Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781455564958 |
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| Publisher: | Grand Central Publishing |
| Publication date: | 06/07/2016 |
| Series: | Chapel of Love |
| Sold by: | Hachette Digital, Inc. |
| Format: | NOOK Book |
| Sales rank: | 94,816 |
| File size: | 284 KB |
About the Author
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
A Fairytale Bride: A Short Story
4.1 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
9 reviews.
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Cute. That’s the first word that comes to mind with this story. A simple premise: two overly judgmental cats, a second-hand bookshop desperately in need of organization and customers, a newly-placed owner still reeling from the death of her grandmother and a mysterious man far different from the ‘usual sort’ in town.
Secondhand Prose is one of the many shops that make up the quaint main street in this little town, now run by Melissa after her grandmother’s death. She’s still reeling from the unexpected death, a bit over her head with financial issues, and not quite sure what her next move will be. In walks a stranger, not unusual in this town where tourists are known to visit, but this one is different.
Jeff is a reporter running from a very public professional disaster: he was discredited by a source that was tainted by personal vendetta, and later publicly disgraced by his very rich and powerful, yet not particularly well-liked father. Needing space and time to regroup, Jeff has hidden away from family and all who know him just outside of town. A near-miss encounter with an aunt from his father’s side of the family send him skittering into Secondhand Prose, where Dickens hisses at him and Hugo demands attention and a cuddle. Not to mention the striking proprietress with her fairytale t-shirt, bright colors and obvious need of help.
With pressure from Jeff’s aunt to sell the building as part of the main street, no money to pay the taxes, and this intriguing stranger in her shop, volunteering and suggesting all manner of changes, what ever will she do.
Fast paced, full of heart and plenty of moments to giggle, Ramsay brings the small town feel to the story with well-intentioned friends and neighbors all too willing to share advice and information (as well as gossip), and a clearly long-awaited interaction full of honesty from family he doesn’t know for Jeff bring him some insight and direction. These two are adorable together, once one gets over Jeff’s withholding of the truth: something only a logical and level-headed Melissa would see clearly once the pieces are presented. All in all, this was light, fun and clever – and I want more.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
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Great. Loved it. Wonderful short story to introduce these characters to me. Also to get a great description of this town. Really enjoyable!!
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Hope Ramsay and the Chapel of Love series are new to me. The blurb drew me in, the characters made me stay. A Fairytale Bride has an understated beauty that is both sentimental and irresistible. It's short enough to finish in one sitting. Melissa wants to hold on to her only lasting connection to a family that seems lost to her. Orphaned at a young age and having recently lost her most fearless cheerleader, she is left with her grandma's most prized possession, her bookstore. She dreams of making it successful but having a hard time doing so. Enter Jeff. Seeking to lick his wounds after a career disaster Jeff stumbles into her bookstore and everything changes. A Fairytale Bride has much to recommend it. Hope Ramsay has created people that are easy to relate to in a story that is well written and heartwarming to experience.
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A Fairytale Bride by Hope Ramsay is a novella that kicks off the Chapel of Love series. I *adored* this short book. Jeff is hiding out at his father’s fishing cabin after running a political story in a magazine that backfires because of an unreliable source. Melissa is trying to turn around the bookstore she inherited from her grandmother.
Both characters were so wonderful I didn’t want to put the book down. Jeff is so easy to like and you can’t help but want things to work out for him. Melissa is a bookish girl who feels she may have to sell the historic building that the used bookstore is in, though she doesn’t want to sell out. A Fairytale Bride by Hope Ramsay has two characters that are easy to love, great chemistry and laughs throughout. I enjoyed this novella and feel it is perfect for a summer afternoon read. If you’re looking for a quick read with an HEA, this is it.
I received this book on Netgalley for review from the publisher. My opinion was not influenced in any way.
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Cute and Sweet
This is called a short story, but it is about 70 pages long plus an excerpt from the next book, so it felt more like novella length to me. I like this cute, sweet story. It is a romance with a pair of book-lovers, which is an adorable idea. Melissa's grandmother recently died, and she inherited two grumpy cats and an unprofitable used bookstore in her small hometown in the Virginia mountains. Melissa wants to keep the store, but she does not have enough money to pay the property taxes, and she is delaying her decision to sell the historic building to a rich, obnoxious woman. Jeff is a New York journalist whose career just went down the tubes, and he is hiding out in his dad's cabin near the same small town and trying to avoid his aunt, who happens to be the rich lady trying to buy Melissa's property. Both primary characters are at a crossroads in their lives trying to figure out what they want. The two meet, and the slowly growing romance is lovely. I also love the two cats in the book, who really have their own personalities.
