A July Bride by Beth Wiseman

From the publisher:

Can she forgive the man who left her at the altar?

Alyssa Pennington dated Brendan Myers for three years before she accepted his proposal. For almost a year, Alyssa's friends and family helped her plan a lovely wedding to take place in the church she'd grown up in. It was the happiest day of her life when she walked down the aisle to be united with the man of her dreams. But when Brendan left her at the altar, Alyssa was consumed by humiliation, embarrassment, and a broken heart that wouldn't allow her to trust anyone. Especially Brendan.

Brendan Myers knows he will spend the rest of his life regretting what he did to Alyssa, the only woman he's ever loved. Without her, his life is empty. In one fateful moment, he'd panicked, destroyed their future, and ruined everything. Now he plans to win her back.

But winning back his bride might prove much more difficult than he can imagine. And even if he does get her to the altar again, will she think turnabout is fair play?

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I was honestly disappointed in this novella.  I felt that the story line didn't exactly make the reader root for any particular character.  Warning there are spoilers in this review because I have to explain why I was disappointed.

  Alyssa you feel bad for, but you kind of feel that she brings about her own problems especially with Dalton.  Then with Dalton, he is written that you think he is a "bad" person, but then he truly seems to love Alyssa and then he gets hurt.  Brendan and Alyssa get back together but it doesn't seems that they are really suited for each other because they weren't willing to fight for each other unless things were easily handed to them.  Overall a disappointing read.

I did really like Sherry, Alyssa's best friend and the way she handled her situation.

I was given this ebook by BookLookBloggers in exchange for my honest review.

Captured by Love by Jody Hedlund

From the publisher: 
The British Army has taken control of Michilimackinac Island and its fort, forcing the Americans to swear an oath of loyalty to the crown in order to retain their land. Pierre Durant is a fur trader who returns after being away from the island for years, only to find the family farm a shambles and those he cares about starving and at the mercy of British invaders.

Torn between the adventurous life of fur trading and guilt over neglecting his defenseless mother, Pierre is drawn deeper into the fight against the British--and into a relationship with Angelique MacKenzie, a childhood friend who's grown into a beautiful woman. She now finds herself trapped by the circumstances of war and poverty, and the cruelty of her guardian, Ebenezer Whiley.

As tensions mount and the violence rages on, Pierre and Angelique must decide where their loyalties rest and how much they'll risk for love.

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The first chapter in I was hooked.  I wanted to know more about the history of Michilimackinac Island and its role during the Revolutionary War.  Jody Hedlund is a master historical romance writer.  She seems to effortlessly weave the story through history.  During the story I was tempted to hop online and search for more history about Michilimackinac Island and when things happened so that I would know what to expect in the story, but I held myself back because I wanted to see the story unfold.  If you have read books by Jody Hedlund before you will know that you will find about a new setting in history that will capture your attention and that you will want to know more about.  If you have never read her before I recommending reading her books for a mixture of a romantic story along with the tension of a dramatic story in history.  

As a Christian I liked how both Pierre and Angelique had to learn to rely on God for their strength and comfort.  Each character had to different things that were what they relied on, but both had to lay them aside to see that God was their Rock.

I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review. 

A June Bride by Marybeth Whalen

From the publisher:

It takes a reality TV show for Wynne to realize love isn't just a game.

Wynne Hardy never thought she'd get engaged on a reality TV show, but when she met Andy on The Rejection Connection, the two of them hit it off. Now he's asked her to marry him, much to the public's delight and fascination. They're all set to wed on live TV in a seaside ceremony at the height of the wedding season.

But just as Wynne thinks all her dreams are coming true, her ex-boyfriend walks back into her life at the worst possible time. Steve broke her heart years ago, and she's still sorting through her feelings for him. Her heart isn't as clear as her head that it's past time to move on-even though she's engaged to Andy.

At a local TV talk show appearance, Wynne meets Meredith, who won another reality TV show-Marathon Mom-proving herself nothing short of a superhero. As Wynne's beach wedding plans spin out of control, Meredith offers to help, unknowingly stepping on Wynne's secret feelings . . . and exposing some secrets Meredith has been keeping to herself. Can these two reality stars get real about their feelings? Will Wynne go through with her televised wedding and be the perfect June bride the network is looking for?

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This was a very short novella, only about 60 pages.  That being said, it made it harder for the characters to be more developed.  

The intro was catchy to me.  After all, who hasn't seen a part of a reality TV show or seen the faces of "normal" people splashed across tabliods.  Marybeth Whalen had a catchy idea of writing a love story from a reality show.  I thought it was also interesting to bring in Meredith as a secondary character.  Meredith's story helped to show Wynne what was important.  

Even though Callum only shows up a few time in the story I still think that his and Wynne's relationship was believable based on what the story tells us about them as a couple previously.  I liked that better than these "whirlwind" novellas.  To me, this was more realistic than some of the other novellas and I appreciated that.

I also liked that it wasn't a cliche, picture-perfect ending.  No engagement ring necessary to begin building happiness and a content life.

I received this ebook from BookLookBloggers in exchange for my honest review.