The Honeymoon Cottage is a sweet, readable romance about a wedding planner who never expects to plan her own wedding. One of her clients is a young woman with a hunky and protective older brother who changes the wedding planner's life. The story is predictable and typical but entertaining. I kept waiting for the "fly in the ointment" moment but this story stays upbeat to the end. This quick read would be a great beach book.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to leave an honest review. I have read many of Lori Foster's books and enjoy them thoroughly. She has a great writing style that includes romance, humor and lots of fun.

This book follows Yardley, a wedding planning in a small town of Cemetery, and Travis, a very good looking construction company owner. Yardley meets Travis when she plans his younger sister's wedding, which he is paying for. Yardley is a quirky, fun loving character who unintentionally often speaks her mind. She plays up her quirkiness not realizing her big heart and beautiful eyes would hook any man. I can't even begin to detail all the things Yardley does for her small town: daughter, liaison for the town with the council, best friend and ego booster, and many more. Travis on the other hand has had to raise his sister since he was 20 and his parents passed. His focus has always been raising her right and making sure she is provided for. Now that she is getting married, he has time to focus on what he wants in life. And that appears to be the quirky wedding planner.

Overall a very cute read. Lots of good humor and antics (i.e. the mannequin...you'll see).

Lori Foster's The Honeymoon Cottage was every bit the sweet, interesting story we expect from the accomplished author.

Ah, Yardley and Travis. What a great couple. And they're so deserving of each other. They're genuinely nice people who treat each other, and those around them, right. I was 100% behind Mimi with her belief that Yardley should tell her mom and aunt off but Yardley did it her own way and it all worked out for the best in the end. Not only did Yardley find the love she'd been missing from her family, but the entire town rallied around her leaving no doubt that she was respected and cherished by all. Travis included, of course. Travis is worthy of his share of praise as well. He not only stepped up to finished raising his sister after their parent's death, he started and built up a successful business which happens to be the shared passion with Yardley that starts these two down their romantic path.

I loved the way Yardley, being Yardley, won over Betty, the president of the city council, to not only help her make changes to the old way of doing things but to also become a dear friend. I loved that Betty has a whole lot more to her than meets the eye. And Yardley, doing what she does best, taught the entire town to cherish the older woman's knowledge and personality.

I was thinking four stars for most of the story because I was so adamant that Yardley stand up to her family but Foster pulled everything together for a believable and satisfactory ending with Yardley handing things her own way that I had to concede that the story deserved five stars!

Fans of Foster will find the excellent story they've come to expect from her and non-fans will quickly become fans!

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for the ARC.

Cue the Big Sigh! This one was just a breath of fresh air and left me smiling throughout! Yardley is the wedding planner who lives with her mother and aunt (who are a bickering duo) in an old Victorian house she has carefully renovated (all except for her bedroom) and turned into their business. In their small town of Cemetery where every business has to have the moniker of Cemetery added it is quite the burden to bear and she has been trying to get this changed at the town council. The matriarch who is the great-granddaughter of the town founder, Betty, pretty much has intimidated everyone into not going against her, that is until Yardley figures out how to work around it. Her newest client, Sheena, and her brother, Travis Long, are the best. Sheena is young and pregnant and her fiance is working overtime and Travis has stepped in to help with the wedding planning and when he first meets Yardley there is chemistry. That is as much as I'm going to tell you about this one. Just read this one. It would make the perfect summer read, beach read, even if you save it for the winter. Just read this one! I highly recommend it!

Oh I want to move to Cemetery, Indiana. What fun is was to read this new story by Lori Foster. I love the relationship between Yardley and her bestie Mimi. They were so different from each other but they fit. Oh and Travis was a dreamboat. He was perfect for Yardley. The town was full of great characters and I really totally loved this sweet, sexy and fun story.

Bravo Ms Foster, as usual another extremely entertaining story. I devoured it over the weekend.
Set in a small town where everyone knows each other...and each other's business.
Yardley is a wedding planner in the town named Cemetery after it's founder. So ghastly when using the name within business names.
The characters in this town were a hoot, both old and young.
This young lady came to see Yardley to plan her wedding and brought along her older brother. As major eye candy he had hearts racing including Yardley's.
The fun adventures of these two, their friends and family as well as the whole town made for one fun filled tale of romance.
I laughed a lot reading this book and loved every moment.

