"A May Bride," by Meg Moseley is the sixth release from Zondervan/HarperCollins' novella series, "A Year of Weddings." I've not read any of the author's work before and I took a quick glance at her website. One of the byline descriptors that appears on her site says the following about her novels: "Realism, Faith, and a Funny Streak." I read part of a sample of her writing for her novel, "Gone South," and it sounds intriguing enough to me that I'd consider reading it at a later date.
I'd like to say that this novella does have realism in it. Who hasn't had overbearing, opinionated, and stubborn relatives who are embarrassing to acknowledge as one's own? Who hasn't dealt with people who are difficult and near impossible to please? Who hasn't met people who are unreasonably judgmental? In the novella, all these people are represented in the character of Ellie Martin's mother. She's one scary woman. It's no wonder Ellie doesn't want Gray Whitby, the new man in her life, to meet her mom.
There is definitely humor in "A May Bride," too. Parts of the novella are written in a chick-lit style. We first meet Ellie while she is acting as a guerrilla gardener, secretly weeding a flower bed for a church she doesn't belong to. This is how Gray officially meets her too; they recognize each other from previous run-ins at a local coffee shop, but are still essentially strangers to each other. He is a participant in a guerrilla wedding that is taking place in the church garden. Gray wants to make sure that Ellie doesn't rat out his friends for using the property without making any formal arrangements through the church. They agree to hold each other's secrets and go on their separate ways.
Gray soon seeks Ellie out to ask her on a date. The man is charming. He's funny. He's impulsive. He's impetuous. And he's definitely chasing Ellie.
Ellie's mom, however, had made poor choices for herself where men are concerned and is forever cautioning Ellie and her younger sister, Alexa, to watch out for fast moving, fast-talking charmers that will lead girls astray every time. Obviously, in her mother's eyes, Gray fits that description and their first meeting is less than stellar, especially when her mom's cold behavior towards him is contrasted against her welcoming warmth towards Alexa's fiancé, Eric. Mom approves of Eric because he is known to her and is a family friend. She is paying for Alexa's and Eric's wedding, and thus has been running a lot of interference in her younger daughter's life.
Gray and Ellie get secretly engaged within 3-4 months of their official introduction. Ellie doesn't want to tell her mother yet because she knows that her mom will think that they are moving too fast and are headed for disaster. She is thankful that she has a wedding fund saved so that she would have freedom to choose what kind of wedding she will have with Gray, instead of dealing with the issues that Alexa has with her wedding.
Finally, there is faith in this story. A falling out occurs between Ellie's mom and Alexa, which spirals out, affecting Ellie and Gray too. The situation smacks deeply of realism. I don't think that I can reveal any more about the plot, because it will be too much of a spoiler, but I will say one word: grace.
I have to admit that on the first time that I read this, by the middle and towards the end of the book, I did not like Ellie or Gray very much. I was a bit put off by Gray's attitudes and actions as he responded to Ellie's mom and sister; he felt that he was taking a lower priority in Ellie's life than what he thought he deserved. Perhaps he believed that he was justified to feel so, as it is quite clear that he's interested in marrying Ellie fairly early in the story. I was also raising my eyebrows at the speed at which he was pushing marriage. I was also put off by Ellie's attitude to her mom because it felt at times that she wanted to really stick it to her mother about standing up against her.
I had to reread the story over a second time to appreciate it more. After all, Gray's attitudes and actions can be explained away by his impulsiveness, impetuosity, and his desire for Ellie to become his wife. As for Ellie, I suppose that it is not surprising that she should respond in a snarky way towards her mother if she feels too overwhelmed by her mother's own smothering, judgmental attitude. I'm glad to have taken a second look at the characters in this light, because after the first time, I didn't really want to pick up the book again and would have missed the greater impact of the book, which is its message about grace, forgiveness and making a fresh start in light of that.
The story is quite well plotted out. The history and relationships that all these people have with each other, and the parallel threads of Ellie's and Alexa's stories are tied together quite neatly in the end. Perhaps there might be a happy ending for their mother in some other story that Meg Moseley might write.
Disclaimer: A e-copy of "A May Bride" was provided by NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Thursday 23 January 2014
Review: An April Bride by Lenora Worth
"An April Bride" by Lenora Worth is the fifth installment of Zondervan/HarperCollins' "A Year of Weddings." Stella Carson and Marshall Henderson have known each other since childhood and are high school sweethearts. He is a wounded soldier who has been recovering in Maryland for about two months after reviving from a coma. Stella has been waiting for Marshall to return to Louisiana so that they can marry in four weeks.
