167 of 180 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good Girl Gone ..... Good, October 24, 2010
When I sat down to write this review, I spent time thinking about not only how I felt about this book but also tried to imagine how some other readers with different tastes might feel. Eventually it became clear to me that we are very likely to see two different types of reviews here, so I'll try to give them both. Pick one depending upon what type of reader you are.
Type 1 - Style fit for a fairytale and no holds barred romance. Sigh.
If you are an adoring fan of the first three novels in this series and have spent the past month staring at that 4th gorgeous bride cover and waiting, waiting, waiting for that day when Parker Brown puts down her Blackberry and lets the man of her dreams sweep her off her well pedicured Manolo Blahnik encased feet, then wait no longer because your day has come. Like a certain Disney movie, Princess Parker Brown (of the Connecticut Browns) finds herself a true diamond in the rough in Malcom. Underneath all that tiny little insignificant bit of grease and dust Malcolm might collect during the day is a man who is nice to his mom, cares about the literacy levels of his employees, and most importantly of all --- knows nothing says sorry like a new pair of high end designer shoes.
For you - Five Stars. Make that Six. Go buy the book and read it because you are gonna love it!!!!!
Type II - Enough Already! Do people really live like this? Bedroom closets with refrigerators?
For those who have grown perhaps a bit weary of the world where every cake Laurel produces is her most fabulous ever, every flower arrangement Emma designs is a tasteful reflection of two hearts beating in harmony, every bride is beautifully Vera Wang-ed from head to toe and there is never a wedding "disaster" that Parker can't solve in two paragraphs - well I'm sorry to say that not much changes. At Vows, even a Divorce Event is handled in a completely classy, beautiful, and dare I say "Holy Smokes Can You Imagine the Bill?!!" manner.
And what of Parker and Malcolm you ask?
Well "Bad Boy" Malcolm does ride a motorcycle, complete with an extra helmet on board for Parker. Safety first don't ya know! There is a small walk on the wild side where the dangerous make your heart thump man takes Parker on a date like she's never experienced before.....to a just shabby enough to be cozy family pizza parlor. (read that in a sarcastic tone). Then he falls right in line behind Carter, Del, and Jack toting chairs around Vows events and helping to hang greenery and just generally being there to comment upon the talent, intelligence and general fabulosity of the Vows foursome whenever they need a man around to do that.
So if you're hoping for the long, sleek "tale" of Parker's to get a little mussed up - or a tattoo to be inked across that blue blooded Ivy League educated derriere of hers as she takes a walk on the wild side.....ummmm, this probably isn't your book. I'd say probably 2.5 stars for you. Come on, those covers alone are pretty enough for 2 stars.
For me, I'm going to put it at three stars. Yeah, yeah, I admit that the nasty part of me was hoping for a fallen wedding cake or something. A problem. Imperfection. Just something different or some real conflict. I really feel like there was a chance here for Nora Roberts to shake things up a bit and have some fun with the Ivy League girl and the boy from the wrong side of the tracks. She didn't do that though. She played it safe and in the end I felt the book read like she wrote it with her eyes closed.
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64 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nora Roberts can do no wrong in my world, November 2, 2010
This review is from: Happy Ever After (Bride Quartet, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)
I have a tradition, a completely girly and irrational tradition that I love and hope to continue for many years. On the day that a new Nora Roberts book comes out, I purchase it at my local bookstore, crack open a bottle of red wine, and read it cover-to-cover. I give myself permission to drink the WHOLE bottle of wine, cry freely at the over-the-top romantic parts, and disregard any work/social functions to stay up to the wee hours to make sure that the leading man and woman end up Happy Ever After!
Happy Ever After is the final member of the Bride Quartet: Parker Brown. Parker created Vows - a premier wedding business in the ultra-rich Greenwich - for her and her three best friends and continued to make their dream a reality by being the glue that held everything together. Efficient, supreme multi-tasker, level-headed, and organized beyond belief, Parker never saw herself falling for her mechanic, Mal Kavanaugh. But, as Mal proves to be much more than he appears on the surface, Parker finds that he may just be everything she has ever wanted but never planned for.
I am capable of understanding books with complex themes and subtexts and then dissect and discuss them on an intellectual level...I even enjoy books such as that on a fairly regular basis. However, my favorite genre of all time is contemporary romance (heavy on the contemporary, medium on the romance) and Nora Roberts is a goddess in my world. I realize NR novels are unrealistic, contrived, and fit a cookie-cutter mold....and I could care less. They are my guilty pleasure and I love every single word on every single page! :)
Let the countdown begin to July 7, 2011, when the next Nora Roberts novel is released!
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41 of 50 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Expecting more passion ... disappointing, November 1, 2010
I liked the first 3 books and was hoping for a wonderful ending to this romance saga. With characters like Parker and Malcolm there was so much potential for drama and interesting dialogue. Should have been more passion and more intimate moments between Parker & Malcolm, get rid of the wedding details and other relatives - these become boring after a while and I skipped many of these pages on my Kindle. On the whole the book was OK but I waited all year for this book and it fell short for me - maybe my expectations were too high.
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