Scan barcode
reading_with_2_book_lovers's review against another edition
4.0
This author never fails to disappoint. Very well written
ssejig's review against another edition
4.0
7 times Violet Abrams has been in somebody else's wedding. Too bad her own blew up before she even walked down the aisle. Licking her wounds, she heads to the small town where her half-sister lives. Too bad her father and his wife also live there. The man who fathered her out of wedlock, that is. The town where she would go growing up but was never completely accepted. Violet just wants to help her sister fix up her bakery and then get out of town. Hopefully, doing so will help her get the mojo back that she lost (being a wedding photographer doesn't feel so good when you've just been dumped.) Yes, she's trying to burn her wedding book behind the bakery but she doesn't mean to set her pity cupcakes on fire.
Ford Maguire is on the fire crew (also trains search and rescue dogs and is an EMT.) When he responds to a fire at the bakery, he doesn't expect to find a woman that he's attracted to. And definitely not one that fits into his life so perfectly, enjoying and understanding his jobs as well as being able to hang out with all of his friends. But this can't be a relationship, can it?
It helps to have read the first book in this series but it's not necessary. Violet was a little too much of the stereotypical rom com heroine but this was still a fast and fun read.
Ford Maguire is on the fire crew (also trains search and rescue dogs and is an EMT.) When he responds to a fire at the bakery, he doesn't expect to find a woman that he's attracted to. And definitely not one that fits into his life so perfectly, enjoying and understanding his jobs as well as being able to hang out with all of his friends. But this can't be a relationship, can it?
It helps to have read the first book in this series but it's not necessary. Violet was a little too much of the stereotypical rom com heroine but this was still a fast and fun read.
randi_reads's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
Violet returns to Uncertainty, Alabama, after being strung along for many years with the promise of marriage by her ex to him marrying someone else. She’s come to stay with her half sister for a month or two and she causes quite a stir in the small town on her first day. That’s where she meets hot firefighter, Ford.
Ford is the Dude of Honor in his best friend, Addie’s wedding and is clueless about wedding stuff. Violet has been a bridesmaid seven times and agrees to help with the planning, which puts her and Ford together often.
This is a cute, quick read. I enjoyed Violet and Ford’s story. It was somewhat predictable, but I was okay with it. I enjoyed the banter between Violet and Ford, the friendship between all the friends, and the cute German shepherd puppies-in-training!
This is book two in the series. I have not read the first book and didn’t feel like I was missing any necessary information to enjoy this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for a digital arc in exchange for my honest review.
Violet returns to Uncertainty, Alabama, after being strung along for many years with the promise of marriage by her ex to him marrying someone else. She’s come to stay with her half sister for a month or two and she causes quite a stir in the small town on her first day. That’s where she meets hot firefighter, Ford.
Ford is the Dude of Honor in his best friend, Addie’s wedding and is clueless about wedding stuff. Violet has been a bridesmaid seven times and agrees to help with the planning, which puts her and Ford together often.
This is a cute, quick read. I enjoyed Violet and Ford’s story. It was somewhat predictable, but I was okay with it. I enjoyed the banter between Violet and Ford, the friendship between all the friends, and the cute German shepherd puppies-in-training!
This is book two in the series. I have not read the first book and didn’t feel like I was missing any necessary information to enjoy this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for a digital arc in exchange for my honest review.
sandreea's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
I never want to read a story about a wedding for the rest of the year. I have very mixed feelings about this book that can just be resumed as a difference in points of view. That is the only civil way I can put it.
What I liked:
-The cute doggos. The irony here is that I don't even like dogs that much, but they were still much better than the characters themselves.
-The writing style.
-Maisy and Lexi.
What I didn't like:
-You know what you do if your boyfriend of 10 fucking years doesn't marry you even if he told you he would? You fucking dump him. If your boyfriend chips away at your confidence for 10 fucking years, you dump him. God, allo people are so frustrating.
-Some sweet slut shaming in the beginning of the book.
-Violet. In the beginning I didn't like her-she almost burnt down her sister's bakery because she couldn't bother to pay attention to what she was doing, then she goes to set fire to her wedding binder. Then I kind of started to like her, but then the ending happened and... I could rant for days about how you shouldn't forgive someone just because they give you some flowers and tell you they love you. I guess for some women a little effort, a few flowers, and an almost apology-but-not-really topped with an I-love-you speech is enough to win them back. Can't relate.
-Which brings me to... whatever the fuck was supposed to be the last bit of the book. I guess for Easton his duty for his buddy trumps what is a gross abuse of his power as a cop over a vulnerable civilian. Report his fucking ass. I see that the truth about american cops abusing their power is alive and well even in the romance genre.
