Brides with Style #2

Katie Fisher and Brady James may be a match made in heaven, but that doesn't seem to guarantee them a happily ever after accompanied by angelic choirs. In fact, the sounds being heard at the bridal shop where she works are on the contentious side lately, as a bride- and groom-to-be try to mediate the growing rivalry between their basketball-obsessed families in the middle of play-off season. On top of that, Katie's parents are nagging her to get out of Dallas and come home to tiny Fairfield where her former boyfriend Carson is waiting for her, ready to rekindle their relationship. Oy vey! What's a girl to do? And will she ever be able to wear that gorgeous wedding dress she won?

The breezy fun continues as Janice Thompson throws everyone's favorite small-town girl into big-city bridal chaos--and makes her choose between the love she thought she lost and the love she stumbled upon in the aftermath.

 

Published October 6th 2015

 by Revell  
ISBN: 0800724003
5 Stars

Janice Thompson brings us the second installment in the Brides with Style series.  I fell in love with the characters in the first book and was really looking forward to see where life had taken them so I was anxious to read this book.  With that being said, this book was written as part of a series, yet the author throws in tidbits in the first few pages that to me it is not necessary to read the first book. 
This is a sweet romance  as characters find things much more complicated that they ever imagined.  This book is filled with romance, humor, southern charm, and quirky, but lovable characters.  I was pulled in from the first page with the wonderful story. 
Katie is a young woman who is excited about the direction her life has taken.  She deals with insecurities like everyone else, but she is a person who takes lemons and makes lemonade.  She works at Cosmopolitan Bride in Dallas which is a far cray from working in a hardware store in Fairfield.  Her grandmother, Queenie as she is referred, who is now in her 80's has gotten engaged with a wedding date set for Dec. 12. Katie has offered her assistance with the wedding  and it might end up being more than she can handle as this will include lots of travel back to Fairfield.  
Brady James has met the love of his life, but is also at a crossroads.  He injured his knee while playing professionally with the Mavericks and has been working as the interim manager at Cosmopolitan Bride while his mother is away in Paris.  This has been working fine while he recovered from knee surgery, but it is looking more and more like he will need additional surgery which might end up costing him his career. 

I loved Katie's character.  She puts a lot of thought and prayer before making big decisions.  She understands what a family relationship is all about.  Brady is a guy anyone can fall for, but is he the right guy for small town Katie?  Casey Lawson was her best friend  for the biggest part of her life and it's hard for her to adjust . 

I truly loved this story.  The plot flows effortlessly and kept me turning the pages.  The characters are strong and well developed.  I loved the Doris Day tidbits that was included by the author.  Considering I am a huge fan, it was like icing on a the cake.  I am anxiously awaiting the third installment of this series, Every Bride Has Her Day, set to release in the summer of 2016. 
I would recommend this to anyone. 
*I received this book from the publisher through the book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.  

Meet Janice:




My name is Janice Thompson. (You will find me published under Janice Hanna, Janice Hanna Thompson, Janice A. Thompson as well.)

I’m a Christian freelance author of novels, non-fiction books, magazine articles and musical comedies for the stage. I live in the Houston area, where the heat and humidity tend to reign, regardless of the season.

I’m a writer by trade, but wear many other hats, as well. Currently, I spend a lot of my time working as a freelance editor and teaching writing. I enjoy public speaking (promoting books, or teaching from the Bible). Please see my speaking topics page for more information. 
I am passionate about my faith and do all I can to share the joy of the Lord with others, which is why I particularly enjoy writing.

I’ve been writing since childhood. In fact, the first novel I remember crafting was in the sixth grade. I had consumed every Bobbsey Twins book on the shelves and ached for another one, so I created a new adventure for the characters I had grown to love. Of course, I was far too young to understand the concept of plagiarism at that time! I started writing “seriously” in the early 90’s. Since then, I’ve been blessed to have nearly fifty articles published, along with several novels.

Find Janice Online:
Web;
http://janiceathompson.com/blog/ 
Twitter