To Have and to Hold
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4.4 • 135 Ratings
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
USA TODAY bestselling author Lauren Layne is the “queen of witty dialogue and sexy scenes” (Rachel Van Dyken)! Now, Sex and the City meets The Wedding Planner in The Wedding Belles, her sizzling brand new contemporary romance series about three ambitious wedding planners who can make any bride’s dream come true…but their own.
Discovering her fiancé is an international con man just moments before they exchange vows devastates celebrity wedding planner Brooke Baldwin’s business—and breaks her heart. Now a pariah in Los Angeles, she seeks a fresh start in New York City and thinks she’s found it with her first bridal client, a sweet—if slightly spoiled—hotel heiress. Then she meets the uptight businessman who’s holding the purse strings.
Seth Tyler wishes he could write a blank check and be done with his sister Maya's fancy-pants wedding. Unfortunately, micromanaging the event is his only chance at proving Maya’s fiancé is a liar. Standing directly in his way is the stunning blonde wedding planner whose practiced smiles and sassy comebacks both irritate and arouse him. He needs Brooke’s help. But can he persuade a wedding planner on a comeback mission to unplan a wedding? And more importantly, how will he convince her that the wedding she should be planning…is theirs?
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
The first book in Layne's Wedding Belles series is a bubbly romp set among Manhattan's well-to-do and the wedding planners who cater to their every demand. Brooke Baldwin is used to dealing with high-maintenance clients, but she has an extremely hard time dealing with Seth Tyler, who’s footing the bill for his sister’s wedding and letting his cynical views rip. A clash of wills leads to a steamy affair in this sexy urban romance.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Layne (Good Girl) begins a contemporary series with this lengthy, predictable story of a wedding planner recovering from the disastrous disruption of her own wedding and a CEO with very little use for the institution of marriage. Brooke had it all: a successful wedding planning career in L.A. and a wonderful fianc with whom she was planning the wedding of her dreams. Then her groom was taken away in handcuffs. Now she's in New York, trying to establish her reputation all over again. Her first wedding is for the sister of business magnate Seth Tyler. Seth had one bout with love that soured him on the idea until he met his sister's wedding planner. As the passion heats up between them, their pasts come calling. This engaging tale has a light, fun style, but the plot suffers from an excess of repetition and a rehashing of tired romance tropes. It borders on unrealistic without the diversion of actually slipping over into fantasy. However, enough teases are given about the other "Wedding Belles" to create genuine interest in where their stories lead.
Customer Reviews
A Fine Romance
At first blush, To Have and to Hold is an easy, breezy story that you will gobble up like candy. But it's so much more - it's about family, second chances, friendship and a wish for a love that is true. It's a heart-stealer for sure.
I really liked To Have and to Hold not only because it is set in the most romantic place on earth - New York City. But Through the eyes of west coast transplant Brooke we see its hustle and bustle, as well as its true beauty and magic. It really is the perfect place to find true love.
Brooke & Seth were such a fabulous pair who brought out the best and the worst in each other. But in their every scene together I felt both their connection and chemistry -- both of which crackled off the page.
This is a great introduction to the Wedding Belles series, I am really looking forward to reading the next installments. Enjoy!
Happy reading!
Bloss
I was a little heartbroken when I finished Lauren’s “Love, Sex, and Stilettos” series and the “Oxford” series. But I’ve found a new love in the Wedding Belles.
You warm up to Seth’s coldness and cheer on Brooke’s unwavering belief in happily ever after. Can’t wait to read the rest of the Belle series.
the story brings all that I’d expect from a Lauren Layne book!
Lauren Layne has brought the fun and sexy back to the stressful venue of wedding planning with her new series The Wedding Belles. The first full-length installment delivers on the promise of the prequel novella, bringing fun, laughter, sexy moments and characters to adore.
Brooke was an up and coming wedding planner on the west coast, until her own wedding went south when unexpected guests, in the form of the FBI, arrived to arrest her groom. Reeling from the devastation, she’s landed a position with The Wedding Belles, and she’s determined to make her mark.
An unexpected change in plans leaves Brooke in charge of a high-profile wedding her first day on the job. When she meets the man she believes is the groom, she’s instantly attracted – a HUGE no no. Fortunately, the man in question turns out to be the brother of the bride, and is determined to have a hand in every moment of the planning. Oh, did I mention that Griffin is a control freak with serious doubts in his sister’s intended?
Oh this was SO fun. Mixing characters that are engaging, a touch of mystery, unrequited love and new supportive friends, the story brings all that I’d expect from a Lauren Layne book!
Griffin is the one who hates change, and always wants to fix things for everyone. He’s controlling and tightly wound, and while his intentions are good, his own issues are many. He’s a great friend and brother, though, and will always be overly cautious. With the unexpected death of his father from a health issue that everyone BUT him knew of, he’s also a bit of the little boy lost, play acting as the man he believes he should be, rather than the one he really is.
Mia, Griffin’s sister, is so far removed from the snooty society deb that one would expect, and she’s a breath of fresh air and very much in love. Still, it doesn’t allow for a bit of matchmaking for her brother and her wedding planner, and she’s a wonderful touchpoint for the relationship of Griffin and Brooke. And those two are explosive: Griffin wants ‘inside information’ on Mia’s fiancé, before he makes the big mistake of hiring a PI. While Brooke doesn’t want to touch that hot potato, she’s unable to get Griffin or his suspicions out of his head.
When everything goes spectacularly pear shaped, the women of The Wedding Belles step up and piece Brooke together again, all while pushing her to believe in her own platitudes and take a chance. A wonderful installment.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.