Wedding Bands

River's Sigh B&B #1

by Ev Bishop

An alternate cover edition can be found here.

Ditched by her high school sweetheart, Callum Archer, on the night they’re supposed to elope, Jo Kendall casts out on her own, brokenhearted.

Over the years, Jo reels in a life she loves, centered on the outdoors, fishing (favoring a lucky wedding band lure), and her fine dining restaurant—a life that crashes away when her husband and business partner cheats her, leaving her bankrupt and alone.

Then her uncle dies, bequeathing Jo and her sister, Samantha, his rural property. Jo returns to Greenridge, determined to build a new business and permanent home—without the help of a man. Unfortunately Samantha wants her inheritance in cold, hard cash and hires a lawyer to get it for her, a lawyer who turns out to be none other than Jo’s long-lost love, Callum.

Jo’s fledgling plans—and her heart—are at risk once more.

If Jo can fight her insecurities, she might end up with a wedding band that doesn’t come with a sharp hook. But should she risk everything she’s worked for, yet again? Before she can decide, she needs to know: can a lost love truly be reclaimed?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Second Chance, Chick Lit, Amazon, Second Chance Romance

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 11, 2015

About the author

Ev Bishop is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author, who believes in the power of fiction to transform lives, knowing we both lose ourselves—and find ourselves!—in good stories.

Best known for her small-town contemporary romance series, River’s Sigh B & B, readers describe her books as “full of humor, love and wisdom,” set in places “where breathtaking scenery and the magic of love are the best medicine for the soul.”

In addition to writing novels—her favorite length of story because she always has so much she wants to fit in!—Ev was a columnist with the Terrace Standard for almost twenty years and is a prolific scribbler of . . . other things. Her articles, essays, short stories, and poems appear in a variety of publications, and she also writes under the pen name Toni Sheridan.

When Ev’s nose isn’t in a book or her fingers aren’t on her keyboard, you’ll find her with her family and dogs or playing outside, usually at the lake or in the middle of a forest somewhere.

She loves any and all garden-related talk and work, cooking (and eating!), and making all sorts of random things—especially out of upcycled or reclaimed items.

For more information, visit Ev’s website at https://evbishop.com. You can also connect with Ev on Twitter @Ev_Bishop, or follow her on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/AuthorEvBishop, but the best way to keep in the loop re: current works, upcoming books and events, and other fun tidbits is to subscribe to her newsletter at: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webfor...

She looks forward to hearing from you!

Fall in love with books by Ev Bishop today:

RIVER’S SIGH B & B SERIES
Wedding Bands
Hooked
Spoons
Hook, Line & Sinker
Silver Bells
Reeling
One to Keep
The Catch

SOUL SISTERS AT CEDAR MOUNTAIN LODGE
Christmas Sisters – perma-FREE prologue book
Christmas Kisses by Judith Keim
Christmas Wishes by Tammy L. Grace
Christmas Hope by Violet Howe
Christmas Dreams by Ev Bishop
Christmas Rings by Tess Thompson

STANDALONES
Bigger Things
A Sharla Brown Christmas

WRITING AS TONI SHERIDAN
The Present
Drummer Boy

Reviews

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ev Bishop is back with the second of her River's Sigh B&B Giveaways!

Click on Banner to enter to WIN one of three eCopies - Intl where allowed!

Don't miss Week 3 of Ev Bishop's Giveaway Series! Enter to win 1 of 3 ecopies of HOOKED

Click on Banner to Enter - Intl where allowed

Their young love was crushed under the weight of family pressures, insecurities and miscommunication. Jo never forgot Callum or the pain he caused her when he never showed on the night they were to defy everyone and cement their love. She left town, he stayed and now years later, Jo has returned and is embroiled in a legal battle over an inheritance left to her and her sister, and Callum is his sister’s legal advisor. Callum is cold, hard and condescending, but Jo cannot help but wonder why, he is the one who walked out on her, the one who did not love her enough or believe in her enough and his reaction to seeing her and her attempt to hang on to her inheritance only solidified her pain of the past.

Was there more to their ill-fated romance? Would the pain from the past prevent them from trusting enough to talk about the future they missed out on? Will every dream Jo has become a living nightmare? Her hopes for a bed & breakfast are vanishing, she has failed in business and love before and now a second chance at true love is becoming another dream just out of reach. Is there more to Callum and his feelings than meets the eye? Could his hot and cold attitude be hiding his own inner fears and hopes? Would it be too much to hope for love? The sands of time have blown like a hurricane for these two souls, but one letter may be the key to learning to share.

