Take It Off the Menu is the third book in Christina Hovland's Mile High Matched series. Each book in the series can be read as a stand alone but features characters from other books.

This whole series has been hilarious and Take It Off the Menu is no exception. There were quite a few laugh out loud moments and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Marlee is a rich socialite who just got dumped by her fiance. Eli is Marlee's best friend's brother and the owner of a catering company. After Marlee's breakup Eli joins her and her best friends in Vegas and somehow they end up married. What follows is a touching, hilarious story about two people trying to find themselves as their worlds change.

I loved this book and honestly loved all of the characters (Marlee's ex excluded). If you haven't read this series you are missing out. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really tried to read this book. Picked it up a couple times. But I just couldn’t get past the 10% mark. The characters just didn’t have any personality. The dog did though so that is something.

Maybe remove the whole cooking breakfast thing??? That is boring.

Take it Off The Menu is the first book I read by Christina Hovland, however it will not be the last! I loved this book. I have already rushed over to my Kindle Unlimited and snagged up more books to devour. Take it Off Then Menu is the third book in The Mile High Matched Series. I was immediately drawn to the cover. Yellow is my favorite color, and then there is this very well built gentleman doing some cooking! Be still my heart! Take It Off the Menu I believe briefly highlights other couples from past series, but can be read as a complete stand alone. I loved this story. Eli and Marlee work so well together. Without giving too much away, this is a great friends to lovers romance. Marlee is not only Eli's sister best friend, but they were old school mates as well. Marlee experiences a rough breakup, and Eli is there to be a friend. Of course with every great story there are tons of twists and turns, and these two become much more than just friends. Shenanigans all the way around, but I seriously enjoyed it from start to finish!

NOTE: this review will be posted on my blog (http://sunshinenbooks.wordpress.com), and on goodreads (http://goodreads.com/sunshinenbooks) on monday, august 19th, 2019 at 5pm (GMT+1) under the link: https://sunshinenbooks.wordpress.com/2019/08/19/take-it-off-the-menu-by-christina-hovland
thank you for your interest in my blog. here's my review:

let's just say i'm glad i finished this book.

TAKE IT OFF THE MENU was probably the messiest, most this-can't-get-any-more-ridiculous-but-somehow-it-does book i have ever read. it follows marlee, who's perfect life is thrown off the window when she gets dumped by her boyfriend two days before their marriage. her friends decide to take her to vegas to get over it. next morning, BOOM! she's married to her best friend's brother, eli.

i mean, yes, the book looked amazing, and it really had great potential, but i went in for more than what i got. the story was completely forgettable, i felt nothing special coming out of it while reading it. in fact, i had a hard time getting into it, especially in the first 30% of the book. and as the story goes, the plot kept getting messier and messier. i kept reading, wishing somehow it would get better; it didn't. 

i think the story is also supposed to be funny, but i found most scenes just cringy (except for one scene or not which i did find amusing). i think the reason behind that is that the chemistry between the characters (especially the main two) felt forced. i really didn't feel any connection to any of the characters whatsoever, and wasn't rooting for the romance. i did however like the friendships, and how the characters were always there for each other.

but what caught my attention the most, is some of the lines i came across, which i couldn't believe i was reading:

"He took the most masculine sip of fizzy booze that he could manage" -Chapter Four

okay first of all, what the hell is a masculine sip of fizzy booze supposed to mean? i mean i'm not into drinks but i know for sure there isn't a masculine one.

"Marlee didn't have the fake breasts that one might expect on a socialite with her kind of money" -Chapter Seven

"[...]Her breasts heavy and real. Laugh lines starting to etch around the corners of her eyes that many in her world would've Botoxed away. But Marlee didn't. They were part of who she was. Yes, she was real."-Chapter Fifteen

these lines are straight-up shaming women who decide to do surgery, questioning their "real-ness", and just being completely useless in the story. this is just putting women in some kind of boxes. i'm just...wow.

i may have not paid attention to some other lines in the book, but these are the ones that made me stop and question whether i should finish it or just drop it and move on to something else.

overall, to say i'm disappointed in this book is an euphemism. i expected a fun and cute rom-com and i got...this. i really had other expectations going into it. i just couldn't wait to be done with it, and i even conisdered just dropping it altogether. oh well...

