Tag Archives: Weddings From Hell

Weddings from Hell by Maggie Shayne, Jeaniene Frost, Terri Garey & Kathryn Smith

Book Review, , , , , , ,
Overview
Image result for weddings from hell book cover

Title: Weddings From Hell
Author: Maggie Shayne, Jeaniene Frost, Terri Garey & Kathryn Smith
In: Weddings From Hell (Maggie Shayne, Jeaniene Frost, Terri Garey & Kathryn Smith)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Short story collections, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 5th February – 27th March 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Harper Fiction
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: He was Ian.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

Some marriages are made in heaven… Some are not.

What happens when “the happiest day of your life” turns into a nightmare? Forget the drunken best man or the bridesmaid dresses from the ’80s… none of these wedding day disasters can compare to a cursed bride determined to make it down the aisle, or a vampire who is about to disrupt you wedding.

Thoughts

My best friend is getting married this year. Which made it feel like kind of a fun time to read this collection of four wedding themed novellas. After all, I get to be a bridesmaid, and this collection will definitely put into light the ways in which things can go seriously and drastically wrong. Especially since none of these things are going to happen at her wedding.

I was honestly expecting these to be four novellas about a couple getting married and things going drastically wrong for them. Instead, it was four tales of mayhem and magic where the weddings just happened to be the backdrop event, or, in some cases, the instigating event. It made the storylines so much less predictable and just that much more fun…

 <- The Wedding Knight ReviewTill Death Review ->
Image source: Harper Collins

The Wedding Knight by Kathryn Smith

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for weddings from hell book cover

Title: The Wedding Knight
Author: Kathryn Smith
Series: Brotherhood of Blood #3.5
In: Weddings From Hell (Maggie Shayne, Jeaniene Frost, Terri Garey & Kathryn Smith)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Historical romance, Paranormal romance, Vampires
Dates read: 27th March 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harper Fiction
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: Neither Eliza nor I want to see anything happen to either of us.

Synopsis

Payen Carr has reappeared at a most inconvenient time: on the eve of Violet’s wedding. But Payen desperately needs her help, for his immortal life is suddenly at stake… and Violet’s mortal one as well.

Thoughts

This was a bit slow to start with. A little too typical and vampire-y. A theme that I don’t completely love, and one that I do tend to take quite a while to warm to. Luckily for me, this does heat up pretty quickly and it sucked me right into the storyline and pages.

I really enjoyed the Victorian era setting in which this story takes place. The fact that it acts as a backdrop for a strong, independent woman who is quite determined to get what she wants (once she figures out just what that is) makes it an even better timeframe to place it in.

I’ve been a little obsessed with historical romances lately, and more than a little fascinated by secret orders. Both of these play heavily on the storyline, and now I can’t wait to find the rest of the books in this series and find them a nice, snug place on my overflowing bookshelf.

<- Ghouls Night OutWeddings From Hell ->

Image source: Harper Collins

Ghouls Night Out by Terri Garey

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
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Title: Ghouls Night Out
Author: Terri Garey
Series: Nicki Styx #2.5
In: Weddings From Hell (Maggie Shayne, Jeaniene Frost, Terri Garey & Kathryn Smith)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Ghosts, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 26th March 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harper Fiction
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: Unfortunately, Aunt Nadine, who’d been fussing over the bridal bouquets, was not about to let me off the hook.

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Synopsis

Nicki Styx sees dead people. Worse, she’s a replacement bridesmaid forced to wear a hidesouly yellow dress. If only the chatty ghost of the original bridesmaid will just leave her alone, Nicki may survive this ceremony yet.

Thoughts

So I maybe shouldn’t have read this novella right before going to bed. Alone. Normally urban fantasy tales don’t really bother me right before bed. Because, well, they’re so obviously make believe. But, this one involves a dead woman who was sexually attacked right before being killed off. That hit a little too close to home… and made it a little difficult to get to sleep (even with my giant dog sleeping across my feet).

This is one of those stories that sinks beneath your marrow and lingers for a long while. In the best way possible. It is fun and adventurous, with a healthy dose of revenge and action. There’s also a little romance thrown in for good measure, which just made me happy and tingly on the inside.

Although this was a bit of a whodunnit / find peace for the dead girl kind of story, I really liked the secondary storyline of a honky-tonk redneck wedding. It’s a reminder that you don’t get to choose your family, so you may as well jump in and enjoy their company. Even if it does make you kind of uncomfortable…

 <- Happily Never After ReviewThe Wedding Knight Review ->
Image source: Harper Collins

Happily Never After by Jeaniene Frost

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview
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Title: Happily Never After
Author: Jeaniene Frost
Series: Night Huntress #1.5, Night Huntress Universe #1.5
In: Weddings From Hell (Maggie Shayne, Jeaniene Frost, Terri Garey & Kathryn Smith)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy, Vampires
Dates read: 21st – 22nd February 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harper Fiction
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: Isa went back to the living room and sat on the couch, scowling.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

To save her brother, Isabella is about to reluctantly walk down the aisle with Mr. Dangerously Wrong.. unless Chance, a dashing vampire, can derail this wedding of the beauty to the beast.

Thoughts

My best friend is getting married this year. And I’m so happy for her, but I’m kind of loving a collection of novellas with the theme “weddings from hell”. I hope none of her big day ends up like that… but it’s still kind of fun / funny to read these paranormal romance stories. Especially one in which the bride doesn’t want to be married and gets her own beautiful revenge for being forced into such a situation…

Isa is exactly the kind of heroine that I tend to love – independent, strong, kind of protective and with just the right amount of sass. Which really comes through in the end of the story (in case you can’t tell, I love how this story ended). Isa is able to stay in control of who she is, even when placed in a situation that I would find incredibly and intensely horrifying.

I might have loved Isa, but I love her grandmother far more. She is ten times sassy, far more pithy and had me laughing out loud. Especially when she constantly shocks her poor granddaughter with her saucy-ness. There is just something great about having such a spicy old woman in a storyline that is about a romance between a vampire and human.

<- Halfway to the GraveOne Foot in the Grave ->

Image source: Harper Collins

Till Death by Maggie Shayne

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for weddings from hell book cover

Title: Till Death
Author: Maggie Shayne
In: Weddings From Hell (Maggie Shayne, Jeaniene Frost, Terri Garey & Kathryn Smith)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary romance, Family, Scottish romance
Dates read: 5th – 14th February 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harper Fiction
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: He was Ian.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

Years ago, a heartbroken McLellan witch placed a curse on the would-be brides of her family. But Kira McLellan doesn’t believe in curses. Then she falls in love with Ian Stewart and is determined to break the spell…. Or die trying.

Thoughts

I absolutely loved this novella. It had everything in it that makes my heart go… romance, curses, and a woman that is not happy to take things as status quo…

From the very beginning of the story, it is obvious that Kira is a little lost and unsure of her role in the world. And, since this is a paranormal romance collection of stories about weddings, you knew that she was going to find her man… and probably get married at some point throughout. It’s a little cliché that she doesn’t really feel complete until she finds her partner, but it was still just a cute and easy read. One that had me smiling at the end.

Although this is a pretty predictable cliché of a story, I still really enjoyed it. Throwing in an ancient curse and reconnecting with family members that have never been met just made it all the more engaging, not to mention entertaining. I always enjoy a good romance, but one with a little extra spice and challenge thrown in works even better…

 <- Weddings From Hell ReviewHappily Never After Review ->
Image source: Harper Collins