They've helped orchestrate the perfect day for countless couples. Now twelve new couples will find themselves in the wedding spotlight in the second Year of Weddings novella collection.
Love at Mistletoe Inn by Cindy Kirk
Sometimes the road to happiness is paved with youthful mistakes.
Ten years after what she thought was her almost-wedding, Hope Prentiss discovers that the ceremony counted-and, as fate would have it, the jilted John Burke has just ridden back into town. After spending some time with John and helping plan a Christmas wedding for a mystery couple, Hope begins to wonder if she really wants a divorce . . . or a real wedding of her own.
A Brush with Love by Rachel Hauck
Revealing the beauty in other women might be Ginger Winters's specialty-but it will take an unexpected kind of love to help Ginger see the beauty in herself.
Ginger Winters will be the "beauty-maker" for the Alabama society wedding of the decade.
But when high-school crush Tom Wells shows up looking for a haircut, Ginger's thinly veiled insecurities threaten to keep her from love once again . . . despite Tom's best efforts.
Serving Up a Sweetheart by Cheryl Wyatt
Meadow knows how to serve delicious food to match any wedding theme. But can she accept love when it's served up on a silver platter?
Meadow Larson is having the mother of all Mondays when her roof caves in during a blizzard, right before the most important wedding contract of her career.
Renovation contractor Colin McGrath offers to fix Meadow's roof, even though he knows he is the last person she would accept help from.
But the more Meadow gets to know the new Colin, the more she realizes God may have something more permanent in store than a new catering kitchen.
My Thoughts:
This is a wonderful collection of three novellas by three very talented authors. These stories give you a look at weddings from different perspectives. When I think of a wedding it's usually just about the ceremony, but as we all know it's more involved than that. We will meet a young woman who helps run a successful wedding/reception venue, a stylist, and lastly a caterer. These stories bring humor, love and romance, but they also bring a wonderful message that stayed with me even after I closed the book.
The first novella, Love at Mistletoe Inn, takes us to Idaho to the Boise Bridal Extravaganza where we meet Hope Prentiss. Hope is representing Harmony Creek which is a successful venue for weddings/receptions. She has kept a secret for 10 years and unfortunately it's one that's about to be revealed. I loved her character.
In the second novella, A Brush With Love, we meet Ginger Winters who is the owner and operator of Ginger Snips, the local beauty salon. At the age of 12 life as she knew it went up in flames. The trailer fire left more scars than just the ones on her body, but they also gave her a purpose.
Lastly, in Serving Up a Sweetheart, we are introduced to Meadow Larson. She and her former teacher/mentor/friend are operating Havenbrook Creative Catering out of her house. With Del out sick and a tight schedule the very last thing Meadow needs is for her roof to collapse from heavy snow, but that's exactly what happens.
Each plot has good flow and pace that will keep your attention. We meet strong, well developed characters. I liked each story and loved the characters, but the one that pulled me the most was Ginger and her story. It reminded me that beauty comes from the heart. We need to take the time to see people with our hearts instead of with our brains. People are so judgmental with their eyes that they never take the time to look at a person's heart.
This book brings the message of trust, love and forgiveness.
I give this book 5 Stars.
I would recommend this to anyone one who loves a good, clean romance that will touch your heart.
*I received this book from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255:Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Meet the Authors:
Cindy Kirk is a lifelong Nebraska resident who started writing after taking a class at a local community college. But her interest in the written word started years before when she was in her teens. At sixteen she wrote in her diary, “I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t be a writer.”
Not until her daughter was heading off to college did Cindy return to her first love---writing. Unlike some writers, Cindy wasn’t interested in newspaper or magazine articles, short stories or poetry. When she decided to start writing, she jumped feet first into book length fiction. She loves reading and writing romance because she believes in the power of love and in happily ever after. An incurable romantic, Cindy loves seeing her characters grow and learn from their mistakes and, in the process, achieve a happy ending.
Someone once told Cindy that to know a writer you just have to read what she's written; she hopes that once you read her books you can tell she is an eternal optimist, one who truly believes in the power of love. She invites you to kick off your shoes, pick up one of her books and get to know her.
Cindy and her high school sweetheart husband live on an acreage with two dogs and two cats—Oreo--a friendly feline who loves to sit next to the computer and supervise her writing and Leo, a white devil with a raccoon-like tail.
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Rachel Hauck is a USA Today Best Selling, and award-winning author of critically acclaimed novels such as The Wedding Dress, Love Starts with Elle, and Once Upon A Prince.
She also penned the Songbird Novels with multi-platinum recording artist, Sara Evans. Booklist named their novel, Softly and Tenderly, one of 2011 Top Ten Inspirationals.
A graduate of Ohio State University with a degree in Journalism, Rachel worked in the corporate software world before planting her backside in an uncomfortable chair to write full-time in 2004.
She serves on the Executive Board for American Christian Fiction Writers and leads worship at their annual conference. She is a mentor and book therapist at My Book Therapy, and conference speaker.
Rachel lives in central Florida with her husband and pets, and writes from her two-story tower in an exceedingly more comfy chair. She is a huge Buckeyes football fan.
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Not even Cheryl Wyatt’s closest friends would dream that this sweet, shy intercessor plots mayhem during announcements at church. She is a Registered Nurse turned stay-at-home-mom, wife and writer who loves Jesus with all of her heart.
Joyful chaos rules her home, and she delights in the stealth moments God gives her to write. She stays active in her church and in her laundry room. She is convinced that having been born on a Naval base on Valentines Day destined her to write Inspirational Military Romance.
Cheryl loves to laugh and to make others laugh, so she often plans comedic moments for her defenseless characters in spite of their grumbling. She says it’s payback for when they refuse to obey the plots she’s set out before them.
She currently writes for Love Inspired, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Zondervan imprint, Redbud Press and more. Her stories can be purchased anywhere books are sold.
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