Thursday, May 21, 2015

Mini Reviews: In Tune with Love, Never a Bridesmaid, Picture Perfect Love

In Tune with Love
Title: In Tune With Love
Author: Amy Matayo
Series: A Year of Weddings Novella #5
Genre: Christian fiction
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Source: publisher
 
April is willing to do anything for her sister’s wedding—until she comes face to face with a guy from her past.
April Quinn is thrilled to be her sister’s maid of honor, until the wedding coordinator quits and the responsibilities get dumped on her. It’s April’s worst nightmare—especially since her sister has more objections and opinions than a lawyer presenting a high-profile court case. When the wedding singer walks out at the last-minute, her sister hires a replacement. When April finds out who the replacement is, she’s ready to call it quits as well.
Because there’s only one person in April’s past that she never wanted to see again, and her sister just handed him a front row seat to the wedding.
Jack Vaughn finally has the career he’s always wanted. After playing in bars and singing in weddings as a struggling musician for half a decade, he’s just released his second album and sales are skyrocketing. But while visiting his parent’s Nashville home the weekend before his first headline tour, he runs into an old friend. When she asks him for a last-minute favor, he can’t bring himself to say no. Even though saying yes means he has to come face to face with April Quinn—the girl who hasn’t spoken to him in years.
And rightly so, since he stole something from her that he’ll never be able to repay.

 
This was super cute. If you like your fluffy romances, then this is the book for you. April is an aspiring songwriter, and writes down lyrics wherever she can--on napkins, toilet paper, back of receipts, whatever she can get her hands on. She works at a dive bar, hoping to one day get noticed and catapulted to fame. That's what happened to her coworker, Jake. Only too late did he realize that the lyrics he found scribbled on a napkin…were April's.

The story then fast-forwards 3 years, when April is helping coordinate her Bridezilla of a sister's wedding and Jake has agreed to sing. April seemed a bit childish, as three years is a long time to hold a grudge. Yes, Jake probably should have guessed that they were her lyrics, but when he did call her back to explain, April was the one who didn't answer. Jake has been living with the guilt for the last 3 years.

I liked their easy banter, once they get over the song. Jake and April were fun to read about when they were together. April's Bridezilla sister also brought some humor to the story, although I guess I shouldn't laugh at April's misfortune ;).

This is a novella, so it was pretty short. But it was cute and fun, one of those light fluffy stories that will put a definite smile to your face.


This review can also be found on   Goodreads

Amy Matayo:

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Never a Bridesmaid
Title: Never a Bridesmaid
Author: Janice Thompson
Series: A Year of Weddings Novella #6
Genre: Christian Fiction
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Source: publisher
 
Can one bridesmaid undo the disasters caused by a poorly chosen maid of honor and save her sister’s wedding from disaster?
Mari’s older sister Crystal is getting married, and Mari is one of her bridesmaids – actually, the last in a lineup of five bridesmaids, but that doesn’t really bother her. Much. But Sienna Jameson as the maid of honor? Really? She might be Crystal’s best friend, but she’s ditzy and undependable on her best days. When the best man turns out to be hunky Derrick Richardson, the right fielder for the Houston Astros and one of Houston’s most eligible bachelors, Sienna abandons her duties as maid of honor to chase Derrick, and it’s up to Mari to make sure Crystal’s wedding day goes off without a hitch.
While Mari is wrapped up in dress fittings, bridal showers, and bachelorette nights, Derrick has taken notice of her devotion to her sister and her determination to make the wedding perfect. But between dodging Sienna’s advances and watching Mari running around like a madwoman, Derrick is left to steal moments whenever he can to get to know this beautiful bridesmaid.
When the maid of honor shows up to the ceremony late and more done up than the bride herself, Mari fears her attempts to make her sister’s wedding perfect have all been for naught. Will the bride be up-staged by the maid of honor? Will the fifth-in-line bridesmaid ever be recognized for all the work she’s done? And will Mari finally have a moment to revel in the magic of a wedding and dance in the strong arms of a man?


It's no secret that I love Janice Thompson's books. This story was a like a short, sweet sampling of her work. It had everything I love about Thompson's work, in novella form.

Mari's sister is getting married, and Mari fully expected to be the maid of honor. Not the last bridesmaid. But the MOH her sister did pick is undependable and self-centered, leaving Mari to do most of the work to ensure her sister has the best possible day. But Mari doesn't mind... much. But she catches the eye of the best man, super-famous-sporty-dude Derrick.

Even being a novella, the romance didn't progress super fast and unrealistically. And although it is a romance story, I also love how we got to focus on the relationship between Mari and her sister, and the pending wedding. Thompson does this thing that I love, where she weaves in parts of the story of the other characters, so we aren't focused on just the two MC's, and I loved the depth and interest that it adds.

All in all, this is the perfect kind of story I have come to expect from Janice Thompson. I'm only sad it was so short.

This review can also be found on   Goodreads

Janice Thompson:

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Picture Perfect Love
Title: Picture Perfect Love
Author: Melissa McCone
Series: A Year of Weddings Novella #7
Genre: Christian Fiction
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Source: publisher
 
When image becomes everything, it’s up to love to refocus the heart.
Photographer Jenna Harrison wants every bride and groom to look picture perfect on their special day, putting her heart into every wedding to give the couple memorable images of their love. But her own heart is still broken, the unworn wedding dress hanging in her closet a reminder that relationships aren't always as perfect as they look through her camera lens. But Jenna has faith that she will find true love. Until then, she must be patient and trust in God's plan and His perfect timing.
Attorney Ashton Vance is the one that got away. When an embarrassing Photoshopped picture of put an end to his political aspirations, he blamed Jenna. So what if the photo led to his being offered a dream job and changing his life for the better? Jenna betrayed his trust, and two years later, Ashton's heart still hasn't recovered.
It was me. His younger sister's three words turn Ashton's world upside down. He must ask Jenna’s forgiveness, but can he risk his heart a second time? Even if Jenna can forgive him, dare he hope for a second chance at her love?
 
This one was definitely interesting. A jilted bride gives her runaway groom a second chance? This was the first thing I've read from this author, and it was definitely cute.
 
The beginning of this one seemed stilted to me. I don't know if it was the dialogue or what, but something was off and I couldn't really get into it. However, I kept going, and there was enough to keep me interested enough to finish.
 
It's been two years since Jenna didn't get married, and she believes that she is finally healing, moving on. That is, until her former fiancé reappears. Ashton hurt her when he didn't believe her, didn't trust her, and she doesn't want to have anything to do with him. Except, they still have feelings for each other.
 
I enjoyed the story. I liked how we got to see parts of their lives other than them just falling in love. From them volunteering with the youth at Jenna's church, to helping his sister with the wedding. This let us see the kind of people they were, and how much they had changed since breaking up.
 
This one wasn't my favorite of the bunch, and it was more preachy than the others, if that isn't your thing, but it was still a cute, fun story that I enjoyed reading.
 
This review can also be found on   Goodreads
 

Melissa McClone:

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