WISHING FOR US is book nine in Sydney Landon's Danvers series. WISHING FOR US is one of those stories with a Vegas wedding that the bride has no memory of when she wakes up. As much as I love these kinds of stories, I feel like the author always walks a thin line between fun storytelling and presenting a hero with some judgement that is very suspect. By telling this story from alternating perspectives, and getting the hero's much- needed point of view, it is made clear right away that the hero had the best intentions and he didn't take advantage of the heroine. WISHING FOR US can work as a standalone novel but, with all of the recurring characters, readers who are familiar with some of the previous books might enjoy WISHING FOR US even more than those who may be new to the series.

At the opening of WISHING FOR US, Lydia Cross is a little bit mortified and a little bit hot and bothered after waking up as Mrs. Jacob Hay. Through Jake's point of view, the reader is able to reconstruct how they both wound up at that point. Sydney Landon puts an interesting spin on this classic romance trope by having the hero and heroine familiar with each other prior to their spur of the moment wedding. Typically, in these types of stories, the hero and heroine are strangers who meet under unusual circumstances and have an instant attraction. Lydia and Jake both work for the same company, and Lydia has harbored a secret crush on Jacob for a few months. Lydia and Jake both come across as sympathetic characters. Jake's ex, and mother of his little girl, is vindictive and a trashy nightmare while Lydia is like a dream come true. I love that, while Jake is physically attracted to Lydia, the thing that attracts him most is her compassionate and loving character when dealing with his daughter Casey. Lydia struggles to reconcile her feelings for her late fiancé with the unexpected and wonderful feelings she has for her new husband. The sexual tension is out of this world, and the moments of quiet tenderness are just as powerful.

WISHING FOR US is a character-driven powerhouse of emotions that will have you cry and have you cheering the characters on. Sydney Landon does a great job of balancing the sexiness along with the heavier themes in WISHING FOR US. The girl talk adds humor to an intensely emotional love story. I look forward to the next book by Sydney Landon.