Ev Bishop’s Wedding Bands is a strong cornerstone to set up the River’s Sigh B & B series of warm and wonderful romances in a small town where everyone knows what everyone is up to.

Ms. Bishop uses strong characters who are flawed, sometimes a little too headstrong and prideful, sometimes too afraid to bare their inner souls and sometimes so wrapped up in protecting themselves that they do not see or hear what is right in front of them. Follow the journey that Jo and Callum take as they learn that true love never dies, but it will wilt in the hearts of those who are afraid to take a chance.

I received this copy from Ev Bishop in exchange for my honest review.
Series: River's Sigh B&B - Book 1
Publisher: Winding Path Books
Publication Date: January 11, 2015
Genre: Romance | Family Life
Print Length: 308 pages
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars.

This was free, and I felt like trying a new author so I started this. It was engaging enough, I appreciated the dual povs, the lack of explicit intimate scenes and the fact that, other than the prologue, none of this story was told from the past. However, there were just too many things for me to ignore and the sum total of my experience with this book was that I didn't enjoy it very much.

The MCs did learn from their mistake of never talking to each other about anything significant, but the change came too late in the story for me to really care. Also, as we hardly ever got to see the MCs falling in love again, and given the fact that they never hashed out what really happened in the past, I was annoyed that they were willing to try again. The lack of technology to track people down and the fact that they were teenagers when the first BIG EVENT happened between them excused them from being more steadfast in their affections. I was glad that they both moved on, but annoyed that they never bothered making sure they were both on the same page before moving forward with their relationship take two. Add to that the fact that the sister and the H's supposed best friend were vile and never really received their comeuppance and I'm starting to feel like this author, or maybe just this series isn't for me.

[Lu Bielefeld · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐⭐⭐ - OK decent reads.

[ButtonsMom2003 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edited to add comments about the audio version.
I read and reviewed the ebook of Wedding Bands back in January 2015. I loved it then and I loved it now as an audio book. Below is my original review for the ebook. The only thing I want to add is that I enjoyed the narrator for this book and I'm looking forward to listening to the next one in the series when it comes out in audio.

My husband and I often listen to books together. He only got in at the tail end of this one and listened to the preview for Hooked. His comment to me was - do you have a copy of it? When I asked why, he said he wants to find out how it turns out. So be warned, after you listen to Wedding Bands you will really want to listen to Hooked when it comes out!

Begin original review:
4.5 Amazing stars! A very enjoyable start to a new series – no cliffhanger.

I loved this book! OK, so why not 5 stars you ask? – just one small thing that I will get to in a bit.

I love reading about alpha heroes – you know, books where you kind of have to suspend reality a bit but enjoy them for what they are – but Wedding Bands doesn’t have an alpha hero. What it does have are believable, realistic, “normal” characters and a good “second chances” story. This is a type of romance that I love and a nice change from all of the billionaire, CEO, alpha male type books (which I also enjoy).

Jo and Callum were in love when they were young but family issues kept them apart and their own insecurities also kept them apart. They meet again many years later but things don’t really go well. There is a lot of back and forth, with major insecurities still for both of them. And here is why I dinged it just a little by half a star. I think there was maybe just a touch too much back and forth with their situation – but just a little too much. This is still a wonderful story about second chances with an element of surprise that I didn’t see coming.

This book is refreshingly free of lots of bad language. I counted only 3 instances of the F-word. I don’t want to give the impression that there are no 4-letter words but they seem appropriately used in the story.

Ev Bishop does a great job of enticing you to read the next book while at the same time giving you a complete story without a cliffhanger for the main characters. If you are like me, though, you will want to read the next story to find out what happens to Jo’s sister.

I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Jeanette · Rating 1 out of 5]

is there a 60% read button. (I did skip and read the last 10 pages - so it ended as I thought it would - but the journey there was too painful to read)
I found this book was too much and too little. Way to many stories- problems with her sister, problems with her ex and his sneaky lying friend, add in problems with her ex's ex, oh and her ex's father, problems with her want-to-be home, and oh lets add in a child that was given up for adoption. The too little part comes in because it didn't keep my interest. I found the one problem after another almost annoying.
I would normally never write a review on a 1 start book that I didn't finish - but this one had a great story line, and I really wanted to like it.

