The lovely Ginny over at The Discerning Couch Potato (a wonderful review site for those of you interested in romance book reviews) shared this blog post o’fun, and I thought I’d play along!

Here’s a list of the characters that I’d invite to my dinner party. Using your literary arsenal of characters, who would you invite to yours?

*Character Who Likes to Cook

Gio- Love By the Slice, by Heather Young Nichols 

Gio is the sexy pizza guy, working at a pizzeria on Harbor Point, a fun beach town, when he falls for the owner’s granddaughter, Bianca. From the blurb:  “Gio isn’t there for the money. He’s there for the sauce.” Well to that I say, “Come on over, Gio, and bring your hotness and your sauce and bake us some pizza pies for our dinner party!”

*Character Who Has Money to Fund the Party

Parker, Happy Ever After, by Nora Roberts

Not only would Parker Brown pay for our dinner, she’d probably let us have it in her mansion-turned-wedding-venue compound! I loved the Bride Quartet series by Nora Roberts, and Parker, the extremely professional business person who runs it. When she hooks up with Malcolm, the mechanic with the motorcycle, Parker learns to loosen up and have some fun.

*Character Who Might Cause a Scene

Travis, Beautiful Disaster, by Jamie McGuire

Whether you love him or hate him, there’s no doubt that Travis is Trouble. He’s more off the rails than on, yet he has a big heart under all those tats. They don’t call him Mad Dog for nothing. He may behave at our dinner party if he’s allowed to smoke, and if nobody is bothering his beloved Abby.

*Character Who is Funny/Amusing

Andie, In a Jam, by Cindy Dorminy

In a Jam starts off with Andie waking up in the drunk tank after a night of partying. From the blurb: “Andie Carson has to do three things to inherit her grandmother’s lottery winnings—sober up, spend a month running her grandmother’s Georgia coffee shop, and enter homemade jam in the county fair.” When Andie arrives antics ensue, and she falls for the small Southern town as well as the hot cop who helps her navigate the crazy. She’d definitely bring the fun to our dinner party!

*Character Who is Super Social

Ian, The Matchmaker’s Playbook, by Rachel Van Dyken

If you haven’t read The Matchmaker’s Playbook or watched the movie on Passionflix, please stop reading and go do that! Ian was almost a pro football player, but now runs Wingmen, Inc., a sort-of college campus dating service where he helps the girls get their guys. He’s smart, quick, witty, and easy on the eyes. He’ll be the icebreaker we need at our dinner table. Although Travis might want to kick his ass for something, so we’d have to sit them at opposite ends, haha.

*The Villian

Bael, Above the Flames, by Cassandra Fear

Bael is a demon with an attitude. Sure he’s scary and weird-looking, but he’s also fierce and a bit douchey, giving him human-like qualities. If you like angel-demon stories, this one is a fun read. From the blurb: “When demons claw their way to Earth, Jasmine is surrounded by hundreds of fire-eyed beasts. Worse, she is captured by a big-shot demon named Bael. He’s a tricky foe with a chip on his shoulder—and the desire to make Jasmine use her powers for evil.” Come to think of it, maybe if we sit him between Ian and Travis, we could prevent a fistfight!

*One Couple (Not Necessarily Romantic, but I’m a romance reader so….)

Drew and Anna, When It Was Us, by Larissa Weatherall

Sigh… With this crew, I’d definitely want to sit between Drew and Anna. Although, they are super in love after finding each other again when Anna returns to Sage Hill after her divorce. They’d probably be struggling to look around me, into each other’s eyes. Love this epic romance which alternates between past and present and takes the reader on the journey from day one, to the happily ever after. Oh, and maybe they’d bring dessert!

*One Hero/Heroine

Layla, The Prophecy, by Erin Rhew

Layla may be one of the coolest heroines ever. From the blurb: “Growing up on a small farm in the kingdom of Vanguard, seventeen-year-old Layla Givens lives a deceptively tranquil existence. But her carefully constructed life quickly falls apart when she’s abducted by a religious zealot who proclaims her The Fulfillment of an ancient peace prophecy and whisks her away to marry her greatest enemy.” Layla is strong, smart, and fiery. At our dinner table, she’d keep Bael in line, and tell us stories of her epic adventures.

*Character Who is Underappreciated

Chloe, Restless Hearts, by Heather Van Fleet

Okay, so we’ll need a high chair for Chloe, since she’s only a baby. But if it weren’t for Chloe, daughter of single dad, hottie, ex-marine Collin, maybe Colly and his friends wouldn’t be as close as they are now. These three ex-marines tag team raising her. She’s a-freakin-dorable, and everyone who meets her falls in love. Maybe her presence would keep everyone at the table on their best behavior, too (although I’m sure Anna and Drew would be swoony over her, Bael may try to set her on fire, and Travis might teach her curse words)!

*Character of Your Own Choosing

Dylan, The Love Square, by me (Jessica Calla) 

What kind of author would I be if I didn’t try to sneak one of my guys in here? This was the hardest dinner party companion to pick, since I love all my characters. I guess I went with Dylan because he’s sweet and passionate (and easy on the eyes), a movie star (so he’d have good stories), and would balance out the alpha-beta men types at the table. He’d be drawn to Drew and Ian, I think, and offer them a cigar after dinner. (If you’re interested in Ginny’s review of TLS, click here).

Thanks for playing along. If you’re reading this, consider yourself TAGGED and feel free to tell us about your dinner party! Also, check out all of the wonderful books mentioned above, by some of my favorite authors.

Have a nice night!