A Wedding For Christmas

A Wedding for Christmas by Lori Wilde is a delightful read. It is one of the best Christmas stories out there and it reads like a Hallmark movie but with some passionate and sultry scenes. You will fall in love with Katie and Ryder and root for their love all along. This story is filled with some deep family values and struggles that we can all relate to, to some degree. Also, the town of Twilight, Texas just draws you into their charm and Christmas festivities, the scenery in this book is so vivid you will feel as if you're walking right down the streets.

It's a great love story, a perfect setting and lots of holiday action keep this story moving, An enjoyable holiday treat! *JK*

A Winter Wedding

A Winter Wedding is a wonderful romance and it's part of Brenda Novak's entire Whiskey Creek series. It is a must read! I love the group of friends in the small community Novak has created. Kyle is one of the last to remain single. He gave his heart a long time ago to Olivia, but she loves and is married to his step-brother Brandon all because of a mistake he made with her sister, Noelle. In the previous books he is such a great guy, always there for his friends, successful in his business, but heartbroken. *JK*

Murder in the Keys

Piper Donovan is in Florida for her cousin Kathy’s wedding. She is not only the maid of honor, but she and her mother are making the wedding cake! Shortly before the festivities begin a bridesmaid goes missing, a neighbor gets run off the road, and an Amish boy is questioned by the police. While Piper tries to comfort her cousin she is also piecing together clues. She doesn’t realize that there is real danger threatening this happy occasion. Footprints in the Sand by Mary Jane Clark is entertaining and full of clever twists. It also includes a recipe for Key Lime Pie! DB

DYI Wedding

According to statistics, the average cost of a wedding today hovers somewhere around what it would cost to buy a new car or put a good-size down payment on a house (Or even buy a house. The housing market is bad, after all). That in mind, I've been doing absolutely everything I can do in order to save $$ on my upcoming nuptials. Although my crafty-ness veers more toward pencil and sketchpad than hot glue gun and sewing machine, I decided to pick this one up. An Affair to Remember, the third DYI Bride book, contains recipes for several of the typical craft book staples, such as how to make a rope-wrapped vase or how to construct a wall hanging from ribbons. Others (the crape paper flowers) are pretty tacky. Still, I got a couple ideas. Maybe not for stuff I can do myself, but certainly for lower cost (but still cool) alternatives.

One thing I did like about this book was this: Rather than assume the reader is a regular Martha Stewart, it breaks "how-to" part of the crafts down in easy steps even a total clutz like me could follow without botching too severely. Additionally, each craft breaks down the average cost of the materials, letting the reader know exactly how much they're looking to spend (which can then be compared to the cost of the store-bought alternative). This is especially helpful to those of us who are trying to stick to a certain budget. Overall, a cool book. I just might try some of the simpler crafts. And who knows...I just might surprise myself with my craftiness! --AJL

Just for Fun

Susan Wiggs is a New York Times bestselling author similar to Nora Roberts and Susan Elizabeth Phillips. She has written “How I Planned Your Wedding: The All-True Story of a Mother and Daughter Surviving the Happiest Day of Their Lives” with her daughter Elizabeth Wiggs Maas. Hilarious and irreverent this book tells it all, from hair mishaps to deciding on the food to be served. As a bonus - cheat sheets are offered at the end of each chapter with practical, helpful advice. A must read, whether you are planning a wedding or not!