Laurie Wilson has spent the last several months planning her wedding to her longtime boyfriend Brandon Kopp and through all the dress fittings and cake tasting she expected the day to be nothing but perfect. Laurie’s big day however turns out to be anything but perfect when Brandon decides to call off the wedding saying the two needed to take a break from one another and see other people to know if they are doing the right thing.

For Laurie the break up was devastating but her friends refused to let her wallow in misery and insisted she needed to do just as Brandon said and live a little. Laurie however fought the idea of getting out and dating until she’s approached by Brandon’s best man Andrew Lyndon who also works for Laurie’s father with the idea that they should set up some fake dates to get Brandon to see the error of his ways. What Andrew and Laurie were not expecting was that their time together would begin an attraction between them.

Here Comes the Bride by Hope Ramsay is the third full length book of the Chapel of Love series. Each of the books in the series features a new couple so they can be read as a standalone if choosing to. There are also a couple of novella length books that belong in the same series but again they may be read separately if desired.

This edition to the series had a scenario that I’m not too big of a fan of which is moving on rather quickly from a long term relationship. However, in this book it does get explained that Laurie and Brandon really weren’t so much in love but together more out of comfort and familiarity so the idea of her moving on didn’t bother me as much as it might in a different scenario. This also actually made me enjoy Laurie a bit more as she turned into a strong character by not breaking down but getting back out there with her friends and eventually dating.

Now the idea of two people sort of faking a relationship or in this case setting Laurie up to fake date if often one that I quite enjoy since it gives a friendship level and getting to know one another before becoming romantic and I wasn’t disappointed in the least with Laurie and Andrew. I also thought the author did a pretty good job also bringing in a lot of secondary characters and situations into the mix to keep the story going. Having all the extra might have been a tad confusing but not too bad and it added a but of crazy fun into the mix with some of the actions going on.

Overall I thought this was a nice addition to the series with a bit of crazy fun and flirting and would recommend checking it out.

Here Comes the Bride, by Hope Ramsay is an intriguing contemporary romance, and the third book in the Chapel of Love series.

With a perfect fairy-tale wedding day, Laurie Wilson is delighted to marry her long-term boyfriend, Brandon Kopp, until he leaves her at the altar. Even though Andrew Lyndon is the groom's friend and best man, he attempted to recuse and help Laurie. Due to extensive scheming and interference by family and friends, Laurie and Andrew band together, which eventually leads to their attraction discovery.

As the story continues, Laurie and Andrew deal with their new romance, as well as issues involving their jobs, family, friends, dates with other people, and Brandon. Despite the wedding title and theme, there's a lot of random dating and flirting throughout the story between various characters.

Here Comes the Bride is geared towards those who enjoy reading contemporary romances with family drama intermixed in the story.


Note: I received this book from NetGalley, which is a program designed for bloggers to write book reviews in exchange for books, yet the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Discovering author Hope Ramsay is delightful. She puts her heart and soul into her stories and the results are an enlightening experience. Here Comes the Bride is a sweet take on getting even. Revenge has never been so deliciously satisfying. Laurie and Andrew deliver a kick to the funny bone and a tingling within the heart. This is one author who knows how to make the heart happy. Even in the darkest of moment there's always a brighter side. Words to live by and a romance that is hard to forget.

I really loved Laurie and Andrew as a couple but between them being so passive and the interfering family/friends, I just had a hard time enjoying this one.

Recommended for readers who like a sweet romance between two really nice people and don't mind big messy families, interfering friends. I know some people enjoy but it's not for me.

Hope Ramsay’s Bride novels are the perfect end to summer and Here Comes the Bride is no exception. After Laurie Wilson is left at the altar, best man Andrew Lyndon steps in to smooth things over. When Laurie’s father, and Andrew’s boss, asks Andrew to help reunite Laurie and her errant group Andrew can’t say no. The only problem is that Andrew has started to realize that he’s in love with the bride. While not quite completely screwball, there are definitely some screwball elements in this novel. Andrew and Laurie are fun together and you easily root for them over the runaway groom. Aunt Pam, of course, tries her own hand at matchmaking, which only contributes to the confusion. Andrew and Laurie eventually prevail, providing the perfect HEA. I have read and loved all the novels in this series and this is no exception. There is something about a visit to Ramsay’s small town settings that seems to draw me in.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this novel.

