Book #Review: May Bride ( A Year of Weddings)

Book Title: A May Bride ( A Year of Weddings Novella)
Author: Meg Moseley |Website| Twitter| Facebook|

Publisher: Zondervan Fiction
Genre: Romance
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Format: ebook

Cost: $3.70

Pages: 124

How I got it: NetGalley

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Published:
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Synopsis:

She’s prepared for her wedding all her life … but she forgot a few things. Ellie Martin, a country girl in Atlanta, often de-stresses from city life by tending the flower beds of a church near her apartment. She has dreamed of a traditional wedding all her life, a wedding like the one her younger sister is planning back in their hometown. Their single mom will pay for Alexa’s wedding, but Ellie started her own wedding fund years ago. She only needs to find a groom. She bumps into a man who’s a guest at a wedding on the church grounds. She’s noticed him around the neighborhood, but today he introduces himself as Gray Whitby. They embark on a whirlwind romance, but her mother doesn’t trust freewheeling men like him. Standing up to Mom leads Ellie to stick up for Alexa too. When Ellie risks her own plans for her sister’s sake, Gray feels betrayed. Will he always play second fiddle? Will Ellie and Gray reconcile their differences so her dream wedding can come true, or will the romance they’ve begun come crashing down?

I enjoyed this story, it was a quick read.  It was a little different from the others, it didn't really glorify the wedding so much as the couple and I thought it was really good for that.

Granted the couple met and got married really quickly, they however worked pretty hard on aligning their lives and who they were.  I felt like it was a cute story, especially because it made them focus not on the trappings but on what they believed their faith was leading them to.  Ellie had a hard time connecting to her family due to her Mother's ultra conservative views which are making her sister's wedding plans hell.  I like Ellie and her sister (although her sister needed some serious growing up to do).

I however really couldn't get behind Ellie's decision in regards to her sister and totally got why Gray was so mad.  The side characters in the story weren't really fleshed out, and they kind of were props, except fot Ellie's mom who kept trying to take center stage.  I wish we knew Gray better, like we got facts but no real meat and potatoes on him, except that he loves Ellie and being spontaneous and he's a bit of a nerd.

I truly loved the wedding, both at the beginning and the end of the story.  I felt this story would have been better as a novel instead of a short novella. Although it conveyed much there wasn't enough time given for the characters to really grow on you or for them to really fall in love.
 ★★★☆☆

It's a okay story, something you should check out for yourself.. Make sure to check out the other weddings taking place. Click the banner.

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Book Review: An April Bride ( A Year of Weddings)

Book Title: An April Bride ( A Year Of Weddings)
Author: Lenora Worth |Website| Twitter| Facebook|

Publisher: Zondervan Fiction
Genre: Romance
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Format: ebook

Cost: $3.79

Pages: 140

How I got it: NetGalley

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: March 25, 2014
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Synopsis:

War changes everything . . . even their love. Bride-to-be Stella Carson can’t wait to marry her longtime sweetheart Marshall Henderson. But Marshall has been away serving his country and after suffering a head wound and being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome, he has distanced himself from Stella by asking her not to visit him in a Washington, D.C. hospital. Marshall returns to Louisiana just four weeks before the wedding, but as the big day draws near, Stella wonders if the man she’s loved for most of her life still wants to marry her.

  The author relied on a lot of misconceptions about amnesia and kind of used it the same way a daily soap opera would have.

To be truthful I wasn't a fan of this story I was severely annoyed with Stella, despite doing her research and knowing that by pushing you could make it worse she kept harping on him to remember her. He just came home from the war and she's attempting to make him back into the guy he was before he left, which I get, but we all grow and change and this isn't a change anyone would want but stop trying to make it all perfect. He's suffering from PTSD and a brain injury, it's not something that's going to be fixed in a weeks time, it can take up to years before it all works it self out.

