Four enjoyable novellas that celebrate the romance of four pretty great couples.

Four stars.

*I received a review copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

Happy is the Bride is an anthology made up of 4 stories. Made up of, Man of Honor by Lori Wilde,
Getting Saddled by Cat Johnson, Taming the Sheriff by Kate Pearce and The Wedding Bet by Janet Dailey.

I enjoyed each story, they were all very well written and all very sweet. I wasn't blown away but none of the stories bored me. On the whole I enjoyed reading this

It was good but just good. A bit too much of a sweet romance for me yet I did enjoy the stories.

I liked in this group of four stories that it is all based around the same wedding. It is interesting to have the characters all tie in to one another through either the bride or groom. It was a pleasant happy ever after group of stories. Each one had a different issue or problem that the couples had to deal with, however as always with this type of romance, everyone ends up happy. I really enjoy happy ever after books, I believe that is why I enjoy romances so much! Each author tells a good story with their own spin. I like books like this because I can often discover a new author I have never read.

Love at first sight, finding The One and second chances. An amazing collection of stories! Four different authors, all writing stories surrounding the same wedding. They all bring their own unique brand to the story about three different couples. I've never experienced a collection quite like this. And make no mistake, they're not just stories, they're experiences. 5 stars!!

This book is a delightful collection of linked stories by several different authors based around a wedding between Brady and Ellie, a wealthy rancher and an artist who meet through a dating service. Each has a BFF of the opposite sex, who first try to talk them out of getting married so fast, but end up falling in love with each other. The ranch manager falls for the wedding planner, a college classmate for a wedding crasher and a divorce couple get back together. I originally chose to read this book, because one of the authors is Kate Pearce, author of the Morganville series, and I was happy to see that Nate finally find his The One. I read an ARC supplied by the publisher through netgalley.com.

I love books like this. If you have never read any of these woman authors, this is a great book to pick up and read. It showcases their abilities rather well and is good sweet western romance that is easy to read and a welcome breath of fresh air. I always enjoy anything Janet Daily writes, but found I really enjoyed Kate Pearce who I hade ever had the pleasure. A perfect story filled with love, cowboys, and wedding bells!

<p> <u>Happy is the Bride</u> is an anthology of four interconnected novellas, all tied together by a single wedding. The first novella, <i>Man of Honor</i>, is written by Lori Wilde and introduces us to bride, Ellie, and groom, Brady. We learn about their whirlwind romance from the eyes of “Man of Honor,” Shane, and “Best Woman,” Meg; who just so happen to fall under Cupid’s spell themselves. Next up is <i>Getting Saddled</i> by Cat Johnson. This is where Erin, the wedding planner, and Tanner, the ranch hand get bitten by the love bug. In <i>Taming the Sherriff</i> by Kate Pearce, Nate and Della find their match. Finally, Janet Dailey’s <i>The Wedding Bet<i> features a second chance for Linc and Tracy. </p>
<p>I really wanted to like this book. It’s got short stories from four amazing authors. Unfortunately, <u>Happy is the Bride</u> just couldn’t be that for me. <I>Man of Honor</i> isn’t one of Lori Wilde’s best, and being that it sets the stage for the others, it just couldn’t keep my interest. Needing a deft hand from an editor, as well as a bit more character development, I felt like I just had to slog my way through it. The other novellas did pick up in pace, editing, and storyline, but my attention continued to waiver. If you can make it through to the last two stories, it does payoff, but that took some impressive willpower. I’d give two and a half stars to the book as is- with a major chance for improvement. </p>
<p>I received a copy of <u>Happy is the Bride</u> by Lor Wilde, et al. from <i> Kensington Books</i> via <b>Netgalley</b> in exchange for an honest review. </p>

Happy is the Bride was a great bundle of short stories written around one main event, the wedding of Ellie and Brady. They each did a superb job of intertwining characters and events but yet making each story their own.

Having met Nate in Ms. Pearce's Morgan Ranch series, my main objective with reading this anthology was to see if he finally found "the one" but this book was so much more. It was highly entertaining and I even found a few more authors that I will definitely be checking out.

An ARC of the book was provided through NetGalley.

Man of Honor by Lori Wilde (Shane and Meg)

I love Lori Wilde's books. She always writes wonderful characters that you want to know more about. Man of Honor is such a good story. It starts everything off and sets a good tone for the stories to follow. You'll love how protective Shane and Meg are for their friends.

Getting Saddled by Cat Johnson (Tanner and Erin)

From the first book of Johnson's that I read I've enjoyed them. You'll enjoy Tanner & Erin's story. These two find love as they help set up the wedding. Great characters.

Taming the Sheriff by Kate Pearce (Nate and Della)

This in only the third book I've read of Pearce's but it won't be the last. I really enjoyed it. Their love story happened very quick but believable. This story for me was the most heartbreaking because of Della's life. Thankfully she had Nate there by her side.

The Wedding Bet by Janet Dailey (Linc and Tracy)

Unfortunately I won't read Janet Dailey. I have the memory of a elephant.


Summary of the book:

As a whole I really enjoyed the three stories that I read. They nicely went together and I enjoyed them. This is the perfect weekend read!

