Happily Ever After

After taking a bit of break from romance, I was happy to fall in love again with Nora Robert's final novel in her best-selling Bridal Quartet series.  The series focuses on four childhood best friends who turn their afternoons of playing "Wedding Day" into reality as they pool their talents to create a premiere wedding venue and service called Vows.

Each novel focused on each of the friend's falling in love along with showcasing their talents in the business.  Mac, from the first novel, Vision in White, is a spunky photographer.  Emma, the hopeless romantic of the group, is the florist, in Bed of Roses.  While Laurel the smart mouthed baker extraordinaire displays her talents and love story in Savor the Moment.

Happy Ever After revolves around the uber-organized business woman Parker Brown, who's the creator of Vows. She finds her inner organized self at war with her feelings towards one of her brother's friends and her mechanic, Malcolm Kavanaugh.  Sparks fly, but while she's used to creating the best day of every bride's life she seems almost clueless of where her own love life is heading.

While I loved all the other books in the series, and eagerly anticipated each one (this one included), it was a tiny bit of a let down.  I knew what to expect since it was hinted in the last novel who her love interest was going to be and fully expected a happy ending.  After all that is why women read romances - to see a happy ending. 

My main quip with the novel was the pacing, which felt a little slower than the others and the excess of Parker handling various brides.  Perhaps I was spoiled by learning about different crafts in the other novels, whereas I didn't feel that way with the wedding planner position. I just felt hassled while Parker dealt with silly bride problems. 

Otherwise, the romance part of the novel was fabulous.  Watching a straight laced woman hop on a Harley and basically come undo by her feelings for a man she normally wouldn't give the time of of day to (not because she's a snob, but just because she's so consumed by work & afraid to let someone in).

All in all I most especially recommend this if you've read the others in the series and if you haven't start at the beginning and wrap yourself in the wonderful decadent world of brides, lace, cakes and flowers.  You won't be sorry.  This installment, as all the others is excellent brain candy!