Wedding Belles: A Novel in Four Parts by Melanie Jacobson, Jenny Proctor, Becca Wilhite, Brittany Larsen

Harper is an event planner with dreams of taking over the Charleston wedding scene . . . until she meets the biggest Bridezilla of her career. She needs the job, but the only way to keep it is to hire a temperamental chef with big dreams of his own.

Janie is a classical cellist booked to play a posh Charleston wedding. She’s excited to have the lucrative gig until the groom’s brother, Emmett, shows up and asks her to help him play a song he wrote for the happy couple. The only trouble? Emmett is her unrequited high school crush.

Lily has been Dahlia's best friend, partner-in-crime, and now her maid of honor . . . until suddenly there's no wedding, and she's left to clean up Dahlia's biggest mess of all. She's been friends with Deacon, the jilted groom, for just as long, and it's up to her rescue him after Hurricane Dahlia blows through.

Sutton is a photographer running from her past. Only the pleas from her best friend to photograph her wedding could bring Sutton back to Charleston. Her plan is to get in and get out before her ex knows she and their daughter are in town. At least it’s the plan until she meets Max, who turns out to be the safe place she didn’t know she was looking for.

Can each of these couples trust their growing chemistry, or are they on the verge of new disasters?

 * Amazon * Goodreads *

I'm so glad I got to read this book!  I just adored it.  These authors did a fantastic job of creating a world of characters around one specific event- a wedding gone wrong.  Each story was individual and unique but it was that wedding link and some references to characters in the other stories that gave it that feeling of continuity and community.  We see the wedding from the viewpoints of the wedding planner, the brother and a performer, the maid of honor and the groom, and the photographer and groomsman.  

I loved the Charleston setting and the clear "southern" influence.  Although, one story is set mostly in New York and that was fun too!

There is definitely no favorite for me in this collection.  I loved them all and I think this was a very fun idea.  I hope these authors will do this again!

Content:  clean romance, kissing

- I received a complimentary copy of this book.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Check Me Out by Becca Wilhite

Greta loves her job as assistant librarian. She loves her best friend, Will, the high school civics teacher and debate coach. She even loves her mother despite her obvious disappointment that Greta is still single.

Then she meets Mac in the poetry section of the library, and she is smitten. Mac is heart-stoppingly gorgeous and showers her with affection, poetic text messages, and free hot chocolate at the local café where he works. The only problem is that he seems to be a different person in his texts than in his face-to-face conversation.

When the Franklin Library is threatened with closure, Greta leaps into action. She arranges for a "battle of the bands" book jam, hosts a book signing by a famous author, and finally, stages a protest that raises more than a few eyebrows.

Through it all, she slowly realizes that it is Will, not Mac, who she turns to for support and encouragement. Mac has the looks; Will has the heart. How can she choose between them?

Check Me Out is a contemporary romance--with just a hint of Cyrano de Bergerac--that reminds us that it is what's on the inside that matters most.

 * Amazon * Goodreads * Deseret Book *

This a tough book to review.  I'm not sure where to start.

I'll start with the cover.  I love it.  Easily one of my favorites.  It makes me happy just looking at it because I love books and reading and libraries hold a special place in my heart.  I have so many good memories that revolve around libraries and reading.  Which is one thing I love about the main character, Greta.  She works in a library that is in danger of closing.  Greta is a fantastic supporter of books, reading and her library.  She works feverishly to save the library she loves.  It is, by far, her best redeeming quality.  I loved her library tweets.  It made me wonder if my library does that!  I want to be a library tweeter!

I think my hangups might be because this book is told from Greta's point of view only.  It becomes a bit tedious hearing all about Greta and how she views everyone and everything.  Aside from her job at the library, Greta is very self centered.  At least she comes across that way.  It's all about what everyone else can do for her or how they make her feel.  There isn't anything about Greta being a good friend to Will or doing kind things for him.  She doesn't even do nice things for Mac.  It's all about what he can do for her.  It's so very one sided.  I had such a hard time liking Greta and unfortunately, it's hard to love a book when you just don't like the main character very much.

I think there were many attempts at humor in this book that just sort of fell flat for me.  Especially when those attempts at humor came at the expense of someone else.  I did love the scene where Greta literally sews herself into her dress.  That was funny to imagine.

I have read other books by this author that I have enjoyed.  This book isn't a make or break deal for me, I'll be back to her future books.  She has a such an easy writing style that I love.  It's easy to settle in with her words.

Content:  kissing

- I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions expressed are my own.