To Have and to Hold

The Wedding Belles, Volume 1

By Lauren Layne

About TO HAVE AND TO HOLD:

Sex and the City meets The Wedding Planner in Lauren Layne’s sizzling brand-new contemporary romance series The Wedding Belles, about three ambitious wedding planners who can make any bride’s dream come true but their own. Leading us down the aisle with the first in the series, To Have and to Hold, Lauren Layne will rouse summer lists with a reception line of great reading as she “produces winner after winner” (Fiction Vixen).

She’s going after a second chance at life…

Discovering her fiancé is an international con man just moments before they exchange vows devastates celebrity wedding planner Brooke Baldwin’s business—and breaks her heart. Brooke thinks she’s found a fresh start in NYC with the Belles and her first bridal client, a sweet hotel heiress. Then she meets the uptight businessman who’s holding the purse strings.

But will she miss out on another shot at love?

Seth Tyler wishes he could write a blank check and be done with his sister Maya’s wedding. Unfortunately, micromanaging the event is his only chance at proving that Maya’s fiancé is a liar. Standing in his way is the stunning blond wedding planner who’s hell-bent on a comeback mission—and who both irritates and arouses him. Can he persuade her to unplan a wedding? And more importantly, how will he convince her that the wedding she should be planning…is theirs?

To Have and to Hold will have readers engaged from the start, and wedded to the idea of a summer and fall season filled with Wedding Belles!

Pocket Books

July 26, 2016

ISBN 9781501135132

$5.99

Amazon Buy Link

Review:

To Have and to Hold is the first chance I have had to read Lauren Layne's work. Let me tell you it will not be my last. Ms. Layne had me captivated by the middle of page one and I was completely engrossed until the end. There is a touch of intrigue, romance, family, friends, awesome co-workers, and just that nice little bit of friction that makes for a perfect story.

Brooke Baldwin has been through an extremely embarrassing event and has moved to New York to start a new life. She's hired by the Wedding Belles as a wedding planner. I enjoyed how the Belles work together and quickly form a friendship with Brooke. She fits in with her new co-workers right away. Her first wedding is for Maya Tyler. Brooke and Maya get along just fine and seem to form a nice friendship. Then there is Seth, Maya's brother. The instant attraction between Brooke and Seth is sizzling hot. I admired Brooke for picking up and moving on. She's strong, independent, sweet and caring with just the right amount of sass to stand up for what she believes in.

Seth wants nothing to do with marriage. He's been burned in the past and really just wants to concentrate on running the family business. He's a hard core business man set and determined that likes things to run smoothly. His little sister announcing she is getting married throw one major kink into Seth's well run plan. He will do anything and everything it takes to make sure that his sister is happy and safe. When She meets "the wedding planner" his mind wonders to places it hasn't been in a while. I really did like Seth. There was a time or two I might have wanted to tell him to get his act together where the women in his life were concerned. I could see his point in doing everything in his power to protect them.

I really enjoyed the whole story. I enjoyed watching Brooke and Seth push each other's buttons. One minute their butting heads and in the next their smoldering hot attraction is winning out.

Maya is a sweet girl that just wants her wedding to be perfect. She is ready for that happily ever after. She also has a touch of her brother's temper and there is one scene that I just loved. She knows how to "sweetly" put someone in their place. She's also a little mischeiveous.

I don't want to tell you too much about the intrigue and secrets. I will say that I could not wait to see just what was going to happen next and was surprised but felt the lead up to the secrets revealed.

I can not wait to see what Ms. Layne has in store for us in the next Wedding Belle's book. I know I will be impatiently awaiting the release of For Better or Worse. I am sure it will be an awesome.

I was given the opportunity to read and review this scrumptious story so that I may share my thoughts with you. As always it has been my great pleasure to share my thoughts with you on To Have and to Hold.

Amazon Buy Link

What others are saying about The Wedding Belles Series:

“This engaging tale has a light, fun style…enough teases are given about the other “Wedding Belles” to create genuine interest in where their stories lead.”

—Publishers Weekly (To Have and to Hold)

“There are family and friends, coworkers, people that aren’t as they seem, wedding information galore, dinners, drinks, chocolate, fear, anger, hurt, sadness, secrets, lies, deceit, tears, laughter, happiness, romance, loving and love. There is nice closure…This is only the second book of Layne’s that I have read. I look forward to reading the next two books in the series, FOR BETTER OR WORSE and TO LOVE AND TO CHERISH. There was an excerpt from book two FOR BETTER OR WORSE, at the back of the book that just whet my appetite for more. I look forward to seeing what the Wedding Belles will be up to next!”

—Romance Junkies (To Have and to Hold)

“Layne packs as much into this sexually charged and emotionally intense novella (an introduction to her upcoming Wedding Belles series) as most authors do in a full novel…The heat between [Leah & Jason] is enough to melt steel, and the emotional connection and psychological struggles will keep readers engaged.”

—Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW (From This Day Forward)

“[From This Day Forward] is trope-nip to me. Weddings/wedding planners, check. Second chances, check. Sassy heroine, check…As this book is the prequel to the forthcoming Wedding Belles, I cannot wait to get all of their stories!...From This Day Forward is 100% recommended for anyone who likes stories about weddings, stories about people who are a really good at their jobs, relationships that are a tad explosive both in and out of bed, and introductions to new tribes of characters to get to know over the next few books.”

—Fresh Fiction “Fresh Pick” (From This Day Forward)

“From This Day Forward is a delightful book. Now I can't wait for the other ones in this series…Lauren Layne hit it right on the nose on what goes on behind the scenes…Can Jason and Leah see wedding bells in their future? We can only hope and wait for the next book in the “Wedding Belles” series. From This Day Forward was a great kick-off to the series.”

—Fresh Fiction (From This Day Forward)

About LAUREN LAYNE:

Lauren Layne is the USA Today bestselling author of the Sex, Love, and Stiletto contemporary romances and the all-new Pocket Books series The Wedding Belles. She lives in New York with her husband and spoiled Pomeranian. Visit laurenlayne.com, meet the author on Facebook at LaurenLayneAuthor, or follow her on Twitter @_LaurenLayne.

BOUQUET GIVEAWAY:

We are excited to do a Wedding Belles Bouquet Giveaway to celebrate the publication of the first in the series, TO HAVE AND TO HOLD. The Wedding Belles Bouquet will include To Have and to Hold (7/26), For Better or Worse(8/30), and To Love and to Cherish (10/18). You can visit all sites on the Bouquet Giveaway Tour to enter to win–but keep in mind you can only win once! U.S. only. Each winner will receive one copy of each book during the week of its publication date.

Sunday, July 24^th

Romance Junkies

Monday, July 25^th

Fresh Fiction

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Tuesday, July 26^th

Book Reader Chronicles

Dirty and Thirty