EVERYTHING BUT A BRIDE
Holly Jacobs
Avalon Books
ISBN#: 978-0-08034-9904-1
August 2008
Contemporary Romance

When Noah Salo is dumped by his fiancée, Julianna, right before their wedding, his Hungarian grandmother, Vanay Bashalde Salo, knows she is the main culprit. The wedding had been her hope of breaking The Salo Curse unwittingly brought upon the family by her when she believed her beloved had stood her up at the altar. He didn't and now her descendants are being penalized for hasty words spoken in misery.

Juliana's stepsister, Callie, has a soft spot for Noah and wants to help him over his heartbreak. She says yes to his proposal they go on a "friends only" retreat, the vacation that would've been his honeymoon. He wants to forget his worries and concentrate on having fun, which he always has with Callie around. Fun turns into a whole lot more as Callie and Noah grow closer than they ever imagine. Ready to explore this new relationship once they return home, Noah finds he has walls to climb to reach Callie's heart. Will he succeed or is he cursed to have his heart broken once more?

Everything But A Bride is Holly Jacobs at her finest. Plenty of tender romance combined with generous doses of family, fun and laughter creates a winning formula and Jacobs knows how to deliver. Warmhearted, full bodied characters make up the Salo family and their circle of friends as they totally engage you in their lives, hopes and dreams. Callie and Noah are unable to see what others have seen from the beginning—they are a couple fated to be together. When Noah realized his heartbreak over losing Julianna was really heartbreak over losing his dream of settling down to raise a family, it struck a relatable chord within me. Sometimes we end up wanting a dream more than any one person and that issue needs to be tackled before you can move on in life. This is the second installation in the Everything But… series and I, for one, am eagerly anticipating the third!

Review by Elissa Scott Kyle
Rating: 4