2.5 Stars

This book was pretty middle of the road for me. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it.

The emotions in this book are pretty high from the get go, and the first few chapters were so close to something I experienced that I couldn't believe it! So that being said, she totally nailed Scotty, the breakup, and the emotional fallout. The friendship between all the girls, especially her new group of friends she made through Eli, were the highlight of the book for me. While it is a part of a series, you could absolutely read this as a standalone (I did!) and be fine. It would be interesting to see how the character dynamics in the other books are; I might give the series another chance and read one of the earlier books.

The connection with Eli felt very natural, and I really appreciated that there weren't any huge communication mishaps between them that were the cause of drama between like a lot of stories seem to rely on (until the end of course, but that was at least short lived!). While I didn't care much for Marlee, Eli was lovable enough. The ending did feel very rushed though, and as I was getting to the end a part of me wondered what I had been reading about this whole time?

There were just a few things that I couldn't get past that really stopped me from enjoying the story more. Overall the characters really felt like they were lacking depth and weren't that well rounded, and a lot felt very immature. How the whole scene played out in court was just frustrating (again, immature and really, how could you not realize what you were saying in that context?!), Marlee's comments on taxes, being that bad in the kitchen, and honestly don't even get me started about her dog. Her parents and Scotty at least fit into the story line, but that didn't make their actions any less frustrating to read.

And at the end of the day, don't we all know not to trust novelty condoms?

I can honestly say that I have enjoyed this series and all of the characters. Christina Hovland knows how to add fun and laughter with her romance. After a wild weekend in Vegas and waking up married, Marlee and Eli head back home to file for a divorce. The longer Marlee is with Eli the more protective he is of herm and her finds he enjoys having her around. Once they accept their feelings for each other the sparks fly. Eli amd Marlee are a great couple. You can't help but fall in love with this series.

I really like this series and this book was not an exception to that rule. Funny, smart, an a whole lot of heart! Great summer read!

I’m not sure how a book that starts with our heroine getting dumped two days before her wedding turned out to be so funny and lighthearted, but this book is just that. I loved the last book in the series, so I knew I was going to be in for plenty of laughs with this one, but it exceeded my expectations by having so much heart mixed in. The story follows Marlee, a woman who has been with the same guy for the last ten years. When he calls off their wedding in the final hours, she knows she should be devastated, but she can only feel relieved. Somewhere along the way they fell out of love, and she’s been living a lonely life while coupled up. Her friends take her on a trip to Vegas to lift her spirits, and her best friend’s brother, Eli, accompanies them because he’s always been the one to bail them out when they get into trouble. Fast forward to the next morning, and Marlee finds herself a married woman... just not to the groom she originally intended. What follows is the story of how these two deal with the fallout from their drunken wedding.

This book could easily have felt like a total downer, but the author’s writing makes the pages fly by and put a smile on my face for much of the book. Eli may be a bit of a commitment-phobe, but he’s known Marlee for years and their relationship doesn’t feel new. He’s a great guy who just wanted to focus on himself for a change, and now he finds himself married to a woman he likes and respects. I absolutely loved the courtroom scene - Hovland made some smart word choices here, leading to a hysterical predicament for our couple. While this can definitely be read as a standalone, characters new and old make appearances that enhance the story. Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I’ve loved getting to know these characters and look forward to the next couple.

So apparently this book is in a series I totally skipped the others! But this book was great! Christina is a great author and I look forward the catching up on the rest in this series. Marlee and Eli were great together. Their chemistry, connection, their dialogue . I enjoyed everything about this book . Now I’m off to binge on all her books!!!!

