Jasmine Guillory’s THE PROPOSAL is a great example of what’s perhaps my favorite type of sequel: the kind in which an individual who was a sidekick or minor character in a previous book becomes the star of her or his own novel. In Guillory’s effervescent debut, THE WEDDING DATE, Carlos Ibarra was the handsome, successful, commitment-phobic best friend of that novel’s male romantic interest, Drew. This time, readers have a chance to learn more about Carlos --- and maybe his opportunity to find his own happy ending.

It was fun to read THE PROPOSAL during the 2018 World Series, because its opening scene takes place at a Los Angeles Dodgers home game. Nikole Paterson, a successful freelance writer, has been dragged along to the game by her self-centered actor boyfriend. Her mind is full of her latest deadlines --- so she’s completely gobsmacked when he proposes to her in front of tens of thousands of people, misspelling her name on the JumboTron, no less. Nik earns his ire --- and instant notoriety on “SportsCenter” --- when she turns him down. Enter Carlos and his younger sister, who pretend to be Nik’s long-lost friends, rescuing her and sweeping her out of Dodger Stadium before a camera crew can corner her.

"As she did in THE WEDDING DATE, Guillory does a great job of populating her novel with an interesting, diverse cast of supporting characters... She also writes with wry but genuine fondness about Los Angeles."

What starts as a post-crisis cocktail evolves into an undeniable attraction, but even when Nik’s best friends urge her to pounce on Carlos as her rebound, she’s more than a little reluctant. The last thing she needs is another narcissistic guy undermining her career and making her feel unsure or unsafe. As for Carlos, he can’t help noticing that Nik is gorgeous, smart and sympathetic. But since his dad’s death, he’s too busy taking care of the women in his family to make time for romantic relationships.

As she did in THE WEDDING DATE, Guillory does a great job of populating her novel with an interesting, diverse cast of supporting characters, from Nik’s best friends to Carlos’ sister and cousin. She also writes with wry but genuine fondness about Los Angeles. Here the stakes might not seem as high as they did in her prior book, nor the conflicts as insurmountable. But readers shouldn’t fear --- there’s still plenty of tension, of both the dramatic and sexual kinds, to be had here.

Those who read and loved THE WEDDING DATE will be delighted to see cameos from Drew and Alexa, but this winning romance also holds up on its own. Guillory’s growing numbers of fans will be pleased that this isn’t the last sidekick sequel in the pipeline --- her next novel is about Alexa’s best friends --- and likely will be hoping that Nik’s charming best friends might warrant their own happy-ever-after stories someday soon.