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Wedding Bell Blues
Despite all the unexpected surprises that come with a wedding - the last thing anyone would ever expect to have to deal with is a murder; however, that's exactly what Jessica Jones stumbles onto in the face of her younger sister's fast-approaching nuptials. Adding to the confusion is the typical drama stemming from faulty event planning, not to mention obnoxious wedding party members - and, of course, it doesn't help matters that Jessica's ex-boyfriend is the lead detective on the case. Amidst all the unending drama and suspense, Jessie faces quite the daunting task to somehow bring order to the quickly unwinding chaos...
244 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 6, 2010
17 people are currently reading
220 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 12, 2016
Loved it - Murder, mayhem, romance and edge of the seat action - this book had it all.
Jessie gets mugged when she inadvertently interrupts an armed robbery. The liquor store owner is murdered - but Jessie is spared after a beating. Doesn't sound cosy does it? But trust me there is a lot of laughter in the book and none of the violence is in your face - it just happens - and we move on.
Jessie's ex-boyfriend, Carlton, is the investigating detective, and ten years after she threw him out after she found him and her best friend together on the kitchen table, Jessie finds she still has strong feelings for him. So there are two of the plots in the book - but wait there's more. Jessie's younger sister is getting married in a few days and is a nervous wreck - and Jessie's mum sees the ex-boyfriend is back on the scene and determines there is going to be another wedding real soon - something neither Jessie or Carlton want. At least while there is a killer on the loose.
Will certainly read more of this author's work.
Jessie gets mugged when she inadvertently interrupts an armed robbery. The liquor store owner is murdered - but Jessie is spared after a beating. Doesn't sound cosy does it? But trust me there is a lot of laughter in the book and none of the violence is in your face - it just happens - and we move on.
Jessie's ex-boyfriend, Carlton, is the investigating detective, and ten years after she threw him out after she found him and her best friend together on the kitchen table, Jessie finds she still has strong feelings for him. So there are two of the plots in the book - but wait there's more. Jessie's younger sister is getting married in a few days and is a nervous wreck - and Jessie's mum sees the ex-boyfriend is back on the scene and determines there is going to be another wedding real soon - something neither Jessie or Carlton want. At least while there is a killer on the loose.
Will certainly read more of this author's work.
April 19, 2019
~A simple cozy romance murder mystery
~I did like this story, it moved along quickly…there was plenty of action…it tried to have some twists and turns and surprises. Though I would not call it a deep mystery plot by any means. Most of the action was predictable. I did find the fearful attitude of the two main characters toward the interfering mother somewhat annoying.
~There was not a lot of character development. We pretty much got to know the characters early on and they did not really grow much. Our main heroine would promise to not do a thing, not go somewhere, not interact with a specific person…and within a paragraph or two, off she went! She consistently took a simple approach to justify her behavior.
~However, with all that said, it was worth reading. It was a light diversion, in-between more serious mystery books. I would recommend it…as long as one realizes that this is a cozy, and-they-all-lived-happily-ever-after type bit of light entertainment.
~I did like this story, it moved along quickly…there was plenty of action…it tried to have some twists and turns and surprises. Though I would not call it a deep mystery plot by any means. Most of the action was predictable. I did find the fearful attitude of the two main characters toward the interfering mother somewhat annoying.
~There was not a lot of character development. We pretty much got to know the characters early on and they did not really grow much. Our main heroine would promise to not do a thing, not go somewhere, not interact with a specific person…and within a paragraph or two, off she went! She consistently took a simple approach to justify her behavior.
~However, with all that said, it was worth reading. It was a light diversion, in-between more serious mystery books. I would recommend it…as long as one realizes that this is a cozy, and-they-all-lived-happily-ever-after type bit of light entertainment.
March 19, 2012
I think Amazon.com recommended this book to me, as part of my Prime membership, from the lending library. Reading the synopsis here, I cannot see why I might want to read this. I'm not usually the type to just go for romance, there's got to be some substance there. With that said, this book didn't have all that much substance.
First of all, the synopsis reads:
"Weddings always bring out the worst in people. Or at least that's the way it seems to Jessica Jones. It's bad enough Jessie has to wear a bridesmaid dress that looks like it was designed by a color blind Harlequin. Then there's the best man who is all hands and no manners. Add in a former lover and it really is almost more than a girl should be expected to handle...."