[Amity Lassiter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an easy, comfortable read. The description and internal dialogue of the characters was excellent. It has been a long time since I've DEVOURED a book but I would say I did so with Jo and Callum's story. I love a good second chance romance.

The characters were believable and REAL, like people I know in my daily (small town) life.

The ONE thing I wished for was a little more heat between Jo and Callum, but theirs is a slow-burn, deep love, so it's fair that there wasn't a lot of that.

And... I really wanted Jo to figure out a way to keep Uncle Ray's cottage, but the way things worked out were a good example of you don't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you just might find you get what you need. :)

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Ev Bishop's best! It's real and warm and fun and heartbreaking... and of course, romantic! The characters are super well drawn, to the point that I felt I knew these people. The romance too is awesome and heartfelt, and I was also wonderfully surprised at the relationship between the sisters. Bishop has a real knack for understanding and portraying relationships. I am super glad that this is going to be a series! It's one that has a lot of potential, and I'm already looking forward to the next book.

[CJ - It's only a Paper Moon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Everyone was immature, hard headed and incapable of communicating.

Other than Jo, who I wanted to shake most of the time, every character was juvenile.

I'm not sure there was an adult anywhere in this book.

I read the whole thing but it was frustrating and drawn out for my tastes.

[Bewaji · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meh...

This is so immature, it bothers on being shallow. I am a sucker for second chance romance, but this is just awful. Callum and Jo can’t even have a conversation, they needed a go between. Talk about what happened initially? Nah...had to leave that to the last pages. ‘Let’s get married’ conversation? Yeah, just pop that in before the end of the story. Waste of my precious time that I can’t get back.

[JoAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

River's Sigh B & B, # 1

I loved this book. I would give it a 4 and 1/2 stars!

Jo is in love with Callum. They are supposed to run away to get married. She waits and waits and he never comes. Brokenhearted, she gets on the bus and goes on with her life.
About 16 years later, Jo's uncle died and left her and her sister Samantha, his property. Jo loved living there, in spite of her failed love story with Callum. She wants to fix the property and make it into a B&B for people love the outdoors. Samantha wants to sell the property. The ladies are fighting over this. Samantha gets a lawyer and brings him to Jo's. It's Callum. Jo is shocked to see him.
Jo and Callum start this thing with each other. Are they interested in each other? They are both hurt by what happened in the past and have not really gotten over it. Someone is feeding them lies about the other which they both fall for. Will they get it together and be together?

Since this is a new book, it will be awhile for the next in the series! BooHoo! I need to look aorund for more books by this author.

[Izzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ev Bishop's Wedding Bands is funny and sexy, but also sweet. If you love cosy romance, you should read this book. Once you get to know the flawed-but-loveable characters in the quirky little town of Greenridge, you will want to read more. A thoroughly enjoyable read!

[Shawn Bird · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice little genre romance set in central British Columbia. Well-written. Interesting characters. I'll watch for the other books in this series.

[Coco.V]

FREE on Amazon today (11/1/2017)!

[Cindy]

Dnf 35% kinda bored🤷

[Naomi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book and I did start out liking it because the style was well-written and had potential, but it was just way too dysfunctional for my liking.

We have a sister who has brought in a lawyer because she wants Jo to sell the property so she can get her 1/4 share and Jo just takes it the whole time. She makes jokes instead of ever saying that her sister's behaviour is hurting her, allowing awful Samantha to continually walk all over her. They seem to spend the whole time fighting, with Samantha always putting her down and Jo caving, but we are still meant to believe that they love each other as sisters and be happy for them both.

Then we get Callum. Firstly, he appears to be the most useless lawyer ever. There is no mediation, no anything, really. He just sits back and lets the girls fight it out while occasionally telling Jo she really should sell. And that's the other thing. When Samantha decides to back Jo into a corner and make her put the place on the market, Callum goes along with it, organises the meeting, makes Jo sign all the papers and then expects her to fall into his arms at the end of it all. Seriously if he loved her, he should not still be working for the sister to make her sell.

Then we get Dave. I get that they weren't fully aware that he was working against their relationship, but there were a few obvious clues that just go brushed aside. Like when Nina rang Callum and said that Dave told her about Jo. That just got pushed aside. Never dealt with. I know it keeps the book going, but it made Callum look like even more of an idiot than he already did.

