Customer Reviews

Mother of the Bride

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I adore this book!!!! Gus is a great hero with a lot of layers. He lost most of his family and more or less became a recluse, and you can almost see him coming out of his cacoon as the book progresses. And you can't help but love Cydney, the heroine. She's not ordinary, but she grew up in a family of overachievers so she doesn't see herself as extraordinary. They are a delightful couple and make a wonderful read. Like all of Lynn Michael's books, this one is full of warm humor, colorful characters and zingers that will have you laughing out loud.

Gus and Cydney reappear in both Honeymoon Suite and Return Engagement. I love when an author does that, lets us have a peek at their happy ever after!

I read a lot of chick lit books and absolutely loved this one. The main characters were wonderfully likeable and funny and the chemistry between Gus and Cydney was great. It was one of those books that I truly didn't want to end. I've got all the other Lynn Michaels books on order now!

Lynne Michaels knows how to write about families that are less than nromal and how to write about love. Her characters are the type you can't help but love even with the idea if they were your own relatives you'd go crazy. Sydney may be battling a little bit of everything what with her sister, her mother and a man who's more than a little attracted to her, but she does it with style which means in her very own unique way.
We need more authors like her to give us enjoyable books!

Everything about Mother of the Bride warmed my heart and made me laugh. I know families like this, and have vicariously lived and sweat blood with them as they've bolted in and out of my world over the years.

The characters throughout the book were cleanly drawn and not to be forgotten for one second. Cydney Parrish, an aspiring writer, is raising her 'damn the torpedos' neice, Bebe, because her real mother, Cydney's sister, is busy being famous.

Cydney finds Bebe and her fiance, Aldo Monroe, making love. To her dismay, Cydney learns that Aldo is the nephew of the tantalizing Angus Monroe, the best selling author she's been dreaming about for years. Although they've never actually met, she's half in love with him and half hates him because of the rivalry between Angus and her own father/author, Fletchter Parrish.

When Cydney and Angus meet and cross swords, sexual tension sparks and never lets up throughout the book. Angus Monroe's home in Crooked Possum, where Aldo and Bebe decide to get married, is redolent in clime and lore and holds court to the Hell's a-poppin' doings of everyone present.

Bebe's real mother arrives and wreaks even more havoc with the already crazy mix of mischiefs and mishaps that run rampant on every page. By the time Fletchter Parrish enters stage left, the wedding and the participants are locked in off-the-chart chaos.

Where it goes from there, I will leave it to you to read. But read it you must for the all-out fun and lasting warm fuzzies that you will find at every turn.

In Kansas City, Cydney Parrish is stunned to learn that her beloved teenage niece Bebe who lives with her is marrying Aldo Munroe. Cydney did not even know nineteen-year old Bebe was even seriously dating one person let alone engaged. The wedding is to occur as soon as Bebe's Pulitzer Prize winning mother returns from Moscow next week.

When Aldo's Uncle Gus, a best selling reclusive mystery author learns that his beloved nephew whom he raised was getting married he concluded the fiancée was a gold-digger. He leaves his retreat in Crooked Possum, Missouri to challenge Bebe and learn her true motive. When he arrives in Kansas City at Cyd's home, he finds his inner mind thinking that Bebe's Aunt "Uncle" Cyd is beautiful. As he ends up with one injury after another, Gus and Cyd fall in love.

MOTHER OF THE BRIDE is an amusing contemporary romance starring two pleasant lead characters whose respective "inner minds" hold delightfully entertaining soliloquies. The story line is amusing though why Cyd puts up with what she does from her family makes her more than a chump and a wimp. Lynn Michaels plays her tale totally for laughs so that the audience obtains a jocular tale that keeps everyone smiling throughout.

Harriet Klausner

I totally enjoyed her book, it was fast moving and funny. I coudn't put it down.