If you haven't yet read any of the these authors this is the perfect time to do so. The only story that is part of a series is Taming the Sheriff by Kate Pearce. It's part of her Morgan Ranch series. I'm sure after you read this you'll want to go and read them.

Interesting concept – take a wedding and capture four different unique stories happening concurrently within the scope of the entire event. Kind of like having different cameras recording separate – yet connected – portions of the wedding. Zeroing in on different people and activities and producing a video collage of the wedding. That’s basically the premise of HAPPY IS THE BRIDE authored by four talented authors each putting their own unique signature to this lovely book about ultimately finding happiness and hopefully ending up with a walk down the aisle.
Event one – is MAN OF HONOR by Lori Wilde. This is where we meet the bride and groom whose whirlwind courtship is at first questioned by their best friends chosen to be man and maid of honor. In this case a definite role reversal. A military pilot is going to tackle the tasks of the maid of honor – gown and cake shopping, etc. The dude ranch manager is the grooms man – woman. Ellie Carson is practically walking on air. She met her fiancé through some dating interview. But she knew almost immediately that Brady Cutright was the one. So why wait – life is too short – too unpredictable. So Ellie and Brady’s wedding is in three short weeks. Agh. Problem is that the maid of honor Shane seems to be in agreement with the grooms man Meg – what’s the big rush. You see Shane and Meg do not believe in love at first sight. But their beliefs are about to be challenged big time and luckily we are around to enjoy every minute of it.
Event two – GETTING SADDLED by Cat Johnson. In this segment we get to spend time with Erin the wedding planner. Erin has been so busy getting her business going that she has spent little or no time developing a life out of the office. Erin gets a last minute job doing the wedding organization for – you guessed it Ellie and Brady’s upcoming wedding. Luckily some of the basic arrangements have already been set up. But still. Three weeks. Planning the execution of this wedding in short was definitely going to be a challenge but Erin was up for it. What Erin never counted on was meeting a cowboy ranch hand that appealed to her on a totally unexpected level. True case of city girl and country guy.
Event three – TAMING THE SHERIFF by Kate Pearce. Nate Turner is a small town deputy sheriff in California and finds himself in Texas. Nate went to college with Brady and their friendship transcended distance. Turns out there is quite an eclectic group invited to the wedding of Ellie and Brady. Cowboys, corporate types, lawmen, pop star with his entourage and hiding in plain sight a member of the paparazzi. Nate couldn’t help it – his protective instinct kicked in when he spied Della getting harassed by the men watching the entrance to the hotel. Their job was to protect the pop star. Della definitely got under Nates skin and he took her under his wing as his date for the wedding event. There was just something about this woman. Something even the big bad sheriff never guessed.
Final act is event four – THE WEDDING BET by Janet Dailey. It’s never a good idea getting goaded into placing a bet. But when you have a gambler’s heart and soul well it’s hard to pass up a good deal. Something that sounds so easy can’t be bad. Think again. Brady’s cousin Linc is a gambler. Nothing he likes more than a bet. So with a bottle of bourbon against a year of the best BBQ ribs the game is on. All Linc has to do is bed his ex-wife. At first this was a non-starter. But even if it was perhaps a stupid move Linc thinks having even one more night with Tracy was a win. So the bets on.
Nothing lovelier than romance, weddings and second chances. In HAPPY IS THE BRIDE we are treated to all three.

http://fkrants.blogspot.com/2017/04/april-ng-fails-2017.html

Singularly this group of authors is awesome. Together they are fabulously praiseworthy. Happy is the Bride brings heartwarming, humorous and hearty stories to the party in this tempting anthology. Romantic scenarios, love - hate relationships and an all around good time awaits with this unforgettable collection of tales.

This was a very enjoyable read with 4 authors writing interweaving stories about Brady and Ellie's wedding.
Man of Honor by Lori Wilde (Shane and Meg)
Getting Saddled by Cat Johnson (Tanner and Erin)
Taming the Sheriff by Kate Pearce (Nate and Della)
The Wedding Bet by Janet Dailey (LInc and Tracy)
If you enjoy series romances you'll recognize these authors and they all put forth wonderful details and added suspense for the overall story. Part of the Morgan Ranch series .

First of all, Happy Is the Bride by Lori Wilde, Janet Dailey, Cat Johnson and Kate Pearce flows so well that you think you are reading one longer story instead of 4 novellas. That is one of the first things I noticed and liked. All four novellas are centered around the wedding couple, Ellie and Brady’s family and friends. Only one wedding but lots of relationships developing as these two tie the knot.

I enjoyed all the stories but I am partial to Nate’s story in “Taming the Sheriff” by Kate Pearce. The Morgan Brother Series has become a favorite (highly recommend) so I was wonderfully surprised to find Nate from The Maverick Cowboy (Book) at the center of this story.
"Man of Honor" by Lori Wilde has Shane, foster brother as the Man of Honor paired with Best Woman, Meg who is ranch manger and Brady’s friend. This first story is quite unique as they differ from the first moment.

"Wedding Bet" by Janet Daily throws exs at the wedding together. Well written story of regrets and renewed hope.

