By: Joyce Lamb | June 6, 2016 12:01 am
Lauren Layne joins HEA to recommend some wedding-themed romances that are newer to bookstore shelves. Lauren's novella From This Day Forward (out today!) kicks off her new Wedding Belles series. The first book, To Have and to Hold, arrives July 26.
Lauren: You are cordially invited …
Well, it's that time again … summer! And you know what that means: a glass of nice rosé on the patio. Oh wait, sorry … got off track there. I meant to say wedding season.
I myself was married in December, but I've found a foolproof way of indulging in all the glamour and excitement of summer weddings without actually having to do it myself: wedding romances!
I've always been a sucker for wedding-themed romances, The Bridal Quartet by Nora Roberts, The Barefoot Bay Brides by Roxanne St. Claire, The Weekday Brides series by Catherine Bybee, which is one of the reasons I decided to write The Wedding Belles series. Writing a series about a group of wedding planners is so much better than having to listen to a waiter ask, "Chicken, beef or fish?"
So I am inviting you to pour yourself a glass of rosé, get thee to the patio and settle in for happily-ever-after with one of these newly released, soon-to-be-released and a few older-but-still-awesome wedding-themed romances. (Blurbs courtesy of publishers or authors.)
May the Best Man Win (Best Men Series) by Mira Lyn Kelly (Aug. 2)
Four friends
Each a Best Man at a wedding
One chance to get it right
Jase Foster can't believe his bad luck. He's been paired with the she-devil herself for his best friend's wedding: Emily Klein of the miles-long legs and killer smile. She may be sin in a bridesmaid dress, but there's no way he's falling for her again.
They can barely stand each other, but given how many of their friends are getting married, they'll just have to play nice-at least when they're in company. Once they're alone, more than just gloves come off as Jase and Emily discover their chemistry is combustible, and there may be something to this enemies to lovers thing after all…
Friday Night Brides by Samantha Chase
Four women.
Twenty years.
Five hundred bridal fashion shows.
They've been friends since they were five, and modeling for Enchanted Bridal has been as much of a part of their lives as their friendship has. And this season has them seeing more than new wedding trends.
Hailey's family owns Enchanted Bridal and she knows there's a possibility that someday it will be hers. She's not sure that's the path she wants to take, but she does know that she's been hopelessly crushing on the perfect man and bridal show model Logan Baxter III. While failing to gain Logan's attention, she can't seem to get rid of the less-than-perfect man — and model — Jackson Carr. He's big and bold and tattooed — pretty much everything Hailey despises. And yet…there's something about him that has Hailey questioning her definition of perfect.
Becca's got a knack for dating the wrong kind of guys. When her current boyfriend publicly dumps and humiliates her, she's devastated. Wanting to run and hide, she's mortified that the stranger who had witnessed the entire scene is now part of the Enchanted Bridal family. But when Max Abrams offers her comfort and tells her that he thinks she's beautiful, she has to wonder if maybe getting dumped by Mr. Wrong has finally led her to her very own Mr. Right.
Angie's loud and feisty and completely fearless. That is until she gets dumped by the one guy she really had feeling for. It opens her up to insecurities she didn't know she had and she's not sure what to do about it. But when Sean Peterson comes back into her life in a big way, she's not sure she's ready to forgive and forget quite so easily. His persistence and her stubbornness make for an exciting chase, however, but at the end of the season, it's ultimately up to her if she's ready to quit running.
Ella's been planning her perfect wedding to Dylan Graham since she was twelve. Together for thirteen years, Ella's beginning to wonder if that number really is bad luck. She can't focus on all that's right in her life because all she can think about is what she may be missing. Their parents have taken over their wedding, her friends all seem to be in crisis and Dylan's just not listening to her fears. Not one to ever make waves, she suddenly finds that that's exactly what she's doing and turning everyone's life upside down in the process. The life that she once considered boring is now the one she longs for, but it may be too late.
Four friends.
Four crossroads.
