An individual review for each novella is below, but in short, I very much
enjoyed both of these stories and highly recommend them for all contemporary romance fans.
"Wedding Wonderland" by Samantha Chase
"Wedding Wonderland" is part of Chase's Magnolia Sound series and features the same main characters as book #7, author Mia Kingsley and contractor Austin Coleman. It works relatively well as a standalone, though readers who are already familiar with the previous books of the series will enjoy the numerous cameos from past characters.
Ever since Mia and Austin got engaged, Mia's mother has been pushing them to have a big wedding in Boston, but they've decided on a more intimate event in Magnolia Sound. The one thing they can't agree on is the timing: Mia wants a wedding on the beach next summer, while Austin wants to get married before the end of the year because he hates the thought of having to wait any longer to make her his wife. He manages to convince Mia that a holiday wedding will be romantic, but she's not sure they can plan something on such short notice. Thanks to the amazing wedding planners of Meet Me at the Altar, it looks like they just might be able to pull it off until a freak snowstorm threatens to wreck all of their carefully laid plans. Will Austin and Mia ever make it down the aisle?
This was such a cute story! Mia and Austin were more in love than ever and it was wonderful to see them working together to overcome the challenges of wedding planning. I particularly appreciated Austin's efforts to protect Mia by acting as a buffer between her and her overbearing mother. I wanted to cheer when he finally told her mother off in the end!
Overall, I loved "Wedding Wonderland" and highly recommend it for all contemporary romance fans. I look forward to my next "visit" to Magnolia Sound. 5 stars.
"Destined for Forever" by Stefanie London
"Destined for Forever" is a spinoff of London's Patterson's Bluff series and follows "A Merry Aussie Christmas" (originally included in 2020's "Christmas Actually" anthology and releasing as a single title later this month). It does read as a standalone, but a number of characters from past stories make appearances in this one.
A month ago, screenwriter Lily Dunn was publicly humiliated when her famous actor boyfriend dumped her on national television. Now, all she wants is for the tabloids, her ex's nosy fans, and her well-meaning relatives to stop talking about it. Hoping to forget her troubles for a weekend, Lily's headed to her cousin Evie's destination wedding near Boston when she runs into Sean Hutcherson, the groom's best man and Lily's teenage crush. They haven't seen each other in years, but sitting next to each other on the plane gives them plenty of time to catch up. When Lily jokes that she should have hired an actor to play her fake boyfriend for the weekend so that no one would ask about her famous ex, Sean immediately volunteers to play the part himself. What Lily doesn't know is that her long-ago crush wasn't as one-sided as she believed, and now that they're grown and living on two different continents, Sean believes that faking a relationship is the only way he'll ever have a chance to experience what it would be like to be with her.
Lily and Sean were a lot of fun together, and I especially enjoyed the way they bantered and teased each other. The connection between them remained strong even after so many years apart, and they really seemed to bring out the best in each other. Sean helped Lily focus on things other than work, which ultimately led her to realize that she wasn't happy with her current career path and needed to make a change. In return, Lily helped Sean overcome some lingering baggage from his childhood and realize that he didn't have to settle for a dead-end job, leaving him free to pursue his true passion of becoming a lifeguard.
Overall, "Destined for Forever" was an excellent read and I highly recommend it for all fans of contemporary romance. I look forward to whatever Stefanie London writes next. 5 stars.
*Review copy provided by the authors via Valentine PR. All opinions expressed are my own.
About "Snowy Ever After"
What could be better than a holiday wedding?
How about two?
Join bestselling authors Samantha Chase and Stefanie London for a whole lot of love this holiday season with Snowy Ever After!
With some of your favorite Magnolia Sound and Patterson's Bluff residents, we can guarantee you'll get all those small town, holiday feels with guaranteed happily ever afters and I Do's!
WEDDING WONDERLAND by Samantha Chase
SAVE THE DATE!
You are cordially invited to the wedding of Mia Kingsley and Austin Coleman.
Or you will be if a snowstorm doesn't blanket the town with piles of fresh snow, making the trip to the chapel near impossible.
But the Coleman family is not about to let a measly little storm ruin Mia and Austin's perfect day. After all, Magnolia Sound is just the place for a perfect wedding wonderland.
DESTINED FOR FOREVER by Stefanie London
Romantic comedy screenwriter, Lily Dunn, watches her life go from happily ever after to crappily ever after when she gets dumped on live television.
Facing her overprotective family at her cousin's wedding is not ideal. They think she's not cut out for cutthroat Hollywood. How can she prove she's moved on? Pretend to have a new man, of course. The only rule is: keep it fake.
But the chemistry with her former high school crush burns hotter than an open fire. Can two bruised and battered hearts find the kind of love that only happens in the movies?
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