Once Upon A Bride by Helen Lacey

Reviewed by TashNz

Once Upon a Bride is a beautiful, enriching and moving story set in Crystal Point in which the author, Helen Lacey weaves a brilliant tale.  
At her brother’s wedding Lauren reminds her friends she is “celibate, not comatose”  while discussing her sex life and their thoughts on the best looking man in town, Gabe Vitali.  Lauren is mortified when she discovers Gabe overhears what she thinks of him and to make things worse she then falls into the pool.  Things go from bad to worse when they become neighbours and co-dog-sitters.  Completely attracted to each other, but for many reasons they resist with both believing that “Mr or Mrs Right is NOT Mr or Mrs Right-Next-Door” (again, thank the author for that brilliant piece of writing).
Once Upon a Bride is a beautifully written, completely absorbing, wonderfully compelling and totally exceptional and sweet story.  I thought it was bright and breezy, mixed with emotion all at the right times.  Crystal Point is such a lovely setting and aids the story.  Gabe and Lauren are two people who want what the other can’t give and their journey to happy ever after is truly moving and it’s quite the perfect story with how everything is weaved together.   The story, the characters and the conversation between the two is rewarding and I have read this book more than once. 

I’m such a fan of the angsty type books with billionaires and the such because it’s so far removed from my life that I don’t often read stories such as Once Upon a Bride, but I can’t think of how else to describe how much I loved this book except to say it’s almost the complete opposite of what I normally read and I absolutely loved it.  I would highly recommend if you want to get lost in a true love story with realistic characters.
5 Stars :)


Reviewed by Nas

ONCE UPON A BRIDE by author Helen Lacey is a Harlequin Special Edition series release for September 2014.

Gabe Vitali escaped from his troubled past to a small town in Australia but was he ready for commitment?
Lauren Jakowski is ready for marriage. And she shares an attraction for Gabe, but would Gabe be the one to give her happy ever after? After all he is incapable of happy ever afters, isn’t he?
ONCE UPON A BRIDE is a heartwarming tale of two opposites falling for each other. I loved the drama among all the shimmering emotions as well as revisiting Crystal Point. Author Helen Lacey has a way with words which is incomparable.

Recommended for all lovers of romance.
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