Stella is feeling anxious about their reunion. Marshall had asked her to stay away while he was recovering in Maryland and he seemed distant during their phone conversations. She is concerned that Marshall has been greatly changed by his military experiences and injuries. Stella is worried that she will need to cancel the wedding if Marshall does not feel the same way about her as he used to.
When she finally sees Marshall again, she discovers that Marshall has amnesia and he does not remember her or their wedding plans. All that he knows about her is information given to him through his parents, and through his conversations with Stella. He does have some vague fleeting memories but is struggling to remember his past life before his injury.
Marshall does not wish to postpone the wedding, and neither does Stella. However, as the days pass by, both come to realize that Marshall's memory is not returning as quickly as they would like, and that they will need to consider calling the wedding off.
The spiritual conflict that Stella needs to face is to trust God and let go of the Marshall that she had known, so that he has time to heal...if he will ever heal. For Marshall, his challenge is to trust God so that he can draw strength and courage to face darkness and fears surrounding his injury. He knows that having Stella in his life is a good thing, and he needs to face his fear that may be preventing him from remembering her.
I found the story to be...okay. I enjoyed reading it and I wanted to find out if Stella and Marshall ended up with each other, but I don't think that this is a story that I'm really hankering to read over and over again. However, I think that some others might feel differently and this could be a favourite read and that they would love to revisit this couple repeatedly, especially if they enjoy reading a romance involving a character who is in the military. Marshall did do some romantic things that were rather sweet!
Disclaimer: A copy of "An April Bride" was provided by NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Stella is feeling anxious about their reunion. Marshall had asked her to stay away while he was recovering in Maryland and he seemed distant during their phone conversations. She is concerned that Marshall has been greatly changed by his military experiences and injuries. Stella is worried that she will need to cancel the wedding if Marshall does not feel the same way about her as he used to.
When she finally sees Marshall again, she discovers that Marshall has amnesia and he does not remember her or their wedding plans. All that he knows about her is information given to him through his parents, and through his conversations with Stella. He does have some vague fleeting memories but is struggling to remember his past life before his injury.
Marshall does not wish to postpone the wedding, and neither does Stella. However, as the days pass by, both come to realize that Marshall's memory is not returning as quickly as they would like, and that they will need to consider calling the wedding off.
The spiritual conflict that Stella needs to face is to trust God and let go of the Marshall that she had known, so that he has time to heal...if he will ever heal. For Marshall, his challenge is to trust God so that he can draw strength and courage to face darkness and fears surrounding his injury. He knows that having Stella in his life is a good thing, and he needs to face his fear that may be preventing him from remembering her.
I found the story to be...okay. I enjoyed reading it and I wanted to find out if Stella and Marshall ended up with each other, but I don't think that this is a story that I'm really hankering to read over and over again. However, I think that some others might feel differently and this could be a favourite read and that they would love to revisit this couple repeatedly, especially if they enjoy reading a romance involving a character who is in the military. Marshall did do some romantic things that were rather sweet!
Disclaimer: A copy of "An April Bride" was provided by NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Tuesday 14 January 2014
Review: A March Bride by Rachel Hauck
When I first read about the novella series, "A Year of Weddings," which is released by Zondervan/Harper Collins, I glanced through the blurbs provided for each novella to see what the hubbub was about. The description for, "A March Bride," was the one that caught my eye. I have not read anything by Rachel Hauck before, but a Christian story, and a description about a king who takes an ordinary woman to be his bride automatically made me think about Christ and His Bride, the church.
The novella is actually a short sequel to "Once Upon a Prince," which is Book 1 of the Royal Wedding Series. That novel, which was published in 2013, was about how Susanna Truitt came together with the then-Prince Nathaniel. In "A March Bride," the story is about their wedding and whether it will actually happen or not.
Susanna is having doubts about her upcoming marriage to Nathaniel, who is now king of Brighton. Most of her extended family and dear friends cannot attend the wedding in Brighton, and she feels awkward with Nathaniel's inner circle of friends. Nathaniel has been distant with her for the past couple of months and she is concerned that he no longer loves her. She is feeling the strain from giving up her life in America and becoming a transplant in Brighton; in other words, she is deeply homesick.
Through a phone call home to her family, Susanna finds out that her grandmother, and her best friend/maid of honour, are not able to attend the wedding because of health concerns. The final blow that drives her over the edge is that Nathaniel's political enemies are demanding that she give up her American citizenship before the wedding to satisfy the laws of Brighton.
