It is Valentine's Day at Wisconsin's Great Lakes Chapel and Hideaway Lodge and a blizzard is fiercely blowing outside the tacky wedding venue. April Liesgang and Caleb Shannon, who have known one another for only 3 months, are having a ceremony (instead of eloping which they preferred) because Elmer Liesgang, April's father, insists on a big party for his oldest child. Throughout the evening festivities the institute of marriage is dissected by others in the room, not always with affection. April's ex-fiancee is attendance (mistakenly invited) and the secret of their break-up weighs heavily on his mind. An uncle brings his new, heavily-pregnant, half-his-age, wife even though his ex-wife is in attendance and still fuming over their divorce. In room 33, reputed to be haunted as well as the room of ill-repute, a man and his wife have an argument that quickly turns physical and ends in tragedy. Secrets and emotions are just below the surface and the blizzard and cash bar just may loosen everyone's tongues and inhibitions.

There are some great characters in this book and there is, surprisingly, quite a bit of humor as well. It is quite an easy read with a lot of kitschy details of an unbelievably awful chapel and lodge. Fun stuff. ( )

wonderfully written...all takes place in an evening during a wedding and a snowstorm. loved the story, fast read all about love and it's many meanings.
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This whole book takes place during one afternoon and evening - the wedding and reception of April and Caleb, a young American couple. There are vignettes of their family - rather disapproving, since the bride and groom have only known each other for three months - and friends, ncluding April's ex-fiancé. Meanwhile, at the connected lodge, a different couple are having a serious argument which has rather drastic results.

Surprisingly, I quite liked this book - there was mild humour and some clever observation, and the supposed suspense wasn't really chilling in the slightest. But it was rather an odd sort of book. It was actually billed as a horror story but I didn't find anything horrific in it, and I'm no fan of horror in general. ( )

Less grim than some of the author's work, it nonetheless retains a gritty feel. The story is of a wedding, beginning as the bride dresses and ending at the midnight toast at the reception. Along the way we explore the families and closest acquaintances of the couple as well as the hearts and histories of the bride and groom, as the night with accompanying heavy snows goes on. Ansay is a master of imagery - I'll retain the image of the bride in her mother's too-hastily altereed gown with the pearls dropping off at every move for a long time.

Bookcrossing: http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/5616028/ ( )

This is a quirky tale of a Valentine's day wedding besought with mishaps and tragedies from the interruption of electricity to a wedding crasher to murder. The cast of characters is entertaining. ( )