Member Reviews

This is a second chance romance between Collie and Michael. They missed their chance is college and remained friends. Once Collie became engaged Michael backed out of the picture. Now Michael has followed Collie to Chicago to retrieve the engagement ring for her ex. He thinks it will be easy to convince her to return the ring before the authorities are brought in. The ring is a family heirloom that was stolen from Collies family years ago and she has no intention of returning it. When they see each other and their hands accidentally touch, the spark is still alive a well. Do they have a chance at happiness or will the ring get in the way? Great read.

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This book had quite a twist. Collie Flanigan breaks off her engagement and escapes to Marietta. Her marriage would have ended a decades-long feud between the Flanigans and the Hawleys. Since they are no longer getting married her ex Garrett wants the heirloom engagement ring back. But Collie refuses to do so since the ring used to belong to her family and was apparently stolen by the Hawleys which is what led to their feud.

Garrett tries to outsmart Collie by sending her best friend and his employee Michael Donovan to retrieve the ring. Unfortunately, this puts Michael in a difficult position. He is indebted to the Hawleys and is under contract so going against his employers will leave him broke. And he can't hurt Collie because he knows how much that ring means to her and her grandmother. He's also always loved her and now that she is once more available, he is not going to make the mistake of letting her go.

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Since I love Christmas romances, I have really wanted to read this series, Holiday at the Graff, but kept missing it at Netgalley. Wedding at the Graff, the 5th book in the series, is set around St. Patrick's Day.

One of the things I like about the Marietta, MT universe is the town itself and the people. Outside of the hotel, this book doesn't feature much of the town and not too many of the town people, either. Though I assume Walker, the event planner, is part of the other books in the series.

Colleen Flanigan has fled to Marietta after breaking off her engagement to the wealthy and controlling Garrett Hawley. This wedding was supposed to put to rest a feud that began with her great-grandfather in the 1930s. As a symbol of this ending, Colleen's engagement ring is what began the feud - the Flanigan emerald. While it isn't unheard of the bride-to-be keeping the ring after a broken engagement, they aren't usually valued in the millions. However, Colleen believes her family are the rightful owners of the ring. Garret's father wants the ring for his new wife-to-be. So the unfortunate task of retrieving the ring is given to Garrett's right-hand man and former best friend of Colleen.

Again, we have familiar romantic themes of missed chances and bad timing. Apparently, both Colleen and Michael had wondered what if when they were best friends in college. However, Colleen didn't want to risk losing her best friend and Michael didn't think he had much to offer her. Just as he thinks of finally acting on his feelings, because he is on to way to a great career, he introduces her to his friend and eventual boss, Garrett. Oh, the irony.

While Michael was sent to Marietta to retrieve the ring, he really goes with hopes of re-connecting with Colleen.

This is another good sweet romance. As with all the books I've read in this universe it is about the lead up to happily ever after. We only get to see after the wedding when the couples make appearances in subsequent books. Since neither Colleen nor Michael are from Marietta, I'm not sure if they stay there or if they will show up in other books. Perhaps they will get their own spin-off series and they make a new life for themselves in Marietta. I would love to see a book featuring the meddling Irish grandmothers. They are a hoot and I don't think their full potential as characters was reached in this book.

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Wedding at the Graff by Jeannie Watt is the fifth book in the Holiday at the Graff contemporary romance series written by various authors. The books each feature a different couple coming together over a holiday at the upscale Graff hotel in Marietta, MT. All of the books can be read and enjoyed as a standalone if choosing to do so.

The beginning of this series started at Halloween then took readers through Christmas, New Year’s, Valentines and now it’s St. Patrick’s Day in Marietta where we meet Collie Flanigan and Michael Donovan. Collie is working at the Graff hotel after a broken engagement had her returning to Marietta and Michael has come to try to talk Collie into returning the engagement ring his boss had given her.

Collie always wondered if her engagement would work since her former fiancee, Garrett Hawley, came from the very same family that hers had been in a feud with for years. The ring in question had been a family heirloom used for collateral decades prior and never returned so Collie feels it should go back to her grandmother where it belongs. She never expected her old friend Michael to be the one to try to come collect the ring though and his presence leads to questions of what would have been had they become more than friends years before.

Wedding at the Graff is a fairly quick read but with the couple having a history it doesn’t have that feel of insta-love that one might worry about in a shorter romance story. Collie and Michael were both lovely characters who had obvious feelings carried over between them and with all of the charming surroundings found in the small town of Marietta the story had that same wonderful vibe I’ve come to love. This was certainly another nice addition to the Holiday series and another trip to one of my favorite fictional small towns.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

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This was a sweet story, but was missing a little something. Collie was once engaged to Garrett and their families have a history which revolves around a special ring. Now Garrett wants the ring back and sends his friend Michael to get it. Michael is beholding to Garrett's family and he is conflicted because Collie was once a good friend in college. He was interested in her but never acted on it so when his friend Garrett and Collie fell for each other, he backed off. Now years later, he sees Collie again and wants to see if there could be more. All in all it was a nice little story which had a good resolution and also it was good to see Collie and Michael get a second chance at love.

