Book Review: Every Bride Needs a Groom by Janice Thompson

Somewhere in a sea of tulle and taffeta, satin and crepe, Katie Fisher needs to

find a key ingredient of the perfect wedding — the groom.

Every Bride Needs a Groom is the first book in Janice Thompson’s new series Brides With Style.

Katie Fisher’s wedding scenario is as familiar to her as the local Dairy Queen. She will marry her childhood sweetheart, and they’ll live and raise their children in tiny Fairfield, Texas … at least, that’s the plan.  

She’s so sure her longtime boyfriend is on the verge of proposing that she enters a contest sponsored by a renowned wedding gown designer. And wins. Then her plans hit a snag. Her boyfriend breaks up with her and moves away. It leaves Katie with an expensive gown, a publicity photo shoot, and the necessity to come clean to the bridal shop owner and her injured, pro-basketball-playing son.

Change. For most of us, it’s not ideal. We like our traditions, our routine, the security we have with the control over our lives. Katie is one of us. Her world is her family, her town, her job at her father’s hardware store, and dinner every Friday night at a buffet restaurant. Disappointment forces Katie into change, which sets off a chain of events that affect her whole family.

As is typical of the other Janice Thompson novels I’ve read, there’s so much more going on in this book than a romance. In fact, the romance is like certain desserts—light and sweet. The entrée consists of the family dynamics, a cross between the Hecks and the Donahues from The Middle.

This one wasn’t quite as entertaining as some I’ve read in the past, though I found myself laughing out loud toward the end of the book when everything hit the fan. While it’s not emotionally deep and not a book I couldn’t put down temporarily, it was one I definitely wanted to return to. (For one thing, I wanted to know why her grandmother had issues with the Presbyterians.)

Overall, for me, Every Bride Needs a Groom, was a cute read and, if you’re a fan of Janice Thompson’s novels, romantic comedy, quirky characters, and Loretta Lynn, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

What is your favorite romantic comedy (from books or movies)?

Disclosure of Material Connection: This book came to me free from the publisher, Revell Publishing, with the hope that I would mention it on this blog. There was no requirement for me to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed above are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.