A September Bride

Annie has finally found her dream job as the manager of a bookstore in a small town. She is openly embraced by all in the community. All except her boss's son Jesse.

Jesse and Annie's relationship progressed rather quickly. However I was pleased that the author gave them both believable reasons to be wary of each other. Both have had tough experiences and must learn to trust each other to overcome. Definitely one of my favorite in this series.

A small town with a heartwarming feel is exactly what Annie needs and is looking for. As a foster kid, she never felt that feeling of belonging and seems to have found it in Red Leaf, Wisconsin.

It's not in my personality to completely immerse myself in a new town the way Annie does, but she is very sincere and caring and finds herself planting roots with these great people after only a short time. I really loved Annie's creativity and bubbly personality and I could tell that those around her loved her just as much as I did. I also loved watching these friendships develop and strengthen.

One of my favorite things about a clean romance story is the first meeting and I love it when it's funny, just as this one is. Annie and Jesse meet in a very humorous way, not once, but twice and I was laughing out loud. Jesse is suspicious by nature, with good reason, and watching his work through his issues was endearing.

I love the wedding theme, the characters, and the sweet and clean romance. Although it's a novella, there was still time for a little bit of a mystery as well, which made things a lot of fun. I wish the ending would've lasted just a little longer, as that was one of my favorite parts, but otherwise, it's a fun story that can be read in one sitting.

Content: mild romance (kissing); mild religious elements (talk of attending church and of God). Clean!

September Bride Kathryn Springer

Book Summary: Annie's always wanted a home and a family. But will pretending to be a bride get her closer to her dreams? All Annie Price has ever wanted is a place to call home. Growing up in the foster care system, that dream seemed far away, but now Annie's dream may be coming true. A friend she met in an online book group wants to retire and has offered Annie a fresh start managing her little bookstore. Believing the opportunity is an answer to prayer, Annie packs her suitcase and moves to Red Leaf, Wisconsin. The residents of Red Leaf welcome Annie into the fold . . . everyone except the bookstore owner's son, Jesse Kent. But Annie refuses to let the handsome deputy keep her from embracing her new home with open arms. She even volunteers to help the local historical society refurbish an old church and agrees to be the "bride" for a special reenactment celebrating the museum's open house. Jesse Kent can't believe his mother has handed the keys to her business over to a woman she met on the Internet. Annie's beautiful, of course, and smart as a whip, but what do they really know about her, anyway? What if she's come to their town just for his mother's money? The only way to see if his suspicions about Annie Price are true is to keep a close eye on her-even if it means he has to marry her! Planning their mock wedding will give him the chance to uncover Annie's motive for moving to town. But as the day of the wedding approaches and secrets come to light, Jesse must face the truth. He wants Annie to be his September bride . . . for real.

Review: Predictable and yet very charming. I loved Annie and Jesse. Whimsical characters that are delightful balanced out by some drama. It all made for a quick breezy read. I loved the amount of things that occurred in a short period of time and that at times Jesse was used to introduce us to all the characters. He lived in Red Leaf all his life and we got to learn of the changes and lives of everyone through great a well written novella. It was so well written I wanted to look Red Leaf up on the map and mover there myself. I would like to thank Net Galley and Zondevan Fiction for allowing me to read and review this book in return for a free copy and I was never asked to write a favorable review by anyone.