King of the Friend Zone (Power of the Matchmaker) Kindle Edition

I have had the most fun reading these Power of the Matchmaker books this year. I'm sure that it was a huge job to put it all together, but it's been so amazing and fun. I was way excited to see that Sheralyn Pratt was going to be one of the authors and I've been eagerly anticipating her book in this series. And the wait is over!This book was so fun! I loved Esme. She's an amazing young woman who I was able to learn about a little at a time. Kind of like Shrek, she has layers and you really don't get to see them all peeled away until almost the very end of the book. I liked how loyal she was to Jon, but I can't say that I really like his character or really even the way he treats her in the book. He's not outright abusive, but he's definitely not going out of his way to let her make her own choices or do her own thing either.Hunter was a really fun character! He has a kind of sense of humor that you don't see a lot in books, and I thought that it was funny how he described himself as a bit of a jerk in the book. He was kind of like Esme, he had layers as well, and when his were all peeled back, he didn't seem like the jerk in the story at all.I think that Miss Pearl was my favorite so far in this story. She and her cookie cart were one of my very favorite parts. How imaginative to have the cookie be the indicator of just whose kisses you should be partaking of. I loved how she sat down with both of the characters and gave them the talking to they needed to hear.I loved that Ashton and Grace are back from The Kiss that Launched a 1000 Gifs. They play a big part in the romance of this one as well and this book wouldn't have been the same without them.This book is amazing, make sure to get your own copy!

This story was sweet and I was surprised by the cookie lady that wove this story together! Clean romance that kept you reading and feeling as if you knew the characters. This is a great read!

King of the Friend Zone is a thoroughly entertaining romance novel about best friends discovering that their love for each other goes beyond the friend zone.Author Sheralyn Pratt weaves a sassy romantic tale that follows best friends Esme Taylor and Hunter Chase as they discover the love they have for each other is more than just as friends, with a little help from a wise Asian cookie vendor named Miss Pearl and best friends Grace, Ash, Luke and Daryl. There is a lot of witty banter and electrifying sparks under the surface between the two, it is so much fun to watch Esme and Hunter try to maintain a denial of attraction when it is so obvious that they are meant for each other.The story flows smoothly in the third person narrative alternating between Esme and Hunter's perspective, you can't help but get drawn into their story. There is so many laugh-out-loud moments and subtle sexual tension between the two, especially when they are in denial of the more than friends attraction that they have for each other, and the many trials and tribulations that they had to overcome in order to find the love that was under their nose all along.It was fun to see that friends Grace and Ash from The Kiss That Launched A 1000 Gifs are included in the story, helping Esme and Hunter realize that they really are meant to be more than just best friends. The inclusion of their witty text messages is hilarious, I found myself laughing so much that I think I even snorted! I would be remiss if I didn't mention how much I really enjoyed Miss Pearl and her magical kissing cookies, and Hunter's side story as a volunteer mentor to at risk teens was so inspirational that it simply made me love this hunky fireman even more.King of the Friend Zone is a fast paced and delightful romance story that is the perfect read for the truly hopeless romantics at heart!Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This is part of the Power of the Matchmaker series but they're all written to be standalone books with Miss Pearl being the only common character in all of the books.Esme Taylor and Hunter are BEST friends. Their moms were friends while pregnant and they continued the friendship after their children were born and as they grew up. Esme and Hunter don't remember not being together, the families are super close and share holidays together. Esme says she and Hunter are like brother and sister, and says that they've never dated or even kissed each other romantically.Esme thinks Jon is her perfect mate (they agree on everything and haven't had one argument the whole time they've been dating), so when he unexpectedly proposes after only 6 months of dating she accepts. Hunter hasn't met Jon yet, but meets him at a celebratory engagement dinner Esme's parents give at their home to which Hunter and his parents are invited. Hunter being the only one there without a partner. Hunter isn't impressed with Jon, and Jon takes an immediate dislike to Hunter. After the dinner party Jon asks Esme to limit the time she spends with Hunter which includes talking on the phone, texting and emailing him. Esme tries to be understanding and complies but it isn't enough to satisfy Jon's insecurities about her relationship with Hunter, and he tries to get her to cut Hunter out of her life completely.I love Miss Pearl's role in this book. She has a cookie cart, Miss Pearl's Kissing Cookies, by the pond at the Palace of Fine Arts. The cost of the cookies is a kiss because "kiss is final ingredient". When Esme and Jon get a cookie after he proposes they're both disappointed in the taste, but when she meets Hunter there the next day to tell him about her engagement Miss Pearl gets them to "try new cookie" and they both agree it's the best cookie they've ever had.I loved this book, and I couldn't stop reading it once I started. I loved Esme and Hunter's best friend relationship and the bond Esme and Grace shared as best girlfriends. Esme needed a girlfriend like Grace to be straightforward with her about her relationship with Jon. I liked when Grace pointed out that too much predictability in a relationship could be boring. I loved Hunter--I mean he's a sexy fireman--but he was also a terrific friend and helped out disadvantaged kids at his boxing gym.I didn't really like Jon from the beginning and once he started in trying to get Esme to spend less time with Hunter--not being able to call, text or email him--the red flag was flying high for me. We find out later that Jon could tell, by the way that Hunter looked at Esme, that he was in love with her, but Jon gave into his insecurities and decided not to believe Hunter when he told him he didn't have anything to worry about, he just wanted Esme to be happy. Jon also basically called Esme a liar when she told him she and Hunter hadn't dated or even kissed as kids or teenagers. That's one way to kill an engagement. (happy dance)I liked when Grace and her husband ran in to Hunter while he was on the beach and Grace gave him some great advice on what to do now that Esme was completely out of his life. At least Esme found out what Jon was really like when she had to go out of town for work and ended up being away for several weeks. I thought Jon came across as pretty self-centered. He didn't really care about Esme's friends or her job--he didn't really know what her work entailed, and all he had to do was ask her and listen to her explanation. I loved how Jon underestimated Hunter at their engagement party. Who uninvites your fiancee's best friend to all the future wedding parties and basically says don't show up at the wedding, BEFORE he's giving the toast?! A selfish, self-serving jerk that's who. I loved when Esme finally opened her eyes that Hunter loved her and she loved him.This is my third book by Sheralyn Pratt and I've thoroughly enjoyed them all, so she's basically a must read author for me now.

I liked it. It was fun and cute and entertaining! Its only the second book i read in the power of the matchmaker but they were both awesome stories that made me laugh!!!