Melissa Brayden

Marry Me

KADY BURNS

Melissa Brayden is one of my auto read authors and this was certainly no exception. I am not the biggest fan of the soon to be bride falling for a new person, but I think Melissa handled this topic with grace and wit and just the perfect amount of steam. This is the perfect book for reading on a porch with a big cup of coffee.

Allison Hale had always played second fiddle. She didn’t win the science fair, have a million friends, or become the world’s best mom. That was her sister, Betsy. However, Ally’s managed to do something her sister couldn’t, connect her family’s failing business to the wealthy Carmichaels through her engagement to their son, Brent. All she has to do is plan the wedding of the century with the hottest wedding planner in town, Megan Kinkaid. How could she have ever guessed that Megan and her zest for life would threaten everything she’d carefully planned? Megan Kinkaid knows how to produce a wedding for the history books and she’s not about to miss out on the chance to tackle high-profile Brent Carmichael’s. His fiancée, however, is not who Megan imagined for shiny Brent. Ally Hale is beautiful, earnest, selfless, and fun. She’s also everything Megan ever wanted for herself, and their chemistry hovers in the stratosphere. But can she make Ally see that there’s more to life than making others happy before it’s too late?

Jude Silberfeld

When I open a book by Melissa Brayden, I usually know what to expect. This time, however, she really surprised me. In a good way.

Is there a rule that you’re not supposed to fall in love with the bride whose wedding you’re planning? Megan Kincaid did her best to keep her feelings in check but fourth-grade teacher Allison Hale turns out to be irresistible, very different from whom Megan expected wealthy Brent Carmichael to marry. Allison isn’t unhappy with Brent but as she finds out as she spends more time with Megan, she isn’t exactly happy either. Could Megan – a woman – be the person she’s meant to be with? And will Allison, who always puts other people’s needs before hers, allow herself to go for what she really wants?

Marry Me is the least Brayden book I’ve read by Melissa Brayden, while still being very much one, and I loved that. The last few books of hers I read, I couldn’t help but think that some things needed to evolve. The cuteness, the banter, all these things I loved in Brayden’s earlier books were becoming too much. I’m not sure whether that’s on her or on me. Anyway, she dialled back on them a little in this one, and it really worked for me. What’s at the forefront instead is the chemistry and damn, she writes it well.

Melissa Brayden has never shied away from writing intimate scenes, but in her latest books, they didn’t feel as exciting as in previous ones. The heat is back on and I couldn’t be happier about it. Undeniable chemistry is what makes Allison question her life and her desires, and Brayden wrote it in an entirely believable way. I also loved that while that chemistry was the starting point, it wasn’t the be-all and end-all of the attraction. Everything is better when Ally and Megan do it together. And yes, that definitely includes sex.

I ached for Ally whenever she felt she wasn’t enough. I despise her sister Betsy, who doesn’t seem to have any qualm pimping her out to her ex-fiancé to solve the family’s problems. If Ally can forgive her, good for her. I won’t. Yes, I have strong opinions on this.

On the other hand, I love Lacey, Ally’s colleague, and Kelsey, Megan’s best friend. I wanted more of them and would love for either to get her own book. I enjoyed Lacey’s humour a lot. And Kelsey’s supportive (and sexy) and isn’t scared of calling Megan out when she’s acting like a fool. Finally, Megan’s parents’ playful squabbling made my heart warm.

There’s still the 80% break up but at least it’s not out of the blue, and while I wish Megan and Allison had more faith in each other and in themselves, it made sense for them to mess up in this way. I could have done without it but it didn’t annoy me as much as other black moments have.

For the first half, this felt like a 5* book. Then the second half began and the characters started acting like idiots, and it dragged on for a while, until finally everything got fixed, somewhat in a rush. I nevertheless recommend reading it, because, even though the second part is frustrating, there’s a lot I really enjoyed.

ARC provided to Rainbow Literary Society for an honest review.

Marry Me

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