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Wedding at the Graff is book 5 in the "holiday at the Graff" series. I love this series and have enjoyed every one of theses books so much. The last book in this series is unfortunately just not as good as the other. It´s lacking in story line, characters and writing style. It´s basically everything but the setting. If you love the little fictional town of Marietta you will again fall in love with the setting of this story. We are back at the beautiful renovated historical Graff hotel in the quaint town of Marietta in Montana and it´s citizens gives us a great setting for a romantic story.

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Set in gorgeous small town Marietta Montana, Wedding At The Graff is the fifth in the loosely linked Holiday At The Graff series. Each story works fine by itself and all are light and enjoyable, heart-warming reads. That was the case with this one, which is based on the friends to lovers theme. With Jeannie Watt’s lovely Irish characters at the centre of the story and a pair of meddling grandmothers in the background, along with a manipulative ex-fiancé, this book kept me smiling from start to finish.

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I received this book from Net Gallery in exchange for an honest review. This was a sweet romantic story with romantic suspense. Collie left Chicago after a broken engagement. She moved to Marietta, Montana. She kept the ring and hid it as it had a history between their families. Collie’s old friend Michael works for her ex fiancé back in Chicago, they all knew each other from college. Michael is sent to retrieve the hidden ring. Collie and Michael realize they have feelings for each other. Collie has taken a cleaning job at the Graff Hotel and is starting up a cleaning and restoration business. She also takes on additional events work at the hotel. Michael and Collie’s grandmas join forces and try to set them up. A really great story that I rate 5 stars. #WeddingAtTheGraff #NetGalley

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A very sweet second chance friends to lovers with the hotel Graff as the backdrop. There are the elements of the past of when a daughter had a need to fix a wrong in a family...With both characters at opposite ends in the beginning and then coming together to be true to the feelings they have... it is Happily ever after as it should be.

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This was a good story with a cute/funny tone as well as a definite drama side. The story revolves around a ring that brings two friends back together. Both wished for more but neither tried until Michael is sent to retrieve a ring that rightfully belongs to Colleen’s family but was cheated out of. The ring from her ex-fiancé is causing a lot of trouble for Colleen who refuses to return it. What she doesn’t expect is her former friend to come to retrieve it & to still have feelings for him. This story was more on the sweet & devious side, no heavy, hot scenes involved but still captured my attention. I enjoy the Marietta MT stories.

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Wedding at the Graff is another fun read in the Holiday at the Graff series.

This book is halfway between a second chance romance and a slow burn romance. Collie (our heroine) has recently broken her engagement with a flashy but shallow man. Michael (our hero) is an old schoolmate and friend of Collie and also the henchman for her ex-fiance.

I liked Collie and I understood why she broke off her engagement, and I also liked Michael and where his motivations were coming from. There were a few points where I wanted to slap both of them, but they were both basically good people doing their best to unravel and get through a tough situation.

I liked Collie and Michael together, and although I found their relationship frustrating at times, I was happy to see them together.

I would recommend this book to any fans of the Marietta books series and fans of contemporary romance.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Wedding at the Graff (Holiday at the Graff Book 5) by Jeannie Watt.
This is Collie Flanigan and Michael Donovan’s story.

Collie and Michael were best friends through college but circumstances pushed them apart. Now, their paths cross again but not exactly on happy terms. Can Collie and Michael learn to trust each other again and reveal their true feelings?

I liked Collie and Michael characters. This was a second chance romance with a little mystery and suspense too. It’s always good to catch up with friends from Marietta.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

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A second chance romance. Collie and Michael were best friends in college but then she became engaged to a mutual friend. When the engagement fell through, she kept the ring since technically it belonged to her family from years ago. Michael works for Collie's ex and has been sent to Marietta to retrieve the ring. Michael has more on his agenda than just the ring, a re-connection with Collie.

Loved how Michael and Collie were willing to sacrifice things to go forward with their relationship. Loved the grandmas!! Great characters story telling. The luck of Irish be with you. Highly recommend.

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Wedding at the Graff was the very definition of "It was ok.". Neither Collie (Colleen) nor Michael are well-drawn characters. The story behind the emerald ring feels like an excuse and frankly isn't developed and is left hanging via the end.

While Collie and Michael are old friends, neither had the courage to act on their previous feelings and Collie ends up with Michael's friend who turns out to be a huge douche. How big a douche is he? Let's just say he is a classic two-dimensional villain. How Collie ever ended up with him is beyond me and the old "I didn't see behind his mask" is old and hackneyed.

When Michael comes to do his friend's dirty work, he justifies it to himself as protecting Collie, but really he is protecting his own ass. I was so unimpressed with him. Sure, he is nice to her and helps her. But honestly, he was weak sauce. Then he somehow manages to do the impossible in the end.

This lacked chemistry and plausibility. It also lacked the Marietta charm, but it really made me want Shane's story, so there is that.

