Customer Reviews

Bed of Roses (The Bride Quartet, Book 2)

5 star:		(82)
4 star:		(45)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This is Nora Roberts second book in the Bride Quartet. Roberts sets this series on an inherited estate which is now the home of Vows and the four women who run the full-service wedding business.

In the first book, Vision in White, we meet the pragmatic photographer, Mac, who must overcome her own practicalities to allow herself to fall in love. Now we meet Emma, the florist, who is a romantic to the core. She wants the whole nine yards- and indeed, she'd be the one to have a train just that long. She longs to be swept off her feet by true love.

The relationship between the four friends is the cornerstone of the book and the wedding business really comes alive with anecdotes of the matrimonial couples seeking the services of Vows.

I felt the romance in this book was much sweeter and maybe more 'romantic'- in part because Mac, from the first book, was the more practical sort and had to overcome herself to fall in love. In this book, Emma is a bit of a social butterfly, dating around. In the meantime, an old friend works his way into her affections.

These books are simple and rely on the strong characters and their emotions. This book lacked a bit of the tension that was there in the first as there were no giant hurdles in Emma's romance developing. In a way, that's what is refreshing about these books- the plot is not contrived, just straightforward, simple and romantic. I like that the writing is good, solid, without getting in the way of the story- the voice is fluid which makes for an easy and enjoyable read.

These books are great if you want to unwind after a busy day or de-stress in your bubble bath. I downloaded to my Kindle before I went to bed last night, read a few chapters and then finished the book while my kids were at school today. If you enjoyed the first book, you will really enjoy this book- and if you haven't had a chance to read the first, this one will stand just fine on its own.

If you are looking for a classic romance with only a little bit of drama and lots of love, friendship and fun, then "Bed of Roses" will be a perfect choice.

Emmaline Grant's job is all about creating the perfect wedding day. As a florist and partner of "Vows" she is living her dream. She believes in love and hopes to someday have the kind of relationship her parents share. But she still hasn't found the one man with whom she wants to dance in the moonlight.
When suddenly the relationship to commitment shy architect Jack Cooke changes and they realize that there is more between them then just being good friends, Emma is excited but also a little bit afraid. She doesn't want to loose Jack as a friend but can't say no to the new path their relationship is going. Because she soon realizes that Jack has some flaws (he's a man so that's to be excepted) but that he also might be just perfect for her.

Wonderful characters, a beautiful story that concentrates on love and friendship and Nora Robert's love for details makes this the perfect book to forget everyday life.
Emma is a great heroine even though in real life it's hard not to hate a woman like her. She's beautiful, outgoing, intelligent, loves her life and job, has the best friends you can imagine and her parents are the perfect couple. But because she is also very kind and funny you just have to love her (I guess some envy is ok). Through the detailed description of her work (it's like the bouquets and arrangements are right in front of you) the reader can share the enthusiasm and love for her work and get's a close connection to Emma.
Jack is a man of action who's sexy and very manly. He enjoys his life as much as possible and works as hard as he plays. Commitment is not something he likes to think about because of the doubts his parents divorce left him with. So it's clear that in a relationship with Emma, who believes in love and marriage, there has to be some trouble (but thank god not too much).
His relationship with Emma is kind of sweet because even though they have been friends for years, as lovers there's a lot to learn and discover.
What I also enjoyed is how Jack and Del have to work through some issues because of Emma. Del is very protective of his girls and extremely sceptical about their guys and Jack is no exception. The scenes between Del and Jack add a lot to the book and make me also very excited to read more of Del.
The drama and confusion at the turning point of Emma's and Jack's relationship is just right and I love how the four friends (plus Carter) stick together to support Emma.
Carter has some awesome scenes (all I can say is playing poker with the guys) and the relationship between Mac and him is another highlight of the book.

So all in all I absolutly love "Bed of Roses" and can't wait for the next two books in the series.

Spoiler!!!
Especially because now it's clear that Laurel and Del and Parker and Mal will be starring in the next two books. Laurel has been my favourite so far and after reading the excerpt for "Savour the Moment" (coming April 2010) I can't wait to learn more about her and Del. Parker's and Mal's first meeting is so hilarious and makes me excited for book four "Happy ever after" (coming December 2010).

After finding Vision in White (The Wedding Quartet, Book 1) a disappointment, I was hoping Bed of Roses would be much better--it was better, but not by much.

One element that makes a romance book interesting is the introduction of conflict. Emma and Jack had chemistry in this book unlike Mac and Carter in Visions. But, the conflict seemed contrived. Emma and Jack realize after a lifetime of friendship that there is something more there. Emma comes from a happy family and Jack comes from a divorced set of parents. Jack is afraid of commitment and Emma wants it all. The reader can tell right from the beginning that Jack is going to get cold feet, break Emma's heart for a few weeks and then we have the happy ever after resolution.

(Possible spoiler) I felt the last scenes in the book were very contrived as every one decided to shut out Jack. Here is a group of people--men and women who have been friends for decades and they rally around Emma and shut Jack out in the cold? Give me a break. Yes Emma deserved some sympathy, but everyone knew Jack and knew his issues and no one stood for him? Although this isn't a very romantic statement, I think if I were Jack, I might want to find a more loyal group of friends instead of this crew who spurn him and figure he is wrong without even giving him a hearing!