I get it she wanted to be married and yes he can't remember and I'm sure that hurt, but are you more worried about a wedding or the groom?? She kept saying she was going to take it on faith and then immediately countered that by being pushy.  I get it, I do but maybe because I work in the field and know how frustrating it can be for those suffering from brain issues, especially issues dealing with memories, I was just annoyed that she kept saying she understood then kind of demanded perfection from him.

In the end I wasn't even a fan of Stella and I just felt bad for Marshall. I think if she had listened to him and went with on working with him over the weeks and seen it as a chance to court him again or be courted again then perhaps I would have liked it more. In the end she didn't learn a darn thing, she got her wish didn't she??  The book kinda made light of all the hard work that goes into the Veterans coming home, it ignored that for some those memories never come back and they still walk on faith and either move on or continue with their lives.  Stella didn't have to change, she didn't have to grow, this was just a lurch in the road to her perfect plans, EVEN though a friend told her to settle for the best or good enough she still held out for perfection and I feel the ending rewarding her whining and not growing instead of making her grow and change.

Even thought it's a good clean romance, I'm not a fan of it like I loved the others.  The faith was there and even though  the chance to learn kept coming up I felt like she wasn't learning anything. She would have a good  AHA moment (thanks Oprah) then turn right around and undo all the good she had just done. I will say the author is wonderful at pulling you into the story and sharing with a great turn of words the beauty of the south; and the importance of faith.  The cover of course is gorgeous!!

 ★☆☆☆☆

Make sure to RSVP to the other Weddings taking place this year. Click the link to get your invitation.

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Book Review: A January Bride (A Year of Weddings 2)

Book Title: A January Bride
Author: Deborah Raney  |Website| Twitter| Facebook|

Publisher: Zondervan
Genre: Christian Romance, Romance
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Format: ebook

Cost: $3.79

Pages: 120

How I got it: Netgalley 

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Shelfabililty: Should Read
Season: Wedding Season
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Synopsis:

Part of A Year of Wedding Novella series: In A January Bride by Deborah Raney, what will happen when novelist Madeleine Houser’s “pen pal” friendship with a lonely widower takes an unexpected turn? Who can work in a house that's overrun by contractors and carpenters? Not Madeleine Houser, a successful novelist who gladly accepts the help of her octogenarian friend, Ginny, to arrange for a temporary office in the charming bed and breakfast owned by Ginny's friend, Arthur. Maddie's never met the innkeeper - but a friendship grows between them as Maddie and Arthur leave messages for each other each day. To Maddie's alternate delight and chagrin, she seems to be falling for the inn's owner - a man who's likely many years her senior - and who she's never even met.

Unlike December Bride, January Bride is done with a stronger flavor of faith in it.  It's a cute story about a writer and an innkeeper widower who mistakenly believed something about the other, they start to communicate through letters and slowly begin to feel great regard for the other even though they have never met.

I laughed when I figured out what was happening; they certainly had their own time frame and they truly had made some funny assumptions about each other.  I loved that the characters were both book lovers (one being an author, the other a professor in English).  It was funny to read about an author struggling to get the story written and how she kept finding little pieces of Arthur and using them in the book she was writing.

They several near meetings and each one made you want to see if they would figure out who the other was.  I loved their friend who kept them in the dark and aided in the meeting of minds before they could even begin to find reasons why it couldn't work. I totally get Arthur's hesitation and clearly, he needed to feel like he was doing the right thing and not just being a lonely man grasping the first thing to make him feel.  Maddie was an amazing and straightforward woman, who knew what she wanted but didn't want to be jerked around and she put her boundaries out there and I love her even more for it.

Make sure to RSVP to the other Weddings taking place this year. Click the link to get your invitation.

 

I enjoyed reading the story, even with its strong Christian flavor, it might be a little strong for those who aren't Christian but will be the right amount for those looking for a good clean love story with faith involved.  ★★★1/2☆☆

Enjoy the latest wedding my loves and see you at the next one!!

