When I really started getting into lesbian romance, Melissa Brayden was one of the first authors I latched onto. Her Soho and Seven Shores series are still two of my favorites. This wasn’t a bad read but it didn’t fully capture my interest.
Allison Hale has accepted her boyfriend, Brent’s marriage proposal, although she isn’t over the moon happy about it. Brent’s from a very wealthy family and Allison’s sister is thrilled that she’s going to marry into it and their parents have a deal to have their healthy bar put into Brent’s family’s grocery store chain. Allison is an elementary school teacher who is happy with Brent but there’s a spark missing that she hasn’t experienced with anyone.
Megan Kinkaid is the top wedding planner in Dallas and knows she will get the Carmichael wedding. But her excitement over securing the wedding of the year is halted by her immediate attraction to the sweet, unassuming bride. Allison is drawn to the confident wedding planner as well and it isn’t long before the wedding is on hold and Allison and Megan start exploring their feelings for each other. Will the connection be enough for Allison to put herself first or will she cave to pressure from her sister and Brent to marry into the Carmichael clan?
This isn’t really an insta-love book but it’s pretty darn close. Allison is a total sweetheart but she feels just another incarnation of Brooklyn Campbell or Hannah Shephard. While I appreciated that she didn’t freak out when she realized her attraction for another woman, I would have liked for her to stay strong throughout the book and not have been so easily influenced by Brent. Allison wasn’t the only one to make some questionable decisions. Megan also did some things that caused me some irritation. There are some good supporting characters like Allison’s parents and her work lesbian guru. If you’re a Melissa Brayden fan you will probably enjoy this one. However, it wasn’t her best but did have some good moments.
ARC received from Bold Stroke Books via NetGalley for an honest review