The Honeymoon Cottage
By Lori Foster

HQN - May 2022

Contemporary Romance


Always the wedding planner, never the bride. That was Yardley Belanger's life. She knew how to make the perfect wedding for everyone, she knew what would make the perfect wedding for herself. She had a bucket of wishes, but no potential groom. There weren't many options in their small town, and in her line of work, the single men she met weren't single for long. That was until Travis Long walked through the door.

Travis wanted to make sure his sister, Sheena, had the wedding of her dreams, and if she believed that Yardley could deliver, then Yardley was hired. With Sheena's fiance busy with work, Travis found himself joining Sheena with the wedding planner. Yardley proved to be knowledgeable and adept at providing Sheena with options that met her wishes. She was also a woman who cared about her town, and helping the local businesses. The more he got to know Yardley, she proved to be more than just the perfect wedding planner for Sheena. She was perfect for him.

The Honeymoon Cottage is a small town romance with lots of characters causing mischief, helping one another, fighting for one cause or another, and in general, providing an entertaining read. I enjoyed Yardley's main nemesis, the name of their town. After all, she owned Cemetery Weddings - hard to believe it was a successful business. Travis was a wonderful hero, both with Sheena and Yardley. It was lovely to see both relationships grow and change as the story progressed.

Kathy Andrico - KathysReviewCorner.com

I was so lucky to receive an ARC copy of The Honeymoon Cottage by Lori Foster. I've always enjoyed her books but my favorite of hers is her straight romance. I just love her feel-good books. The Honeymoon Cottage is one of those stories.

Let's start off with the name of the town, Cemetry, Indiana. I mean, really. Love it. You know you are in for something good with that for a town name. Most might think supernatural, not wedding hot spot. That's right the first book is about a wedding planner.

I just loved Yardley. She's sweet, funny, takes charge, and all-around good person. Life hasn't always been the best for her. She lives with her mother and aunt and these aren't the best people. It's not like they've been physically abusive to her but mentally is another thing. Thank God for her best friend Mimi. These two always have her back and are there for her.

You'll also love Travis. He's done his best by raising his baby sister after their parents die. Now he's paying for her wedding and is there to do all the things her parents would have done for her. I couldn't help myself but fall for this great guy who did what most young men couldn't do. Raise a small child on their own when they are still pretty much a kid themselves.

Yardley and Travis are so perfect together. They get one another and support each other. Their relationship just works. It's like they have always known each other. I'm so glad they got together.

Not only will you love Yardley and Travis but there is a whole town of fun people to meet. Yes, this is more women's fiction with romantic elements but I feel that the romance is so strong that it's what stands front and center in the story. Not only do we get Yardley's story but we see how her friend Mimi is struggling after having a baby and how she feels her husband might not care about certain things in their marriage anymore.

This is a wonderful summer read that I think you'll enjoy.

4 1/2 STARS!

Lori Foster does whimsical and quirky like a champ! I will be the first to admit that I love Foster's alpha, hunky men who take charge and ask questions later the best of all, but in The Honeymoon Cottage it's easy to fall for tenderhearted Travis who makes going with the flow and making dreams come true look easy. I highly enjoyed watching multiple happily ever afters collide and shine throughout the pages. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a bit of a slow burn romance with a quirky town as the setting and zany characters including the town mannequin stealing the spotlight. Loads of love, heart and humor ensue!

Yardley is a sweetheart who makes brides dreams come true with the weddings she plans on a daily basis, but the life she was born into leaves something to be desired. She takes it all into stride and continues to deliver time after time, so watching her finally get the love she deserves is so satisfying.

Amelia is Yardley's BFF and delivers the sassy side of their friendship with delight when she sees her friend being treated in a way she doesn't appreciate. She has a new baby at home and a loving husband, but the spark just isn't twitching anymore so she's planning to turn up the heat!

Sheena is Travis's beloved little sister and is planning the cozy wedding she wants to enjoy with her overworked love Todd, but getting Travis on the same side to see what she sees in the guy she plans to spend her life with is important to her as well.

Yardley Belanger is a wedding planner in Cemetery, Indiana. She lives with her mother, and her aunt, and they run the business out of their home.
Travis Long works in construction, and flips houses. His sister Sheena is getting married, and he wants the perfect wedding for her.
Travis and Yardley meet when he hires her to plan his sister’s wedding. After an inauspicious first meeting they are drawn together by their love of old houses. They are drawn to each other, but Yardley does not feel that she should date a client and Travis isn’t going to let anything interfere in his sister’s big day.
This is a sweet story that chronicles Travis and Yardley’s relationship along with that of her best friend Mimi and her husband Kevin.
This work is more women’s fiction than romance but overall, a particularly enjoyable read.

