STORY: Katharine Ashe, Caroline Linden, Miranda Neville, and Maya Rodale, authors of At the Duke’s Wedding, bring you another deliciously romantic anthology.
A stately home in the English countryside seems the ideal place for two successful young Americans to tie the knot.
Until the internet fails.
And the oven breaks.
And paparazzi descend.
And police crash the hen party.
And the four most unlikely couples imaginable discover that passion never waits for perfection, and happily ever after is just an “I do” away…
REVIEW: “The Best Laid Planner” – Miranda Neville
Duke Austen, a young billionaire who made his fortune in the tech industry and Jane Sparks, well known historical romance author, are planning the perfect wedding. Their first choice of venue, Kingstag Castle, Dorset England, has just been damaged by a fire. So when wedding planner, Arwen Kilpatrick, discovers Brampton House it sounds perfect. It is a home that has not always been lived in and thus part of it is in the middle of being renovated. Ah, but the beautifully furnished rooms and antique furniture make up for a few rooms still being worked on. When Duke and Jane arrive for their week of wedding festivities, Duke is chagrined to find that cell service is either spotty or non-existent. This is bad news for a tech guy, however, it is Jane’s dream wedding so he is content with whatever makes her happy.
Behind the scenes, Arwen is working closely with Harry, the man she assumes is the caretaker of the house and guru in charge of the renovations. For a man who appears to be simply an employee, he certainly seems to be very knowledgeable about the estate and the two of them find themselves very attracted to one another. Who is Harry? Considering the glitches that can occur when an estate is undergoing renovation, can the wedding go off as faultlessly as Jane wants?
This first novella sets the stage perfectly for the story of Duke and Jane’s wedding.
“Will You Be My Wi-Fi?” – Caroline Linden
Archer Quinn is the attorney for, and good friend to Duke Austen, owner of Project-TK Industries with a net worth of nearly twenty billion dollars. So, when he receives an invitation to the wedding of Duke and his fiancee, author Jane Sparks, he is undecided about attending. His practice is very busy and for him to take any time off would be a difficult undertaking. However, he realizes he has not had a vacation in a very long time and decides to go. He knows he can keep up with things at the office via his computer and phone. Or maybe not. When he arrives at Brampton House and discovers the no internet situation, he is flabbergasted. Knowing that there are certain hot spots around the property, he takes off following the bars on his phone. What he finds is a cottage on the edge of the property with no only great cell service but a lovely woman inside baking!
Natalie Corcoran is renting a home looking for peace and quiet while she works on a cookbook. Her family’s restaurant is very well-known but after an over-the-top argument with her brother about the family business, she decides to take a sabbatical from the restaurant.
When Archer asks Natalie if he can use the cell service and only sit on the patio not bothering her, she finally agrees. As the time passes and Archer keeps smelling the lovely things that Natalie is baking, they communicate more and he begins to taste some of these delicious creations. Turns out, he’s not just interesting in tasting her desserts but other things as well. Ahem.
As they meet each morning on her patio, their attraction grows. Just before the wedding, an emergency arises which leaves the wedding desserts ruined. Will Natalie be able to help save the day? Will Archer and Natalie’s attraction last after the wedding is over?
I enjoyed this novella very much. The clever dialogue between Archer and Natalie is sweet and very romantic.
“The Day It Rained Books” – Katharine Ashe
Cali Blake drives a Bookmobile in Philadelphia. Of all of the jobs she has had with the Library, this is her favorite. She has gotten to know many of the locals and ensures that she has books on the Bookmobile that will suit their tastes. She fights hard to keep the Bookmobile when a family foundation grant was rejected. However, an unknown donor stepped in and provided the funds to keep it going. When she receives an invitation to the wedding of her old friend and co-worker at the Library, Jane Sparks, she is pleased and sad at the same time. Jane is so happy for Jane and her new-found fame and wonderfully rich fiancee. However, the reality of not being able to afford to buy appropriate clothes and a plane ticket hits her. In addition, she has the responsibility to care for her sister who was severely burned in a fire.
Piers Prescott was Duke Austen’s roommate at Stanford, and is the grandson to Jacob Taylor Vaughan Prescott, the most powerful man in Philadelphia. Piers and his grandfather have been at odds for years. Piers is interested in making things better for the people, whereas his grandfather is interested in making even more money and he doesn’t care who suffers from his endeavors.
When Cali receives a plane ticket and money for some new clothes and for a caregiver for her sister, she finally decides to accept this anonymous gift and go to Jane’s wedding. When will she ever have a chance like this again to let her hair down and maybe even meet a hot guy.
At Brampton House, Cali and Piers are quickly drawn to one another and the fun begins!
This novella portrays a very strong and proud young woman and a man who truly cares.
“That Moment When You Fall In Love” – Maya Rodale
Roxanna Lane is a good friend of Jane Sparks and has been invited to her wedding. Roxanna writes celebrity gossip forJezebel.com. Her boyfriend, Damien Knightly, is a wealthy English aristocrat and owner of Jezebel.com plus many other investments.
Theirs is sometimes a love-hate relationship as Damien is always trying to get Roxanna to do some unethical things to promote the website. When the two of them arrive at Brampton House as wedding guests, Roxanna is furious when Damien asks her to leak pictures and other wedding information. She refuses. There is an agreement that if Roxanna ensures that Jane’s wedding photos and other wedding particulars are not leaked, a large donation will be given to Little Paws Rescue to aid kittens and puppies.
The appearance of the paparazzi hiding in the bushes around the estate ignites a sneaky plan in the mind of Jane and Roxanna to deter the paparazzi. The plan works perfectly and Jane and Austen’s wedding ends up being perfect but not without many little roadblocks along the way.
Will Roxanna and Damien be able to resolve their differences about the privacy of the wedding or will they end up going their separate ways?
This last novella wrapped up the story to a lovely conclusion.
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I love this review. Its hard to do a review for books like this. Good job!