And then he quits his job without anything to go on with and offers his dad the house when it is worth more than is owed, so that the dad can sell it and pay off Nina. Another way that Callum is a really weak, pathetic character.

Overall, the communication skills between Jo and Callum are shockingly bad, which does not make me excited about their future.

I just could not like anyone in the book. Callum and Jo were weak, all the others were domineering.

And I have no desire to read Samatha's story. She was an awful character I will happily leave behind.

[Charity Bradford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, clean, and a bit frustrating all together I'll write a better review soon, just wanted to say yay for another clean romance! There were some things that were frustrating about this read, but I like this author and even purchased the next book in the series.

Updated review:
Oh, this one is hard. I enjoy Bishop’s writing style and grew to love Jo and Callum dearly. However, this story was also frustrating in that real life stupid way when people just don’t communicate. I wanted to smack them both so many times. I think they would have figured it out sooner though without Sam (Jo’s sister) casting doubt or the slimy snake Dave. Ug, he was almost TOO MUCH! Do people really act like that?

We also get Aisha’s story threaded through (more about her in book 2). Every time she popped up I wondered if...ah, but now I’m moving into spoiler territory. ;) Wouldn’t want to do that now would we.

In the end, I appreciated another clean read from Bishop. It’s actually been over a month since I read, but I think it fell in the PG realm, and I give it a 4.

1-5 scale and what it means:
1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad
2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing
3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive
3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love
4: Solid mind candy / worth reading
4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read
5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure

Movie Ratings in relation to my review:
Clean--Hallmark movies, some kissing, no nudity, no sex on or off "screen"
PG--Some innuendo but nothing kids don't hear every day, sex is all closed door
PG-13--some language (swear words not related to sex), more talk about sex, heavy petting, removal of clothing on screen, but sex is closed door.
R--swearing (can be related to sex), feels like the whole story is about the sex and not the relationship or some other plot

[Louise Swift · Rating 5 out of 5]

Romance is not my choice of genre, paranormal romance is my first love but every now and again I get a bit fed up of vamps and wolves and need a bit normality and will pick up a good old love story or a who done it... This time around I picked up Wedding Bands and I was not disappointed AT ALL! It's a great story from start to finish, it's well written and keeps you wanting more.

Once upon a time Jo was left heart broken by her sweetheart and with no real family bonds devices to move on and make a life for herself. Years later she returns to town to manage her uncles home after he passed away. Jo wants to turn the house in to her dream business but her sister Sam stands in her way. Sam wants her share of the home in cash and is not willing to wait until Jo fails in her business venture to get it, instead of facing Jo head on Sam hires a local lawyer to handle Jo. Unbeknownst to Sam her hot shot sexy lawyer has a history with Jo and is fighting some demons of his own and maybe the one person who can help him sort through his life is the one person who's dreams he's being paid to destroy.

This book is a great read, Ev has a great connection with her characters and you can feel the tension building between them all. When you think you've the story line pegged it goes in a different direction so it keeps you guessing the whole time.

[RedRedtheycallmeRed · Rating 3 out of 5]

I generally enjoy second chance romances, and the prologue to this one sucked me in right away. Jo and Callum are 18 year olds ready to elope (even though that would have probably not been a good idea), but he never shows up at the bus station and Jo leaves town, heartbroken. Fifteen years later they're thrown back together and the sparks are still there.

Both Jo and Callum were (mostly) likable characters. Jo is hard working and self-sufficient, life hasn't been too kind, but she's a bit of a dreamer anyway. Callum is stuck in a career he hates, but he's a nice guy. They both still have feelings for each other, and start to act on them, but other people (namely Dave and Nina) throw some obstacles in their way.

After about the tenth misunderstanding/miscommunication, I began to get frustrated. I kept wanting to scream at both Callum and Jo, "JUST HAVE A CONVERSATION!!!!" Even after all that time spent together, they still believe the lies they're being fed? It took some enjoyment from the story because I kept rolling my eyes.

When I got to the end, it felt a little unfinished. I wanted to see some confrontation between Callum and Dave (who was the WORST best friend ever), but it never happened. Secondly, there was kind of a weird scene will Callum and his mom that felt unresolved. I wanted more details about that.