It's just really interesting because it doesn't really make sense with the plot. I'm not sure if this is the same synopsis Amazon gave but this one makes the plot sound like it centers around the dress, the best man, and an old lover. In reality, the dress is not a big issue, though the author saw fit to mention it nearly constantly and nearly every time, using the word "Harlequin" -- let's just say it got really old, really fast. The best man was only present in two "scenes," he did not have a big part whatsoever, he was really just a device of distraction. Finally, the former lover was a big part, but the real plot is that Jessie - oh, and can't we have some better character names? They were really all pretty bad, I mean, Jessie Jones, really!? - while preparing for her sister's wedding, is in the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up not only worse for the wear, but the only witness to a crime. The investigating detective, of course, ends up being the aforementioned former lover. What begins then is predictable: will they fall in love again while fighting the dangers that spring from Jessie being the only witness and will Jessie's sister get to have her dream wedding?
Not to say this was completely horrible, because it wasn't. Yes, largely it was predictable and cliche, but some humor and decent writing evened that out.
However, what review of mine would be complete without picking on the editor (and therefore the spelling, grammar, punctuation, whatever)? I mean, do these editors not read what they're putting out there? I bookmarked one place that just had me rolling laughing, a sentence that read "Oh, they might not be in one of my questions, but..." I about died, "questions" should actually be "classes." Jessie is a teacher, by the way. Again, certainly not the worst I've seen in that department, either.
One thing that really confused me, though, was the occasional "big" word that would be thrown in there, among what was otherwise 8th grade reading. "Recalcitrant..." Really? It was just so completely out of place.
Finally, another thing that really annoyed me was the occasional "dig" at certain groups or other people. More toward the end of the book, the author, speaking from Jessie's perspective, writes, "My God, did he spend his time reading Jane Austen and writers of her ilk? He actually sounded like one of their none-too-bright characters." I didn't really feel like she was one to talk. Not only does Jane Austen blow her out of the water, but Jessie was quite stupid herself, not seeing the obvious until it was almost too late, and constantly repeating herself, both about the Harlequin dress and other matters. Over and over and over, as I've already mentioned, I really was tired of seeing the word "Harlequin" by about halfway through the book. For throwing out some random vocabulary words, the overuse of "Harlequin" was really draining.
The other example reads "I did know better. Living in the buckle of the Bible belt meant learning at an early age that anything outside the norm might be attributed to devil-worship, or worse." Seriously? Is she living in the 1600's? While I'm sure there are certainly some people out there who will jump to those conclusions, that is certainly not a widespread attitude in this day and age. Of course, I don't expect all books to be completely neutral or authors not to have opinions, but this was just an unnecessary "hit below the belt."
Overall, it wasn't a bad read, was a decent way to forget reality for a while, but it certainly wasn't near great or one of my favorites.
First of all, the synopsis reads:
"Weddings always bring out the worst in people. Or at least that's the way it seems to Jessica Jones. It's bad enough Jessie has to wear a bridesmaid dress that looks like it was designed by a color blind Harlequin. Then there's the best man who is all hands and no manners. Add in a former lover and it really is almost more than a girl should be expected to handle...."
It's just really interesting because it doesn't really make sense with the plot. I'm not sure if this is the same synopsis Amazon gave but this one makes the plot sound like it centers around the dress, the best man, and an old lover. In reality, the dress is not a big issue, though the author saw fit to mention it nearly constantly and nearly every time, using the word "Harlequin" -- let's just say it got really old, really fast. The best man was only present in two "scenes," he did not have a big part whatsoever, he was really just a device of distraction. Finally, the former lover was a big part, but the real plot is that Jessie - oh, and can't we have some better character names? They were really all pretty bad, I mean, Jessie Jones, really!? - while preparing for her sister's wedding, is in the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up not only worse for the wear, but the only witness to a crime. The investigating detective, of course, ends up being the aforementioned former lover. What begins then is predictable: will they fall in love again while fighting the dangers that spring from Jessie being the only witness and will Jessie's sister get to have her dream wedding?
Not to say this was completely horrible, because it wasn't. Yes, largely it was predictable and cliche, but some humor and decent writing evened that out.
However, what review of mine would be complete without picking on the editor (and therefore the spelling, grammar, punctuation, whatever)? I mean, do these editors not read what they're putting out there? I bookmarked one place that just had me rolling laughing, a sentence that read "Oh, they might not be in one of my questions, but..." I about died, "questions" should actually be "classes." Jessie is a teacher, by the way. Again, certainly not the worst I've seen in that department, either.
One thing that really confused me, though, was the occasional "big" word that would be thrown in there, among what was otherwise 8th grade reading. "Recalcitrant..." Really? It was just so completely out of place.
