Books Like The Guest List Novels & Stories

Bella stopped mid sentence. “Yes?” “Breathe.” Bella frowned. “I am breathing.” “Not very efficiently.” Bella sighed dramatically and leaned back into the chair. “This is exactly why I don’t tell you things.” “You tell me everything.” “That’s because I’m generous.” Mary smiled faintly. “That’s one word for it.” Her eyes drifted toward the papers scattered across the coffee table. Guest lists. Venue confirmations. She picked up one of the documents. “Two hundred guests.” Bella groaned.

She noticed the flirty glances from the men, accompanied by jealous gazes from their companions. The hotel staff, dressed in black and white uniforms, sat at the front desk with a book containing the list of those people invited to the event. Once a person handed in their card, the staff counterchecked that with their list and crossed the name out before allowing the guest to proceed to the venue. Each invited guest could bring one companion. No more. Anna discovered a major problem. She didn’t have an invitation, and Liam already had Melisa as his companion. He really played his cards well. What was she going to do now?

Every kindergarten had refused to accept him because of his violent tendencies. On the television, the news was reporting that a woman named Maisie Gray had won ten million dollars in the lottery. At that moment, Zoe suddenly went mad. She grabbed the knife in her hand and stabbed both Lucas and Edwin to death before stabbing herself. When the news reached me, I was drinking coffee in the villa I had just bought overseas. My father was fishing, my mother was tending to her flowers, and my brother was studying in Horvar. I still had a beautiful, happy life ahead of me.

I asked, walking over to him. "Audrey sent the final guest list for the library," he said. He handed me the paper. I looked at the list. It was short. My parents. Steven and Sarah and their girls. Audrey. William Carr. Dr. Hughes and Dr. Reeves. Peggy. It was exactly twenty people. Only the people who mattered. Only the people who had stood by us, who had built this new world with us. "It is perfect," I said. I put the paper on the nightstand and climbed into bed next to him. He pulled the blankets up and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling my back against his chest.

“I’m enjoying watching you pretend to be a normal groom.” He raised one eyebrow. “I am a normal groom.” I pointed toward the security plan. “Normal grooms don’t deploy eighty guards.” He shrugged. “I’m not normal.” “That part is obvious.” For a moment the room went quiet. Then Luca looked at the planners again. “Continue.” The woman with the bun hesitated. “Well… we still need to discuss the seating arrangement.” I groaned. “Oh no.” She flipped open another chart. “The guest list currently includes two hundred and sixty people.”

I don’t understand their angle though and that is what scares me most. “It’s just as well, there are a few young people I want to introduce you to.” I inwardly groan again and shoot a discreet text to my secretary to get the guest list for tomorrow night to see if I can get ahead of the formalities. It takes about three minutes for her to supply it. When her name pops up on the guest list, I don’t rage or get angry. I simply note it, impressed by the balls on the man in front of me. I make a point to flag security when I arrive at the gala, and tell them not to let her past the foyer. It does no good though, she’s allowed through anyway.

He handed the notebook to Claire as he began to eat the leftover dishes on the table. Claire opened the book and read through the wishlist from her mother, as well as the guest list she wanted to invite, which turned out to be quite extensive. Antony, sitting beside her, glanced at it and nodded. He even smiled when he saw a note on the last page of the guest list, written in all capital letters: "Buy nice and expensive souvenirs; don't make me look bad." Abigail, who Claire hadn't noticed standing behind her, read the note aloud, causing Gladwin to laugh so hard he nearly choked on his food.

"My editor put them on the guest list." ****

His dark eyes flicker with understanding, and he gives me a soft smile. “Okay, let’s take a deep breath. What’s on the list today?” He is always so calm while I'm always spiraling. I glance at the notepad on my nightstand. It’s a long list. A really long one. I start reading through it, trying not to get overwhelmed by all the details. The venue is booked, at least, but there are still a hundred decisions to be made. “I need to finalize the guest list. I still don’t know how many people we’re inviting, and Marisol keeps asking me to narrow it down.”

"That's it. She's just a friend. And since she knows how to cook, she came in to help out. It's fine." After saying that, Axel hurried back into the kitchen. Because of what I had said, he drove Lindsay out of the kitchen. "You're a guest. Don't stay in the kitchen. Go relax for a bit." Lindsay glanced at me and smiled. "It's fine, we're all friends. Susanna doesn't cook. I can help out instead since I know how to do so. It's no trouble." It was an ordinary, off-handed remark. Yet, it sounded especially grating to my ears.