Sunday 25 May 2014

An April Bride: book review

I review for BookLook Bloggers

It is a month before the wedding and Stella Carson's childhood sweetheart is returning home to marry her. But Marshall Henderson has suffered a head wound while serving his country in the military. He has post traumatic stress disorder and a faulty memory: he doesn't remember Stella and he doesn't remember that they have planned to marry.

When her childhood dreams seem doomed, Stella hangs on with determination as Marshall commits to going through with the wedding in the hope that his memory will return. He knows he does love Stella, but he can't remember. While wedding preparations are finalised, Stella gently and lovingly nurses their relationship as they rediscover their shared past and, in doing so, each other.

This is a gentle, typically sweet American, girl meets boy story, in a romantically old-fashioned setting near the Mississippi river in Louisisana. Stella's family are affluent, the house and gardens elegant, dress and furnishings quietly fashionable... all is picture perfect. The storyline of lost memory regained is intriguing and Lenora Worth does indeed manage to draw the reader in with her carefully crafted writing, holding attention to the inevitably satisfactory ending.

However, I found it all too sugary sweet for my taste. Yes, there were elements of suspense designed to make the reader wonder whether Marshall would ever regain his health and love for Stella, but the ending was inevitable. I have enjoyed the 'Year of Weddings' series, which I obtain free of charge from Booklook Bloggers (formerly Booksneeze), but I found this one the most disappointing so far. Since the story dragged a little, in my opinion it would have worked better as a short story. Sorry, but this was not a keeper!


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