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Betsy St. Amant HaddoxZondervan / 2014 / ePubOur Price$2.494.1 out of 5 stars for A February Bride - eBook. View reviews of this product. 15 ReviewsAvailability: In StockStock No: WW42057EB
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IolaNew ZealandAge: 45-54Gender: female5 Stars Out Of 5“Break their heart before they can break yoursâ€January 31, 2014IolaNew ZealandAge: 45-54Gender: femaleQuality: 4Value: 5Meets Expectations: 5It's been the motto of the Andrews women for three generations, so it makes perfect sense for Allie Andrews to abandon her fiancé, Marcus Hall, at the altar on their wedding day. But then she is asked to be maid of honour for Hannah, her best friend–and Marcus's sister. Continuing to avoid Marcus is going to be impossible, so what to do?
One of the key issues with a novella is not to clutter it with too much extraneous plot or too many unnecessary characters. February Bride kept the balance just right. It took a simple conflict: a woman who believes she's going to fulfil the family curse of a string of failed marriages, and decides the best way to break the curse is not to marry at all.
She still loves Marcus–that, in her roundabout thinking, is why she shouldn't marry him. And she comes to see that Marcus still loves her, even though she abandoned him at the worst possible time. She slowly comes to understand that as a Christian, her destiny is determined by God, not the 'family curse', and I think the way this was brought through without reverting to preachiness was one of the strengths of the story.
An excellent novella, and I'm certainly interested in reading more from Betsy St Amant. Recommended for romance lovers.
Thanks to Zondervan and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review. -
ShannahAge: 25-34Gender: female4 Stars Out Of 5Cute short story!February 11, 2015ShannahAge: 25-34Gender: femaleQuality: 4Value: 4Meets Expectations: 4This was such a cute story. Oh my soul - Marcus is a man of gold. There are not many men who would not harbor resentment and anger toward their betrothed if they were left standing at the alter! I really enjoyed watching Allie and Marcus fight their attraction for one another throughout the story and I just KNEW they would get back together. Allie's belief in her cursed dress and family failings is relatable. A lot of people think because generation after generation does one thing, they are destined to do it as well. The cycle can be broken with God and faith! Overall, I enjoyed this sweet story! I look forward to reading more by Betsy.
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stampincass4 Stars Out Of 5Worth reading for the endingJuly 25, 2014stampincassQuality: 3Value: 2Meets Expectations: 3I rated this book after I finished reading it and now have come back to write a review for it. And I'm a little surprised I gave it four stars - it seems like a 3 star book for me as I reflect on it.
In hindsight, I'm annoyed by Allie's insecurity and Marcus' refusal to fight for her throughout the story. There is also back-story to Allie's emotional distress and St Amant did not fully develop it; if she had, then Allie might have been a much more likeable character from the beginning. Because in all honesty, I didn't care for her much and thought Marcus should move on.
However, I re-read the beginning and the ending; ah, the ending completely saved this book! Both Allie and Marcus decide to speak up for what they are feeling in their heart. This type of ending is so much nicer than just one of the characters deciding to take a chance. LOVED the ending.
I received an eARC copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Here is my honest review. -
KatharinaNorth CarolinaAge: 25-34Gender: female4 Stars Out Of 5Quick, enjoyable, sweet readApril 9, 2014KatharinaNorth CarolinaAge: 25-34Gender: femaleQuality: 4Value: 5Meets Expectations: 4This was a fun read but it doesn't stick in my memory as much as the previous two books in the series do. It was easy to empathize with Allie but I also wanted to talk some sense into her. Fortunately her best friend, Hannah, and Hannah's mom are there.
Though in a neat twist it is Hannah's brother that Allie loves and has dumped. Which of course means that it is her once future mother-in-law that is showing love and sharing good advice. I enjoyed this novella and look forward to reading some of Betsy St. Amant's other books.
Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission. -
Simply EmmyBacolod City, PhilippinesAge: 35-44Gender: female4 Stars Out Of 5A Time to Tear and A Time to MendMarch 6, 2014Simply EmmyBacolod City, PhilippinesAge: 35-44Gender: femaleQuality: 4Value: 5Meets Expectations: 3Reading this book was a heart-warming experience. I love this story. It's both real and surreal. The characters I liked the most were Hannah and Julie — two people who I think know what understanding and forgiveness are. I love Marcus and his abiding love for Allie. I would love to meet a man like him in real life.
There is so much emotion in the story. Feelings of excitement and disappointment, laughter and melancholy, and confusion and clarity were in the pages, but through it all, I was feeling giddy. I enjoyed the kitchen scene the most.
I liked how the author, Betsy St. Amant, portrayed real life struggles and fears and the great determination it takes to overcome them. These struggles may include the fear of history repeating itself, believing the lies in your mind and the struggle of having the courage to own up your mistakes and bad decisions. It was also surprising who helped Allie overcome her struggles the most and dissolved all the lies. Help comes in unexpected ways.
However, I would have liked to have a different scenario in the ending instead of having it "double". If you would like to know what I mean, grab a copy of the book.
It's a charming story of forgiveness, transformation, redemption and love. Of the four books, so far, in the series of A Year of Weddings Novellas, this is my favourite.
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