ARC Review: A Winter Wedding by Brenda Novak
In A Winter Wedding, Brenda Novak takes us back to Whiskey Creek for the delightful love story of town staple Kyle Houseman and temporary town transplant, country music singer, Lourdes Bennett.
A Winter Wedding
Book Nine
384 Pages
Release Date: 10/27/15
Publisher: Harlequin | Imprint: Mira Books
Genre: Romance | Contemporary Romance
Series: Whiskey Creek
One Christmas can change your life…
Kyle Houseman believes he’ll never find anyone he could love as much as Olivia Arnold, who’s now married to his stepbrother. Not only did he lose her, he’s been through one divorce and has no desire to go through another. He’s determined to be extra careful about the next woman he gets involved with—which is why he fights his attraction to the beautiful stranger who rents his farmhouse for the Christmas holiday.
Lourdes Bennett is a country music artist. She’s only planning to stay in Whiskey Creek long enough to write the songs for her next album—the album that’s going to put her back on top. Her dreams don’t include settling in a town even smaller than the one she escaped. But as she comes to know Kyle, she begins to wonder if she’d be making a terrible mistake to leave him behind.
Whiskey Creek Series on Goodreads
*E-ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review*
Fast-paced, mesmerizing, and addicting, A Winter Wedding by Brenda Novak, the ninth book in the author’s Whiskey Creek series, proved to be an excellent heartfelt, gutwrenching read that I couldn’t put down.
In the story, a lonely Kyle Houseman has a lot to contend with. An unrequited love for a woman now married to his stepbrother, a money-hungry ex-wife he can’t manage to say no to or get rid of, and now a growing attraction to a country music singer who couldn’t be more wrong for him. Except, much to his surprise, Lourdes Bennett feels way too right for him, and that’s a problem because she’s only in town temporarily to write her next album.
A Winter Wedding is one of those rare books with deeply characterized story people who sweep you up into their world and carry you away with them on their journey. I really felt for Kyle in this, both for his problems with his ex-wife and his unrequited love for his stepbrother’s wife, while at the same time, I rooted for him to move on from the guilt of his past mistakes and give his growing relationship with his new tenant, Lourdes, a chance to flourish.
I also felt for Lourdes and everything she’s going through with her career and her disintegrating relationship with her manager. It’s hard to have confidence in yourself when it feels like you’re losing everything you wanted and worked so hard to build.
This book is a deeply-rooted, heartwarming read with enough in-depth point of view, plenty of internal and external conflicts, and on-point character and setting descriptions to fully immerse readers into Kyle and Lourdes’ thoughts and lives. I absolutely loved getting to know the two characters, as well as getting back to the town and citizens of Whiskey Creek. And since I was lucky enough to read an E-ARC of this book, I can definitely say, this will be a print and e-book buy for me, because it’s a must have for my keeper shelf and my Brenda Novak e-book collection.
Final Thoughts: A beautiful and somewhat suspenseful love story taking place in the small town of Whiskey Creek. A Winter Wedding is a must-read for devoted Brenda Novak fans, but more importantly, for any and all fans of small-town contemporary romance.
About Brenda Novak
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Brenda Novak has penned over 45 novels. A two-time Rita nominee, she’s won The National Reader’s Choice, The Bookseller’s Best, The Bookbuyer’s Best and many other awards. She runs an annual online auction for diabetes research every May at http://www.brendanovak.com. To date, she’s raised over $2 million. Brenda considers herself lucky to be a mother of five and married to the love of her life.