Veena’s review of Daughters of the Bride by Susan Mallery
Contemporary Romance published by HQN Books 12 Jul 16

Ms. Mallery is one of my favorite authors. She delivers romance and happily ever after but touches the heartstrings of her readers during the process.  This book comes closer to my heart than most since I, too, am one of three sisters.  As the sisters plan their mother’s wedding and celebrate her happiness, they work through their own complicated relationships with each other, as well as journey to finding their own happily ever after.

Each sister is happy to see their mother find happiness through the love of a wonderful man, who has managed to get through the shell of grief that had surrounded their mother since the death of their father. Rarest of rare, they also enjoy their own friendship and relationship with this wonderful man.  The wedding plan and trying to hold back the enthusiasm of their mother to give her a day to remember, we get a ringside view into the very complicated relationships between the various characters in the story.

I related to Courtney the most. She lost her father at a critical stage in her childhood and never felt a part of the family unit, especially since she had learning challenges which were ignored until almost too late for her.  As the youngest, her safety and security disappeared overnight and she never recovered.   She is extremely tall and clumsy and often the butt of family jokes – and not in a loving way, because due to her learning challenges she works as a maid, making her mother and older sister carry a large share of guilt. What they don’t know is that Courtney has worked through her learning challenges and is well on her way to an MBA and has slowly but surely taken over a lot of the running of the hotel where she works as a maid.  It’s when Quinn comes into her life that he teaches her to love herself and heal the pain in her heart by letting go of the blame that she carries in her heart.

Rachel is a single mom who is trying her best to make ends meet to give her only son all the advantages she can, while his father apparently lives the good single life and can give their son the bells and whistles that she can’t afford.  She has always loved her ex-husband, never dreaming that their childhood romance and fairy-tale marriage would ever end. Yet, with one single immature act, Greg fractured their relationship beyond repair – or is there a second chance for them?

Sienna is the one who, on the surface, seems to have it all; beauty, brains, and a career, and yet she is as broken as Courtney under the covers. She also suffered the same traumas as her two sisters, but, because of the façade that she maintained, it never bled through and the sisters never really connected.  Under her skin she hurts, having covered up her broken heart with a couple of broken engagements. Her dilemma with her current fiancé is just sad.

It all comes together in the end and the family celebrates the wedding, but, more importantly, celebrates finding and forgiving each other as the four women find their own happily ever after. As a reader I was glad to have survived the storms with the characters and hated to say goodbye, because I felt that the story was just beginning and I, too, wanted to bask in the happiness and see how they related to one another now.

Grade: A

Summary:

With Joy, Love and a Little Trepidation, Courtney, Sienna and Rachel Invite You to the Most Emotional Wedding of the Year… Their Mother’s

Courtney

~ The Misfit ~

As the awkward one, Courtney Watson may not be as together as her sisters, but she excels at one thing—keeping secrets, including her white-hot affair with a sexy music producer. Planning Mom’s wedding exposes her startling hidden life, changing her family’s view of her—and how she views herself—forever.

Sienna

~ The Free Spirit ~

When Sienna’s boyfriend proposes—in front of her mom and sisters, for crying out loud—he takes her by surprise. She already has two broken engagements under her belt. Should she say “I do” even if she’s not sure she does?

Rachel

~ The Cynic ~

Rachel thought love would last forever…right up until her divorce. As Mom’s wedding day draws near and her ex begs for a second chance, she’s forced to acknowledge some uncomfortable truths about why her marriage failed, and decide if she’ll let pride stand in the way of her own happily-ever-after.

Read an excerpt.