This is an easy read, but lacks the power of some of Robert's other straight romances. Personally, I find the Donovans, the Calhouns, the Chesapeake series, the Key trilogy, and Garden triology books to be much better overall in presenting the romantic element. All of them are sweet romances with nice character development like Bed of Roses (Bride Quartet), but in my opinion the romances are better developed and there is a hint of conflict and when it does occur it plays out much better (for instance Morgana Donovan and Nash or the O'Hurley triplets).

I loved Visions in White and had great expectations for the second book in NB's Bride Quartet, Bed of Roses. But I'm afraid I have to agree with the reviewers who said that Emma is annoying and the conflict between the two main characters was not enough to sustain the reader's interest in the story. The hero and heroine, Jack and Emma, actually bored me. The plot, what there was of it, bored me. I found their fight at the end ridiculous and if I felt any sympathy, it was for the much maligned Jack. Emma definitely over-stepped her boundaries and behaved like a spoiled toddler when he reacted in a way that seemed totally justified to me. In the end, I just didn't understand why he would want to marry her.

Loved this book! Roberts does her usual superb job of sweeping the reader into all the joys and sorrows of falling in love. The family bonds shared by this group of lifelong women friends definitely adds to the tugs on your heartstrings.

I love Nora Roberts' books and I was quite surprised when I put this one down after about 100 pages and moved on to something else. I found the first Bride book less than enthralling--it was ok, clearly not one of her best, but this book reads like business plan: beautiful woman--check, handsome man--check, they meet, they fall in love--check, check. There is no suspense, no humor, no surprise. I wondered if Nora Roberts wrote the outline and someone else filled in the blanks. I will not be purchasing the next book in the series and may not even borrow it from the library.

I love Nora Roberts books, but this series is really disappointing. Was Nora just meeting a publishing deadline? Both Vision in White and Bed of Roses lack any depth or suspense. Nora follows such a formula that you can tell early on in this series who all the characters will pair up with, which takes away any anticipation for the next books. I actually got tired of reading endless descriptions of flowers that filled so many pages, instead of an actual plot. The conflict in this book was really over the top and silly. The ending was forced and and sappy and I lost respect for both characters involved. It seems the premise of this series is that all these supposedly strong characters have known each other for years and "suddenly" cupid sweeps in and they all need to get married, one right after another? Four women (actually 5, since the housekeeper seems to deserve a life of her own) all live and breath each other 24/7, and are like a family, but in realty no family can handle that much togetherness. I felt suffocated just reading about them. At the new higher prices, I refuse to buy them anymore and I get them from the library, so at least I don't feel completely ripped off. Anyone could write the next books in this series. Please Nora, put more effort into the next ones.

I love Nora Roberts and enjoyed the first book of the quartet, but this one made me so angry I could barely force myself to finish it and I have NO desire to read the remaining two. The entire premise of the first book was that Mac (the woman) was commmitment-phobic and Carter (the man) was supposed to be supportive and non-pressuring until she came to realize commitment wasn't so bad after all. But in Bed of Roses, the tables are turned when it's the man who dares to be commitment-phobic when the woman wants a ring. Emma spends the entire book saying that she understands Jack is shy of commitment and she's okay with that, then the second SHE realizes she's in love and wants more, he's supposed to immediately drop to one knee. It's only about what she wants and not a bit about his emotions or needs. And all of the others -- the very people who had been warning Emma the entire time not to get carried away because Jack wasn't big on commitment -- immediately jumped on her bandwagon and forced Jack to dance to her tune. It was incredibly infuriating, especially in light of the first book. I didn't think NR could write a book I didn't enjoy, but this was it!!

This book as fantastic! Sweet, funny, heart-wrenching, and wonderful. Nora Roberts really knows how to get you too connect with her characters. Emma is so sweet and trusting and Jack is a man's man. A sexy man's man at that. I think that so many people can relate to this story. How many of us women want to get married and have our own fairytale ending? Nearly all. And how many men cringe at the word marriage? Nearly all. This story is fantastic at showing how 2 different people, especially 2 people who've known each other for years, can fall in love and have 2 separate dreams become one. :)

Though an avid reader, this was my first Nora Roberts novel. She has a gift for banter and I enjoyed the story without having read the prequel. I liked the well-defined and close relationships between the characters. My only issue is the disconcerting way she writes dialogue in sentence fragments - I found it distracting until I got used to it - and the excessive, incessant, gratuitous use of profanity. There were many instances when it spoke to the circumstance and the relationships and enhanced the story, but most uses felt and sounded obligatory and not how normal people actually talk and interact. Not any people I know, anyway, and I don't reside with many saints. It was like being verbally slapped throughout the book and in my opinion, the entire story would have been much better if the 4-letter words had been scaled back to something more normal and realistic.

Regardless, I did enjoy the story and the characters, enough that I will undoubtedly read the 4-book series despite the dialogue issues.