From the Bookshelf of Nora Roberts Groupies…

Bed of Roses (Bride Quartet, #2)

Nora Roberts

Start date: September 1, 2024

Finish date: September 30, 2024

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Group Discussions

* Public Secrets - October 2025 Book of the Month
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* Group Book Discussion History - 2014 - 2025
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What Members Thought

May 31, 2019 Cindy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019, nora-2019

Just as good as the first book in the series. I love these characters.

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Mar 26, 2015 Sara ♥ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, 2019, 2015, chick-lit, challenge-audio-2500-2019, contemporary, audiobook, tear-jerker, 2016, challenge-audio-500-2016

April 1-2, 2020

Oh man, this one makes me cry every time... except last time, cuz apparently I was in a heartless mood! LOL! I only cried at the very end though. I probably would have cried more, but my kids are home (THANKS, COVID-19!!) and were being super annoying and not giving me alone time with my feels! So good though. I love Emma and Jack! :)

June 15-16, 2019

I'm so callous these days! No crying this time around! But to be fair, I WAS pregnant the first time I read this! LOL! (Oh, looks lik ...more

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Jan 05, 2009 jenjn79 rated it really liked it

Shelves: condition-new, bought-walmart, reviewed, info-full, 2011, genre-romance-contemporary, author-nora-roberts, stars-4, published-2009, format-trade-pb

Yet another solid book from Nora Roberts. It's a rare book by NR that doesn't ring my bell in some way. Like the first book, though, I can't say this was a fabulous read, but it was a solid, enjoyable contemporary romance. I think I liked this one just a smidge more than the first book. I rated that one 4 / 5 stars, so I'd say this one is probably a 4.25.

Series Note:
Second book in Roberts's “Bride Quartet” about a group of 4 best friends who run a wedding planning business together and who each Yet another solid book from Nora Roberts. It's a rare book by NR that doesn't ring my bell in some way. Like the first book, though, I can't say this was a fabulous read, but it was a solid, enjoyable contemporary romance. I think I liked this one just a smidge more than the first book. I rated that one 4 / 5 stars, so I'd say this one is probably a 4.25.

Series Note:
Second book in Roberts's “Bride Quartet” about a group of 4 best friends who run a wedding planning business together and who each find their own true love. Though this story is pretty independent, the characters are heavily intertwined and I think you really should read the books in order.

Summary:
Ever since she was young, Emma has dreamed of finding true love. She even has a special moment all planned out, where she and her prince are dancing a waltz in the moonlight. But so far, she hasn't met her true love, though not for lack of trying. And though she's had a secret crush on her friend Jack Cooke, she's never considered acting on it. He's too good of a friend.

Emma has no idea that Jack has wanted her as well, and after years of ignoring it, the chemistry between them boils over. Despite knowing the pitfalls of friends getting involved, they do. Emma is quick to realize she loves Jack, but Jack has boundaries she's not sure she can get past. He never truly lets her in, and she'll have to find a way to break down his walls if she wants her dance in the moonlight with him.

Review:
This book has a lot of similarities to the first book in the series, yet it doesn't feel like you are reading the same story over again. You actually get a flip in character nuances. In the first book, it's Mac (the heroine) who is commitment-phobic and Carter who wants forever. In this one, it's Emma who has dreams of love and forever and Jack who is afraid to love. It's a surprisingly different dynamic.

I admit the romance is rather predictable. I guessed early on how things were going to go between these two and I was right on all counts. So there aren't really any surprises. That's a bit of a negative, I guess. But I didn't really mind it because the characters, the setting, and the situation are so vibrant that you just really enjoy reading the story.

Emma and Jack have a sweet romance. I enjoyed reading about these two falling in love...or rather, realizing the loved each other after years of ignoring their desires for each other. You get a pretty classic, contemporary love story and sometimes that's just nice to read. It's not edgy or complicated or full of angst. It's just a sweet romance.

Which falls in line with what I said in my review from the first book. That this series is more old school, like Roberts's old Silhouette books than her recent romantic suspense-ish trilogies. These books are pure contemporary romance, all about the characters, their lives and the romance. There's no suspense issue at all. I didn't really mind, though. Romantic suspense may be my favorite romance genre, but I still enjoy reading contemporary romance.

And I always love the way Nora Roberts does a series. Unlike some authors who write series where the books are very separate and you don't feel the connection, Roberts does an amazing job of making a series cohesive. It's almost like reading 1 big book in different chunks. Throughout this book, you get snippets without characters. They are active participants and you get to see how happy Mac and Carter are together, and you get hints of what's to come for Laurel and Parker. There's just a really great sense of the friendship between these 4 women and I love that. I love books that tie in heavily together. It gives you a much greater connection to the characters.

I'm looking forward to reading the next book and finding out what happens between Laurel and Del. And I must say I'm super intrigued about what's to come in book 4, with cool, controlled Parker and bad boy Mal. ...more

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Oct 22, 2010 Michelle rated it liked it

Shelves: romantic-at-heart

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 31, 2009 Joanne rated it liked it

Shelves: noraroberts, romance

Kinda predictable, but still sweet and romantic. Love weddings.

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Oct 30, 2011 Vera rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2011-reads, shelfari-favorites

Book 2 of the Bridal Quartet, this one is about Emma and Jack's story. This was a great read, but I think Mac's story was better. This, however, was perfect for standing in line at the DMV in the rain and cold for 3 hours. (The only problem was the rain kept getting the pages wet, so I would have to stop reading until the rain let up some. ) ...more

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Apr 01, 2009 Ruth rated it liked it

Shelves: romance-contemporary

good. the ending almost made it a 4 - NR does romance family and HEA so well. one peeve i don't like the physical book - whats with the rough page edge? (hard to turn the pages). ...more

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