Decidedly with Wishes is the latest addition to the By the Bay series written by Stina Lindenblatt. Let me just say if you enjoy hockey romances, fake relationships, friends to lovers, and/or forced proximity, then you're going to love this book! Oh wait, maybe that's just me.
In Decidedly with Wishes we meet Nala Johnson. She is a designer for her Grandmother's fashion house, and is slated to eventually take over the company. Nala is preparing to tell her Grandmother that she wants to create a special line for girls who have special needs. After all Nala has been designing and sewing these dresses for a while for a variety of young ladies, and she can see that there is a need in the market. Convincing her Grandmother will be a bit difficult though. When the time for the meeting arrives, Nala delivers her pitch. Her Grandmother says she can move forward BUT she has to complete the bucket list that Nala had written back in college, and she had three months to do so. There's only six items on the list, so it couldn't be too difficult, right? Nala tells her friends about everything, and they are determined to help. In order to cross off "date a hot hockey player" from the list, the girls attend a fundraiser where a date with a player is being auctioned off. Nala's friends do everything they can to help her win the date. And that is where she meets Eli Lawson for the second time. Eli is a professional hockey player for the San Fransisco Rocks, and he is in need of a date to a wedding back in his hometown. His Mom is determined to set him up, but the woman she's chosen is a bit obsessed with Eli. So in order to effectively shut that down, he tells his Mom he has a girlfriend, and her name is Edith. Now Eli just needs to see if Nala will 1) be in a fake relationship with him, 2) attend the wedding, and 3) pretend her name is Edith. What happens next in the story is their journey from being friends to a fake relationship to lovers, and of course helping Nala complete her bucket list.
When I initially read the teaser for Decidedly with Wishes, I was drawn in by Nala and her passion for creating beautiful clothing for young girls with disabilities. My mama heart just swooned at that alone. Add in the fact her potential romantic partner is a hockey player, and I was just done for. From their initial meeting (literally bumping into each other), to the auction, to the trip to Montana (and everything that happened there), to the big dramatic moment, to the HEA, I truly loved it all. During the scene in Montana where Nala was helping Abby with her dress, my heart just melted further. Seeing how Nala threw herself into the project, and involved Abby (picking fabric), to the final outcome, I just loved it. It honestly made me fall for the characters all the more. Oh, and how can I not mention Robert and Tony's tv show re-enactment! That had me laughing, and falling for those two. They are amazing. As for the big dramatic moment, that had me wanting to knock some sense into Eli. Yes he was in denial, but COME ON ELI! When his friends called him on his BS, I had to laugh. Eli continued to deny, but everyone knew. Eli just needed to come to the realization on his own. All in all, this book just made my heart happy. I was smiling constantly. I swooned a few times. And at the office scene toward the end, some tears may have fallen.
Decidedly with Wishes was such a fantastic book. It has some fun tropes involved, and it was a book that I could not put down. This may have been my first Stina Lindenblatt book, but it will not be my last. This book was simply amazing, and I loved the entire story.
Thank you for reading my thoughts,
Laura
Bucket List Rule #1: Be careful who finds your list.
Oops.
As the future CEO of my grandmother’s fashion empire, I’m not supposed to want to design a line of fancy dresses for girls with special needs. But when I pull out all the stops and present my vision to my grandmother, she agrees to let me try on one very questionable condition.
The condition?
I have to complete every item on the bucket list I wrote in college.
Challenge accepted.
Only, this is the same bucket list that includes going on a date with a hot hockey player, riding a horse, kissing in front of the Eiffel Tower…oh, and finding a husband.
The first one is where NHL player Eli Lawson comes in.
***
When my matchmaking mother sets me up with a date for my cousin’s wedding, I tell her the only thing I can…that I’m bringing my girlfriend.
Except, I don’t have one.
And I certainly don’t have someone who will spend a week with me in Copper Creek, Montana for the wedding festivities.
When workaholic Nala Johnson wins a date with me at a charity auction, I think I’ve found the perfect solution to my problem. Even better when she tells me about her bucket list. Because I’m just the man to help her with it.
I mean, how difficult can it be to find her a husband?
Meet Stina Lindenblatt
Born in Brighton England, USA Today bestselling author Stina Lindenblatt has lived in a number of countries, including England, the US, Finland, and Canada.
This would explain her mixed up accent.
She has a kinesiology degree and a MSc in sports biological sciences.
In addition to writing fiction, she loves photography, and currently lives in Calgary, Canada, with her husband and three kids.
Connect with Stina Lindenblatt
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Thank you to Stina Lindenblatt and Wildfire Marketing Solutions for providing me with an advanced copy of Decidedly With Wishes.