Overall, the story was upbeat, heartwarming, and a little bit funny. I also liked that the deception and lying was kept to a minimum. The story left me with a happy feeling, and I am glad that I read it. I would recommend it to those who love contemporary romance and to those who love cats. FYI, the story is very low on the steamy scale since there is only kissing, and any lovemaking scenes are quickly ended with just a mention in the next chapter that sex happened.
I gave it four stars instead of five because the story did not leave me with a need to read more books by the author, Hope Ramsay. This is my first work of hers that I have read; while liked this story, Hope Ramsay did not get added to my list of my favorite authors. That is just my opinion, and other readers might love her books like crazy. Also, the secondary characters who were not cats did not interest me enough to want to read about them in another book.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced reading copy in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
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This was a nice quick read. I really love the cats in the book. Melissa is dealing with her grandma's loss and trying to hold on her bookstore. Jeff is running from his life back in New York. Jeff finds something in Melissa that brings a light back in his life and he wants to hold to it, but he's lying to her about who he is. There were some funny moments in this one especially the ladder scene. Looking forward to more from this series.
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This is the first book I have read by this author but now I’ve had a taste of her writing I will seek out her back catalogue which upon investigation there seems to be quite a few!
A short story, less than a 100 pages, so a quick easy read but contained all the ingredients for a book lover like me. A bookshop called ‘Secondhand Prose’ a young couple of book lovers and cats lol .. so my afternoon of reading was complete.
A touch of humour, a few sexy bits and the angst of Melissa finding out who Jeff is really related to all add up to a cute story as she tries to save her grandmother’s store. You know with this type of book it’s going to have a HEA it’s just a case of what happens on route.
First in a new series, opens up lots of opportunities for further tales. I enjoyed it and the characters were entertaining.
Thanks to the author, publisher, Netgalley and Tasty Booktours for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
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3.5 - "Guess I picked the wrong day to go commando." Stars!
If you are looking for a quick, cute and sometimes funny read to while away a couple of hours, then A Fairytale Bride fits really well into that category.
This is my first read by this author and I really enjoyed getting to know Melissa, Jeff and the people of Shenandoah Falls. Jeff is incognito, hiding out in his father’s cabin after a spectacularly large fall from grace in Washington circles when one of his published articles, rubs up the noses of the wrong people. Problem is he has family living close to the town, an in an act of avoidance, stumbles into Secondhand Prose one day, and inadvertently the owner Meilssa Portman.
"What are you, some kind of cat whisperer?"
Struggling to deal with everything after her Grandmothers recent death, she can’t help but fall a little bit for the odd-guy who offers to help her out in the shop voluntarily, inadvertently makes friends with two of the most unfriendly cats, and ends up losing his trousers in an unfortunate ladder accident! But as you would expect, Jeff’s secrets, if exposed could easily break the fragile connection that is growing between them.
Money could buy a lot, but it couldn’t buy trust and it couldn’t buy love.
A great start to the author’s new Chapel of Love series, Melissa and Jeff’s story continues in the next book A Christmas Bride, due for release in September, in that the wedding planner the story is based around is organising their wedding!
ARC generously provided via Netgalley, and it was a pleasure to provide the above honest review.
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An absolutely adorable story to start off what looks to be a fun series!
Every time I read a Hope Ramsay book (I've read a few in the Last Chance series), I wonder why I haven't read more. Given this prequel short story, the Chapel of Love series is definitely one I want to keep reading!
I really liked both Melissa and Jeff. She's trying to keep her recently deceased grandmother's used bookstore afloat, wears princess-story-themed t-shirts, and reads romances; he is a journalist and fellow book lover who prefers fitted t-shirts. Oh, and he's also apparently a cat charmer, since he manages to charm Melissa's grandmother's cats out of their funk. Seriously, what's not to love here?
A Fairytale Bride is less than 100 pages, so you know going in that it's not going to have a complicated plot or contain any great truths. We're going to have a meet cute, spend some even cuter time with them, and then get a hint of an HEA tossed in at the end. This story is here to set up the series and give us a feel for a new location, which it does very well. It's a perfect way to spend a happy hour or so and will give you even more to look forward to in the future (not to mention a larger TBR pile!)
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
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