Here Comes the Bride

July 10, 2017
Ramsay’s third Chapel of Love contemporary (after A Small-Town Bride) is a satisfying tale of finding love by finding oneself. Laurie Wilson, a professor at a small college in Shenandoah Falls, a Washington, D.C., suburb, is stunned when her boyfriend of five years, Brandon Kopp, leaves her at the altar. Laurie is quickly ushered out of the church by handsome lawyer Andrew Lyndon, Brandon’s best friend. Laurie’s father is Andrew’s boss, and he insists that Andrew get Brandon and Laurie back together. Trouble is, Andrew doesn’t want to—he falls for her, too. Sweet, loyal Andrew helps Laurie to realize that she subjugated her own desires in favor of Brandon’s desires, including turning down the job offers she received from more prestigious universities. He shows Laurie that Brandon’s refusal to marry her was the best gift of her life. The usual problems ensue—ex-lovers showing up, a hunky Marine turned small-town cop who might steal the heroine’s heart, manipulative relatives—but Ramsay ably navigates the shoals of predictable plot machinations to deliver appealing primary and secondary characters (particularly Laurie’s group of girlfriends). This is a well-paced, expertly characterized, and fun story.