The characters all but jump off the page in MOTHER OF THE BRIDE." Cydney Parrish is the quiet daughter of Flechter Parrish, a New York Times Bestselling author, and Georgette Parrish, TV star, and sister of Gwen Parrish, an award- winning journalist. In fact most of America did not know of the fourth Parrish, who deligently stays at home and raises Gwen's daughter, Bebe.

One horrible afternoon Cydney walks in on Bebe having relations with Aldo Munroe. Aldo is Bebe's new fiancee, judging from the huge rock blinding Cydney's eye. The most hilarious scene in any book is when Cydney retires to her writing room to talk to her pinups of Angus Munroe, the top New York Times bestselling author and uncle of Aldo. For ten years she has loved and dreamed about this man. In fact, she starting hearing his voice from the pictures-which was pleasant until she realized the real deal was striding over to her and proclaiming what a nut she was.

More laughter ensues as the Cydney travels to the distant Crooked Possum, home of Angus and the place of the wedding. Every time Angus encounters Cydney, he is harmed physically and is usually taken to the hospital. The local color of the town shows up to give their two cents about how the wedding should look.

Cydney even believes she likes the real Angus compared to her fantasies until she finds his Grand Plan, written to destroy the wedding. Angus likewise holds resentment since Cydney's father would never give him the time of day as an author. That is until Flechter Parrish flies from the Caribbean and walks in on them dancing. His daughter could never see anything likable in that 'pretty boy author,' or so he thought.

Ms. Michaels character development is fantastic. While her characters are a little sexual, their emotions in the book are from the heart and head instead of their libido. Another truly enjoyable aspect is the switched point of views in every three chapters or so. The reader finds out that Cyndey is actually writing this book from experiece with the help of Angus. Audiences will revel in Michael's humor and embarrassing situations that are most recognizable in their own crazy families.

Every once in a while one of those special rare reading treats comes along. Lynn Michaels delivers just that with Mother of The Bride. This wonderful family of characters put the D in dysfunctional and takes you on such a wild, funny romp of a ride you won't be able to put the book down until it's finished - then you'll want to start reading it all over again. Ms. Michael's writing is richly textured, sophisticated and so sharp and witty you'll find yourself smiling on every page and chuckling at regular intervals. Oh - and did I mention it's also romantic and sexy and genuinely touching as she delves into the emotional relationships of the characters involved?
Go and get this book, then savor it like chocolate.

I can't believe what a terrific read this was! The characters were likeable and funny, the storyline interesting and well thought out. I can't wait to read more from this author.

The story: Aspiring writer Cydney Parrish has raised her niece while trying not-so-hard to realized her dreams of being published . Her famous-author father, Martha Stewart mother, and high-profile photographer sister have reached intimidating levels of success, and none has been very supportive of Cydney's talents. Then Cydney's niece, Bebe, becomes engaged to the nephew of reclusive mystery writer Angus Monroe, a man Cydney secretly worships. Angus shows up, calling Bebe a gold-digger, and Cydney decides to do all she can to give Bebe the perfect wedding. Angus determines to sabotage the wedding, and offers his beautiful house, located in a tiny town that's nearly impossible to find, as the locale. Tensions run high as Cyndney tries to hide her attraction to Angus while dealing with her prima donna relatives and her emotional and immature niece.

Strong points: The story includes funny moments and pithy dialogue mixed with strong romantic tension. Lovely interaction between Cydney and her niece gives it a feel-good quality. Cydney and Angus both have humorous conversations with their consciences, adding an extra layer to their points-of-view. An eclectic cast of secondary characters and plots adds depth.

Weaknesses: Convoluted sentence structure and repetitive actions make the book drag in places. Cydney's doormat, poor-me attitude gets old quickly, although some may admire her as an underdog, "ugly duckling turns swan" type heroine. The series of mishaps Angus suffers also grows old, and comes off as rather overdone and slapstick, not credible. Cydney's mother's subplot also weakens the tale, as she appears fickle instead of star-crossed.

Overall: The story offers a lot to entertain the reader, but could have been better. Overall it was disappointing, but shows potential.