To Have and to Hold
The Wedding Belles, Volume 1
Lauren Layne
Pocket Books
July 26, 2016
ISBN 9781501135132
$5.99
USA TODAY bestselling author Lauren Layne is the “queen of witty dialogue and sexy scenes” (Rachel Van Dyken)! Now, Sex and the City meets The Wedding Planner in The Wedding Belles, her sizzling brand new contemporary romance series about three ambitious wedding planners who can make any bride’s dream come true... but their own.
Discovering her fiance is an international con man just moments before they exchange vows devastates celebrity wedding planner Brooke Baldwin's business—and breaks her heart. Now a pariah in Los Angeles, she seeks a fresh start in New York City and thinks she’s found it with her first bridal client, a sweet—if slightly spoiled—hotel heiress. Then she meets the uptight businessman who’s holding the purse strings.
Seth Tyler wishes he could write a blank check and be done with his sister Maya's fancy-pants wedding. Unfortunately, micromanaging the event is his only chance at proving Maya’s fiance is a liar. Standing directly in his way is the stunning blonde wedding planner whose practiced smiles and sassy comebacks both irritate and arouse him. He needs Brooke’s help. But can he persuade a wedding planner on a comeback mission to unplan a wedding? And more importantly, how will he convince her that the wedding she should be planning... is theirs?
Sex and the City meets The Wedding Planner in Lauren Layne’s sizzling brand-new contemporary romance series The Wedding Belles, about three ambitious wedding planners who can make any bride’s dream come true but their own. Leading us down the aisle with the first in the series, To Have and to Hold, Lauren Layne will rouse summer lists with a reception line of great reading as she “produces winner after winner” (Fiction Vixen).
“This engaging tale has a light, fun style…enough teases are given about the other “Wedding Belles” to create genuine interest in where their stories lead.”
—Publishers Weekly (To Have and to Hold)
“There are family and friends, coworkers, people that aren’t as they seem, wedding information galore, dinners, drinks, chocolate, fear, anger, hurt, sadness, secrets, lies, deceit, tears, laughter, happiness, romance, loving and love. There is nice closure…This is only the second book of Layne’s that I have read. I look forward to reading the next two books in the series, FOR BETTER OR WORSE and TO LOVE AND TO CHERISH. There was an excerpt from book two FOR BETTER OR WORSE, at the back of the book that just whet my appetite for more. I look forward to seeing what the Wedding Belles will be up to next!”
—Romance Junkies (To Have and to Hold)
“Layne packs as much into this sexually charged and emotionally intense novella (an introduction to her upcoming Wedding Belles series) as most authors do in a full novel…The heat between [Leah & Jason] is enough to melt steel, and the emotional connection and psychological struggles will keep readers engaged.”
—Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW (From This Day Forward)
“[From This Day Forward] is trope-nip to me. Weddings/wedding planners, check. Second chances, check. Sassy heroine, check…As this book is the prequel to the forthcoming Wedding Belles, I cannot wait to get all of their stories!...From This Day Forward is 100% recommended for anyone who likes stories about weddings, stories about people who are a really good at their jobs, relationships that are a tad explosive both in and out of bed, and introductions to new tribes of characters to get to know over the next few books.”
—Fresh Fiction “Fresh Pick” (From This Day Forward)
“From This Day Forward is a delightful book. Now I can't wait for the other ones in this series…Lauren Layne hit it right on the nose on what goes on behind the scenes…Can Jason and Leah see wedding bells in their future? We can only hope and wait for the next book in the “Wedding Belles” series.From This Day Forward was a great kick-off to the series.”
—Fresh Fiction (From This Day Forward)
Source: Received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Review...
Don't let the sweet wedding cover fool you, this is a sexy alpha male read.