Review will post to Romance Reviews Today in Sept.... http://romrevtoday.com/

HERE COMES THE BRIDE - Hope Ramsay
Chapel of Love, Book 3
Forever
ISBN: 978-1-4555-6488-0
September 2017
Contemporary Romance

Shenandoah Falls, Virginia - Present Day

It's her wedding day and she glides down the aisle to marry the man she loves. As she stares into his eyes at the altar, she sees him frown. Then, he tells her that he cannot marry her…

For college professor Laurie Wilson, her wedding day was supposed to be a happy one, but then her groom, Brandon Koop, informs her at the altar that he can't marry her. Heartbroken, all she can think about is hating Brandon for what he did…and wanting to win him back. The best man, Andrew Lyndon, is by Laurie's side, a true friend in her time of need. With Andrew's help, Laurie goes out on dates with men that she hopes will make Brandon jealous. But whenever she runs into problems with these dates, it's Andrew who is there to rescue her. Laurie begins to notice Andrew as more than a friend, and realizes she's attracted to him. But he is Brandon's best friend…

Andrew is employed by Laurie's father in a law firm and is asked by him to find dates for her that will rattle Brandon and make him regret dumping her. However, Andrew is attracted to Laurie, which makes seeing her with other men hard. Why can't he have a chance to woo her? As Laurie and Andrew grow closer, their friendship turns into an unexpected passion neither expects. But lurking in the background is Brandon, as the plan to attract his attention works all too well. Will Andrew lose his chance of winning Laurie?

HERE COMES THE BRIDE opens with Laurie about to marry Brandon, but she's crushed when her groom refuses to marry her. They'd dated for ten years, but neither got the chance to spread their wings and experience dating others. Brandon takes off on the honeymoon Laurie paid for and she's ticked. She agrees to Andrew's plan (he was put up to it by her father, unknown to her) to date men to make Brandon jealous. Laurie soon learns dating after being off the market for a while is hard as the dates end up with problems and it's Andrew who steps in to rescue her. Andrew is sweet and unassuming, but treats her like a queen, unlike Brandon.

Andrew wants Laurie, but he's willing to step aside and let other men date her. One reason is that he works for her father and doesn't want to jeopardize his job status. Another is that Brandon is his best friend, even though he's angry at Brandon's treatment in leaving Laurie at the altar. Will Andrew speak up and stake a claim on Laurie?

Also featured in HERE COMES THE BRIDE are her girlfriends, Madison, Jessica, and Emma, as well as the event planner, Courtney. They're there to support Laurie in her time of need when Brandon dumps her, and also when she tries dating again. As much as Laurie confides in her friends, she doesn't tell them about her new-found attraction for Andrew. As HERE COMES THE BRIDE reaches its dramatic conclusion, Andrew has to make a decision whether to stop Laurie from making another mistake. Will he get there in time?

A sweet and enjoyable tale, HERE COMES THE BRIDE is about discovering love in the most unexpected of ways.

Patti Fischer

Welcome back to Shenandoah Falls and the Chapel Of Love series. HERE COMES THE BRIDE is book number three in a series that obviously stars brides. It wouldn’t be a Hope Ramsay work of art if the characters weren’t chock full of flaws and issues. And the interaction of all these fine folk is such fun to read. HERE COMES THE BRIDE follows in the wake of A Christmas Bride and reintroduces many characters met in the first two books. The first story was A Fairytale Bride novella which set the stage and introduced a host of lovely characters that are destined to grow in this engaging series.


I don’t often refer to characters with their surnames but in this series it is necessary so that you can keep all the relations straight. You see with a small town and close friendships there is a tight group of characters. HERE COMES THE BRIDE by Hope Ramsay centers on Laurie Wilson, Brandon Kopp and Andrew Lyndon. The story starts on what should be a bright note – the wedding of Laurie and Brandon who have been together for ten years. They share a lovely large of group of friends in common. So the wedding was a celebration for so many characters.

But then the atmosphere takes a severe turn for the worse when Brandon tells his bride as she meets him down the aisle that he needs to take a break, needs to have time to experiment. Brandon even has the nerve to tell Laurie that she needs to date. So the powers that be decide Laurie should take Brandon up on his suggestion and present her with quite a lineup of possible dates and dare we say suitors. But the big problem is that Laurie see’s Brandon defection as her fault in some ways. There was something lacking in their relationship even though on the outside none of that was apparent.

