A Review/ Sister of the Bride/ Susan Mallery/ Mira

Title:  Sister of the Bride
Author:  Susan Mallery
Publisher:  Mira- An Imprint of Harlequin
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Publication Date:  July 27, 2010
Print ISBN:  978-0778328438
eBook ISBN:  978-1426863967
Length:  Novella (104 Pages)
Format:  Both Print (anthology) and eBook

Purchase:  Amazon             Barnes and Noble         



Book Blurb:

When Katie McCormick finds out that her sister is marrying her ex, she finally agrees to a setup for the big day. To her surprise, Jackson is a catch. But when wedding catastrophe ensues, will their sparks fizzle or ignite into flames?


My Review: 

This is a light, fast and fun novella that takes place in the Fool's Gold Series from Susan Mallery.  None of the characters from the series are in this novella but they aren't necessary in this story.  The character development was strong and the level of humor was actually higher in this novella than in some of the books in the series.  I really enjoyed reading this short story.

Katie McCormick is a young 27 year old woman who is still single and has a successful career as the sports writer for the Fool's Gold newspaper.  Yet for some reason her family chooses to treat her as if she's not smart, successful or attractive because she's not married.  The fact that the man she was dating ditched her for her younger sister over a family dinner just adds insult to injury.  Needless to say Katie's relationship with her younger sister, Courtney, could use some help.  When Katie has to attend Courtney's wedding, her mother Janis steps into the picture and arranges for Katie's date/escort to be her childhood nemesis, "Howie" Jackson Kent, the son of Janis' best friend.  At first Katie is reluctant to having "Howie" as her date since they could barely stand each other as teens but after some verbal wrangling back and forth with her mom, she surrenders and reluctantly agrees to "Howie" as her date.

Howard "Howie" Jackson Kent has physically changed since his awkward teenage years.  He's no longer a nerdy, geeky, skinny young man but is in a word.....a "hottie".  In fact, I'd go as far as saying that he's smoking hot!  He's also matured, become a successful businessman and now uses his middle name "Jackson"  and yet his mom has never given up on her dream of fixing him up with her best friend's daughter.  Tina Kent is not above using emotional blackmail either to get her son to do what she asks and needless to say, Jackson reluctantly agrees.  He's not looking forward to spending 4 days at a ski resort in Fool's Gold with Katie but he's being open minded for his mother's sake.

When Katie and Jackson meet again, you can tell that the romantic fireworks are not far off.  The physical attraction between the two is almost palpable and soon they realize that they like each other's personality.  Of course, their romance is not smooth or easy as they have to contend with Katie's family for the next 4 days.  Jackson soon realizes that Katie's family is more than a little high strung or energetic, they don't appreciate Katie for the person that she is and make continuous inappropriate comments about her single status and refer to her childhood weight issues.  The antagonist of the story, and every story has one, is Courtney- the bride.  Talk about "Bridezilla", this young woman is a selfish, self-centered brat and not surprisingly her groom, Alex, is cut from the same cloth. 

The question becomes will Jackson love Katie in spite of her family?  I have to say that I loved what Ms. Mallery did with the family.  They were a little over the top but I've actually met people like this and I suspect that you have too.  Weddings are always an entertaining event and this one is no different.  I won't tell you how everything is resolved because that would be spoiling things but I will recommend that you read this novella - it's well worth the price.  You can purchase the entire anthology, Summer Brides, from either Harlequin or any of the bookstores.  You can also purchase the novella separately as an ebook, which is what I did and there are several outlets where you can do so, I've listed them below:

eReader.com

The Sony Bookstore

Fictionwise

Harlequin Ebookstore

My Rating:  5 out of 5 Crowns 

FTC Disclosure:  The book reviewed was purchased by the review site.  No other remuneration was exchanged.