Review: A September Bride (A Year of Weddings Novella Book 10) by Kathryn Springer

A September Bride (A Year of Weddings Novella Book 10) by Kathryn Springer

ebook, 120 pages

Published August 26th 2014 by Zondervan
Source: I received a copy from Zondervan Publishing through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars


Description:

A year's worth of novellas from twelve inspirational romance authors. Happily ever after guaranteed.
Annie's always wanted a home and a family. But will pretending to be a bride get her closer to her dreams?
All Annie Price has ever wanted is a place to call home. Growing up in the foster care system, that dream seemed far away, but now Annie's dream may be coming true. A friend she met in an online book group wants to retire and has offered Annie a fresh start managing her little bookstore. Believing the opportunity is an answer to prayer, Annie packs her suitcase and moves to Red Leaf, Wisconsin.

The residents of Red Leaf welcome Annie into the fold . . . everyone except the bookstore owner's son, Jesse Kent. But Annie refuses to let the handsome deputy keep her from embracing her new home with open arms. She even volunteers to help the local historical society refurbish an old church and agrees to be the 'bride' for a special reenactment celebrating the museum's open house.
Jesse Kent can't believe his mother has handed the keys to her business over to a woman she met on the Internet. Annie's beautiful, of course, and smart as a whip, but what do they really know about her, anyway? What if she's come to their town just for his mother's money? The only way to see if his suspicions about Annie Price are true is to keep a close eye on her---even if it means he has to marry her! Planning their mock wedding will give him the chance to uncover Annie's motive for moving to town. But as the day of the wedding approaches and secrets come to light, Jesse must face the truth. He wants Annie to be his September bride . . . for real.

My Review:

A small town with a heartwarming feel is exactly what Annie needs and is looking for. As a foster kid, she never felt that feeling of belonging and seems to have found it in Red Leaf, Wisconsin. 

It's not in my personality to completely immerse myself in a new town the way Annie does, but she is very sincere and caring and finds herself planting roots with these great people after only a short time. I really loved Annie's creativity and bubbly personality and I could tell that those around her loved her just as much as I did. I also loved watching these friendships develop and strengthen.

One of my favorite things about a clean romance story is the first meeting and I love it when it's funny, just as this one is. Annie and Jesse meet in a very humorous way, not once, but twice and I was laughing out loud. Jesse is suspicious by nature, with good reason, and watching his work through his issues was endearing.

I love the wedding theme, the characters, and the sweet and clean romance. Although it's a novella, there was still time for a little bit of a mystery as well, which made things a lot of fun. I wish the ending would've lasted just a little longer, as that was one of my favorite parts, but otherwise, it's a fun story that can be read in one sitting.

Content: mild romance (kissing); mild religious elements (talk of attending church and of God). Clean!

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About the Author:

Kathryn Springer, winner of the 2007 Write Touch Reader’s Award (long contemporary), grew up in a small town in northern Wisconsin, where her parents published a weekly newspaper. As a child, she spent many hours sitting at her mother’s typewriter, plunking out stories, and credits her parents for instilling in her a love of books – which eventually turned into a desire to tell stories of her own.

After a number of busy years, when she married her college sweetheart and became a stay-at-home mom, Kathryn rediscovered her love for writing. An unexpected snow day from school became the inspiration for a short story, which she submitted to Brio magazine. She went on to publish over a dozen more short stories for Brio, but it wasn’t until her youngest child started school that she decided to pursue her dream to write a novel. In August 2004, her Love Inspired® debut novel, Tested by Fire, was published.

Encouraging women in their faith journey is the reason Kathryn loves to write inspirational fiction. She hosts a women’s Bible study in her home and volunteers in a local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) ministry. When she isn’t at the computer, you’ll find her curled up with a good book, spending time with family and friends or walking on the trails near her country home. Visit her website here.