Susanna's turmoil over her identity rises to the forefront and she cannot handle the pressure and disappointment that have been foisted upon her. She informs Nathaniel that she needs to return to the States to think over matters. Nathaniel is fearful that if Susanna returns to America, she will never return to marry him. His fears are justified; one of his staff discovers Susanna's engagement ring by her bedside after she has left for the States. Will there be a royal wedding?
I enjoyed the Scriptural allusions to Queen Esther, to the Bride of Christ, and about how Christ gave up His heavenly citizenship so that He could identify with humankind. I also appreciated the ideas about how believers in Christ are also citizens of heaven and of the Kingdom of God, in addition to being citizens of the country that God has planted them.
I also enjoyed the message that one of the characters gives to Susanna which can also be directed to a believing reader: "He's (referring to Christ) entrusting you to be a Christian example to people around the world. For such a time as this."
You don't need to read "Once Upon a Prince," to follow the story in, "A March Bride." It can be read as a stand alone book. I haven't read, "Once Upon a Prince," but I'm probably going to keep my eye out for that book and also for "Princess Ever After," which is being released in February, 2014.
Disclaimer: An e-copy of "A March Bride" was provided by NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
The novella is actually a short sequel to "Once Upon a Prince," which is Book 1 of the Royal Wedding Series. That novel, which was published in 2013, was about how Susanna Truitt came together with the then-Prince Nathaniel. In "A March Bride," the story is about their wedding and whether it will actually happen or not.
Susanna is having doubts about her upcoming marriage to Nathaniel, who is now king of Brighton. Most of her extended family and dear friends cannot attend the wedding in Brighton, and she feels awkward with Nathaniel's inner circle of friends. Nathaniel has been distant with her for the past couple of months and she is concerned that he no longer loves her. She is feeling the strain from giving up her life in America and becoming a transplant in Brighton; in other words, she is deeply homesick.
Through a phone call home to her family, Susanna finds out that her grandmother, and her best friend/maid of honour, are not able to attend the wedding because of health concerns. The final blow that drives her over the edge is that Nathaniel's political enemies are demanding that she give up her American citizenship before the wedding to satisfy the laws of Brighton.
Susanna's turmoil over her identity rises to the forefront and she cannot handle the pressure and disappointment that have been foisted upon her. She informs Nathaniel that she needs to return to the States to think over matters. Nathaniel is fearful that if Susanna returns to America, she will never return to marry him. His fears are justified; one of his staff discovers Susanna's engagement ring by her bedside after she has left for the States. Will there be a royal wedding?
I enjoyed the Scriptural allusions to Queen Esther, to the Bride of Christ, and about how Christ gave up His heavenly citizenship so that He could identify with humankind. I also appreciated the ideas about how believers in Christ are also citizens of heaven and of the Kingdom of God, in addition to being citizens of the country that God has planted them.
I also enjoyed the message that one of the characters gives to Susanna which can also be directed to a believing reader: "He's (referring to Christ) entrusting you to be a Christian example to people around the world. For such a time as this."
You don't need to read "Once Upon a Prince," to follow the story in, "A March Bride." It can be read as a stand alone book. I haven't read, "Once Upon a Prince," but I'm probably going to keep my eye out for that book and also for "Princess Ever After," which is being released in February, 2014.
Disclaimer: An e-copy of "A March Bride" was provided by NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Sunday 5 January 2014
Review: A February Bride by Betsy St. Amant
The third installment of a Year of Weddings by Zondervan/Harper Collins is, "A February Bride," by Betsy St. Amant. It has been a few years since I've read any of her work, but I have previously read her novel, "Rodeo Sweetheart."
In "A February Bride," Allie Andrews is a runaway bride. Just moments before she makes her vows, a tear appears in her wedding gown and sets off a cascade of doubts that results in her running away from Marcus Hall, her groom. The gown represents generational sins existing in her family that have resulted in broken relationships. No female in her family, including her mother, aunt, and grandmother has been able to make a marriage last longer than three years, and Allie loved Marcus too much to subject him to that sort of marital doom.
Four months after the big disaster at the church, Hannah, Allie's best friend, asks her to become her maid of honour. Allie agrees to do this, because she owes this favour to Hannah; however, the complication is that Hannah is also Marcus' sister! How is she going to be able to face him after everything that had happened?
Marcus has no idea why Allie walked out on him and abandoned him at the altar, and even after four months, he is still in love with her. Every event related to Hannah's wedding brings Allie back into his orbit and he can't seem to walk away from her. He needs to decide if he can stay in the same town at Allie with his unresolved feelings, or move away and make a fresh start in Texas.
