Review: A May Bride by Meg Moseley

My rating: 2 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads.com

She’s prepared for her wedding all her life… but she forgot a few things.
Ellie Martin, a country girl in Atlanta, often de-stresses from city life by tending the flower beds of a church near her apartment. She has dreamed of a traditional wedding all her life, a wedding like the one her younger sister is planning back in their hometown. Their single mom will pay for Alexa’s wedding, but Ellie started her own wedding fund years ago. She only needs to find a groom.
She bumps into a man who’s a guest at a wedding on the church grounds. She’s noticed him around the neighborhood, but today he introduces himself as Gray Whitby. They embark on a whirlwind romance, but her mother doesn’t trust freewheeling men like him. Standing up to Mom leads Ellie to stick up for Alexa too. When Ellie risks her own plans for her sister’s sake, Gray feels betrayed. Will he always play second fiddle?
Will Ellie and Gray reconcile their differences so her dream wedding can come true, or will the romance they’ve begun come crashing down?

My Review

This novella started out great, with how the characters meet and start their relationship. However, once the relationship starts to progress, the feelings and chemistry between the characters is non-existent. Any emotion Ellie portrays is about her issues with her mother. I felt there was such potential since the characters were introduced well and likeable, but the connection I felt with them went flat when the author began to tell and not show how they fell in love... and it was brief at that. I don't think the heart of the story needed to be sacrificed because it was a short story, but instead Ellie's issues with her family were the focus and Gray played second-string not only to Ellie's family but also in the plot.

(ARC provided via Netgalley for unbiased review)

Review: An April Bride by Lenora Worth

My rating: 3 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads.com

War changes everything . . . even their love.
Bride-to-be Stella Carson can’t wait to marry her longtime sweetheart Marshall Henderson. But Marshall has been away serving his country and after suffering a head wound and being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome, he has distanced himself from Stella by asking her not to visit him in a Washington, D.C. hospital.
Marshall returns to Louisiana just four weeks before the wedding, but as the big day draws near, Stella wonders if the man she’s loved for most of her life still wants to marry her.

My Review

I thought this was a great plot. I enjoy stories of soldiers who serve their country and the women who support them. The amnesia angle was interesting, especially as they began to connect again and Marshall began regaining his memories. The countdown to the wedding was a stress factor for the couple, but it also hindered the development of the relationship in the story since Stella's thoughts and scenes were for the majority focused on whether or not to continue with the wedding, postpone, or call it off. The characters seemed to be stuck in limbo which became a little repetitive. I loved the ending, but I don't want to give anything away!

(ARC provided via Netgalley for unbiased review)

Review: A March Bride by Rachel Hauck

My rating: 2 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads.com

Susanna has found her true prince, and their happily ever after is just around the corner. But when Nate asks her to give up something precious to her, Susanna can’t help but wonder if it’s a sign that their love is not meant to be.
Susanna Truitt (Once Upon A Prince) is three weeks from royalty. She’ll soon marry King Nathaniel II of Brighton Kingdom. But when the government insists she renounce her American citizenship before the wedding, coupled with the lack of involvement by family and friends, her heart begins to doubt whether this marriage is God’s plan for her.
Nathaniel would do anything for his bride-to-be. But he knows his position requires that she give up a lot to be with him. Her life will never be her own — right down to her very identity. When she travels home to St. Simon’s Island, Georgia, right before the wedding, Nathaniel fears she won’t return. Gathering his courage, he devises a plan to win his bride all over again, and together they seek out a kingdom to treasure above all.

My Review

This novella would probably be great for someone who had read the full-length novel the characters are from. As a stand-alone, it threw the reader into the chaos of the royal wedding plans and doubts of the characters without establishing any relationship, chemistry, or romance. I felt like an outsider who had walked into the end of a movie, and I didn't have a connection to the characters because I missed 90% of the story.

(ARC provided via Netgalley for unbiased review)

Review: An Amish Kitchen by Beth Wiseman, Kelly Long, and Amy Clipston

My Rating: 4 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads.com

Fern has a green thumb for healing herbs and flowers, but longs for love to bloom in her life. The next-door neighbor's oldest son Abram comes running into Fern's kitchen seeking help for his little sister. The crisis soon leads to a promise of romance until an incident threatens to end their growing attraction.

Nearby, Hannah runs her parents bed and breakfast, Paradise Inn but her life feels nothing like Paradise. She longs for a man of integrity to enter her life, but never expected him to knock on the front door looking for a room. Will she be able trust Stephen with her future once she discovers his mysterious past?

When a storm blows a tree onto Eve's farmhouse, she has little choice but to temporarily move her family into her parents home. Outside of cooking together in the kitchen, Eve and her mother can't agree on anything. But this may be just the recipe for hope in healing old wounds.

My Review

I so enjoyed reading these novellas. They were all so sweet, fun, and entertaining. My favorite was the first story by Kelly Long since the romance was wonderful.

(ARC was provided via Netgalley for unbiased review)