A sweet story of two people that fall in love through a series of letters before they ever meet in person. Maddie needs a quiet place to write her next novel; Art has plenty of space since his wife died a couple of years ago. They start leaving notes for one another, becoming friends before they meet. There is a meddlesome neighbor and a cat named Alex that shows up throughout the story-both made me smile. ( )

I loved the storyline for this "Year of Weddings Novella". Maddie finds herself in Clayburn, Kansas, in the middle of nowhere, trying to adjust from suddenly moving from her New York apartment. Her sister had to move before their house was ready to sell, their mother needed looking after (she has alzheimer), and since Maddie is an author, her sister figured she could do that anywhere, why not in Kansas. So while the house is being totally redone, Maddie's neighbor suggests she find a quiet place to write during the day and gets permission for her to use a friends Bread and Breakfast place during the day. This place is not really being used as the wife passed away and the husband just couldn't make it run, so he now teaches at a college an hour away. The fun part of this is; Maddie thinks the man is old and about to retire (although she has never met him), AND Arthur Tyler (the B and B owner) thinks he is letting an old lady use his place during the day while she writes. Both are wrong! I love the way this all came to be and the way they write notes to each other as they are going and coming. It was a sweet way to get to know each other, even if they both don't know who they are really writing to. I won't spoil it by telling how they come to realize their mistake, but must say this was a very "feel good romance" story. Doesn't take long to read, but felt like a complete story, one I wished had lasted longer. ( )

Wonderful quick read that reminds us that love can be found when we least expect it! I'm loving this Bride series and recommend them to everyone! ( )

A January Bride by Deborah Raney is the second novella in the Year of the Weddings novella collection. This is a sweet Christian romance that is full of misunderstandings and assumptions that create the basic storyline.

Madeleine Houser is an author that is on a tight deadline. While writing her novel, she decides to move to Clayburn, Kansas, to be closer to her mom that is in a nursing home suffering from Alzheimer’s. She moves into her sister’s house that she is having refurbished to sell after her husband gets transferred to Ohio. Thinking she can write anywhere, Maddie takes her sister up on her offer; however, she soon finds out it is impossible to write when there is so much commotion and chaos going on around her. Her elderly neighbor, Ginny, suggests she write at her friend’s inn, whose wife had died several years ago and doesn’t have many people at the inn anymore. Maddie finds that she loves the inn and her writing flourishes there, as well as the daily notes that she writes back and forth with the inn’s owner, Arthur, who she has never met. They both enjoy writing these little notes to each other, thinking that the other person is “safe” because they are older, so they won’t get hurt. Little do they realize that they are both young adults in their thirties, even though they think the other is the same elderly age as Ginny. What will happen when they finally do come face-to-face after so many weeks of letter writing?

I love this novella collection so far, even though I wish each one was longer, because they do seem very rushed and they could use more detail. With that being said though I can’t wait to read A February Bride. I would rate this novella a 4 out of 5 stars, and would recommend this to anyone that likes a short quick romance. ( )

Source: ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley. This review also appears on www.words.blank-stare.com.

As part of a “A Year of Weddings,” I read A January Bride. The second book in the series, this novella tells the story of author Madeline and widower Arthur as their friend, a spry octogenarian affectionately known as Ginny, plays matchmaker.

Madeline’s house is being renovated, which doesn’t suit her need for peace and quiet while she’s writing. Arthur has a bed & breakfast that sits largely empty while he works as an English professor. When Ginny calls on Arthur to let Madeline use his house while she recuperates from a sprained ankle and tries to beat a publishing deadline. Competing schedules keep the two from meeting, but they exchange almost daily notes, getting to know one another from afar. The only catch is they’re both greatly misinformed about the other – they both think they’re talking to someone Ginny’s age, when the reality is that they’re both barely middle-aged. Even more complicated is that they’ve actually met one another and didn’t even realize it.

I found the story absolutely entertaining. While their interactions are not face-to-face, they are genuine and serve to give more depth to the characters. It’s very easy to get wrapped up in the pair’s notes to one another. One more than one occasion, it appears that they’re close to figuring out the truth behind the notes and then … nothing. It borders on frustrating in the most appealing way.

Raney also provides significant — and very necessary — back stories for each without bogging either character down more than necessary. Their backgrounds are a huge part of their misconceptions about one another, but also show how much of a match they are. This novella is well-written and is definitely an easy read. I highly recommend it as it is a solid addition to the “Year in Weddings” collection. ( )