Four possibilities for happily ever after.
Daughters of the Bride by Susan Mallery (July 12)
With Joy, Love, and a Little Trepidation
Courtney, Sienna and Rachel Invite You
To the Most Emotional Wedding of the Year…
Their Mother's
Courtney, The Misfit
As the awkward one, Courtney Watson may not be as together as her sisters, but she excels at one thing—keeping secrets, including her white-hot affair with a sexy music producer. Planning Mom's wedding exposes her startling hidden life, changing her family's view of her—and how she views herself—forever.
Sienna, The Free Spirit
When Sienna's boyfriend proposes—in front of her mom and sisters, for crying out loud—he takes her by surprise. She already has two broken engagements under her belt. Should she say "I do" even if she's not sure she does?
Rachel, The Cynic
Rachel thought love would last forever…right up until her divorce. As Mom's wedding day draws near and her ex begs for a second chance, she's forced to acknowledge some uncomfortable truths about why her marriage failed, and decide if she'll let pride stand in the way of her own happily ever after.
It Happened One Wedding by Julie James
She knows better than to say "I do."
After a humiliating end to her engagement, investment banker Sidney Sinclair is done with commitment-phobic men. But when her sister winds up engaged after a whirlwind courtship, Sidney is thrown into close contact with exactly the kind of sexy playboy she wants to avoid—the gorgeous best man. She's stuck with him, for better or worse, until her sister walks down the aisle, but that doesn't mean she has to give in to his smooth advances, no matter how tempting they are…
But he makes it hard to say "I don't."
Special agent Vaughn Roberts always gets his man on the job and his woman in bed. So Sidney's refusal to fall for his charms only makes him more determined to win over the cool and confident redhead. Only what starts out as a battle of wills ends up as a serious play for her heart. Because the one woman who refuses to be caught may be the only one Vaughn can't live without…
Every Bride Has Her Day (Magnolia Brides) by Lynnette Austin
Can love revive a wilting heart?
Cricket O'Malley can't wait to plant roots back home in Georgia, where she's returned to restore an abandoned flower shop to its former glory. The only blemish? Her neighbor's house is even more neglected than her old flower shop, and its occupant seems as surly as he is darkly handsome.
Devastated body and soul after a tough case went south, New York City detective Sam DeLuca thought he'd have no trouble finding solitude in the quiet Georgia town of Misty Bottoms, but his bubbly neighbor seems determined to shine happiness into Sam's life. Sam is equally determined to close himself off, but his heart says otherwise…
The Wedding Photographer by Sakshama Puri Dhariwal
On a seventeen-hour-long flight, a chance upgrade to business class lands journalist Risha Kohli next to handsome real estate hotshot Arjun Khanna. What's more? Risha has been moonlighting as a photographer and her next assignment is Arjun's sister's wedding: the most anticipated social event of the year!
But Arjun doesn't trust journalists and suspects this smart, sexy and incredibly spunky girl of using their mutual attraction as a ploy to invade his privacy for a newspaper scoop. And Risha, unaware of Arjun's personal demons, is worried that this dishy tycoon's unnerving behaviour will jeopardize her biggest photography gig so far.
What follows is a rollercoaster of snarky quips, sizzling chemistry and simmering drama amidst a Big Fat Indian Wedding.
The Wedding Shop by Rachel Hauck (Aug. 16)
Two women separated by decades. Both set out to help others find their dreams when their own have crumbled.
It's the early 1930s, but Cora Scott is walking in stride as a career woman after having inherited her great aunt's wedding shop in Heart's Bend, Tennessee, where brides come from as far away as Birmingham to experience her famed bridal treatment. Meanwhile, Cora is counting down the days until her own true love returns from the river to make her his bride. But days turn into months and months to years. All the while, Birch Good continues to woo Cora and try to show her that while he is solid and dependable, he can sweep her off her feet.
