Review: Nobody does the damaged hero quite like Bailey
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 9, 2014
I knew the minute Reed stepped into the restaurant in Falling For The Groomsman that he would be Tess Bailey's guy. The same way a mother knows her child just by hearing it's cry. Nobody does the damaged alpha quite like Bailey so I knew I was in for a treat with this one and I might be slightly biased because I just love her work but I knew she wouldn't let me down.Reed and Julie are the complete opposites in almost every way. He's Mr. Dark and Broody and she is little miss sunshine. He had a rough childhood with an abusive father and she had a loving childhood with adoring parents and a big sister she looked up to. Together they made the perfect couple but they didn't start out that way. From their first encounter Reed came on a little too strong for Julie's liking and when the bridesmaids made a pact to seduce the men Julie chose to go after the more sensible choice by picking Logan the best man. When her plan to sneak his room key into her purse lead her to Reed's room instead it was on from there!Reed was the perfect mix of gruff, sexy and bossy. He wasn't quite an Alpha-Hole but he he did walk a line without making me and Julie for that matter, feel like a possession. He knew just when to turn on his bossy side to get her out of her head and relax and enjoy the attraction between them. He grew up in a not so pleasant environment when his mother left him with his abusive father and at times things got dicey for him. If it wasn't for the friendships he made with a young Colton and Brock he might not have survived. Reed made something of himself though becoming an Atlanta SWAT team leader but he's kept himself from being with anyone fearing his darker side wouldn't be fair to bring into a relationship. That's why Julie was the absolute perfect choice for him. her sunny upbeat disposition was what he needed to bring him out of the darkness. After reading the series I think Logan best describe what Julie was for Reed in Best Man With Benefits"He'd had enough darkness in his life. He deserved some Sunshine, and Julie practically radiated warmth."Julie hasn't had things to easy in life after the death of her bid sister a few years back she basically turned herself into a yes woman. Doing the bidding of not only her parents but always helping her friends and putting herself out there to try and be more like her sister used to be. Her parents don't make it any easier on her with all their comparisons and Julie has lived a life of mediocrity because of it. Losing her sister Serena made me sad for her and it warmed my heart that she met reed when she did. He brought out a side of her and opened her eyes to her complacency she's fallen into. Julie wasn't used to a guy like him and it was so much fun to watch her melt when he whispered dirty words in her ear or touched her in a sexy way.Every relationship experiences growing pains but with most normal relationships that happens gradually over time. Reed and Julie have only until the end of the week when the wedding will be over and real life takes over to decide if what they have found in each other is strong enough to carry on once real life sets in. They both struggle with not feeling good enough for one reason or another. Reed's was due to how he was raised and Julie's was an internal battle of not feeling as good as her sister was. Every moment these two spend together was such a dramatic but intense and romantic moment. Reed really surprised me with how amazing he was to Julie and I loved seeing how happy he made Julie and the realizations she came to about herself were perfect. Bailey has a way of incorporating you into her story through her characters. Baiting The Maid Of Honor was sexy, romantic, VERY steamy and sweetly endearing. everything I wanted to happen for this couple, I got. All with a nice little cherry on top so Call me biased if you want but I think Reed and Julie are my favorites. Two completely different people, One incredibly amazing story, Baiting The Maid Of Honor was a total win all the way through.