Andrew Lyndon is Brandon’s best friend and of course was to be the best man. But when faced with the humiliating event unfolding before his eyes Andrew steps in and ferrets Laurie out of the ensuing chaos. Laurie and Andrew had always had an arm’s length friendship due to their joint friend Brandon. Now things have definitely changed. Family members are getting involved. In fact there is a huge amount of matchmaking going on. Andrew has been asked to see that Laurie recovers quickly from her wedding breakdown and faces the task of setting her up with dates – hopefully with the possibility that Brandon will be aware and come to realize just what he gave up.

Matchmaking is an art. The Lyndon family and Laurie’s father have really decided to flex their muscles. But you know in the end – the heart wants what it wants.

Laurie is surrounded by a group of well-meaning girlfriends. Probably the one with the most absurd attitude toward men is Courtney who by the way is the town’s party planner. Pretty interesting career choice for a woman who absolutely has no trust in men or relationship. Watching her deal with the last minute breakup leads to some of the best comic relief. You see Courtney has a list of what she calls the Ten Male Losers. Hard to disagree with someone who has done her homework. But in the end Courtney will have to agree that for some there is that special someone. Hopefully all the machinations of these well-meaning friends won’t sabotage what could be the best man for Laurie.

HERE COMES THE BRIDE will make you smile and chuckle from beginning to end as Hope Ramsay weaves an interesting tale about successfully making that trip down the aisle. Everyone likes a happy ending and you won’t be disappointed with what Hope Ramsay has up her sleeve.

Laurie is left standing at the altar by the man she was suppose to marry, the man who was suppose to love her no matter what. However it seemed he had other plans and she was left trying to figure things out with more questions the answers. Will she be able to get to the bottom too things while everyone else seems to have other plans for her? Andrew is being pulled every which way and it seems no matter what he does not one is happy. His boss wants him to help Laurie and Brandon get back together. It seems there may be more to everything the meets the eye. Will he be able to be honest to himself and those involved in all of this crazy madness?

I have read the other few of the books in this series and have really enjoyed them, this one was really not a favorite of mine. I felt this book is about matchmaking gone rogue and it added a twist you really didn't accept which added the fun element to this book and you found your self laughing and rolling your eyes at Aunt Pam and her crazy antics. Off the bat the author makes it known Andrew is dealing with a past relationship and healing however he came off more as a push over and kind of didn't have much of a backbone I guess I wanted more from him so it got a little annoying. I did enjoy reading this story it flowed well and Laurie had this empowering kick butt but be a good girl type of attitude which made the book fun to read because you didn't know what was going to happen next. This book does have adult scenes in it. This book is so worth the read if your following this series. I am not sure where the author is going next but I can't wait to ready Courtney, Matt, Roxy, Daniel and Ryan's stories all play a part in this book and super fun characters

It was just ok to me. The story line was fun but there were SO many characters to try to keep straight, sometimes, I got completely confused.

This is my second book I have ever read by this author but I loved the previous book by this author and so I could not wait to read this story. It was well written and I loved the characters and the plot was super fun. I loved about 80-90% but the last 10-20% made me just angry. I hated what Laurie does and it kinda ruined the entire story for me.

The plot is that as Laurie and her fiancee are standing ready to get married, her groom says No and dumps her. He says he wants to date others. Then he takes off on the honeymoon she pays forwith a total player so he can teach him how to pick up women.

Meanwhile Andrew who is the brother to Amy(from the last book) works for Laurie's dad and is best friends with Brandon. Her dad asks to fix Laurie up with dates so Brandon gets jealous and wants her back.

Laurie is devestated and I loved her until she gets really stupid. She just wants Brandon and she isn't even mad just hurt. She rejects the jealousy plot at first and then later decides she wants to help Andrew out. That is how Laurie and Andrew get to know each other and fall for the other.

But Andrew is Brandon's best friend and he does not handle that well. Laurie and Andrew were really sweet and fun together and I LOVED their scenes. But then Laurie does something so idiotic that well it ruined the book for me.

Readers will be happy to enter back into the world of weddings created by author Hope Ramsay and they will be delighted by Laurie and Andrew's story. What would you do if you were jilted at the altar and your ex-groom tells you to go out and date other people? After the heartbreak and humiliation wears off, Laurie decides to do just that. Things get complicated when the ex-best man, Andrew, decides to "help" and manages to get sparks flying between the two of them. Both Laurie and Andrew are dealing with past broken hearts and are wary of getting involved. Will they let the past control them or grab onto the future with both hands? Readers will be intent to find out. Definitely recommend.

I am reviewing this for publication in the September issue of RT Book reviews magazine