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I love this series! I love the Graff Hotel and the many characters who work or stay there. I enjoyed the St Patrick’s Day party and Irish references. I recommend reading the entire series to fully appreciate the storyline. Wedding at the Graff is a friends to lovers story with an amazing irresistible chemistry between the main characters.

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When two former close friends find themselves on opposite sides of a dilemma, what is there to do but fall in love? Maybe, but then again, how about finding a viable solution first? That is the spot Garrett Hawley has put Michael Donovan in: to get back a priceless ring that has wrought problems for Colleen Flannigan’s family and rightfully belongs to them. When she and Garrett got engaged, the ring was hers. Now that they have called it off, the rind is still hers. Michael is to get it back. The trick is to how to do it without alienating his true friend and love, Colleen.

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Wedding at the Graff by Jeannie Watt
Holiday at the Graff #5

Fun series with additional books to read are always looked forward to and this was no exception. This was a bit different in that there was a priceless gem that was at the center of the story and the gem must have more background than we hear about here. That said, I did like the resolution that finally took place and was happy with the HEA that Colleen “Colllie” Flannigan and Michael Donovan eventually managed to achieve.

This was sort of a second chance at love romance underneath it all with onetime friends finding a relationship at the end. Sure, Michael was tasked with retrieving an expensive ring that Collie was not willing to part with BUT though the ring was priceless and had a certain value to both of them and the person who wanted it back…in the end…the value was not in the ring but in the relationship.

Fun little story that put a smile on my face and made me wonder if this is the end of this series in Marietta or if there might be more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tule Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

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Yeeks, I totally loved this book! I'm getting hooked on these books from Marietta and the Graff Hotel.
This book brought me a lovely stubborn Irish beauty named Colleen, or Collie as she's known among friends. And we meet her ex best friend Michael, Michael who helped her pass classes and she him. Michael who had eyes for her, but never made his move and lost her to a fellow frat member. Going to work for Garretts father's company was pay back for the old man fronting his grad school at the fancy college they went to. Collie's family and Garrett's have history, a long standing feud centered around a ring. A ring that belonged the Collie's family. When the grandfather gives Colleen the ring back and under the auspices of it being her engagement ring, but the old man wanted her to have it, knowing it rightfully belonged to her family. After Collie realizes agreeing to marry Garrett was a mistake she leaves Chicago and moves to Marietta. Garrett wants the ring back, because his father's new money hungry fiancé wants it for her engagement ring. Right.
So..... Garrett sends Michael. Michael who never said a word when she broke off the engagement. Who never said a word when they got engaged. Oh and Garrett promises him a nice finders fee and a payoff on his condo for talking Colleen into giving the ring back. One that is rightfully hers. Not his.
What a jerk. So off Michael goes and surprises the hell out of Collie and she's not happy. Garrett sent his lap dog to fetch the emerald bone.
But there's something deeper going on here. This is a couple that finishes each others sentences still. Loves the same music, same food. The Graff family is very protective of their girl when he first arrives until she relaxes a little around him. Staying busy keeps her mind off things and so much goes on in this story that it's just a must read. I gave you the basics, you have to read the deets because this one is too good to pass up. I love this series and given that there are different authors writing them, they flow so well into each other.
Fantastic story Jeannie! I loved it!
4.5 stars


*arc from NetGalley and publisher for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

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I loved reading Wedding at the Graff by Jeannie Watt, book five in the Holiday at the Graff series. This is a sweet, warm and wonderful second chance story that pulled at my heart strings. I love Collie and Michael and their long lasting connection being best friends since their college days. Nothing, not even having other partners, affected this friendship until Collie became engaged to Michael’s frat brother and boss. After breaking the engagement Collie fled to Marietta, Montana to start a new life but refused to return the ring stolen from her family years ago, having no intention of ever parting with the beloved family heirloom. Her ex-fiancé wants the ring back and sends Michael to get it. Michael stays at the Graff Hotel where Collie works in housekeeping. He believes his mission is to keep Collie out of jail, thinking he can quickly persuade her to part with the ring. But he forgot who he was dealing with as Collie is stubborn, a stubborn Irish woman. As these two re-connect they discover the chemistry between them is not only still there but is stronger than ever; but as usual, their timing is off. Is this finally their time and how will they overcome all of the obstacles in their way?

I enjoyed reading this story. I loved how much Michael was willing to sacrifice for Collie and Collie for Michael, based on the feelings they had for each other. Ms. Watt is an excellent storyteller, keeping me interested in this story so that I had trouble putting it down. I highly recommend this outstanding book to other readers and am sorry this is the last book in the series.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

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This is a sweet cute read that kept me entertained all the way through.

Collie has an engagement ring that Michael's boss wants back. Michael agrees to go to Marietta to convince her to return it although he knows there's no way she'll agree. It was stolen years ago from Collie's family and now her grandmother has it back. The real reason Michael agrees to go to Collie is to see her again. He's always been attracted to her but she was engaged. Now she's not and he wants his chance!

I definitely recommend this one.

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