WEDDING BELLES by Beth Albright

Publisher:   Harlequin MIRA

Date published:  July 30, 2013

ISBN:  13-978-0-7783-1529-2

Romantic Fiction

Paperback

Reviewed by Lynne

http://www.amazon.com/Wedding-Belles-Sassy-Beth-Albright/dp/0778315290

Obtained via publisher

 

It seems THE SASSY BELLES, Blake O’Hara Heart and Vivi Ann McFadden, are at it again.  Stuck in the middle of chaos, murder, mystery, and mayhem that is interfering with the WEDDING BELLES being planned by Vivi and the love of her life, Lewis Heart, famous play-by-play announcer for the Crimson Tide from Tuscaloosa, Alabama.   There is a conflict when it is learned the scheduled wedding is being planned for the same day as the wildly popular Crimson Tide Kickoff Game.

WEDDING BELLES by Beth Albright is another sassy, exciting, and fun read.  Well-written, WEDDING BELLES brings with it a huge dose of agitation for Vivi and Lewis when they discover that there is still another glitch in their wedding plans.  With Vivi being seven months pregnant, there is little time to waste.  It seems an old flame of Lewis’s is back in the picture, which could mean the end of Vivi’s marriage before it even begins.

Along with these problems come the wild Fru Fru Affair boys, the wedding planners who struggle to make the best of a chaotic situation, together with psychic interference from a local living in a nearby trailer park.

Through it all is Blake, the maid of honor, who has problems of her own, and is trying to help her overly stressed friend, Vivi, hold it together while she seeks answers to a murder, tries remaining under the radar so her husband, Harry, can win the Senate seat, yet still find time for the love of her own life, Sonny Bartholomew, who is patiently waiting for her in the background. 

WEDDING BELLES by Beth Albright does not disappoint.  Picking up where THE SASSY BELLES left off, WEDDING BELLES is a fun, romantic romp through Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with its share of southern charm and hospitality, not to mention some great recipes that are sure to whet your appetites.

Albright’s talent for originality and writing is evident as she creates yet another exciting, yet mysterious blend of suspense, chaos, and outright fun.  WEDDING BELLES is a delightful page turner, filled with unique, sometimes crazy characters that are sure to bring a smile to your face.

It is easy to relate to the stress Vivi feels as she struggles to maintain her composure when her world seems to be falling apart around her.  After all the problems she encountered in the first book of this series, THE SASSY BELLES, it is easy for the reader to be empathetic to her plight in WEDDING BELLES.  After finally getting her man, she is beside herself when she learns how far away Lewis truly is, once an old flame comes back into his life.  A flame that is ready to scorch all of Vivi’s plans for the future.

As always, Beth is the cool-headed one, an attorney who is trying to handle a baffling murder case while dealing with her friend Vivi’s problems.

As before, there is plenty of conflict in WEDDING BELLES, not just for Vivi, but for Blake as well.  It seems an old thorn is intent on wreaking havoc in her life as well as trying to wreck her husband’s political career before it starts.

The Fru Fru Affair boys are an absolute delight and add a lot of humorous twists to WEDDING BELLES.  I especially love the part, too, where the chickens come into play.  That was so comical.  I could just picture that and had a good laugh over it. 

The romance between Arthur and Bonita was unexpected and added a nice heartwarming feel to WEDDING BELLES.

WEDDING BELLES is full of interesting plot twists and turns which will keep the reader easily interested in seeing how everything turns out in the end.  Southern charm is found from cover-to-cover in this wonderful tale, not to mention some mystery and lots of frolicking entertainment. 

Albright clearly has written another winner, one that will help us romp through the remaining summer days with pleasure and expectation.  Her next story, SLEIGH BELLES, will be out in September, 2013, and I’m eager to read more of THE SASSY BELLES, to experience more of their chaotic adventures and, hopefully, meet Vivi’s new baby.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

THE SASSY BELLES by Beth Albright

Publisher:  Harlequin MIRA

Date published: May 28, 2013

ISBN:  978-0-7783-1528-5

Romantic Fiction

Paperback

Reviewed by Lynne

http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/0778315282

Obtained via publisher

 

In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where women are strong and beautiful, are THE SASSY BELLES, Vivi, Rhonda, and Blake.  Having established this exclusive sisterhood back in junior high, these Southern Belles vowed to guard each other’s backs forever, no matter what.  They deemed themselves as “Southern Belles with an attitude and a splash of fun.”  Then, although Rhonda moved away in tenth grade, Vivi and Blake always remained THE SASSY BELLES, the closest of friends.  Family.

Blake O’Hara Heart is now an attorney whose husband and law partner, Harry, is aspiring to move into the political realm. 

Vivi Ann McFadden, an only child, lives alone on a beautiful plantation with her former nanny, Corabelle, and Arthur, the gardener.  She is romantically involved with Harry Heart’s brother, Lewis, a popular football announcer, who, during a playful romp at a local motel, suddenly winds up dead, with Vivi being the only suspect.  Frightened, who else would Vivi call for help but her best friend, Blake, a good attorney who always fights for the underdog?

As the Tuscaloosa gossip swirls around them, THE SASSY BELLES are determined to find out the truth about Lewis’s disappearance and clear Vivi’s reputation.

THE SASSY BELLES by Beth Albright, a Tuscaloosa native and former Days of Our Lives actress, among other things, is a fast-paced, delightful read.  Vibrant in its portrayal of southern life, THE SASSY BELLES is well written and just plain fun.

THE SASSY BELLES has all one would want in a good book:  tight-knit relationships, betrayals, mystery, suspense, humor, and good will, with a bit of adventurous romance thrown in for good measure.

Vivi and Blake are two wonderfully close friends who accept each other for who they are, regardless of their faults or mistakes.  It is so easy to relate to them.  It is also easy to relate to the everyday problems experienced between couples like Blake and Harry.  Harry at first seems like a good guy, until his strong political interests get in the way of his marriage.

Vivi is a character who makes the reader laugh, yet still love her, despite her kinky side.  Blake, the sensible one it seems, is a strong character who is quick to stand with Vivi and help her as they try to clear her name.  Because Vivi is so in love with Lewis, it is easy to feel her pain at losing him.  It is clear in THE SASSY BELLES just how strong the loyalties are between Vivi and Blake.

The male characters in THE SASSY BELLES are all strong men, but it is only when Harry does something unexpected and hurtful that the reader learns his true nature.  Right from the beginning I favored Blake’s former heartthrob, Sonny Bartholomew, and with good reason, as THE SASSY BELLES reveals later.

All of the characters in THE SASSY BELLES added a lot to this story.  The tight-knit family relationships, the deep-rooted caring for one another, smacked of Southern charm that just warms the heart.

Albright is clearly a multi-talented writer who has done a wonderful job in sharing a love for Tuscaloosa through THE SASSY BELLES.  It is indeed full of sass and a variety of plot lines that keep the reader interested and glued to their seat to see how everything comes out in the end.  In many ways a humorous, yet fun story, THE SASSY BELLES is the perfect summer getaway read.  I greatly enjoyed reading it and look forward to Albright’s future work in this series:  WEDDING BELLES (coming July, 2013) and SLEIGH BELLES (September 2013).

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.