A White Wedding Christmas - Andrea Laurence (HD #2416 - Dec 2015)

Series: Brides and Belles (Book 4)

Reunited at a Christmas wedding…

I do -- two words wedding planner Natalie Sharpe will never utter. The cynic in her doesn't believe in love…but the woman in her believes in lust! When a last-minute Christmas wedding reunites her with the bride's hunky brother -- Natalie's teenage crush and star of all her fantasies -- Natalie wants a second chance for their first time…

But Colin Russell isn't a teen anymore. He's all man. And his every touch has her thinking about the F word -- forever. Working with him on the wedding is more temptation than she can take. Will one long, hot kiss lead this reluctant bride down her own wedding aisle?

Very good book with some fun parts and some deeply emotional ones. Natalie is a wedding planner who is excellent at her job, but doesn't believe that love really exists. She has seen too many marriages fail, including those of her own parents. In her opinion it is all hormones and doesn't last. Lust is fine - indulge and move on. When she sees Colin again she would love a chance to fulfill her teenage fantasies with him.

Colin is just as attracted to her. The problem for him is that he isn't into casual flings any longer. He is looking for the woman that he can build a future with, and he can see Natalie in that role. He can't believe that she is so anti-marriage. He had been married once before, to another woman who hadn't wanted marriage, but he had convinced her. He didn't intend to do that again. 

So, though the attraction is there, they agree to be just friends as they work together to give Colin's sister the best wedding possible. The whole wedding planning was very strange. Colin was determined to give his sister Lily a dream wedding, and didn't understand why she was so uninterested in being part of the planning, leaving it all in Colin's hands. It was very interesting to see the way that he ended up just going with so many of Natalie's recommendations.

Another thing that surprises Colin about Natalie is her anti-Christmas attitude. Once he finds out why, he understands, but he's determined to change that. He bets her that she will like Christmas by his sister's wedding or he will buy her tickets for a trip to South America. I loved the way he started out slow, but began to up his game bit by bit. It was fun to see her build new and better Christmas memories thanks to Colin.

Spending as much time together as they do, their attraction soon overwhelms their vow to stick to friendship. Both of them discover that their connection is deeper than just the physical, but what they do with that knowledge is an indication of their own personalities. Colin wants to believe that now that love has entered the picture, Natalie's opinion of marriage will change. Meanwhile, Natalie is afraid of the feelings Colin has raised in her, and that like the others she has seen, won't last, leaving her heartbroken in the end. 

Colin made big plans to show Natalie how he felt, and they went quite well until that moment at the Grand Old Opry. Then he went too far, and I hurt for both him and Natalie. Natalie was too afraid to trust her feelings and his, and the only thing she could do was run. 

They still had to face each other for the rehearsal and wedding for Colin's sister. While standing in for the bride at the rehearsal, Natalie finally begins to face her fears and realize what she really wants, but getting Colin to listen is a whole different problem. When it came time for the wedding, I wasn't at all surprised by what Lily did. I loved Natalie's big moment, and how she dealt with the wedding crisis. I saw it coming, but that didn't make it any less romantic. 

I loved the epilogue and seeing where all four couples are a year later. It was an excellent wrap up to the series.

One Week with the Best Man - Andrea Laurence (HD #2410 - Nov 2015)

Series: Brides and Belles (Book 3)

What happens when a fake wedding date gets all too real?

Pretend to be famous bachelor Julian Cooper's girlfriend? Some women might be thrilled with the request -- not Gretchen McAlister. Her job is planning weddings, not being the best man's date. But after Julian's latest celebrity breakup, "ordinary" Gretchen is the perfect PR ploy.

Julian is against the whole plan…until he meets Gretchen. Honest and beautiful -- even beneath her fancy makeover -- his new "girlfriend" makes him want something more, something real…

Fun book. The wedding planning service that Gretchen and her friends own is hosting the wedding of a music superstar. The groom's best friend, Hollywood star Julian Cooper, just broke up with his girlfriend, so his agent hires Gretchen to be Julian's "girlfriend" during the wedding events. Gretchen is wary, but the money offered will allow her to fulfill her dream of visiting Italy, so she says yes.

