Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: The Party Plot
SERIES: Standalone
AUTHOR: Emily Spady
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 393 Pages,
RELEASE DATE: May 7, 2025
BLURB:
A chaotic good boy and a sexy con man clash in this m/m romantic comedy about small-town drama, Southern manners, and being true to oneself.
When Laurel Van Marcke comes home for the summer, he’s immediately thrown back into all the scandals, grudges, and petty gossip he wanted to avoid. But he was expecting that. What he wasn’t expecting was Casey Bright, his mom’s new party planner, who also happens to be the mystery man he spent an unforgettable night with three months ago. But something about Casey, and the whole situation, seems off, and Laurel needs this party to go off without a hitch.
Casey has his own agenda for the upcoming Halloween ball, one that doesn’t include Laurel. He wants nothing to do with the spoiled little rich boy, and definitely doesn’t want to get entangled with him again. But Laurel is persistent, and soon, he’s involved himself not only in the party planning, but in all the most intimate aspects of Casey’s life. And Casey absolutely despises him for it… right?
One thing is for sure, the first annual Halloween Ball will be the event of the year—one way or another.
The Party Plot is an m/m enemies-to-lovers romance featuring elaborate schemes, a few raccoons, several cheesy Halloween props, and a HEA.
This novel is for adults and may contain content that is disturbing or difficult for some readers. There is a full list of content warnings on my website and in the back of the book.
REVIEW:
Rich playboy, Laurel, returns home to find the man he slept with several months ago, working as his mother’s new party planner. But something’s not right. Laurel is many things, but stupid, he is not. As for Casey, until Laurel appeared at the dog wedding, he hadn’t connected Laurel with his employer. And didn’t that put a spanner in his plans?
I picked up this story because the previous book by this author was awesome. In this instalment, the author takes on a different venture, with what some sites call a romantic comedy. I would disagree with their assessment. The story may have begun as a romantic comedy, but from my viewpoint, it didn’t end up as one. While there are lighter moments, I smiled but didn’t laugh because the tale deals with serious issues, such as alcohol and predatory grooming (not the MC’s). Nevertheless, ignoring the ’comedy’ aspect, I eventually got into the story and enjoyed it.
The story is told from the viewpoints of Casey and Laurel. Throughout, plenty of situational descriptions of background, people, and places exist. As informative as these were, they occasionally got in the way of the story flow. In the novel’s early chapters, worldbuilding dominates, so it took me a while to connect with the characters and their journey. But stick with it, as around a third of the way in, the whims of an attention-seeking woman, and associated issues, give way to a juicier story.
Laurel has issues. Given his riches, OTT mother, and small-town hierarchy, it’s no wonder that when at home, he sinks into a bottle. At heart, he is a good person aiming to help those he can, often seeing the bigger picture of a situation. Laurel’s best friend, Melody, is a lady who deserves respect. She is one of the reasons why I hesitate to call this story a comedy.
Not much is revealed about Casey’s background – just a nugget here and there. I loved the interactions between Casey and his best friend, James. James doesn’t get much airtime, but it is memorable. Shout out here for raccoons. Anyhoo, Casey is a man with dreams, and not many ways to achieve them.
If you remove the comedy billing, this is a sweet tale of two men from opposite sides of the tracks who are, at heart, good people looking for happiness.
RATING: 
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