For Better or Worse

Written by Lauren Layne

Narrated by Vanessa Daniels

When small-town girl Heather Fowler finally gets promoted from assistant to actual wedding planner, she's determined to make it as one of Manhattan's elite Wedding Belles. Unfortunately, her first client demands an opulent black-tie affair at the Plaza . . . in five months' time. Heather's days quickly become a flurry of cake tastings, dress-fittings, RSVP cards, and bridal tantrums. But what she's really losing sleep over is the live music blaring from her playboy neighbor's apartment all night.

Five years ago, Josh Tanner was an up-and-comer on Wall Street, complete with the penthouse and the migraines. But a grim cancer diagnosis made him realize there is more to life than the corner office. If only he could convince his pretty, workaholic neighbor to let loose, too. As Heather lets down her guard, Josh is surprised when he starts falling for the sweet, vulnerable woman hiding beneath those power suits. Soon, it's Heather's turn to convince Josh to take the biggest risk of all: love.

Contains mature themes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Jan 3, 2017
• ISBN: 9781515984924

Lauren Layne

Lauren Layne is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than three dozen romantic comedies. Her books have sold over a million copies worldwide. Lauren’s work has been featured in Publishers Weekly, Glamour, The Wall Street Journal, and Inside Edition. She is based in New York City.

Reviews for For Better or Worse

[linda.bass · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I truly enjoyed this story as Heather Fowler, a small town girl finally is promoted from an assistant the elite status of Wedding Belles wedding planner. I loved the enter action between Heather and her next door neighbor, Josh Tanner as bells ring out when she stomps to his door when his music awakens her. I Liked Josh's take charge attitude when he kicked cancer and amended his playboy ways and devoted himself to his music but one look at Heather's workaholic ways, he hoped that he could slow her down even to smell the roses!

[pgchuis · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.Heather, the assistant wedding planner at the Wedding Belles, is given a very high profile celebrity wedding to pull off in three months. Assuming it goes well, she will be promoted to actual wedding planner (rather than assistant). She has just moved into a new apartment and has a very noisy neighbour, whose band practises the other side of her bedroom wall. Heather goes over to complain about the noise and meets Josh.Josh was my main problem with this novel, and I disliked him so much, that, had I not felt an obligation to provide a review, I would have given up on the book after the first few chapters. He is unsympathetic to Heather's desire for a peaceful night's sleep before a work day, he is patronizing (calling Heather "babe" at this first meeting), he is offensive (making sexual references to her body and general appearance, again during this first encounter), he is conceited (drawing her attention to his apparently impressive chest), he basically assaults her (he kisses her "to shut her up").Then we get to see how he treats other women. Poor April, aka "the cute brunette", about whom he seems to know only that she was wearing a skintight dress when he met her, passed the five minute "not a crazy conversation" and has an attractive body is, sadly, "not the best lay he'd ever had". In the morning he decides that he "likes her" (really?) but that she has a chirpy annoying voice. He tells her to keep the clothes he has lent her and (I was cheering at this point) she metaphorically throws them in his face. Obviously April was not "the One", because that's Heather, but really, we are supposed to find this man a romantic hero?Josh follows this up by forcing Heather out of bed early on a Sunday to come have pancakes with his mother, despite the fact that he considers her to be "curdled" and "sort of a bitch around him". I could go on at length, but there's also the time he asks her if she has been masturbating (yes really - was that mean to be flirtatious? - it wasn't) and the time he lets himself into her apartment while she is sleeping (she doesn't even know he has a key) and then enters her bedroom after she has told him she wants to dress in privacy, before telling her what clothes she should wear.Other issues I had:- Shouldn't the title be "For Better, For Worse"?- In fact, we Brits say "bollocks", not "bullocks" in that context.- "Heather was ... a touch crass when her trailer-park slipped in". Ouch.SPOILERS- Josh never seemed to feel the need to apologise for any of his behaviour. At one point they have what is described as "make up sex", but in fact there was no making up at all. Josh is rude to Heather and she retreats to her flat. Josh (the most immature 33 year old on the planet) bangs his drum until she knocks on the door and they have sex. After he rejects her in the hospital, the next time she sees him he is proposing and has arranged a wedding for that day, but he doesn't say he is sorry he hurt her or lied to her or patronized her. No, he needs her and he sees it now, so they should get married. And, by the way, he is knocking through the walls between their apartments because he owns the building.- I felt more could have been done with the fact that Josh was living with the fear that his leukaemia might return. He and Heather could have explored how this would affect their future, but instead Heather is presented with the bald fact and given no opportunity to have conversation with Josh about it before marrying him.- Josh had been so unforthcoming with Heather about almost everything in his life that she was crazy to rush into the wedding. Does she really know him?- In what way was this the wedding Heather arranged, given that she organized it for two celebrities and then it went ahead as a small intimate ceremony with different dresses and a different cake? Is it really your dream wedding if you planned it for some one else? There were a few things I enjoyed about the story; Josh's mother was a likeable character, the Seth/Brooke engagement was sweet and the continuing set-up for Alexis and Logan was intriguing.Overall I was disappointed though.