Gretchen is not very comfortable around men. She has spent her life feeling unattractive just because she is short and curvy instead of tall and thin. She doesn't think Julian will be at all interested in her as his date, but she goes through the planned makeover anyway. I loved the way that it gave her a new view of herself, even though she didn't think it would make her any more appealing to Julian.

The first meeting between them is a bit awkward, as Julian isn't sure it's necessary and Gretchen is sure that he won't be interested. But there's something about Gretchen that draws Julian in, and he's suddenly more than willing to give the scheme a chance. I liked how he tried to put her at ease and his insistence on "practicing" so that their relationship looks real. Julian realized how much he liked being with a woman who seemed to be unaffected by his stardom and he really started to enjoy their time together. I loved the way that he told Gretchen about how fake Hollywood women are in order to help her see that she has nothing to be afraid of.

I really liked seeing the way that Julian's attention helps Gretchen gain confidence in herself. The attraction between them is there from the beginning, though it takes a little while for her to accept that he just as attracted to her. There's a little hiccup in their growing relationship when Gretchen reveals the basis for her discomfort, but once Julian recovers he is everything she could hope for. Gretchen also has an effect on Julian. Her joy in her work is a positive influence on him, as he struggles with his need to continue filming hits and his desire to portray something with more substance. As they grow closer he opens up about the secret he has kept from the rest of the world, happy to have her support during a crisis. 

When that secret is revealed, he reacts badly. He's hurt to think that she's like all the rest and says some terrible things to her. Gretchen is devastated to think that he believes she would do such a thing. When the true culprit is revealed (and I didn't see that one coming) he realizes just how stupid he was. I liked that he knew he had some serious grovelling to do, and how he went about doing it. I did feel that Gretchen could have made him work just a little bit harder before she forgave him. Overall, the ending was very satisfying.

Reclaimed  by the Rancher by Janice Maynard 

Series: Texas Cattleman's Club: Lies and Lullabies (Book .5)

Only the fiancé she left in the dust can help her!

To fend off a mysterious oil company's aggressive buyout offer and save her family land, Lucy Peyton can only turn to one man for help. Yes, she'd practically left Jeff Hartley at the altar, but she'd had her reasons. Such as catching the rich rancher kissing her best friend before the wedding! But now, face-to-face with Jeff on his doorstep, she realizes the chemistry between them is as strong as ever and panics.

If Lucy wants his help, she'll have it—on his terms. She'll also receive a lesson in what she missed when she ran. Because in the end, Jeff Hartley always gets what he wants…no matter how long he has to wait.

Short story/prequel to the series, found on the Harlequin website and in the back of the November Desire books. It begins with Lucy showing up at Jeff's for the first time in two years, ever since she cancelled their wedding the day before it was to happen. Jeff is stunned, and none too happy to see her, remembering what her desertion felt like. 

Lucy is desperate to keep her cousin from selling their family land to an oil company, she goes to Jeff for help. She's still hurt by the way he betrayed her, but believes that he'll be willing to do what's needed to protect the land. She doesn't think that the man she's worked so hard to forget can still attract her but he does.

Jeff can't believe that Lucy had the guts to come to him for help, but has to admit she knows which buttons to push to get him to agree. He's not going to make it easy for her, though, and lays down some conditions. He's determined to either get her out of his heart forever, or take the future they should have had from the start.

I liked the way that Lucy wanted to protect the family land. She seemed to have a realistic view of her cousin, though he insists that this time will be different. I'll be interested to see if there's any followup in future books. When she confronts Jeff about what happened at the rehearsal dinner, I could see the problem from both sides. Lucy felt betrayed that Jeff was kissing her maid of honor, and Jeff was furious that she never gave him a chance to tell her what happened. She simply reacted, without showing enough faith in him to want the truth. Jeff made his own mistakes by giving in to wounded pride and not insisting.

