Review: A June Bride (A Year of Weddings #7) by Marybeth Whalen

A June Bride (A Year of Weddings Novella Book 7) by Marybeth Whalen

ebook, 120 pages

Published May 27th 2014 by Zondervan 

Source: I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

 

 

Description:

 

A year's worth of novellas from twelve inspirational romance authors. Happily ever after guaranteed.
It takes a reality TV show for Wynne to realize love isn't just a game.

Wynne Hardy never thought she'd get engaged on a reality TV show, but when she met Andy on The Rejection Connection, the two of them hit it off. Now he's asked her to marry him, much to the public's delight and fascination. They're all set to wed on live TV in a seaside ceremony at the height of the wedding season.

But just as Wynne thinks all her dreams are coming true, her ex-boyfriend walks back into her life at the worst possible time. Steve broke her heart years ago, and she's still sorting through her feelings for him. Her heart isn't as clear as her head that it's past time to move on---even though she's engaged to Andy.

At a local TV talk show appearance, Wynne meets Meredith, who won another reality TV show---Marathon Mom---proving herself nothing short of a superhero. As Wynne's beach wedding plans spin out of control, Meredith offers to help, unknowingly stepping on Wynne's secret feelings . . . and exposing some secrets Meredith has been keeping to herself. Can these two reality stars get real about their feelings? Will Wynne go through with her televised wedding and be the perfect June bride the network is looking for?

 

My Review:

 

I've mentioned before that I don't watch The Bachelor, but I love books with that premise. I love the way the contestant whittles her choices down and I love getting to know the choices. But...I didn't feel like I knew either Wynne or Andy all that well. She talked about one reason why she chose him, but I really didn't know him because the book starts after the choice and before the wedding episode. 

Wynne's best friend, Picky, talks her into making a video for a show that helps people find love after rejection and that's just the situation she's in. Callum broke her heart and it's time to move on, but I never got a feeling for why they were in love in the first place. I wanted to find a couple to really root for! Speaking of Callum...I'm not sure why the official description calls him Steve. Maybe there's another guy in the mix?

The thing that I really loved about this book is the way Wynne has to dig deep to really discover who she is and what she wants. The inner strength she finds, and at the perfect time, is inspiring. It's not always easy to do what you know is right and cutting ties to the past completely or moving on wholeheartedly towards the future is a tough choice to face, especially with the pressures that Wynne faces--deciding all of this in the public eye. She's one tough cookie and I did grow to like her.

 

Content: Clean!

 

Buy Links:

 

 

About the Author:  

 
Marybeth Whalen and her husband Curt have been married for 22 years and are the parents of six children, ranging in age from college to elementary school. The family lives in North Carolina. Marybeth is a speaker and the author of five novels. Her newest novel, The Bridge Tender, releases June, 2014. She is the co-founder of the popular women's fiction site, She Reads www.shereads.org and is the Writer in Residence at a local private school. Marybeth spends most of her time in the grocery store but occasionally escapes long enough to scribble some words. She is always at work on her next novel. You can find her at www.marybethwhalen.com.