Book Review: A February Bride (A Year of Weddings 3)

Book Title: A February Bride ( A Year of Weddings 3)
Author: Betsy St. Amant  |Website| Blog| Facebook|

Publisher: Zondervan
Genre: Romance, Christian Romance
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Format: ebook

Cost: $379

Pages: 120

How I got it: NetGalley 

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher

Shelfabililty: Should Read

Season:  Valentine's Day

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Synopsis:

In A February Bride by Betsy St. Amant, history repeats itself when this bride runs out of the church on her wedding day---in the same dress that had been passed down for generations and worn by her mom, grandma and great-grandmother who also ran out of their weddings. The heroine struggles to break destructive cycles of the past. Can this bride shuck expectation and discover who SHE is as a bride and in the Bride of Christ? And if she finally walks down the aisle, what dress will she be wearing? Readers will enjoy this novel of redemption centered on a winter wedding.

Out of the three books I have read so far, this is the best one. I loved this story. I loved that the couple had a history so it wasn't insta~love and that it had so much love flowing through the pages.  The Christianity wasn't overt and loud, but it was there in the Bible quotes, the deeply held beliefs and thoughts of so many of the characters especially the main characters.

Allie was a great character to read, she had so much hope, but was so deeply afraid of hoping and leaving a greater legacy of pain than her family did. I totally could relate to not wanting to repeat family mistakes, but I also understand that it's also your choices, something that Allie hadn't learnt yet.

The author wove so much emotion into the story, that even after my reading sprint was supposed to be over I couldn't give up reading until I was totally done with the story.  I loved reading Marcus's thoughts as well and having him struggle with hoping and not wanting to be the one left with a broken heart again but still being willing to believe.

It's a cute love story about redemption and the power of love. And let's face it, the cover is too adorable!!  Make sure to RSVP to the other weddings happening this year. Click on the link below.

★★★★☆ It's a beautiful and romantic read. It's fast and a good little pick me up during the season of love. Happy Reading & Romancing

Book Review: A December Bride ( A Year of Weddings)

Book Title: A December Bride
Author: Denise Hunter |Website| Twitter| Facebook|

Publisher: Zondervan
Genre: Romance
Series/Standalone: Series
Format: ebook

Cost: $3.63

Pages: 120

How I got it: NetGalley

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Shelfablilty: Must Read
Season: Christmas/ Winter
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Synopsis:

What started as a whim turned into an accidental - and very public - engagement. Can Layla and Seth keep up the facade in Chapel Springs this holiday season - for the sake of her career . . . and his heart? Under normal circumstances, Seth Murphy, the best friend of Layla O'Reilly's ex-fiance would be the last person she'd marry. But the news of their upcoming (and phony) nuptials convinces a big client that Layla may be high-society enough to work for his agency, a coup that would put her fledgling home-staging business on the map. Seth has secretly loved Layla for years, even when she was dating his best friend. Maybe she'll never forgive him for the way he hurt her back then, but he has to try. And Layla is willing to keep up their engagement farce until she's landed her client. For Layla, it's the chance to save her career. But for Seth, it's his last chance to win her heart. A year's worth of novellas from twelve inspirational romance authors. Happily ever after guaranteed.

This is a short sweet Christmas romance.  The couple Seth and Layla met years ago and hit it off, but Seth took too long to make his move and Layla moved on.  Cut to a few years late, Layla's boyfriend has moved on and Layla's hurt. She pours herself into her new business venture and tries her best to land her dream job.

I loved reading this little novella, it didn't take long and it was sweet, Layla's a woman trying to prove to herself and to everyone else that she's not her father's daughter; but she's struggling with that, because small towns have long memories, of course it's never of your triumphs.

I'm intrigued to read the brother's story and to get to know the town. Madelyn seems like a great woman, and she helped Layla out when she could.  Personally, I wouldn't mind kicking Jessica at least once.  I loved that Layla was loyal and that Seth was so good to and for her.

For a very short novel it really got a lot of story told. I can't wait to check out more books by the author, and of course I have RSVP'd to all the other weddings happening this year. You can too.

★★★★☆

I Hope you enjoy!!
Happy Reading