The heat between them when they met for dinner to discuss the deal was intense. Jeff was determined to show her what she had missed. Though his method was a bit underhanded, if she hadn't been willing I'm sure he wouldn't have done it.

The confrontation with Kristin went just the way I expected to and I didn't feel badly for her at all. I did feel for Lucy, whose feelings of betrayal were brought back to the surface, but with a different focus. The ending was good, especially with Jeff insisting on not waiting to get on with their future. 

Thirty Days to Win His Wife - Andrea Laurence (HD #2356 - Feb 2015)

Series: Brides and Belles (Book 2)

Even with a baby on the way, Amelia's holding out for the perfect husband. Tyler has thirty days to prove he's the one.

Best friends Tyler Dixon and Amelia Kennedy eloped to Vegas on a whim. But before they can deal with their quickie divorce, she confesses: she's pregnant. Now there's no way Tyler will agree to go their separate ways. He wants them to stay married, raise their child together, share a house -- and a bed.

Yet Amelia has always dreamed of a perfect marriage…and she doesn't think this self-made millionaire is lifetime material despite their friendship. She's given him just one month to prove her wrong…

Good friends to lovers story. Amelia and Tyler have been best friends since high school. In a lighthearted pact they promised that if neither was married by their tenth reunion they would marry each other. Fast forward ten years to that reunion and, fueled by a little too much tequila they follow through on that promise. They also had a passionate wedding night, but in the light of day decided that they were better off as friends.

Tyler has a job that keeps him traveling, so it's several weeks before he gets to Nashville to talk to Amelia about their divorce. Amelia is ready for him, but there's a little kink in the plan - she's pregnant. She's still fine with the divorce, but Tyler isn't. He wants to do the whole family thing with her and their baby.

This is where things get complicated. Tyler doesn't want to be a part time father. He feels that he and Amelia can stay married and raise their child together. It doesn't matter that they aren't "in love", they are friends, which is better. Tyler was in love once before and it ended badly, so he isn't going to risk his heart again. Amelia doesn't agree. She has been planning her wedding since she was five and has been waiting for the perfect groom. She and Tyler may be friends but she sure doesn't see him stepping into that role. She wants a marriage like the one her grandparents have, based on true love. So she challenges Tyler to make her fall in love with him in just one month.

I liked Tyler. He really wanted them to be a family and was willing to do whatever he could to make it happen. Having been friends with Amelia for so long, he knows her really well, so he knows what buttons to push. He listens to her requirements and actually tries to fulfill them. One bad thing he does is tries to hold back his feelings to protect his heart. He doesn't see that the way Amelia has always been so important to him is an indication of his true feelings. I loved seeing him trying to do things that would make her happy. It was especially nice to see him help her with the food prep for one of the weddings.

I got a bit frustrated with Amelia. She had this unrealistic view of the perfect marriage and the perfect groom. I wanted to shake her and tell her to grow up. She also had a real aversion to accepting overt signs of caring from any man. Her father is the overprotective type that didn't encourage any kind of independence, and that makes it hard for her to accept that kind of help from any man. She sees it as taking over rather than caring. It takes awhile for her to see the difference in the way that Tyler treats her. When she lays down the rules for him, she forgets that he would see it as a challenge. She isn't sure what to make of all the things he does.

As the days of the challenge go by, I loved seeing them get closer. Their friendship was still there, but the attraction added another level to it. But both of them were so busy protecting themselves that they couldn't see the love that was already there. The scenes at the house, then at the hospital were heartbreaking and I cried for both of them. I loved the talk that Amelia had with her grandmother and Tyler's sudden appearance. The ending was sweet and I loved the epilogue. I can't wait for the rest of the series.