Yardley Belanger is a thirty-one-year-old wedding planner. She grew up with her aunt and mother's constant bickering and belittling. She survived her child with the help of her best friend Mimi. She's an incredibly multi-talented, organized lady with a big heart and a panache for getting things done, but she doesn't seem to know how much others love and appreciate her.

Travis Long raised his much younger sister after their parents died. He made her a priority in his life and now he's paying for the wedding of her dreams. He's a builder, a contractor and enjoys restoring old Victorian homes.

Amelia 'Mimi' May is Yardley's best friend. She's just become a new mother after suffering from two miscarriages. Kevin is her loving and devoted husband whom she's afraid doesn't want her anymore. Mimi is brash, bold and outgoing but has become insecure and worried since giving birth and dealing with her new mom body. Kevin has changed since almost watching his wife die after giving birth to their little girl. Both are worried and stressed but no one is talking to each other.

Travis and Yardley were attracted the moment they met but she couldn't date a client and he wouldn't allow a relationship to interfere with his sister's happiness. But they both loved Victorian homes, and found themselves connecting over mutual interests and attraction. Their story is a sweet, slow burn as they appreciate each other for who they really are and falling deeper in love each day.

Yardley's talent of bringing people together and giving sage advice, solves problems and creates unexpected new friendships, that will leave you smiling as you read the last page but also a little sad the visit to Cemetery is over.

Foster delivers a wonderfully unique cast of characters that all have their own troubles and worries within a feel-good story. While I enjoyed the story, the writing was done from various viewpoints that would switch unexpectedly and made me stop to think about it more than a few times. I often enjoy multiple points of view but the transitions were a bit too choppy for me. I did receive an advanced copy and the final copy may have editing that fixes this issue.

For more of my reviews follow my blog at https://wyldheartreads.wordpress.com/

If you prefer to listen to my reviews, you can find my reviews on Spotify here: https://anchor.fm/wyldheart-reads

This is a sweet introduction to the town of Cemetery,IN. The principal character for this introduction is Yardley, but she has a fantastic secondary cast surrounding her.

The Honeymoon Cottage is more of a women’s fiction read vs a pure romance, so there is definitely a more gentle feel than some of Ms Foster’s other works.

I genuinely liked Yardley and most of the cast around her. There were great friendships, both new and established, a new love, and a puppy!! Both Yardley and her friend Mimi captured the essence of the way many women (and I’m sure some men) feel in their daily lives. Seeing them through their own eyes, but as well as the people around them, gave me a deeper appreciation for their journeys.

Well written and touching, the Honeymoon Cottage is a must read and has me curious about where this series will go next.

The Honeymoon Cottage is the start to a new series for Lori Foster. Wow what a fantastic start. I throughly enjoyed my visit to Cemetery Indiana. I also can see the appeal of Honeymoon Cottage and why Yardley loved it so much.
Yardley is a wedding planner in Cemetery, she prides herself in giving the customer what they want. When handsome Travis knocks on her door looking for a wedding planner for his sister. With a shared love of restoring old houses Yardley and Travis hit off.

I really enjoyed how Lori Foster wrote the town of Cemetery. Interesting residents will be introduced to the reader. Yardley feels a bit of a loner. Living with her mother and aunt who aren’t nurturing. It’s up to Yardley’s best friend Mimi to boost Yardley’s confidence up.

Travis is a wonderful hero. When his parents died it was down to him to bring up his little sister Sheena. Putting his own life on hold to do so. Now Sheena is pregnant and getting married. He knows money is tight for them, so offers to pay for the wedding. Both our hero and heroine have been through it in different ways. Along with the locals you will be cheering them on to their happy ever after.

Highly recommend for fans of contemporary small town romance. I can’t wait to go back to Cemetery and see what the residents are doing. ARC received via net galley. In exchange for a voluntary review.

This book was very sweet, and enjoyable, but a lot tamer than I'm used to from this author.

Yardley Belanger is a wedding planner in tiny Cemetery, Indiana. She loathes the name of the town, but unfortunately, she's stuck with it. She lives with her mother, and her aunt, and they run the business out of their old Victorian home. She's an expert at seeing others' weddings go off perfectly, but her own love life has been all but nonexistent.

Travis Long works in construction, and successfully remodels and flips houses. His sister Sheena, whom he raised after the deaths of their parents, is getting married, and he wants it all to be perfect for her. When they go to see the new wedding planner, he wonders if maybe things could work out perfectly for him too.

