RL Ashly

I only read one of the novellas in the collection, but I look forward to reading the others at another time.

I had a bit of time and nothing to do at the moment and I realized that I had this novella collection after getting a paperback of it from one of the authors, since I only had about 30 minutes, I chose to read the story about Cassie Blackthorn.

I tend to dislike misunderstanding tropes in romance, and I didn't love the misunderstanding, but the story was cute with a good faith base so in the end it was an enjoyable little read.

I voluntarily received and reviewed a complimentary e/copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.… (más)

What I think you should know:
Always A Wedding Planner is a contemporary romance compilation featuring novellas by RL Ashly, Leeann Betts, Toni Shiloh and Davalynn Spencer. The stories center around four friends who own a wedding planning business in Loveland, Colorado.

What you might need to know:
Felicity is unable to have children due to having an emergency hysterectomy at 17.
Kiki is raising her niece and nephew after their parents' death.

What I think about the stories:

Finally a Sweetheart by Toni Shiloh features Felicity Edwards, the cake baker and designer for Weddings By Design. When Felicity is reunited with her high school crush Will she is hesitant to get close to him . Will is also reluctant after a past relationship. I really enjoyed this story, especially reading about a person who is worse at mini golf than I am.

Hemmed In by RL Ashly features gown designer and seamstress Kiki who is raising her niece and nephew. I loved Kiki and Bing’s story, especially Tressa and Jack, they were great kids who thrived in spite of their losses. I enjoyed Kiki’s creative ways of avoiding Camilla.

The Worst Kept Secret by Leeann Betts features Cassie, the Wedding planner who lets rumors and a series of strange incidents color her judgement of Brady, a limo owner/ operator. This story definitely left me trying to keep my eyes open so I could see more of what is really happening and not just jump to my own conclusions.

Taste and See by Davalynn Spencer features Ronnie, the chef and cowboy/ handyman Ty. The concept of this story is so intriguing and something I had never thought about before but has most likely hit more Chefs with Covid impacting some of their sense of taste and smell. I loved Ty and Ronnie and really enjoyed this story.

All of the novellas were cute stories that captured my attention. The authors did a great job of tying them together to make a cohesive collection. I liked getting a novella from an author I already love and enjoyed my introduction to new authors.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Celebrate Lit, this in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own.… (más)

This collection about four friends who build a wedding business together provides the perfect weekend read. Because all four stories tie together, I found myself unable to put this book down. All four women carry secrets that potentially could destroy their business. But through grace and faith, they persevere.

The collection begins with Felicity Edwards’ story. She bakes the most incredible-sounding cakes, and her attention to detail amazed me. When her high school crush walks into the building, she mistakenly believes he plans to marry the woman with him. So you will need to find out what happens.

Next, comes the story of Kiki who designs the most incredible dresses and serves as a seamstress. She finds herself dealing with quite a lot in her story. Again, you need to read the book to find out what happens.

Cassie, an extremely introverted planner extraordinaire, takes care of all the general wedding planning details. She proves that first impressions often lead us to wrong conclusions. I loved how she faces her introverted nature and discovers ways to adapt to her circumstances.

Finally, comes the story of Ronnie, an amazing chef, who overcomes her own difficulties to find love. Just like all the other stories in this collection, I loved this one as well.

I suffer from one regret from this collection, but to avoid providing spoilers, I refuse to disclose that here. However, I will state that the regret does not impact my feelings that this collection provides an incredible look at women who find friendship at church and then create an incredible business together, called Wedding by Designs. I wish 29 years when my husband and I decided to marry that Weddings by Design existed and they were able to plan my wedding. So check out this book for yourself.

I received a complimentary copy of this book, but this in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own.… (más)

Always a Wedding Planner is a compilation of four stories written by four different authors. The stories focus on four women who own a wedding planning company and their own stories.

This is a nice book to read. I especially enjoyed that the stories flowed so well together, each of them include other members of the wedding planning company. I enjoyed reading how the owners worked so well together for their company to succeed. I enjoyed how each of the women had their own struggles but over come them to provide beautiful weddings for their customers. I enjoyed how supportive the men in their lives were for them, especially Bing in “Hemmed In” and Ty in “Taste and See”.

I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this book. This is my honest review.… (más)