Marlee was to marry Scotty in two days. But then he broke up with her, he’d been thinking about it for awhile. Marlee waited to feel the heartbreak but felt relieved. Relief that was starting to make her panic. She tried to see the man she fell in love with but he was gone and has been for awhile and she wasn’t the woman he fell in love with either. Marlee had been with Scotty ten years since she was twenty. Scotty promised her there was no one else but she knew that; they worked together, lived together, exercised together. He wouldn’t have any time for someone else. Marlee called Sadie to help her pack, she was going to stay at a hotel for awhile. Sadie brought her brother Eli to help. Eli was shocked with how he liked how at ease marlee was with him. Two more of Marlee’s friends came over- they’d come to town for the wedding-Becca and Katie. Eli was a chef and offered to cook breakfast, Marlee had spent many Saturday mornings with Eli and Sadie and their family. Marlee took her friends-Eli included to Vegas to spend the weekend to get away. Eli and marlee were dared to go through the motions of getting married . When everyone else was passed out they did that but actually signed the license with their real name- they weren’t supposed to do that. Than they had sex in the motel room that came with the wedding package. Eli had sworn he’d never get married Eli had lost the scholarship to study with culinary geniuses in Europe when his mother got sick and he stayed to help. He still had dreams of opening his own restaurant and nothing was going to get in his way. He was about a year from having the funds to open Eats grille in LoDo- Denver’s trendy neighborhood -a place for up and coming chefs. With marlees hand against his Eli was feeling things for Marlee he’d never expected. Wired were getting crossed between his brain and his groin and that was unacceptable. Eli said he would call Sadie who was na attorney. She was not happy. They tried to get an annulment in Vegas but couldn’t. Than Marlee’s parents cut off the money from her trust fund.
Excellent book. I really enjoyed this so much. I loved Eli and Marlee together and how they interacted and that they had known each other for so long. I loved how Eli was there for Marlee even before their drunken night and marriage and also after. I was so happy to see Marlee’s parents had changed toward Marlee and they got rid of Scotty. I loved marlee’s heart even though she had a lot of money- at least until her parents cut her off. Then she got a job first with Eli than with Jace and actually worked and loved working with flowers. I loved the pace and the plot. Iread this in one sitting well other than taking a couple of hours to sleep. A new favorite. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I highly recommend it.

I am just loving this series! I didn't think much could top Going Down on One Knee, but this story pleasantly surprised me.

Marlee Medford is supposed to be getting married in 2 days and her fiance, Scotty suddenly calls off the wedding. So what is a jilted bride suppose to do...head to Las Vegas with her besties....and who tags along to make sure the girls don't get into any trouble....Eli Howard, her wedding caterer and big brother of her best friend, Sadie.

What starts as a drunken fun night ends up with Marlee and Eli married. This wouldn't be so bad except 1.) Eli doesn't believe in marriage 2.) Marlee and Eli really enjoyed their wedding night ;) 3.) The quickie annulment is denied and 4.) Marlee's parents have cut off her trust fund and sided with Scotty!

Broke and homeless Marlee and her dog Lothario end up moving in with Eli until their divorce is granted and she can get her trust fund back. What starts out as a stupid mistake quickly turns into something real and just when it looks like Marlee and Eli are headed into a perfect happy ever after, life has a way of throwing wrenches into their life's plan. It is going to take some major soul searching on Marlee and Eli behalf before these two can find their happy ever after that they both deserve.

I just adored this story! Marlee may be rich but she is not a spoiled brat....she gives the homeless Starbucks a few times a week! Eli may have thought he didn't believe in marriage but it seems he just had never found the right person because once he realized that Marlee was it for him, he fell hard! I also loved Marlee's dog, Lothario! This character was a hoot! Overall this was another perfect story in this series....great characters, great story line and many laugh out loud moments!

