The Wedding Cake War

by Lynna Banning

EXTRA! EXTRA! MAIL-ORDER BRIDES COMPETE TO SEE WHO CAN DELIVER!

That should be the headline in the Gazette, Lolly Mayfield swore. Here she'd gotten up the gumption to answer an ad, only to find herself competing for bride status against two other women, with Kellen Macready as the extremely eligible --- and very masculine --- prize!

If it weren't for charity, Kellen Macready would never have agreed to be the grand prize in a public matchmaking contest. But then he'd never have met Lolly Mayfield --- sassy, direct, outrageous and the one woman in the competition, or out of it, able to make his slumbering heart wake up and sing!

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Westerns, Historical Fiction, Historical

299 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

I was born in Oregon and raised in northern California. While growing up I listened to my grandparents' and my mother's stories about life on the ranch they owned in Douglas County, some miles east of Roseburg.

Later (after I retired from work as a professional editor for an aerospace firm) I began writing fiction based on these stories... my first book was "Western Rose," which is based on the unusual courtship of my grandparents.

A medieval studies major in college, I have also written two medieval novels, one about a Crusader knight and a girl raised in a harem (!) who end up at the court of Eleanor of Aquitaine when she was Queen of England. The second novel is about a Templar knight who falls in love with a young woman troubadour... but of course because of his vows of chastity, he cannot marry.

I hope you will enjoy my books; I always like hearing from readers, so feel free to email me (carolynw@cruzio.com) and also see my website - http://www.lynnabanning.com.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a little like an old fashioned Bachelor. Three brides competing for one husband. There were some amusing challenges and everything wrapped up into one nice neat package. It would have been a clean read but for one scene.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Witty dialogue, fun competition, hea for all involved

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute & predictable little romance. This is the type of book I would have loved back in the day. :)

[Maude · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet Book

I needed this book. With so much controversy, political chaos, and world violence, I really appreciated reading a simple, sweet romance set in the west. The author is very talented.

[Jerry Jares · Rating 4 out of 5]

For pure escapist reading, this book is a treat. I read it in one sitting because it was so much fun.

Lolly Mayfield arrives in Oregon only to find that she is not the only prospective bride hoping to marry the town's most eligible bachelor, Kellen Macready. The city sisters have decided that the town needs a new schoolhouse. To that end, they propose having a competition to raise funds.

The three young ladies are clearly defined and the hero has a few hangups to wrestle with over the pages. The story is very light-hearted. The book is too much fun to be labeled 'silly.' However, I was disappointed by something that occurred just before the end of the story -- it just wasn't needed.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this book for the SuBC category for a book with a food in the title. Little did I know how much I would enjoy it. When I first though Harlequin romance all I could picture was Fabio on the cover and lots of love scenes. I was very surprised to find quite the opposite. I really enjoyed the characters, I felt like I got to know them and like they were real people. I love Lolly, she was funny, down to earth and totally ok with being herself. I found myself even liking Fluerette in the end which was surprising given her character. I honestly found myself reading through this quickly hoping to find out what happened and not struggling through like I thought I would. I was happy with the end of course, even if it was a bit on the cheesy side (with each bride finding someone to marry) but it was a good ending for a romance novel.

[Regina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast read at 3.5 stars. Sweet mail-order bride theme with a twist, as it turns out it's actually a competition among three women for one handsome--and older--Colonel Kellen Macready. Great chemistry between Lolly and Kellen and although they shared some romantic moments between them, I wished there could have been more of those times together. Still, making love in a lavender field was utterly romantic. Lolly had to wrestle with her feelings of inadequacy, especially in comparison to the other two competitors. Yet Kellen was intrigued by her right off the bat, and it was lovely to see them fall in love.

[Linda C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lolly Mayfield arrives in Maple Falls, OR as a mail order bride to Kellen Macready only to find 2 other brides competing for him. The town has devised a way to pay for a new school with this competition. One contender, Fleurette LeClair, is a Southern belle from Louisiana, another is the local, young school teacher, Carrie Gundersen, and then Lolly an almost 30 year old former newspaper owner from Kansas. The contests are humorous: a croquet match, a treasure hunt, a kissing contest and a cake making contest. The contestants come to like each other and help each other out. Everyone gets their happy ending and its lots of fun along the way. Very enjoyable.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an easy read (less than 24 hours) but don't think I will keep the book. The concept was cute but I did not like how the male protagonist fell for the female lead so quickly; it seemed to take some of the challenge out of the contest.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great mail order bride book....What would you do if you arrived as a bride & found that there were 3 brides competing for the same groom? A great idea, I'm sure it has happened in the past.