Title: To Have and to Hold
Series: The Wedding Belles
Author: Lauren Layne
Publisher: Pocket Books
Release Date: July 26, 2016
ISBN: 9781501135132
$5.99
Sex and the City meets The Wedding Planner in Lauren Layne’s sizzling brand-new contemporary romance series The Wedding Belles, about three ambitious wedding planners who can make any bride’s dream come true but their own. Leading us down the aisle with the first in the series, To Have and to Hold, Lauren Layne will rouse summer lists with a reception line of great reading as she “produces winner after winner” (Fiction Vixen).
She’s going after a second chance at life…
Discovering her fiancé is an international con man just moments before they exchange vows devastates celebrity wedding planner Brooke Baldwin’s business—and breaks her heart. Brooke thinks she’s found a fresh start in NYC with the Belles and her first bridal client, a sweet hotel heiress. Then she meets the uptight businessman who’s holding the purse strings.
But will she miss out on another shot at love?
Seth Tyler wishes he could write a blank check and be done with his sister Maya’s wedding. Unfortunately, micromanaging the event is his only chance at proving that Maya’s fiancé is a liar. Standing in his way is the stunning blond wedding planner who’s hell-bent on a comeback mission—and who both irritates and arouses him. Can he persuade her to unplan a wedding? And more importantly, how will he convince her that the wedding she should be planning…is theirs?
To Have and to Hold will have readers engaged from the start, and wedded to the idea of a summer and fall season filled with Wedding Belles!
What people are saying:
“This engaging tale has a light, fun style…enough teases are given about the other “Wedding Belles” to create genuine interest in where their stories lead.”
—Publishers Weekly (To Have and to Hold)
“There are family and friends, coworkers, people that aren’t as they seem, wedding information galore, dinners, drinks, chocolate, fear, anger, hurt, sadness, secrets, lies, deceit, tears, laughter, happiness, romance, loving and love. There is nice closure…This is only the second book of Layne’s that I have read. I look forward to reading the next two books in the series, FOR BETTER OR WORSE and TO LOVE AND TO CHERISH. There was an excerpt from book two FOR BETTER OR WORSE, at the back of the book that just whet my appetite for more. I look forward to seeing what the Wedding Belles will be up to next!”
—Romance Junkies (To Have and to Hold)
This book was sweet! I love romance and this one had all the right ingredients!
Lauren Layne has become one of my must-read authors. Her stories are fun, sexy and they always have great secondary characters.
Meet Brooke Baldwin and Seth Tyler:
Brooke Baldwin has moved to NYC after her almost wedding debacle. To Brooke's dismay, her fiancée is carried away in handcuffs for white-collar crimes just before they exchanged vows. Soon after, she realizes her life as a wedding planner in LA is done. She needs a new beginning and joining The Wedding Belles is the answer to her prayers.
Her first job as part of The Wedding Belles is to plan the wedding of Maya Tyler. She is excited about the prospect until she meets the brother of the bride, Seth Tyler.
Seth is determined to keep her sister from making a mistake. His gut instinct is telling him her sister's fiancée is not the right person for her. He believes his hiding something and in order to find out what it is, he is willing to participate in every meeting related to the wedding. There is just one huge problem, he has the hots for the wedding planner.
Reading To Have and To Hold was refreshing. I liked that Lauren Layne is able to web such a good base for the series on her first installment. She gives us enough details on the secondary characters to make us want to know more about their lives. I want to know why Alexis is kind of a robot when she could be having a relationship with a certain hot British accountant or I can't wait to see Heather fall in love for the first time.
Both main characters were likable and I could see how they could fall for each other in such a short time. It didn't feel like insta-love to me. The side story between Grant and Maya was also good. I was rooting for them too.
The one thing I wasn't crazy about was the conflict in this love story. I'm not sure I liked what Brooke told Seth during their argument either. But, overall, it was a great way to spend an afternoon.
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
FROM THIS DAY FORWARD
Now Available!
“Layne packs as much into this sexually charged and emotionally intense novella (an introduction to her upcoming Wedding Belles series) as most authors do in a full novel…The heat between [Leah & Jason] is enough to melt steel, and the emotional connection and psychological struggles will keep readers engaged.”
—Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW (From This Day Forward)
“[From This Day Forward] is trope-nip to me. Weddings/wedding planners, check. Second chances, check. Sassy heroine, check…As this book is the prequel to the forthcoming Wedding Belles, I cannot wait to get all of their stories!...From This Day Forward is 100% recommended for anyone who likes stories about weddings, stories about people who are a really good at their jobs, relationships that are a tad explosive both in and out of bed, and introductions to new tribes of characters to get to know over the next few books.”
—Fresh Fiction “Fresh Pick” (From This Day Forward)
“From This Day Forward is a delightful book. Now I can't wait for the other ones in this series…Lauren Layne hit it right on the nose on what goes on behind the scenes…Can Jason and Leah see wedding bells in their future? We can only hope and wait for the next book in the “Wedding Belles” series. From This Day Forward was a great kick-off to the series.”
—Fresh Fiction (From This Day Forward)
And don't miss:
Lauren Layne is the USA Today bestselling author of the Sex, Love, and Stiletto contemporary romances and the all-new Pocket Books series The Wedding Belles. She lives in New York with her husband and spoiled Pomeranian. Visit laurenlayne.com, meet the author on Facebook at LaurenLayneAuthor, or follow her on Twitter @_LaurenLayne.
We are excited to do a Wedding Belles Bouquet Giveaway to celebrate the publication of the first in the series, TO HAVE AND TO HOLD. The Wedding Belles Bouquet will include To Have and to Hold (7/26), For Better or Worse (8/30), and To Love and to Cherish (10/18). You can visit all sites on the blog tour to enter to win the Wedding Belles Bouquets – but keep in mind you can only win once! U.S. only. Each winner will receive one copy of each book during the week of its publication date.
For a chance to win, just leave a blog post comment below.
US only
Giveaway ends 8/1/16
Sunday, July 24th
Monday, July 25th
Tuesday, July 26th
Wednesday, July 27th
Thursday, July 28th
Friday, July 29th