[Jen Brubacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jo and Callum were high school sweethearts. Some years later Jo is throwing everything she has into starting up a B&B in her old home, and Callum is determined to escape the influence of his overbearing father and an ex-wife with a grudge. They've become different people but what they loved about each other remains.

I don't usually read romance because my number one priority is good characters, and with respect to the many talented romance writers out there I often find more stereotypes than I enjoy. This romance caught my attention the first time our hero showed he was a flawed human being--not an Adonis whose only failure is his unerring adoration of our heroine, but a person who has an anxiety attack in front of his sweetheart without fearing it somehow makes him less of a man. More, knowing it's the first in a series had me guessing who might star in the next and I was surprised how much I care about the secondary characters and how much I'd love to read their stories (Caren, please!)

This is a strong beginning to a new series. It's no vapid fairy tale and I recommend it to anyone looking for a modern romance with realistic and complex characters that can carry over into new stories.

[J.H. Moncrieff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't normally read romance, but 2016 has been too depressing for depressing books. I was in the mood for something a bit brighter than my normal fare, so a friend recommended Ev Bishop's River's Sigh series, and I'm so glad she did!

Much to my relief, the storyline of "Wedding Bands" goes far beyond boy meets girl. Both Jo and Callum have goals and dreams far beyond getting married, which was a nice change. I really identified and loved the "Follow your dreams, not matter what others say" theme that ran through this novel, and the setting--a potential B&B in the B.C. wilderness--was intriguing.

Since it's December, it was nice that Christmas was a part of this book, which actually covers all the seasons. I loved the story of Jo and Callum--bravo to Ms. Bishop for writing such believable, interesting characters. It's not every day you see a romantic heroine in hip waders gutting a fish, but I'd love to see more "unconventional" (i.e. believable) female characters like this in all fiction, not just romance. :)

I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

[Camille · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great romance

This is the first book I've read from this author - it is a great read with some surprises i it that catch you and have you reading the book until the end - I read it in one day I couldn't put it down

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read all night!! This story was so good that I couldn't put it down. I had to keep going until the end. Jo and Callum are former high school sweethearts who may or may not have missed their one chance at happiness all those years ago. I know what you are thinking, "yeah, read one read 'em all" right? WRONG!! This is not another typical boy and girl go their separate ways and get back together later story. There is so much more going on than what meets the eye. You will be glad to add this library to read again. I am starting book two right now! I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

[Lynda Dickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author gave me this book for a review. I have been cranky and wasn't sure what to expect. WOW! The story absorbed me from the first page and I did not want to put this book down. The characters battle circumstances mostly beyond their control to try to find their happy ending. The story is well-written and flows well. As the first book in a series, Wedding Bands introduces a small community that I will enjoy revisiting. I am eager to read the next book in the series, Hooked, which is somewhat set up in this book.

[Michelle Manly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 'romance'... not my first choice for a read, so I was surprised to find myself completely immersed and reading late into the night! The timely twists and characters kept me hooked, not to mention the beautiful and delicious descriptions of the outdoors and food. Yum! I do confess I was inspired to make a huge pot of pumpkin soup after the read! Ev Bishop's talented writing kept me wanting for more. Definitely an excellent weekend read!

[Kesha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book and I loved the twist with the baby given up for adoption. I loved that although it seemed like Sam and Jo hated each other the truth was they loved each other and were like best friends. I hated Dave and Nina and was really glad that Jo realized what he was trying to do, even after she fell for it a couple of times. Very good story, can't wait to read the rest of the series.

[Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Miscommunication

--self-doubt

weak characters --attempt to show some strength by having them deal with anxiety attacks

unrealistic -- Callum has her sell her inheritance
sells his house and is able to buy another property that would serve as fishing/hunting camp

perfect to establish setting for a series, but..

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Wedding Bands” is a great story about young love that does not get the opportunity to blossom and then a second chance is given.

Read full review in the 2015 April issue of InD'tale Magazine.

[Sara Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a crazy, twisted mess. I never understood the so-called love aka hate between the two sisters and the mess over the house. I never got that Callum and Jo really loved each other. I never understood why Dave didn't get his comeuppance... Just a mess.

[Nerissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Badly written. There was just so much unnecessary, boring, writing about stuff that added no value to the story. Even full conversations that were there fir no purpose. The love story was unrealistic. So many holes in the plot.

Just bad.

[Cc]

DNF