confetti hearts coverRating: 4.25 stars
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Length: Novel

 

Joe Bagshaw is a wedding planner who met his husband, Lachlan, while organizing someone else’s wedding. The men were wild for each other from the start and it was a whirlwind of hot hookups that eventually led to an ill-advised, drunken Vegas wedding. Unfortunately, while the sexual chemistry never faded for the men, it quickly became clear to Joe that he didn’t know Lachlan particularly well and that seemed to be just the way Lachlan wanted it. He never opened up to Joe, never made him feel a part of his life, and their marriage fell apart. The end of his marriage was devastating for Joe, but he just wants to put it all behind him — except getting Lachlan to sign the divorce papers hasn’t been easy. But finally, after many tries, Joe has received the news that Lachlan has finally agreed to the divorce.

Before Joe can move forward, he is planning a wedding in Scotland, complete with a lovely bride, her horrific mother, an ABBA tribute band… and lots of snow. Joe’s plan to spend the week following the wedding on a beach in Thailand is derailed when the snow blocks all the roads. But what is far, far worse is that somehow Lachlan turns out to be a wedding guest.

Lachlan has regretted the way he treated Joe when they were together and he has been determined to get Joe back ever since. But Joe has refused to even speak to him and so Lachlan is hoping that this weekend will be the chance to finally let Joe know how sorry he is, how much he missing him, and that wants them be together again. The sexual chemistry between the men is still as fierce as ever, but Lachlan knows he has to show Joe how he feels. For his part, Joe can’t help but still want Lachlan, but he is wary. As much as Lachlan has seemed to change, Joe can’t go through the heartbreak again if he takes a chance and things go badly. But the love between Joe and Lachlan is still strong. Now, Joe just has to decide if he is willing to take a chance with the man he loves and hopefully they can find a way back to each other for good.

Confetti Hearts is the first book in Lily Morton’s new Confetti Hitched series. Those of you who read Vow Maker may remember Joe as Gabe and Dillon’s wedding planner, and Gabe makes a teeny cameo, but this story stands totally alone from that one other than the shared world. I really loved this story and found Joe and Lachlan so much fun together. The book opens in the past as the men meet, have some initial hookups, and then get drunk married. We then jump ahead to see things as they are falling apart between them and Joe ends up eventually leaving. Morton does a nice job here setting all this up in a relatively short portion of the book. I could feel the emotion as these guys fall for each other, as well as Joe’s sadness and frustration as he realizes he doesn’t know Lachlan the way he hoped, and worse, that Lachlan doesn’t seem to care. Morton plants enough little seeds throughout their early interactions that I could feel both their affection for each other, but also those signs of trouble. So when things fall apart, even though much of it isn’t shown on page, I could understand the problem and how they got there.

The story then shifts to present day as the men have been apart for months and Joe is waiting for Lachlan to finally agree to a divorce. It is clear that Joe isn’t over his husband, but he is also still angry and hurt. Most of the book is told from Joe’s sole POV, with a few scattered chapters from Lachlan. But Morton makes Lachlan’s feelings for Joe very clear and his remorse for his actions and affection for Joe come through well. The men are both at this wedding in Scotland when the snow comes in and they get stuck for a couple of days at the hotel. It gives time for Lachlan to really show Joe just how much he cares and wants him back, and for Joe to realize how very much he still loves and wants to be with Lachlan. It isn’t all smooth sailing, but I never had any doubts about how these guys felt for each other. The story then gets this fun backdrop as it is all set in the midst of the wedding hijinks, both as Joe manages the ceremony and reception, and then later as he tries to keep things organized and on track while they are all snowed in.

The only place I struggled a little bit here is wanting more on Lachlan’s transition over the course of the story. It is very clear how much he loves and wants Joe, and how badly he feels for his past behavior. In the present day, he is as sweet, loving, doting, and amazing as a man could be — not to mention super sexy. Basically, Lachlan has become Joe’s perfect guy and is determined to woo him back. But I didn’t feel like we see enough of the Lachlan in transition. He does treat Joe badly, or at least makes too little effort to open up to him or include Joe in his life. Lachlan’s staff and friends treat Joe poorly, Joe feels uncomfortable in their home, and Lachlan works constantly and keeps Joe at a distance. Then, Joe leaves and somehow, behind the scenes, Lachlan realizes all of this bad behavior and changes everything to rectify it. I would have loved more of a sense of how this all came about and what made him change other than just being sad Joe was gone. What made Lachlan ready to open up and bring Joe into his life? What made him even realize he hadn’t in the first place? So this portion just felt a little glossed over and it seemed like all of Lachlan’s growth really happens off page.

Despite that issue, I couldn’t help but love this story. Morton’s style is just such a good fit for my taste and I found this one to be such sweet and sexy fun. Watching this snowbound couple make their way back together was so rewarding, and I am really looking forward to more wedding planning adventures as this series continues.

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