Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.

So this was a great romance by Mallery. I just found out she has a series called Happily Inc. that I just heard of it. This is the 5th book in the series. I have read her other series and now want to go back and read the beginning of this one. Readers also get a nice bonus of a short story starring a woman we find out is the adopted daughter of a Crown Prince in the Middle East. She falls for a man living in Happily Inc. Since this book already spoiled they are together though I didn't really need that story to be included. Also not going to lie, the whole secret princess or prince romance trope never has done a thing for me. So I finished it, but loved "Meant to be Yours" much more.

"Meant to be Yours" follows wedding planner Renee and resident novelist Jasper. They have both seen each other around town, and Renee is hoping for a friends with benefits situation. She sees Jasper as wanting the same things she does, no ties, just banter, and hot times between the sheets. Of course things don't go according to plan.

Renee has a lot of secrets and it takes about a good quarter of the book to reveal them all. At first I was laughing at the reveal and didn't think it made a lot of sense, but it actually worked. She has a good heart, but is scared about opening herself up again. And due to her mother's past, is reluctant to have anything to do with animals (yeah you have to read the book, no spoilers).

Jasper is an ex-military policeman who is suffering from PTSD. He is now a best selling novelist and writes stories starring a detective tracking down serial killers. Jasper is in a fix though, he's supposed to end his series and his editor wants the main character married off or at least happy with someone. Trouble is that Jasper can't write women. At all. When he and Renee gets involved he gets some tips from her and I did laugh at him watching "women movies and tv shows" and that he reads Rory Gilmore for filth. Sorry, that whole part of the book had me laugh out loud.

What I did like besides the romance scenes was that there is a lot of development into these two characters and the rest of the town. We actually get Jasper doing something pretty crappy to Renee and apologizing and sincerely apologizing. We also get a behind the scenes look at weddings and unlike with the Nora Roberts series dealing with that, I wasn't bored to tears and wanting to wring people's necks because of all of the stupid acronyms they used.

The writing was really good and I would say that this book after ten years or so is going to read as dated since it mentions a lot of events and pop culture moments. Not going to lie though the Rory Gilmore things, still awesome. The flow was great though it felt like we were galloping towards a finish that I would have been fine if it took a bit longer.

The setting of Happily Inc. sounds great and like a fun little town.

The ending was sweet and as I said though the rest of the book shows Cade and Bethany's story which I had zero interest in. And it felt rushed compared to this one. ( )

Meant to be Yours is a book that is properly titled. People are unhappy and do not even know that they are searching for each other. It keeps its feel from the beginning to the end. The book has a proper ending. There are some romantic scenes that are not necessary for the plot of the story. It is a nice book and for that reason it is rated here with a solid three stars. ( )

4.5 stars. ( )

Terrific book. This story is about Renee, a wedding planner at Weddings Out of the Box, and Jasper, the local author who writes mystery novels. Happily is a small town, so they've seen each other around but don't really know each other. That changes one games night at The Boardroom when their partnership in a game strikes unexpected sparks. Neither is interested in anything permanent, but what could go wrong with some commitment-free fun?

Renee loves her job as a wedding planner. There is nothing she enjoys more than helping a couple plan that day they will remember forever. I loved seeing the various weddings and Renee's ability to create calm out of chaos. But as much happiness as she gets out of her work, she is convinced that there is no wedding in her future. She's been burned in the past and believes that love is not for her. She also has a rocky relationship with her mother, thanks to a very unusual situation that has left her reluctant to have anything to do with animals.

Jasper is a very successful mystery writer who has made a home for himself in Happily Inc. He is a former soldier who had very bad PTSD when he left the service and considered himself broken to the point of being unable to have any kind of relationship. He is on the way home from his latest book tour (in an RV because he hates to fly) when he is adopted by an abandoned dog. Though a reluctant dog owner at first, it doesn't take long for Koda to wiggle his way into Jasper's life and heart. It quickly becomes apparent that these two are meant for each other, and I loved their scenes together.

I loved the development of the relationship between Jasper and Renee. It starts as sex-only, as neither wants anything permanent. But in a strange turn of events, they spend more time together out of bed than in it and find themselves becoming friends. Jasper asks for Renee's help with the book he is currently writing. He's about to end the successful series, and Jasper and his editor believe that the hero needs to fall in love. Unfortunately for Jasper, his attempts at writing a woman for Vidar have been spectacularly unsuccessful. Things get a little tense when Jasper decides that his best option is to follow Renee in her work. She is not up for that idea at all and makes her opinion quite clear. Jasper, who has a bit of tunnel vision when working, goes above Renee's head which forces her to let him tag along. Renee is rightfully furious, and I liked the way that she told him so, explained why to the point where he saw the error of his ways and apologized. It wasn't the only time he pulls a boneheaded move, and Renee is very good at making him face his mistakes.

Once they get past the anger, they end up spending a lot of time together. I loved watching their friendship grow and turn into something more. I loved Jasper's fascination with Renee's ability to help her couples find the perfect expression of their love. His enthusiasm for getting involved in the whole process, from setting up to serving drinks, was heartwarming. I also enjoyed seeing Renee's reaction to and acceptance of Jasper's tendency to get lost in his creative process. There were several times when they were together that he would totally lose track of when and where he was, but she never made a stink about it. Both of them realize that their feelings are changing, but neither believes that they are in a place to do anything about it.

In the midst of all of this angst, Renee's mother, Verity, arrives for an unexpected visit. Renee has worked hard to keep her mother separate from her life in Happily Inc. because of issues that have arisen in the past. Verity has a unique talent that created problems for Renee, both when she was younger and with her most recent relationship. Renee is afraid of what will happen if her new friends find out about her mom, and she dreads the reactions. I liked Verity a lot, though I also understood Renee's feelings. I had to laugh at the reason that brought Verity to Happily Inc., and the event that came out of it was hilarious. But in the end, it's Verity, Jasper's dog Koda, and Renee's cats Fred and Lucille who help Jasper and Renee understand that they aren't nearly as broken as they think they are. I'm looking forward to seeing more of them in future books. ( )

I have read every book in this series. I have grown to know the people in this series. So, it is special when I read the latest book in this series. There are new people to meet while also visiting with old friends.

Renee is a sweetie. I liked her right away. Not to say that Jasper was not nice as well. I just took a bit longer to warm up to him. Also, when it came to these two hooking up; I would have liked for them to get to know each other better and further into the story before they hooked up.

It may not have been one of my favorites in this series but still a sweet read. I still do recommend checking out this series. ( )