"Getting Saddled" by Cat Johnson has the caterer with ranch hand Tanner Black. This is one fun story.

All the stories are great and varied with couples as they navigate the weeding events and their own issues and problems. Some just meet, some are second chances. It is a very entertaining read with the focus on those attending.

Happy is the Bride is an anthology consisting of 4 novellas. They all revolve around the wedding of Brady and Ellie, who meet thru the internet. The first story by Lori Wilde is about the MAN of honor, Shane and the best WOMAN, Meg. We are seeing more of this in today's wedding so it rang true for me.
One problem both Shane and Meg don't believe their friends are in love, more like lust, and decide to work together to get them to push the wedding back until they know each other better. Well you guessed it they got caught in trying to figure lust over love and found themselves in love.
My second favorite story was Cat Johnson's "To Tame the Sheriff" She is a author to me and I will be looking for her back library to read more.
This was a quick read. Perfect for a summer read

This book is a compilation of four different authors to tell the stories of four different couples leading up and during the wedding of their friends. Brady and Ellie are having a whirlwind wedding and want all of their friends and family to be there. Some have history with each other, others are meeting for the first time. These four stories deal with the weeks leading up to the wedding of Brady and Ellie as well as the wedding itself. It is a fun concept and a I enjoyed going along for the ride.

Man of Honor
by Lori Wilde

I so wanted to engage with this story. The concept was great and the characters were wonderful, yet there was something missing for me. It could have been partly due to the length that made me miss the depth that I so wanted from Shane and Meg. They definitely had the potential for personal depth as well as depth as a couple. Plus, there were a bit too many tense shifts…often in the same paragraph! I’ve said before I hate to judge too much on grammar/spelling when it comes to an ARC, but this is surely things that should have been caught in beta and not made it as far as the ARC. It’s a sweet story, but just not enough for me. 2.5 stars

Getting Saddled
by Cat Johnson

This story has a severe case of insta-romance, but that’s to be expected in short stories. I loved it! Sometimes I appreciate characters acknowledging how quickly they fall in love, other times I like to just go with the flow without that being an issue. In this case, Tanner and Erin never really mention how fast they fell and I’m okay with that. They are both such likeable characters I just wanted them to both be happy. 4 stars

Taming the Sheriff
by Kate Pearce

Love, love, love this story. Is it because I am already familiar with Nate from the other books in the Morgan Ranch series? I’m not sure, but I don’t think so. I just love Kate Pearce’s writing. This is a super sweet story and, although I was leery of her at first, Della tugged at my heartstrings. Something about the familiarity Nate and Della fell into so quickly seemed natural and inevitable. 5 stars

The Wedding Bet
by Janet Dailey

I love when a compilation book like this one introduces me to an author I haven’t tried yet and it’s a success. Janet Dailey is a new-to-me author although she’s been around for quite a while. That just means I have a lot of books to go through! I really enjoyed this story. Linc and Tracy were truly meant to be together, they just needed to actually talk to each other about their wants, needs, and fears. It doesn’t happen often in such a short story, but this one gave me warm-fuzzies. 5 stars

So I mentioned in the review of the first story about there being errors. Oddly enough, they were pretty much contained in that one story. Overall I really enjoyed this book and I’m glad I decided to give it a try. Not only did I “meet” some new-to-me authors, but I also got to visit with a character from one of my favorite authors, Kate Pearce. If you enjoy short and sweet romance, this would be a great pick for you.

4.25 stars

A great anthology of fun snappy stories of four different couples involved in the wedding of Ellie and Brady. Each one is well done with interesting characters and fun storylines and each of these authors know how to write great stories. A great book to pick up and enjoy as we gear up for wedding season. I highly recommend this one.

Happy is the Bride
Bride Quartet #4

With four great writers contributing to one anthology I knew I would be in for a treat – and I was. This collection of four novellas all surround one wedding and include romances for the bride and groom, the best woman & man of honor, the wedding planner and a cowboy, a wedding guest and wedding crasher and finally a second chance at love for a cousin of the groom and the woman he let get away. The stories didn’t interweave but were wonderful standalone quick reads that made my evening a pleasure.

MAN OF HONOR by Lori Wilde: In which the bride and groom are introduced and the people they have chosen to stand up with get a glimpse one another for the first time. Two couples find their HEA in this sweet story.

GETTING SADDLED by Cat Johnson: The wedding planner needs a date to her sister’s wedding so asks the cowboy at hand – and he accepts – a romance is begun that might lead to a HEA.

TAMING THE SHERRIFF by Kate Pearce: Okay…this was definitely a treat and perhaps my favorite since it is an offshoot of a series by the author that I have been reading and enjoying. It was so much fun to read the story of the friend of the groom finding “the one” just as he said he would in the Morgan Ranch series. This one also made me wonder if Austin, a supporting character, might show up in a future book.

THE WEDDING BET by Janet Dailey: I have read and enjoyed this author’s books for decades. In this second chance at love a couple that deserves to be happy together may finally get the chance to do so…in spite of the bet that nearly does them in.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books – Zebra for the ARC. This is my honest review.

4.5 Stars