Seth is controlling and hot. He's not happy with his sisters decision to get married to a guy she's only known for 3 months. Since his fathers death a few months ago, Seth is all she has and his instincts tell him this guy is bad news. Enter the wedding planner Brooke. She has her own backstory. Left at the alter is a most public way, Broke came to New York to start over. What neither Seth or Brooke expect, though, is the instant attraction that bubbles between them. And what a yummy attraction it is too.
I really enjoy these characters. They may not live in a world I'm familiar with but they felt real to me. They have flaws and they make mistakes. And over the course of the story, they learn about themselves and each other. They try to be better. They're not all fixed at the end but they've grown and I enjoyed that.
Seth, of course, is my favorite. I so enjoy when the story was in his head. He's a controlling guy who likes to fix everything. But his reasons for stepping in places he shouldn't is always love. And I really like that about him. Plus he's a sexy guy that really has this sweet side. A side that includes meeting needs and remembering Valentine's Day. Yes, he scowls more than he smiles at times but when he does smile it's perfection.
Brooke joins the top wedding planners in New York and that has her friends with the team from the beginning. I loved the dynamics there and saw the stories coming from the other two planners. I enjoyed these characters and will definitely want to read about them.
This was my first Lauren Layne book and I certainly enjoyed her style. Classy with some strong sexy themes, "To have and to hold" is a perfect romantic get away. I'll certainly read more from this author.
The story wasn't surprising yet it still held the magic readers long for. I welcomed and relished my time spent in its pages.
Classy with some strong sexy themes, "To have and to hold" is a perfect romantic getaway.
To Have and to Hold will have readers engaged from the start, and wedded to the idea of a summer and fall season filled with Wedding Belles!
Lauren Layne is the USA Today bestselling author of the Sex, Love, and Stiletto contemporary romances and the all-new Pocket Books series The Wedding Belles. She lives in New York with her husband and spoiled Pomeranian. Visit laurenlayne.com, meet the author on Facebook atLaurenLayneAuthor, or follow her on Twitter @_LaurenLayne.
Lauren Layne interviews with THE LIBRARIAN:
BOUQUET GIVEAWAY:
We are excited to do a Wedding Belles Bouquet Giveaway to celebrate the publication of the first in the series, TO HAVE AND TO HOLD. The Wedding Belles Bouquet will include To Have and to Hold (7/26), For Better or Worse(8/30), and To Love and to Cherish (10/18). You can visit all sites on the Bouquet Giveaway Tour to enter to win–but keep in mind you can only win once! U.S. only. Each winner will receive one copy of each book during the week of its publication date.
Complete Tour
Sunday, July 24th
Monday, July 25th
Tuesday, July 26th
Wednesday, July 27th
Thursday, July 28th
Friday, July 29th
Wedding books are fun to read because every girl dreams of her perfect wedding. ;-)
ReplyDeleteThey are fun to read because they leave you with a good feeling.
ReplyDeleteI love how people meet and fall in love and decide to commit to a life-long relationship.
ReplyDeleteall the fun of a wedding without the stress :) thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThey have beautiful happy endings ♡ Thank you
ReplyDeleteI love the romance and the drama. Weddings, more often than not, have elements of both.
ReplyDeleteThanks :)
Wedding themed books are so much fun because of the endless hope & promise!
ReplyDeleteBecause the book wedding is stress-free for the reader.
ReplyDeleteBecause there is so much drama!
ReplyDeleteThey just are. There's so many types of them and its hard not to like them.
ReplyDeleteBecause of all the drama that goes on.
ReplyDeleteBecause I love weddings..especially the dress
ReplyDeleteThey tell a great story.
ReplyDeleteWeddings are supposed to be happy and everyone has a good time. This is where you meet old friends and talk about the past.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading wedding books because it's all the fun of the wedding planning without all the stress. And there is always a happy ending.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading wedding books because it's all the fun of the wedding planning without all the stress. And there is always a happy ending.
ReplyDeleteI love the friends and family relationships, the love and romance, and the happy endings!
ReplyDelete