Whatever It Takes

She wants a baby. He's just the man for the job. I'd finally given up on having a family of my own. Until ex-con Jake Brand walks in. He's six-foot-five of ink and muscle and the farthest thing from a family man. He's also leaving in a few weeks. So, when he offers to help out-in my restaurant and in my bed-I cave in and say yes. But I've got rules, strict ones, to keep everything between us clear: No touching. No kissing. No emotion. And the lights stay off. Always. Except, it turns out, dirty-talking Jake doesn't do rules. He busts through them one by one, and every time, he cracks another piece of the shell protecting my heart. Now, as we're counting down the days until he leaves, I can't help but wonder just how much of me will be left when he's gone. Contains mature content. A complete list of content warnings can be found on the author's website.

Rule #1: Don't fall in love with the groom. Stalker exes. Momzillas. Drunk uncles. Hurricanes. Jealous siblings. Paparazzi. You name it, Kari Whitevelt has seen it all. That's why brides and grooms hire her. Because she makes it all go away. Wedding Protectors, Inc., is here to make sure that special day stays special. Whatever it takes. No matter what. When her newest client turns out to be her long-lost high school sweetheart, rising tech star billionaire Caleb Mikelmas, suddenly Kari's not sure whether she's protecting the wedding couple-or her own heart. Tech billionaire Caleb never thought he had a chance, much less a second chance, with his first love and high school sweetheart, Kari. When a case of mistaken identity turns their reunion into one big misunderstanding, unraveling his feelings about the one who got away while supporting his brother's nuptials means facing old demons. And kissing Kari. He likes kissing Kari far more than that whole demon thing. But if kisses were enough, Kari would already be his wife. Maybe it's time to revisit the past and right some wrongs. One vow at a time. Welcome to the Whatever It Takes series. Every bride needs something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue-But you know what brides don't need? Complications. Enter Wedding Protectors, Inc. Have a spritzer or a latte or some lovely Zen tea and sink into a comfortable chair in our sunlit offices as we listen to your wedding problem-and form the perfect solution to every possible contingency. We plan for everything. Except our own love lives. But that's not your problem.

Accidental poisonings. Unexpected tidal waves. Jealous stepsisters. Brides caught cheating in the coatroom at the reception. Just a typical day at work when you're a wedding protector. Nessa Martini, the newest and youngest member of staff, is doing her best to fix it all. Starting with her own chaotic life. A one-night stand with a hot bodybuilding social media influencer who turns out to be a minister is not Nessa's idea of personal growth, no matter how much she enjoyed it. She's trying so hard to be mature, grounded, and responsible, and to get ahead in her career working for Wedding Protectors, Inc., where they guarantee your perfect day-whatever it takes. When she ghosts on Mr. Perfect after one night of pleasure and he turns out not only to be the TikTok sensation known as "God's Gift," but also the minister at the wedding she's assigned to for work, all of Nessa's careful plans go out the window. She can't date a man of the cloth. Or can she? Matt Draper knows he's a study in contrasts. A bodybuilder who makes sweaty, shirtless weightlifting videos for millions of followers-and a minister. He didn't pick the nickname "God's Gift," but he's stuck with it now. And he's stuck on gorgeous Instagram influencer Nessa, too. It may have been only one night, but it was a phenomenal night, and Matt wants more. Way more. When coincidence works in his favor and they meet at a wedding rehearsal, he takes his chance. She's slow to warm, and so mysterious, yet social media perfect. Too perfect. For a guy who is all about depth and connection, can he break through her surface and find more? Welcome to the Whatever It Takes series, where every book is a standalone within the same world with one couple per book and a complete HEA.

Power outages, runaway brides, collapsed wedding cakes, tainted caviar, handsy grooms, and the always classic: jealous MILs who wear white. No wedding catastrophe can faze Katie Gallagher because when you plan for the worst, you deliver the best. The best wedding ever. Her company, Wedding Protectors, Inc., promises happily ever afters. Guaranteed. Whatever it takes. But always-prepared Katie? She's steering clear of her own HEA. Years of dating older, wealthy, alpha businessmen who treat her like an ornament have left a bad taste in her mouth. And some bruises on her ego. Love is her job. Not her destiny. So when she falls for silver fox and self-made millionaire Patrick Cooper, she breaks a rule so taboo, it doesn't technically exist: Never fall for the bride's father. Enter Patrick, a widowed art dealer with salt-and-pepper charm. He can't resist trying to share an Uber with the captivating, enticingly stubborn blonde. Their encounter? Classic enemies-to-lovers. Sparks fly, but not the good kind... at first. Starting off on the wrong foot left a terrible impression, but when a series of coincidences pushes them together, the more time they spend with each other, the more the lines blur. Chance favors the risk-takers, so when he takes a leap of faith and gets a passionate kiss that rocks his world, Katie opens closed doors in his heart. Can he really have a new soulmate-or is this just a May-December fling? Enjoy book two in New York Times bestselling author Julia Kent's wedding series, Whatever It Takes!