I always enjoy and love a new book by Christina. She never seizes to amaze me. I love this series of books. This one is probably my favorite. It made me laugh and I loved the chemistry between the characters. Another great book for the collection.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

*I received an arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*. This is the first book I’ve read by Christina Hovland & I absolutely loved it!! It was funny, emotional & well written. I loved Eli & Marlee and the rest of the characters. I will definitely be reading the rest of this series along with the rest of her books. The only thing the book needed was an epilogue at the end. She did have a bonus epilogue to download on Book Funnel but it should of just been part of the book. I highly recommend this book & author!!

Marlee’s life took a drastic turn when her slimey fiancé decided to break it off two days before the wedding. You would think since she had been with him for ten years some advance notice would be nice. So, it the case. She is ready to embrace life with her friends and everything changes. What started off as a simple game altered her life forever. Jace will remain by her side even though he is allergic to one word. Just thinking about it he could come down with a serious case of the hives. This series is absolutely amazing and definitely a must read!

This is Marlee and Eli book, Eli is one of Denver’s up and coming chefs and a perpetual bachelor! Marlee is days away from walking down the isle with her fiancé and he calls off the wedding?! She knows that they’d lost their spark but just assumed they’d get it back after getting married?! Now Marlee feels like her life is out of control so she decides a weekend away with friends’s just the answer! Eli big wedding he was supposed to cater just canceled! It’s just one more reason to add why he thinks marriage is not for him! So he figured he’d tag along with his little sister and her best friend to sin city to make sure they stay out of trouble but when they wake up hung over he relizes he got married!! In Vegas! To his little sister best friend!! This book was funny and light hearted and an enjoyable read it was a little low on the steam for me but still well written! Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
It took a while for me to feel the chemistry between the two characters but as the story went on, it felt more real. I like that Marlee was trying to make it on her own without her parents help and wasn't a snob despite her status. The situation with Scott and her parents was maddening at times and I'm relieved that worked out too.
Eli is a good character so I'm glad that they got their HEA.
3.5 stars

Marlee gets dumped just 2 days before her wedding. And what better way to get over it than to enjoy a weekend with her friends in Vegas.
Eli isn’t into serious relationships and definitely not in for marriage. But he is someone who takes care of people close to him. And it’s that very trait that has him accompanying his sister and her friends to Vegas. Only this time he is the one in trouble. He has married his sisters best friend, Marlee and their annulment has been denied.
Marlee is homeless and jobless, and has no choice but to move in with Eli while waiting for their divorce to get finalized.
I enjoyed reading Marlee and Eli’s romance. It was a cute, sweet and funny read. This is my first book by the author and I look forward to reading more.

5 - "What did I get myself into with you..?" Stars!

The third book in the Mile High Matched series gives us Eli’s book, I loved his dry humour in the previous two, and Christina had me crying with laughter at some of the antics he got himself talked into getting involved in, in Take it off The Menu.

"You make me feel too much."

Marlee and Eli are opposites in every way, while he is insular, low-key, not interested in commitment and from humble beginnings, Marlee is a people person, loves being in a relationship, likes attention and comes from a well-known and respected family. They push each other out of their comfort zones, and what starts out as a joke marriage while drunk in Vegas with Eli, after being dumped two days before her real wedding to her fiancé Scotty, turns into so much more as they wait the 90 days for their divorce to become final.

Nothing hugely new or unusual about the tropes used in this one, but it was hilarious in parts, poignant and touching in others and just a good all round read in general. Babuska gets up to her usual antics and it was good to see the rest of the crew from the previous books as well. The author also gave a hint at who the next book is likely to be about in the latter stages of this one too, and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

I received an advanced reader's copy of Take It Off the Menu (A Mile High Matched Novel) by Christina Hovland from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first novel that I had read by Christina Hovland so I really had no expectations, but after reading, she is an author I would look for in the future.

