Book Summary: 

When someone asks you to spend your life with him, it shouldn’t come as a surprise—or happen in front of 45,000 people.

When freelance writer Nikole Paterson goes to a Dodgers game with her actor boyfriend, his man bun, and his bros, the last thing she expects is a scoreboard proposal. Saying no isn’t the hard part—they’ve only been dating for five months, and he can’t even spell her name correctly. The hard part is having to face a stadium full of disappointed fans…

At the game with his sister, Carlos Ibarra comes to Nik’s rescue and rushes her away from a camera crew. He’s even there for her when the video goes viral and Nik’s social media blows up—in a bad way. Nik knows that in the wilds of LA, a handsome doctor like Carlos can’t be looking for anything serious, so she embarks on an epic rebound with him, filled with food, fun, and fantastic sex. But when their glorified hookups start breaking the rules, one of them has to be smart enough to put on the brakes…

Mini Review:

I knew I wanted to read Carlos’s story the moment I met him in The Wedding Date. His quick wit, calm/smooth demeanor, and overall personality just made him so likable that you weren’t ready to let him go. In The Proposal, not only do we meet Carlos, but his sister Angela as they attend a Dodgers game in one of their routine sibling outings. They hadn’t suspected to rescue Nik, the victim of a proposal gone wrong! Quick on their feet, the rescue party get Nik out of the stadium and become fast acquaintances. Instantly attracted to Nikole, Carlos keeps his distance as he can’t image Nik has the desire to deal with any male, especially after what she just went through. Little does he know that Nik’s friends have other ideas and think Carlos would be the ideal distraction. One email and a few text messages later – Nik and Carlos become fast friends. Lightning fast to come to the rescue of one of Nik’s friends, they find themselves out of gas and stranded on the side of the road. Taking matters into her own hands, Nik opens the door to casual possibilities but isn’t prepared for what walks through it.

While I appreciated Nik’s drive, determination, and independence – her wrath against men did become old after awhile. Carlos was protective of women – especially having lost his father and felt like the man of the house. I felt like Nik took offense far too often when there were only good intentions. I understood the need, in terms of a self preservation, especially when we meet the gym owner and she shares her story of what happened in her marriage. The self-defense class also highlighted her concerns and did somewhat justify her hard push back when it came to men (not wanting to feel defenseless and meek). I was annoyed with Carlos when Nik came to the hospital. They knew where they stood and she was just being kind. I also thought he was way out of line with his reaction when he randomly declares his feelings, as if she had been waiting for this moment all of her life and should jump for joy when it happened. Most of time I felt more friction than chemistry between these two but it made for a more engrossing story. 

The in-between with them were some of the best parts – especially when they ate out and cooked together. Steamy where it needed to be and sweet in the right moments, The Proposal was a fun read with a heartwarming ending and a crazy mix of supporting characters (loved Dana and Courtney!) The best part is that Carlos being best friends with Drew, we got a check in with how things were going between Drew and Alexa.

While I have no desire to continue the series, I think the remainder of it would be a lot of fun for readers who enjoy the female protagonist created by Jasmine Guillory.