What a Bride Wants: can a joking want ad lead to a forever love?

What a Bride Wants is the first book in The Great Wedding Giveaway series by Kelly Hunter. Ella Grace Emerson adores her widowed father, but he keeps hounding her about marriage and sets her up with any and every eligible man. The final straw was when he put an ad in the local paper on her behalf. An ad for a docile house-husband. In retaliation, Ella puts an ad out of her own called for the perfect lover. Cam Sawyer is a newcomer to Marietta, Montana and he is perfectly willing and able to be the lover Ella wants. However, what she needs is a strong and loving partner and Sawyer is running from a past he wants to hide. Will he stop running and be the man she wants and needs? 

The title is a little misleading as Ella has no intention of getting married and is doing everything she can to persuade her father to drop the matter. This story is fairly short, a novella really and I felt the story was very rushed. I would have liked more of a slower burn. I didn’t care for Ella and Sawyer was okay but the reason why he was running was a bit of a let down. The “monkey wrench” in their relationship didn’t quite fit either. The Great Wedding Giveaway is an anthology series in which each title is written by a different author. I usually enjoy these types of series; however, What a Bride Wants wasn’t a great start that I am unsure if I will continue this series. Overall, I did not enjoy What a Bride Wants. 

What a Bride Wants is available in paperback and eBook. 

Matilda Next Door: a friends to lovers romance

Matilda Next Door is the first book in the Outback Brides Return to Wirralong series by Kelly Hunter. Matilda “Tilly” Moore is an Aussie farm girl who kicks off her dream trip to London. She is flat-sitting for Henry Church, her childhood friend. She has long anticipated the trip but her enthusiasm is dashed as London is daunting, crowded, noisy and she finds a baby girl on the doorstep. A note attached: “Henry, if you’re reading this, please know the worst has happened.” Henry returns to Wirralong to visit his grandparents, a visit that has been strained, and when he gets a call from Tilly, his whole world becomes topsy turvy. Tilly brings the baby to Henry in Wirralong, she finds herself falling for her childhood friend and his infant daughter. But it’s out of the question. Isn’t it? 

Matilda Next Door is a friends to lovers romance as childhood friends find themselves seeing each other in a new light. However, it wasn’t quite the romance I was expecting. First, Tilly was a hard woman to like. I was not a fan at all. She’s a 26 year old woman and yet doesn’t quite act like one. Henry was an interesting character as his relationship with his grandparents was estranged. Tilly and Henry together seemed a no-brainer except to Tilly and Henry. It was a bit odd that Tilly thought that she wasn’t good enough for Henry and Henry never truly contradicted her. Their romance was expected but still odd. Overall, it was a sweet story but I wasn’t thrilled. If you enjoy sweet romances in the Australian Outback, I recommend Matilda Next Door. 

Matilda Next Door is available in paperback and eBook