This story improved for me upon a second reading. This novella was quite similar to, "A December Bride," in which that bride also had a poor self concept and tried to cope with her flawed self perception. Of course, Allie's coping strategy did spur a lot of running away from a man who loved her deeply but who is also clueless as to why she did what she did. The verse, 2 Corinthians 5:17, which says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone; the new has come!" holds a key idea in this story, and it is a concept that Allie needs to grapple with in the novella.
The story unfolded at a good pace, and I really liked Marcus and Allie. If they were real people, I would have loved to have known them personally.
Disclaimer: I received an e-book copy of, "A February Bride," from NetGalley in exchange for a review. Any opinions stated in this review are mine.
In "A February Bride," Allie Andrews is a runaway bride. Just moments before she makes her vows, a tear appears in her wedding gown and sets off a cascade of doubts that results in her running away from Marcus Hall, her groom. The gown represents generational sins existing in her family that have resulted in broken relationships. No female in her family, including her mother, aunt, and grandmother has been able to make a marriage last longer than three years, and Allie loved Marcus too much to subject him to that sort of marital doom.
Four months after the big disaster at the church, Hannah, Allie's best friend, asks her to become her maid of honour. Allie agrees to do this, because she owes this favour to Hannah; however, the complication is that Hannah is also Marcus' sister! How is she going to be able to face him after everything that had happened?
Marcus has no idea why Allie walked out on him and abandoned him at the altar, and even after four months, he is still in love with her. Every event related to Hannah's wedding brings Allie back into his orbit and he can't seem to walk away from her. He needs to decide if he can stay in the same town at Allie with his unresolved feelings, or move away and make a fresh start in Texas.
This story improved for me upon a second reading. This novella was quite similar to, "A December Bride," in which that bride also had a poor self concept and tried to cope with her flawed self perception. Of course, Allie's coping strategy did spur a lot of running away from a man who loved her deeply but who is also clueless as to why she did what she did. The verse, 2 Corinthians 5:17, which says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone; the new has come!" holds a key idea in this story, and it is a concept that Allie needs to grapple with in the novella.
The story unfolded at a good pace, and I really liked Marcus and Allie. If they were real people, I would have loved to have known them personally.
Disclaimer: I received an e-book copy of, "A February Bride," from NetGalley in exchange for a review. Any opinions stated in this review are mine.
Friday 3 January 2014
Review: A December Bride by Denise Hunter
There are some minor spoilers in this review.
"A December Bride" was the first release of "A Year of Weddings", a collection of novellas being released by Zondervan/Harper Collins. I have not read anything by Denise Hunter before, so this was a good opportunity to sample one of her stories.
Layla and Seth are brought together because she doesn't want to go to her ex-fiance's wedding without a plus one. Why is she going to her ex-fiance's wedding? It is because her cousin is the bride and she just can't get out of attending. Fortunately for Seth, he has had his eye on Layla for the longest time, and he can't pass up on the chance to go as Layla's date, even though he is basically her last choice. She blames him for not giving her warning that her cousin was poaching her ex-fiance from her. Layla can't find anyone to go with her except for Seth, so even though she despises him, she agrees to attend with him, trying to convince herself that it was better to show up with Seth than showing up alone.
At the wedding, Layla and Seth experience circumstances that conspire to get them to define themselves as couple...as an engaged couple. Layla feels trapped; she is appalled that she and Seth are lying to everyone about their relationship, but needs Seth to continue the charade for professional and personal reasons for a few more weeks until the dust settles in all areas of her life. Seth has only that amount of time to convince Layla to make their engagement a real thing. Will he be able to accomplish that and make Layla his December bride?
Seth did act in a thrilling alpha male way in parts of the story. He was definitely a keeper, and I enjoyed reading about his pursuit after Layla. However, for a Christian romance, I found it a bit strange that the couple carried out a big deception and seemingly got away with it. I can understand why the characters made the decisions that they made, but I cringed when I thought about their situation and choices.
I liked the conversation that Seth had with Layla when he tried to address her insecurities and reminded her that she was special because God made her special and that her identity was not based on her address or parents.
"A December Bride" is a sweet romance, and I'm glad that I had the opportunity to read some of Denise Hunter's work.
Disclaimer: An e-book copy of "A December Bride" was provided by NetGalley for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
"A December Bride" was the first release of "A Year of Weddings", a collection of novellas being released by Zondervan/Harper Collins. I have not read anything by Denise Hunter before, so this was a good opportunity to sample one of her stories.