Travis and Yardley had wonderful chemistry, and witty repartee, from their first meeting. They were immediately drawn to each other, which was a unique experience for both of them. I loved how the whole town adored Yardley, and was interested in her happiness. They were nosy, but they were loving, and it made it feel like such a warm, lovely place to live.

There was a secondary story with Yardley's ride-or-die best friend for life, Mimi, and her husband, Kevin. They were having a post-baby lull in the bedroom. Mimi nearly died from complications from birthing Sammy, so they were both a bit worried about how to get back to normal with each other. There was also a tertiary story with Travis's sister, Sheena, and her fiancé Todd. They were a sweet young couple just starting out, and it was fun to watch Yardley help plan their wedding.

The other side characters, mostly town residents, were delightful, and I enjoyed feeling like I was getting to know them all a little bit. Yardley's mom and aunt were pretty wretched, and I wish they had atoned a little more for all the wrongs done to Yardley over the years. I felt like she forgave them much too easily, though that did seem to just be her nature, not to hold grudges. Unlike her friend Mimi, which was hilarious.

Overall the story was extremely enjoyable, but I missed the steam level I'm used to seeing from this author. There were a couple of on page scenes but they were briefly glossed over, and had no real heat to them, which is unlike what I'm used to reading from her. Other than that I would definitely recommend this story!

I truly liked Travis and Yardley's story. I liked how their love grew thru helping his sister have the wedding of her dreams and getting thru other family issues. Lori Foster tells a wonderful story.

I love all Lori Foster books, this one is no different. Small town Cemetery wedding planner, Yardley, is great at creating the perfect day for brides and grooms. What she really wants is to plan her special day, but it doesn't seem to be in the cards. As she's creating the perfect day for Sheena, Yardley falls for Sheena's brother Travis and the town wants to help give Yardley everything she wants. I could picture everything and wish I could visit Cemetery to see the diner, Kathleen the mannequin is absolutely hilarious and I kept waiting to see where she was going to show up. Great story, needs to be turned into a series :)

This review is based on an ARC from NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I loved this one! Lori Foster is one of my go-to authors when it comes to women's fiction reads and she has never disappointed! With this being the first book in the series I'm super impressed that I'm already in love with this quirky town and all the characters within it. I highly recommend it!

A wonderful romance. Everyone should have a friend like Mimi. Yardley's home life hasn't been the best, but she always had her best friend Mimi to be in her corner. Her mother and aunt are a real piece of work. Yardley is a wedding planner in an unconventional town called Cemetery. Yardley would really like to change the name of the town but gets push back from the great granddaughter of the town's founder. When Travis called to make an appointment for his sister to talk to Yardley about a wedding, Yardley and Travis didn't know how much both of their lives would change. Now that his sister is getting married, Travis can think about his own life. He has been taking care of her since their parents died and has put a lot of things on hold. He is gob smacked when he meets Yardley and he is ready to move forward, but is Yardley? She is very invested in her town, but will she be willing to take a chance on them?

The Honeymoon Cottage is funnier and more light hearted than most of Ms. Foster's books, but that just makes it more enjoyable. This book is packed full of love stories. Whether it's a new relationship, a couple planning their wedding, or an already married couple finding new ways to care for each other; love abounds.
I read an advanced copy of this book

The story of small-town life is front and center in this romantic tale by Lori Foster. Yardley Belanger is living with her aunt and mother, both of whom have a tendency to criticize her constantly. She is running the family business of wedding planning as well as helping out anyone in the community who needs it. Meanwhile, her own dreams are put on hold, to the point that she dares not dream a future for herself. In planning a wedding for his sister, Yardley meets Travis, a hunky contractor who is attracted to her and vice versa. The story of their romance is one for the ages, with a few bumps but mostly a lot of humor. Yardley’s way of speaking is so realistic that I could just hear her rambling on from topic to topic at a high rate of speed. I think her conversations were my favorite part of the book. I liked getting to know all of the characters of the small town of Cemetery, especially Betty, a disagreeable older woman who wants everything to stay the same. The characters were well-developed and each was given a different and intriguing personality. Mimi, Yardley’s best friend and protector, was charming and witty as she dealt with being a new mom and trying to encourage romance in her life. The plot rolled along at a good pace, perfect for the story and engaging to read. Fans of light romance will enjoy this stroll down the path of romance and will particularly enjoy getting to know the residents of Cemetery.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”