I’ve never read any romance books by Hannah Bernard, so this was my first. I’m happy that I started with The Honeymoon Proposal, I really liked it! In the first chapter, we meet Joanna and Mitch, in the middle of a fight over the phone. We get the idea that they used to date but she is now freezing him out and he’s desperate to contact him. And it also turns out they used to work together, even worse, he was her boss. Add in a meddling grandmother/godmother and we’re in for a real treat.
So Joanna’s grandmother is also Mitch’s godmother and they have know each other for years. When Joanna graduated, she got a job at Mitch’s company and worked her way up. They started dating, but kept it a secret (except from grandma) until they were sure it could be something. And then disaster struck: data was stolen from the company and Joanna was framed. She felt like Mitch didn’t support her, so she quit. Out of a job and a boyfriend, she returns to her grandmother’s heartbroken and alone.
But her grandmother won’t let that stand and starts pretending that she’s sick and talking about death. Eventually, Joanna tells Mitch about her grandmother’s declining health and he immediately rushes over. They spend the next few days awkwardly around the house, trying to cheer grandma up. But of course, grandma knows what’s up and she is trying her hardest to get the two back together. So she plays on her granddaughter’s guilt to get the two of them married before she dies and even plans a surprise wedding. Not wanting to tell grandma the truth and upsetting her while she’s so sick, Joanna and Mitch agree.
But in the meantime, Mitch has figured out he wants Joanna back. Well, he never wanted to lose her in the first place. He’s working hard on figuring out what happened at work to clear her name and win her back. And he works together with grandma to make that happen. Joanna also still clearly has feelings for him and they slowly grow closer and closer again. All is revealed during a weekend getaway when Joanna learns her name’s been cleared. She also finally realises that her grandma wasn’t sick, but was faking it. Mitch, on his part, admits he still has feelings for her and the entire situation is cleared up. Cue the start of their happily ever after!
Happy reading,
Loes M.