makes his intentions toward Stella very clear from the get-go. Stella, being the sensible one, initially resists but soon succumbs to Hudson’s considerable charms. Their relationship steams up fast and quickly blows–hah!–past the obligatory “we work together, so we can’t bang” barrier.

The real drama of the story, which comes late in the novel, is an overly soapy and somewhat implausible twist which unfolds predictably. Any savvy reader will figure it out long before Stella and Hudson do. 

But the book isn’t a total loss. Hudson’s precocious daughter, Charlie, is a stereotypical plot moppet, but she’s hilarious. And Fisher, Stella’s best friend, is delightful character. We all need a friend like Fisher.

I get bored with perfect leads and Stella and Hudson are each practically perfect in every way. Their sex life is perfect, their dates are perfect, their physiques are perfect, even their quips are perfect. You get the drift. 

But if predictable romances with sizzling chemistry are your thing, you’ll enjoy this book. The sex scenes are hot, the romance overcomes all odds, and, if you read it, you’ll learn all about hyperosmia and perfumery!