Ever read the sort of romance that you want to hug the heroine and try to fix her problems? That's how I felt about Marlee from Take It Off the Menu. The poor woman starts off with a broken engagement when her awful fiance jilts her days before their wedding. The horrible situation is continued when that same fiance then gets coddled by HER parents and is sent off to a beach vacation (by her parents!!) to reconsider/recover. The jerk fiance also makes it clear that he wants to keep their house AND gets most of "their" friends in the split.

Poor Marlee can't catch a freaking break.

After this, she goes to her best friends - and by association, the brother of one of her best friends - for sympathy (because her parents and the other friends suck). When their sympathy trip takes them to Las Vegas, Marlee and Eli (the friend's hot older brother) wind up married and that's when the fun begins.

Obviously this is the meat of the novel so I won't spoil it, but I wanted to acknowledge how well-crafted characters were - primary and secondary - that the reader actually likes and cares about them. THAT'S a winner to me! Also, the pacing of the novel moved along nicely. Situations were explored/resolved without bogging down the book for twenty chapters. And last but not least, the steamy scenes were hot.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel and I found it to be well written. I will definitely look for more novels by Christina Hovland in the future!

The premise of this book sounded so fun, I just had to read it. It’s technically the third(?) book in a series, but it absolutely stands on its own. Eli and Marlee have been friends (friendly?) since high school because Marlee is best friends with on of Eli’s sisters, and Eli has been the one to rescue their group of friends on several occasions. Marlee has been planning her wedding to Scott for about 18 months after being together for nearly a decade when he decides to break things off two days before the wedding. Marlee’s friends’ solution? Vegas trip!! While there, and while drunk, Marlee and Eli end up getting married by Liberace as a dare “for the pictures” but accidentally sign their own names on the license, and when they try for annulment it gets denied. Over the course of waiting for the divorce to go trough, Marlee and Eli bond and realize they don’t want a divorce after all.

The beginning of this book was really slow for me. Scott is basically dirt because not only did he break off the engagements two days before the wedding, he’d told Marlee’s father, his boss, before hand and had no intentions of leaving the job working for Marlee’s dad that Marlee had technically gotten him. He also wasn’t planning to leave the house they’d bought together, despite the fact he was the one breaking things off, and from things Marlee mentioned he was toxic if not downright (mentally, emotionally) abusive.

I didn’t start feeling invested until about 30% in during the annulment hearing because there’s a bit of miscommunication regarding who Marlee had been planning to marry that weekend and that scene made me laugh, though it’s also definitely got some cringe. I liked watching Eli and Marlee build their relationship and fall in love with each other, but my favorite part was definitely Marlee coming into her own. As repercussion for her marrying Eli, a mere caterer, when she’s essentially Denver royalty her parents cut her off from her trust fund unless she’s willing to try working things out with Scott until the divorce is final because they don’t want Eli having access to her money. Her response to her parents cutting her off wasn’t to grovel, like she believed they expected, but to go to her husband and find a job of her own. Her response to taxes being taken out of a paycheck was so relatable, but I loved her building a new community with real friends through Eli’s friend-group and finding something she loved in working at Jase’s floral shop.

The middle of the book was definitely fun and cute and had great romance elements, but then about 70% in it took a turn I couldn’t stand. Eli and Marlee used a novelty condom on their wedding night that had apparently been discontinued and it turns out Marlee is pregnant. Not only was there a surprise pregnancy but there’s also a point where Eli is thinking it has to be Scott’s because they’d used condoms every time they’d been together. Everything about that arc frustrated me, made me roll my eyes, and if I hadn’t been so close to the end I may have given up on the book. I guess surprise accidental pregnancies aren’t a trope I’m here for.

Overall this book had definite potential and had several fun, cute moments, but in the end it was only an eh read for me - not great but not terrible. I liked the characters and I liked the development of their feelings for one another and the ways Marlee especially grew throughout the story, but that ending really ruined it for me. Definitely a case of personal preference.