Long and Short Reviews

The Wedding War by Jenny Gilliam
The Wild Rose Press, Champagne Rose
Contemporary
Full Length, Spicy
Review by Jasmine

What happens when a fairytale-believing wedding planner and a jaded hot-rod builder who thinks love is nothing more than a chemical reaction end up on opposite sides of the aisle at the wedding of her best friend and his brother? A wedding war erupts.

Jake Ryan will do just about anything to keep his brother from making the same mistake he made. He’s convinced there won’t be a wedding because he’s out to stop it. Mia Briscoe’s determined this will be the most spectacular wedding she’s ever planned. The only problem? The groom's drop-dead gorgeous brother wants to stop the wedding. And when she discovers he’s out to break up the happy couple? The battle begins.

Jake and Mia have both suffered deep emotional wounds that prevent them from making lasting connections. And both are baffled by the intense feelings they bring out in each other. Can Mia teach Jake that love is something to cherish and not loathe? And if she can, will he be strong enough to bury his past so they can have a chance at a future together?

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Mia Briscoe is excited to have the opportunity of a lifetime to plan the wedding of her best friend, Jillian. With her business, Weddings by Mia, not doing so well, planning her best friend’s wedding would boost her clientele since Jillian’s family is big in society. Furthermore, nothing beats planning her best friend’s wedding. Hence, she expected to meet the difficult-to-please bride’s mother, the jittery bride and the last minute wedding details. However, what she did not expect to find was Jake Ryan, a man trying to stop the wedding from ever taking place.

Jake could not believe that his brother Gabe had gotten himself trapped into marriage. Vowing to rescue him from his foolish decision and make him see reason, he arrives at the place of the wedding. After all, marriages never work out and love is just a scientific phenomenon. His father destroyed himself over the love of one woman. And that was not going to happen ever again to another man from the Ryan family. What he did not expect to encounter was Mia Briscoe, the feisty wedding planner, and a firm believer in love and marriage.

The Wedding War was a fast-paced and exciting read. Jake and Mia’s relationship is developed realistically and their ups and downs are funny and interesting to read. The supporting characters that were also part of the story, added to developing a well-written and well-thought out novel that is sure to entertain. Child and parental abuse is a major theme in the novel and I believe that the author has done a great job in portraying the seriousness and consequences of such actions. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a interesting, as well as a thought provoking, read.