More than eighty years later, former Air Force Captain Haley Morgan has returned home to Heart's Bend after finishing her commitment to military service. After the devastating death of her best friend, Tammy, and discovering the truth about the man she loved, Haley is searching for her place in life.
When Haley decides to reopen the romantic but abandoned wedding shop where she and Tammy played and dreamed as children, she begins a journey of courage, mystery, and love.
As Cora's and Haley's stories intertwine through time in the shadow of the beloved wedding shop, they both discover the power of their own dreams and the magic of everyday love.
Marrying Winterborne by Lisa Kleypas
A ruthless tycoon
Savage ambition has brought common-born Rhys Winterborne vast wealth and success. In business and beyond, Rhys gets exactly what he wants. And from the moment he meets the shy, aristocratic Lady Helen Ravenel, he is determined to possess her. If he must take her virtue to ensure she marries him, so much the better . . .
A sheltered beauty
Helen has had little contact with the glittering, cynical world of London society. Yet Rhys's determined seduction awakens an intense mutual passion. Helen's gentle upbringing belies a stubborn conviction that only she can tame her unruly husband. As Rhys's enemies conspire against them, Helen must trust him with her darkest secret. The risks are unthinkable . . . the reward, a lifetime of incomparable bliss. And it all begins with…
Marrying Mr. Winterborne.
Always the Bridesmaid by Lindsey Kelk
Everyone loves a bridesmaid — except Maddie, who's perpetually asked to be one.
Everyone loves a wedding — except Maddie's best friend, who's getting divorced.
And everyone loves the way Maddie's so happy behind the scenes — except Maddie herself.
One best friend is in wedding countdown while the other heads for marriage meltdown. And as Maddie juggles her best chance at promotion in years with bridezilla texts and late-night counselling sessions, she starts to wonder — is it time to stop being the bridesmaid?
Chasing I Do (The Eastons) by Marina Adair (June 7)
Darcy Kincaid might be a runaway bride, but she still believes in happily ever after, which is why she's devoted to helping couples orchestrate their perfect I do. Even though her fiancée turned out to be unfaithful and a big disappointment, Darcy walked away from her wedding fully committed—to her unborn daughter. Now, a single mom, it's up to Darcy to secure her daughter's future, which is why she's invested her life savings into renovating Belle Mont Manor, Portland's oldest, and nearly forgotten, wedding venue. So when Wedding Magazine offers her the cover for their June issue, in exchange for planning the wedding of a high-profile couple, Darcy thanks her lucky stars. Until the star's best man turns out to be her ex's brother…
The last time Gage Easton saw Darcy, she was sneaking out the back door of her own wedding—destroying his brother's life. No way is he going to entrust the gorgeous jilter with his biggest client's special day, no matter how much in love with her he secretly was. Determined to take his client's wedding elsewhere, he confronts Darcy, only to meet a toddler with Darcy's blonde curls and the Easton blue eyes that has him renegotiating—the wedding for a chance to know his niece. But when a fun day in the park leads to warm family dinners, Gage finds himself stuck between his loyalty to his brother—and the two women who have stolen his heart.
About From This Day Forward by Lauren Layne:
Sex and the City meets The Wedding Planner in this prequel to USA TODAY bestselling author Lauren Layne's The Wedding Belles series about three high-powered New York City women who can plan any wedding—but their own.
Up-and-coming wedding photographer Leah McHale's career is on the rise—thanks in no small part to the Wedding Belles, the elite New York wedding planning agency that always throws top-tier business Leah's way. So when one of the Belles asks Leah to fill in at the former First Daughter's wedding, Leah is overjoyed to say yes—until she finds out who she'll be working with.
Jason Rhodes is the one man who was able to capture Leah's heart and, once he had it, promptly stepped all over it and left her broken. Now he's working side-by-side with her at the biggest wedding of the season and Leah is determined to give him the cold shoulder. Despite his persistence, she is not going to fall for his charming, impish ways again. Not even if he still has that killer, irresistible smile…
Find out more at laurenlayne.com.
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