Finally, another thing that really annoyed me was the occasional "dig" at certain groups or other people. More toward the end of the book, the author, speaking from Jessie's perspective, writes, "My God, did he spend his time reading Jane Austen and writers of her ilk? He actually sounded like one of their none-too-bright characters." I didn't really feel like she was one to talk. Not only does Jane Austen blow her out of the water, but Jessie was quite stupid herself, not seeing the obvious until it was almost too late, and constantly repeating herself, both about the Harlequin dress and other matters. Over and over and over, as I've already mentioned, I really was tired of seeing the word "Harlequin" by about halfway through the book. For throwing out some random vocabulary words, the overuse of "Harlequin" was really draining.
The other example reads "I did know better. Living in the buckle of the Bible belt meant learning at an early age that anything outside the norm might be attributed to devil-worship, or worse." Seriously? Is she living in the 1600's? While I'm sure there are certainly some people out there who will jump to those conclusions, that is certainly not a widespread attitude in this day and age. Of course, I don't expect all books to be completely neutral or authors not to have opinions, but this was just an unnecessary "hit below the belt."
Overall, it wasn't a bad read, was a decent way to forget reality for a while, but it certainly wasn't near great or one of my favorites.
January 1, 2012
I started this straight away after downloading it for my Kindle because I really liked the sound of the blurb but I ended up being disappointed with this.
I really liked the fact that Colton was Jess's ex who cheated on her with her former best friend but he is the one who saves the day when she is attacked and when there are attempts on her life.
But the love angle of this story completely and utterly fell flat for me. I didn't feel the chemistry between them and to be honest they didn't seem very well suited. It became obvious Jess got the wrong end of the stick but the fact that he never tried to correct her assumption because he wasn't ready to settle down seems ridiculous. Why on earth would any bloke want to be thought of a a cheating scumbag?
Jess also became annoying at various point to this story, kept making and breaking promises, playing amateur detective and then running off on her own when she was having a sulk about something. She was a little exhausting. Her sister Maryanne more so....I have to say I was nowhere near as bad as that in the lead up to my wedding.
The thing that saved this book for me was the murder mystery angle. Is the reason I rated it 3 stars over 2 stars. The murder mystery was actually interesting and even though I guessed who the culprit/s were it still made this book more interesting.
Overall not bad for a freebie but would have been really disappointed if I had paid for it.
I really liked the fact that Colton was Jess's ex who cheated on her with her former best friend but he is the one who saves the day when she is attacked and when there are attempts on her life.
But the love angle of this story completely and utterly fell flat for me. I didn't feel the chemistry between them and to be honest they didn't seem very well suited. It became obvious Jess got the wrong end of the stick but the fact that he never tried to correct her assumption because he wasn't ready to settle down seems ridiculous. Why on earth would any bloke want to be thought of a a cheating scumbag?
Jess also became annoying at various point to this story, kept making and breaking promises, playing amateur detective and then running off on her own when she was having a sulk about something. She was a little exhausting. Her sister Maryanne more so....I have to say I was nowhere near as bad as that in the lead up to my wedding.
The thing that saved this book for me was the murder mystery angle. Is the reason I rated it 3 stars over 2 stars. The murder mystery was actually interesting and even though I guessed who the culprit/s were it still made this book more interesting.
Overall not bad for a freebie but would have been really disappointed if I had paid for it.
April 10, 2011
I loved this. I'm a sucker for when the narration is really good and you can completely lose yourself in the story. This was one of those for me. I thought it was well written and very enjoyable. I didn't see the end coming completely. I saw just one tiny thing coming the rest of it really took me by surprise and I love it when I don't have it all figured out after a few chapters.
I loved the characters. I found a bit of myself in Jess and it made it fun to follow her along. Striving to prove herself completely independent, she only causes more problems for herself later. Maybe I shouldn't admit that... oh well. But I loved Jess. I loved what she was willing to put up with to help make her little sis's wedding perfect, even if it did mean wearing a horrendous dress.
What I loved most about this book was it wasn't too serious. The funny parts didn't feel over the top either. It had a great balance of story and romance. This won't be my last Ellie Ferguson book!
I loved the characters. I found a bit of myself in Jess and it made it fun to follow her along. Striving to prove herself completely independent, she only causes more problems for herself later. Maybe I shouldn't admit that... oh well. But I loved Jess. I loved what she was willing to put up with to help make her little sis's wedding perfect, even if it did mean wearing a horrendous dress.