-Almost fucking in the mud. Nasty af.
-The apology- if you can call it that. The amount of groveling done in this book is abysmal.
-Ford. I guess he'd be cute if he went to therapy for a few years and got his shit together. Otherwise the dude is an asshole most of the time with a few shining moments that are not enough to redeem him in my eyes.
I don't want to say that it was a waste of my time-after all it reinforced the idea of what not to do if I ever want to try being in a relationship- but it did felt like one. Peace out✌
I never want to read a story about a wedding for the rest of the year. I have very mixed feelings about this book that can just be resumed as a difference in points of view. That is the only civil way I can put it.
What I liked:
-The cute doggos. The irony here is that I don't even like dogs that much, but they were still much better than the characters themselves.
-The writing style.
-Maisy and Lexi.
What I didn't like:
-You know what you do if your boyfriend of 10 fucking years doesn't marry you even if he told you he would? You fucking dump him. If your boyfriend chips away at your confidence for 10 fucking years, you dump him. God, allo people are so frustrating.
-Some sweet slut shaming in the beginning of the book.
-Violet. In the beginning I didn't like her-she almost burnt down her sister's bakery because she couldn't bother to pay attention to what she was doing, then she goes to set fire to her wedding binder. Then I kind of started to like her, but then the ending happened and... I could rant for days about how you shouldn't forgive someone just because they give you some flowers and tell you they love you. I guess for some women a little effort, a few flowers, and an almost apology-but-not-really topped with an I-love-you speech is enough to win them back. Can't relate.
-Which brings me to... whatever the fuck was supposed to be the last bit of the book. I guess for Easton his duty for his buddy trumps what is a gross abuse of his power as a cop over a vulnerable civilian. Report his fucking ass. I see that the truth about american cops abusing their power is alive and well even in the romance genre.
-Almost fucking in the mud. Nasty af.
-The apology- if you can call it that. The amount of groveling done in this book is abysmal.
-Ford. I guess he'd be cute if he went to therapy for a few years and got his shit together. Otherwise the dude is an asshole most of the time with a few shining moments that are not enough to redeem him in my eyes.
I don't want to say that it was a waste of my time-after all it reinforced the idea of what not to do if I ever want to try being in a relationship- but it did felt like one. Peace out✌
ohleeveeah's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed this one!
There were a few issues that are stopping me from giving this more stars, but I can't deny that I liked it.
1. GOOD: I totally felt for Violet for being strung along for so long by her ex. I can't even what she must've felt about her then-boyfriend making her false promises for so long. But that's what love can do, even if it's not true love; a pinch of love can make people endure many things.
2. GOOD: I loved how pretty much all the characters were exactly who they were and not afraid to show it. I don't think there was a single time where one of them lied about who they were. Sure, there was some calculations of WHEN to show certain aspects of their personalities - but we all do that.
3. BAD: For having been in a 10 year relationship, and though they did talk about her ex lying about his attentions, there was absolutely no mention of the length of that relationship to the other characters. I just feel like if she had explicitly said she was with her ex for that specific amount of time, it would've helped the others to fully understand the extent of her expectations.
4: BAD: I know I said I loved how the characters were shamelessly themselves, but I don't think their personalities and lifestyles were really compatible. I know, I know, the whole 'opposites attract' theory is popular, but I just don't feel like there was enough meshing of their lives or any talk. And while I'm writing this right now, I realize that their lives weren't very different...SO HOW DID I FEEL THAT THEY WERE COMPLETE OPPOSITES?!
5. BAD: Though I am super happy they DID end up together at the end, I just don't think that, realistically, people would forgive someone for what Ford said. I can't put any blame on Violet because her saying he was a playboy and all that was information that he willing gave and that everyone knew about. But for Ford to have said the things he did about her being crazy, unstable,, how he 'should've know better', etc. WHAT?! No one can tell me that to my face and be forgiven by giving some flowers and telling me they love me.
6. I LOVED Ford's overall personality, but I often found myself thinking he was an asshole. Like, i understand he has family issues, but he repeatedly thought Violet was obsessed and crazy, was stringing her along while actively telling himself he was never going to settle down and knowing that's exactly what Violet wanted. I loved Ford, his selfless jobs, his vulnerabilities and his goofy sides, but I grew frustrated with him often.
If you're not one to get hung up on small details, I totally recommend this book. It's funny and sweet. But if you do notice small details like me, just don't expect this to be the best book you're ever read.
There were a few issues that are stopping me from giving this more stars, but I can't deny that I liked it.
1. GOOD: I totally felt for Violet for being strung along for so long by her ex. I can't even what she must've felt about her then-boyfriend making her false promises for so long. But that's what love can do, even if it's not true love; a pinch of love can make people endure many things.
2. GOOD: I loved how pretty much all the characters were exactly who they were and not afraid to show it. I don't think there was a single time where one of them lied about who they were. Sure, there was some calculations of WHEN to show certain aspects of their personalities - but we all do that.
3. BAD: For having been in a
4: BAD: I know I said I loved how the characters were shamelessly themselves, but I don't think their personalities and lifestyles were really compatible. I know, I know, the whole 'opposites attract' theory is popular, but I just don't feel like there was enough meshing of their lives or any talk. And while I'm writing this right now, I realize that their lives weren't very different...SO HOW DID I FEEL THAT THEY WERE COMPLETE OPPOSITES?!
5. BAD:
6. I LOVED Ford's overall personality, but I often found myself thinking he was an asshole. Like, i understand he has family issues, but he repeatedly
If you're not one to get hung up on small details, I totally recommend this book. It's funny and sweet. But if you do notice small details like me, just don't expect this to be the best book you're ever read.
beautifullybookishbethany's review
2.0
This is a case of several things not really working for me, that might work fine for other people. Always a Bridesmaid is a contemporary romance set in a small town in the American South. Violet has always loved weddings, but after she discovered her long time boyfriend cheating on her she has sworn off men and is staying with her sister who runs a bakery. On the day of her ex's wedding to the other woman, she accidentally starts a fire in the bakery and meets Ford when he comes to rescue. Ford is scared of love and commitment because of his family background, but sparks fly between him and Violet.
A lot of things in this book are very subjective in terms of enjoyment. For one, the humor. There's a lot of banter between the main couple, and within the friend group. Some of it was funny to me, a lot of it edged too close to cruder humor that I don't enjoy. The friend group is also very comfortable with PDA among couples and talk of their sex lives in group settings. I'm not so comfortable with that. The heroine is constantly worried about her weight and what she's eating, thinking she needs to lose weight to be attractive. It gets linked to issues with her ex eventually, but it felt like too much for me. There's a scene where the couple goes four-wheeling and things get sexy after they fall off into a muddy bog. I couldn't stop thinking about kissing and getting mud in your mouth or other places, and it just...didn't work for me. The hero also says some pretty horrible things to the heroine near the end after promising the consistency she never had growing up. He does apologize and does a grand gesture, but for me it wouldn't have been enough to gain back trust.
Like I said, your response to all of these things is going to be really subjective. I wasn't a fan, but I could see others really enjoying the book. There are cute rescue puppies in training and a wonderfully quirky grandmother! I also liked that the heroine has ADHD and that is substantively addressed. I received a copy for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.
A lot of things in this book are very subjective in terms of enjoyment. For one, the humor. There's a lot of banter between the main couple, and within the friend group. Some of it was funny to me, a lot of it edged too close to cruder humor that I don't enjoy. The friend group is also very comfortable with PDA among couples and talk of their sex lives in group settings. I'm not so comfortable with that. The heroine is constantly worried about her weight and what she's eating, thinking she needs to lose weight to be attractive. It gets linked to issues with her ex eventually, but it felt like too much for me. There's a scene where the couple goes four-wheeling and things get sexy after they fall off into a muddy bog. I couldn't stop thinking about kissing and getting mud in your mouth or other places, and it just...didn't work for me. The hero also says some pretty horrible things to the heroine near the end after promising the consistency she never had growing up. He does apologize and does a grand gesture, but for me it wouldn't have been enough to gain back trust.
Like I said, your response to all of these things is going to be really subjective. I wasn't a fan, but I could see others really enjoying the book. There are cute rescue puppies in training and a wonderfully quirky grandmother! I also liked that the heroine has ADHD and that is substantively addressed. I received a copy for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.
annarella's review
4.0
The perfect story for this bleak times: sweet, entertaining and engrossing.
I liked the lovely setting and puppies, the likeable characters and I couldn't help rooting for them, the well crafted plot that flows.
I can't wait to read another story by this author.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
I liked the lovely setting and puppies, the likeable characters and I couldn't help rooting for them, the well crafted plot that flows.
I can't wait to read another story by this author.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
journeythruwords's review
1.0
Heard this was cute and wanted a fluffy, easy read. Potty mouth, potty humor, and characters I couldn't relate to at all. Wasn't a positive read for me.