There Goes the Bride by Lori Wilde
published in June 2007 by Grand Central Publishing
Legend claims this antique Irish wedding veil can grant your heart's deepest desire.But be careful what you wish for...The moment Texas socialite Delaney Cartwright touches the veil, she knows she can't go through with her wedding.And it's not just because she envisions a stranger's dark eyes and irresistible lips the second her fingers hit lace.But she can't simply call the whole thing off.The nuptials to her nice, predictable childhood friend are the social event of the season (not to mention that her mother would freak).To fan the flames of this dying ember, Delaney abducts her fiance for a night of passion...and grabs the wrong guy!It isn't her fault that Detective Nick Vinetti of the oddly familiar eyes and lips has crossed her path--and looks game for all kinds of sexy fun.Now Delaney hatches an outrageous plan to get out of marrying:she'll hire her own kidnapper.With an altar to avoid and a cop to dream of, this runaway bride is hoping a little Irish magic will unveil the true destiny of her heart.Genre: contemporary romance
Series: Wedding Veil Wishes, Book #1
I don't really know what I was expecting when I read the back blurb of this book. I guess a little magic - because of the veil part, and a lot of romance. In the end, I get neither. Delaney is the rich heiress that is unsure of herself and is marrying her childhood friend - someone she knows well and who'll be a good match for her, even though their sexual life is less than exciting. At her friend's advice, Delaney attempts to spice up their sex life by "attacking" him at the end of his work day; however, she ends up jumping on the wrong guy, Nick. Both Delaney and Nick are attracted to each other, but they don't think they'll ever see each other again... till Nick's grandmother hires Delaney to stage her house. In the end, Delaney decides not to marry her fiance, but she doesn't have the guts to tell him or her parents and end up staging her own kidnapping... the only problem is that the kidnapper is not the one she hired. There was also a subplot about Delaney's parents - how her father feels he failed his family and her mother is not who she really is.
Okay, so my main problem was Delaney... I didn't like her. I think the author wanted the readers to feel sympathy for her and so Delaney was the ugly duckling turned swan and she also lost her older sister, which resulted in a more strict upbringing by her parents. Now, she's seeking her own happiness... I guess I dislike Delaney because she went with the motion and when she finally decided it was time to stand up, she didn't have the guts to do, i.e. confront her parents and fiance... instead, she staged her own kidnapping. She reminded me more of a little kid than an adult... and let's not talk about the fact that she "imagines" her dead sister. As a hero, Nick was so-so. He too is emotionally crippled: he married a woman who cheated on him during their honeymoon, he's also a cop who's on disability due to a bad knee and has recently lost his grandfather. Now that I'm typing this up, I find the setting of the book kind of depressing :P
Everything could have been saved with a good plot, but then, everything was too rushed. Too much time spent on settings and subplot, not enough on our two main characters. As a result, their attraction seemed unlikely. Also, the pacing of the book was weird... but at least, the author does save the book with the parents' subplot and interesting secondary characters/interactions.
It took me a while to pick up this book and finally, I did once I was in the mood for a contemporary romance... Personally, I don't think the veil had much to do with the storyline, except that it confirmed to Delaney that she shouldn't go through with the wedding. I'd had like something more focused on the romance btw Delaney and Nick... So for me, this book ended up being btw meh and okay.
Grade: C