What I loved most about this book was it wasn't too serious. The funny parts didn't feel over the top either. It had a great balance of story and romance. This won't be my last Ellie Ferguson book!
July 10, 2013
I was pleasantly surprised by this book as it was a lot better than I anticipated it be. For once the female protagonist wasn't some cheesy lined laden swooner who was weak and constantly needed saving, Jessie actually had a large amount of get up and go about her character. The relationship between her and Colton progresses naturally and it was only as I got further on in the book that I began to piece together who was behind it all.
All in all a nice little book, the only reason it fell short of 5 stars was because the last chapter seemed slightly rushed and final page was a little cheesy and unbelievable in regards to the character of Colton. If you're looking for something quick to read I recommend it! :)
All in all a nice little book, the only reason it fell short of 5 stars was because the last chapter seemed slightly rushed and final page was a little cheesy and unbelievable in regards to the character of Colton. If you're looking for something quick to read I recommend it! :)
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February 15, 2016Romantic Suspense
262p Weddings always bring out the worst in people. Or at least that's the way it seems to Jessica Jones as her younger sister's wedding day approaches. It's bad enough Jessie has to wear a bridesmaid dress that looks like it was designed by a color blind Harlequin. Then there's the best man who is all hands and no manners. Now add in a murder and Jessie's former lover -- former because she caught him doing the horizontal tango on their kitchen table with her also-former best friend. It really is almost more than a girl should be expected to handle
262p Weddings always bring out the worst in people. Or at least that's the way it seems to Jessica Jones as her younger sister's wedding day approaches. It's bad enough Jessie has to wear a bridesmaid dress that looks like it was designed by a color blind Harlequin. Then there's the best man who is all hands and no manners. Now add in a murder and Jessie's former lover -- former because she caught him doing the horizontal tango on their kitchen table with her also-former best friend. It really is almost more than a girl should be expected to handle
May 10, 2013
What a fun novel! I came into it without a real sense of what to expect, and enjoyed the ride greatly. An unwitting heroine is swept into a mystery without really wanting to seek it out, and things just keep getting worse for her... I'd say the only quibble I had with the story was the detective's name, because every time I read it I thought "romance novel" or possibly "soap opera".
I'll definitely be seeking out more of this author's work!
I'll definitely be seeking out more of this author's work!
January 27, 2015
I was sucked into this book immediately. I cared about what happened to the characters. I had sort of figured out who was behind the things going on, but the author still kept my interest. I appreciated that although there was a misunderstanding that had happened between the two main characters, it was cleared up rather quickly so there wasn't any of that back and forth stuff that usually happens in romances.
January 2, 2012
This was patchy. The author has a good writing voice but the heroine had anger management issues which bordered on the psycopathic rendering her an unlikeable protagonist. Coupled with the 'big misunderstanding' which had used up ten years of the couples lives stretched credibility a touch too far.
January 15, 2012
This was a cute, fast read. The supporting characters were fun (I love the mother!!) and even though I figured out Who Done It early on, and knew that the final show down was coming, I still enjoyed it. I think that this was another book I discovered free, or nearly free, from Pixel of Ink.
August 9, 2013
Romance where even though you expect certain things to happen the way the book is written with the characters drawing you into their lives, it continues to surprise. Funny in places and enough to make you cry in others; this is definitely a book to read for all the romantics out there.
October 5, 2013
The story kept me interested enough that I finally put it down only to go to bed and when insomnia hit, I was back reading it. It does have some proofing flaws that some editor somewhere should've caught, but the story carries through it, so it's only a minor irritation. All in all a fun read.
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September 9, 2011I read this as an ebook on my phone and could not put it down!!
A must read for every romantic and those who believe in second chances
A must read for every romantic and those who believe in second chances
May 14, 2014
Crime thriller featuring a teacher who somehow gets mixed up in a crime - and rekindles an old flame at the same time.
October 17, 2011
My rating 3.5
February 23, 2012
I really liked this book. The author did a good job, interesting characters and twisty plot. However, she needs to get a new editor - lots of typos and wrong words.
February 11, 2012
Pretty cute story, but a little rough on the language, and almost too explicit sex...... but other than that, it was a cute romance/mystery story.
May 17, 2013
What an intruiging read this was. I enjoyed it very much it was very interesting
September 19, 2012
I really liked this book.
It was well written and the characters were well defined.
Had me feeling do many different emotions
January 4, 2013
I loved this storyline! Couldn't put the book down! Wish there was more!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews