The Wedding Date (Belmont Beach Brides Book 1)

COMEDY:  Kate Massie runs into her junior prom date, James Abell, nine years after their shared high school experience. He is immediately taken with her, but she has reservations borne of a death in her family years before. He is dealing with a clingy ex and a controlling mother who worries about keeping up appearances. It is for the sake of appearance that James needs a faux date for his sister’s wedding; a role Kate agrees to play. Her reintroduction to them over a family dinner does not go as planned, causing James to rethink their agreement.

The first chapter awakens the reader’s curiosity with a giggle; it shows off the author’s ability to introduce characters fluidly. With the exception of the main characters’ earlier relationships, the population of this straightforward, steamy love story has well-developed, recognizable individual traits. Internal conflict is much more prevalent than external, leaving the reader wanting more from the exes directly. Where external conflict has a chance to/does exist, it is either resolved too quickly or feels shoved in at the last minute. The author is skilled at showing what happens; events enhanced by realistic dialogue that reveals the speaker’s personality.

If readers can forgive a guileless plot, preferring instead to concentrate on the characters’ lives unfolding before their mind’s eye with a realistic, page-turning momentum, they may well appreciate this read.

Heather R. Nielsen