Published:Harlequin
Date. 22nd October 2019
Source. Publisher via NetGalley
Meant to be Yours is #7 in Susan Mallery’s Happily Inc series. However it can easily be read as a stand alone, although I am sure readers of the series will be very happy to catch up with other previous characters.
Happily Inc is a town that has come to life because it caters for specialty destination weddings. In this book we meet Renee, who is one of the actual wedding coordinators. She helps plan all the details and sees it through to the end. She is a lovely down to earth person, except that she has a big hang up about her mother. She loves her very much but can’t cope with a special ability her mother has. Renee has decided that while she plans others weddings, marriage isn’t for her.
Jasper is a writer, ex military who has seen far too much for any human being and has been deeply changed by his war experiences. He believes he can never marry because he is far too damaged and won’t be good in a committed relationship.
They meet! And are about to have all their pre suppositions challenged!
I loved the pet aspect to this book, it added warmth and charm, It also challenged our two – Renee and Jasper to see things differently. I liked the friendship aspect to the story, the women were there for Renee, the men for Jasper – and that was something new for him, now he has friends to turn to. And the love story is sweet.
I wasn’t so enamoured by the wedding planning business. How many ways to add zest to a wedding! What’s wrong with plain ordinary! It bored me somewhat. However this town has certainly found a way to form a community and make a living which is great. For those who enjoy a small town romance.
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Pride Prejudice and Other Flavors is set in California, however it involves a high ranking Indian immigrant family and DJ Caine a chef who is a mix of Indian/African. While the two main characters have their share of pride and prejudice, the book also touches on the prejudices white people have towards those with darker skins. The many tasty flavours of Indian cooking is a large component. I enjoyed this read, it explores the roles in family, sibling relationships, illness (Trish the heroine is a neurosurgeon) and betrayal. It does have romance but its more mainstream than outright romance. My kind of read.
The story of three sisters, who visit India, in response to their dead mother’s request. Each has a secret or challenge they are hiding from the others. While they have not been that close, due really to growing up circumstances, the trip eventually bonds them together. I liked the Indian setting and the cultural values shown. Some very shocking from my viewpoint. I liked though how the book highlighted and dealt with the issues raised. The only question I still wonder about is the sore ankle the eldest sister had. It went nowhere. Excellent on audio -the narrator did a very good job on the whole and added to my enjoyment of the book.
Field Notes on Love has two delightful main characters who come from diverse backgrounds. Hugo is bi racial and has throughout his life had to put up with slurs, but with the support of his siblings (one of sextuplets) Hugo has come through it well. Mae is the wonderful daughter of two Dads and with the side support of a special Nana she too is a well balanced individual. They both have dreams and throughout a week long train trip they will discover what that really means. It is YA and I loved the read.