Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Paper Roses
SERIES: Confetti Hitched
AUTHOR: Lily Morton
NARRATOR: Joel Leslie
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 9 hours and 39 minutes
RELEASE DATE: February 13, 2025
BLURB:
Jed Walker thinks he’s having a midlife crisis. The only trouble is that it feels too good to stop.
Widowed at a young age, he’s spent his life since then avoiding any relationships that might end up hurting him again. He has his successful wedding planning business, Confetti Hitched, and a series of uncomplicated hookups, and that’s all he needs in life.
The one person disrupting this controlled stoicism is his younger assistant, Artie. He’s sweet and kind and has a funny way of calming Jed’s mind. So, when Artie comes to him with a problem, Jed moves heaven and earth to help, which is how he finds himself entering a fake marriage with the younger man and catching feelings. Too bad it’s all pretend. Or is it?
From bestselling author Lily Morton comes a story about how love can completely derail the best-laid plans.
This is the third book in the Confetti Hitched series, but it can be read as a standalone.
REVIEW:
Oh how I loved Artie and Jed’s story 
This story is so romantic actually. This book has a bit of a tragic backstory compared to the previous books in some ways.
Jed’s life ended in many ways when his husband Mick passed away. Artie’s lost people as well and yet he’s still the bright light in Jed’s life. Despite Jed’s active sex life, he’s been a one and done since Mick’s death. Artie’s pining for his boss has been no secret to the rest of the Confetti Hitched though. Life is always interesting at the weddings the company plans 
After another wedding disaster is narrowly averted by Jed and Artie working as a team to break up a bride/MIL fight, Artie confesses that he’s got a problem that he needs to solved to get his family home back after his step mother passed away. It was his mother’s family home but his father gave in to his stepmother and so she wanted to further punish Artie (who had to leave home as a teenager because of her) by adding conditions to the inheritance. Artie has to be married and live in the house for 6 months before he can be awarded the deed.
Daisy, Artie’s stepsister has a friend that she’s trying to rustle up, but when Artie tells Jed, he asks Artie to marry him. This is of course Artie’s dream. Just not in this way he wanted it to play out. But he’s happy to have someone he can trust who he knows won’t hurt or take advantage of him. They try to keep this quiet, but then the cat’s out of the bag. No one besides Daisy is supposed to know about this marriage of convenience. Easier said than done, as it turns out. No one is supposed to know.
Complications arise when Jed’s mother insists that that they meet and they have to play the loving couple. But they are attracted to each other and after a bit, they begin a friends with benefits relationship One that leads to some quite entertaining moments. The house is a shambles and it’s going to take a while to get things so they can live there. There are of course setbacks and mishaps that keep things interesting for Artie and Jed. But they are enjoying their 6 months marriage. They are good friends and if Jed doesn’t know how in love with him Artie is, well so much the better. Artie believes that Jed is still in love with his dead husband, so he’s trying to be understanding.
The closer they get to the six month deadline, the more Artie is sure he has to tell Jed how he feels. But they Artie is hurt and Jed shuts down. He doesn’t think he can survive losing another person. He can’t really admit that he is in love with Artie, but he can’t commit to a real marriage either. So Artie makes another decision. Thankfully it doesn’t take forever for Jed to pull his head out of his ass (with a little bit of help) and realize that Artie is the best thing that’s ever happened to him 
I loved this story. Artie and Jed are hilarious. There are plenty of the delightful supporting characters from the previous books, but it’s time to let Artie and Jed shine. Joel Leslie does his usual fabulous job of giving voice to these beloved characters. Whether it’s humor, passion, despair or just plain love, this narrator is always a tour de force. Combined with Lily Morton’s stellar writing and hilarious characters and situations, this is a first rate listen. Highly recommended for a good time!
RATING: 
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