Layla and Seth are brought together because she doesn't want to go to her ex-fiance's wedding without a plus one. Why is she going to her ex-fiance's wedding? It is because her cousin is the bride and she just can't get out of attending. Fortunately for Seth, he has had his eye on Layla for the longest time, and he can't pass up on the chance to go as Layla's date, even though he is basically her last choice. She blames him for not giving her warning that her cousin was poaching her ex-fiance from her. Layla can't find anyone to go with her except for Seth, so even though she despises him, she agrees to attend with him, trying to convince herself that it was better to show up with Seth than showing up alone.
At the wedding, Layla and Seth experience circumstances that conspire to get them to define themselves as couple...as an engaged couple. Layla feels trapped; she is appalled that she and Seth are lying to everyone about their relationship, but needs Seth to continue the charade for professional and personal reasons for a few more weeks until the dust settles in all areas of her life. Seth has only that amount of time to convince Layla to make their engagement a real thing. Will he be able to accomplish that and make Layla his December bride?
Seth did act in a thrilling alpha male way in parts of the story. He was definitely a keeper, and I enjoyed reading about his pursuit after Layla. However, for a Christian romance, I found it a bit strange that the couple carried out a big deception and seemingly got away with it. I can understand why the characters made the decisions that they made, but I cringed when I thought about their situation and choices.
I liked the conversation that Seth had with Layla when he tried to address her insecurities and reminded her that she was special because God made her special and that her identity was not based on her address or parents.
"A December Bride" is a sweet romance, and I'm glad that I had the opportunity to read some of Denise Hunter's work.
Disclaimer: An e-book copy of "A December Bride" was provided by NetGalley for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Thursday 2 January 2014
Review: A January Bride by Deborah Raney
Zondervan/Harper Collins is releasing a series of novellas this year under the title of "A Year of Weddings." One of the titles in the collection is, "A January Bride," by Deborah Raney. I had previously read, "Above All Things," which was also written by Ms. Raney. I had found that book to be quite thought provoking and was looking forward to reading this novella.
In "A January Bride," Maddie Houser is under a great deal of stress. She needs to meet an increasingly looming deadline to complete her novel; however, the house that she is living in is in dire need of repair as there are plumbing and electrical problems. These disruptive conditions are not conducive to writing a novel so Maddie's neighbour, Ginny, suggests that the thirty-something novelist use a room at a bed-and-breakfast inn that a friend, Arthur (Art) Tyler, owns. He is a university professor who keeps saying that he is going to retire but does not actually get around to doing that.
Maddie and Art begin a correspondence by leaving notes for each other; they do not actually meet for quite some time as Art is usually away at work when Maddie comes to the inn to write her novel during the day. She usually has gone to her own home by the time he returns to his home. They come to know and admire each other through their notes. However, there are still some very important things that they do not know about each other which could be cleared up if they would actually get around to meeting face to face!
I was quite satisfied with the character development and the unfolding of the plot for a shortened story. The mistaken assumptions that the heroine, Maddie, and the hero, Art, make about each other, the revelation of the truth of their situations, and how they dealt with and accepted the changes that this revelation brought about all seemed plausible to me. I really enjoyed reading this and am looking forward to reading more stories by Ms. Raney.
Disclaimer: I was given an e-book copy of "A January Bride," from NetGalley in exchange for a review. The opinions given in this blog are my own.
In "A January Bride," Maddie Houser is under a great deal of stress. She needs to meet an increasingly looming deadline to complete her novel; however, the house that she is living in is in dire need of repair as there are plumbing and electrical problems. These disruptive conditions are not conducive to writing a novel so Maddie's neighbour, Ginny, suggests that the thirty-something novelist use a room at a bed-and-breakfast inn that a friend, Arthur (Art) Tyler, owns. He is a university professor who keeps saying that he is going to retire but does not actually get around to doing that.
Maddie and Art begin a correspondence by leaving notes for each other; they do not actually meet for quite some time as Art is usually away at work when Maddie comes to the inn to write her novel during the day. She usually has gone to her own home by the time he returns to his home. They come to know and admire each other through their notes. However, there are still some very important things that they do not know about each other which could be cleared up if they would actually get around to meeting face to face!
I was quite satisfied with the character development and the unfolding of the plot for a shortened story. The mistaken assumptions that the heroine, Maddie, and the hero, Art, make about each other, the revelation of the truth of their situations, and how they dealt with and accepted the changes that this revelation brought about all seemed plausible to me. I really enjoyed reading this and am looking forward to reading more stories by Ms. Raney.
Disclaimer: I was given an e-book copy of "A January Bride," from NetGalley in exchange for a review. The opinions given in this blog are my own.
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