Tuesday, April 7, 2015

The Wedding Audition by Catherine Mann and Joanne Rock



Book Blurb:

The tabloids call her the Hit and Run Bride after reality show star Annamae Jessup walked out on Atlanta’s favorite baseball player on cable television. Eager to escape her notoriety, Annamae takes a road trip to find the grandmother she’s never met and winds up discovering a whole lot more than a band of back woods relatives. There’s no escape from reality TV, even in Beulah, Alabama, population 3000.

The last thing Wynn Rafferty needs in his new life is a spoiled television princess who can’t even know his real name. He’s in temporary witness protection as an apple farmer after his undercover work put his life in danger. He needs to lay low until the heat dies down from his last case— even if he sucks at growing apples as badly as he sucks at relationships. But Annamae turns his new town into a media circus, unwittingly threatening the lives of him, her and most of Beulah. Wynn is an expert at keeping the world at arm’s length, but when it comes to Annamae, the only way he can keep her safe is to keep her very, very close.
 

My Review:

I loved following up with Annamae's story after being introduced to her at the end of How To Lose A Groom in 10 Days.   I really enjoyed The Wedding Audition because I didn't expect what would happen, how this would unfold, and I loved how Catherine and Joanne managed to do this!  I always find it fascinating too how authors can write a book together, and it is so smooth and well written that it's like one person wrote it.

I liked Annamae from the start.  She's a pleaser, and ends up almost doing something she will regret forever...but finally starts thinking for herself and about her own happiness.  Standing up for herself and what she wants would have been difficult after going along with everyone else for so long, but Annamae is stronger than she first appears.  I saw a lot of growth in her character over the span of this novella, and I liked what I saw!

Wynn is 'hiding' for his own reasons, and Annamae brings something out in him he didn't expect.  He is determined not to put her at risk because of him, and in the process of helping her stay safe he starts to lose his heart to her.  Neither of them are looking for a forever, because they are both still dealing with their past.  But a 'right now' might lead to more if they can put the past where it belongs and be who they want to be.  Can they do that though?  It's easier said than done.

I liked the attraction between Wynn and Annamae.  They are both cautious, but can't fight the inevitable.  I liked how they got to know each other, and how they ended up connecting even if it was unanticipated for both of them!  The suspense in The Wedding Audition was great, it really thickened the plot and added some interesting dimension.  There was just enough of it to keep things interesting, but it didn't overwhelm the relationship between Annamae and Wynn.

Joanne and Catherine write very descriptively about the people and the land in The Wedding Audition.  I loved feeling like I was right there on the apple farm with them.

There are some interesting and fun secondary characters in The Wedding Audition that I hope to see more of in future books!

I'd recommend The Wedding Audition to any romance reader!

4/5 stars

Purchase from Amazon.com

4 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for taking time to read and review... we are so excited to share this series with readers! It's been a lot of fun :-).

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