THE CLASH OF THE BRIDESMAIDS [Kindle Edition]

Vanessa Sisson (Author)

Book Description

Nothing interesting ever happens in Marvel, Texas…..

At least that's Natalie Griffin's opinion. She’s a beauty pageant consultant by day and tamer-of-bridezilla by night. Once again she’s catering to the every whim of her best friend, Amanda. Heiress to her family's oil company, Amanda Cates is the picture of beauty and perfection. However, she’s been in the middle of drama her entire life.

Marrying wealthy ego-driven Matt Kendrick is no exception. His family practically dictates the town, and he has finally weaseled his way into Amanda's heart. Will she make the mistake of her life by saying I do?

After uncovering dirt on Matt, Natalie is forced to call in for enforcements. Childhood friends and fellow bridesmaids are perfect for this job. Carlie Porter, tough rocker chic turned surfer from California. Arabella (Ari) Alejandro, spicy Latina, who hails from New York. Put these women together, and you have the pack that have defended and rescued poor Amanda all their lives.

Will the three women be able to convince Amanda that she is in for the greatest heartbreak of all time? Or will they have to resort to more drastic measures? A plan devised by Ari, a best-selling author goes into full effect. It will be best known as 'Operation Bride Rescue.'

The journey taken out of Marvel will reveal adventure, disaster, secrets, revelations, and a chance for God to show these women what they are truly made of.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Vanessa Sisson lives in Texas with her husband, daughter, and two dogs. She believes reading her novellas is a lot like listening in on the intimate conversations of modern Christian women. While each novella is full of real life, the joys of finding love, and the heartache it comes with at times, the underlying message is still the same. The need for God and the sweet whispers of our Savior are sprinkled throughout the pages.

Product Details

• File Size: 191 KB
• Print Length: 152 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1480072168
• Publisher: Lovely Little Press; 2 edition (November 3, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007SBTVD6
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #252,966 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Free Kindle Download May 18, 2012

By AndreaF

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

First, I'd like to clarify that since this a new author, I am using a different (and much kinder) rating system than I would for an established author. I am rating the novella 3 stars due to the fact that I think Vanessa Sisson should be encouraged to streamline and edit The Clash of the Bridesmaids and also encouraged to proceed with future endeavors. That said, I am going to be honest regarding my opinion and I sincerely hope that the author and her family/friends are able to take constructive criticism as well as compliments with *grace* when reading this review.

I found the overall story to be a mostly charming and easy read, with instances of engaging dialog and witty asides from the main character, Natalie, to the reader. I can imagine that VS is approximately the same age as the characters about whom she writes, and feel that she put a lot of thought into making these characters come alive in her story. I also liked the fact that, as a religiously-based novella, VS had a wholesome message to deliver regarding young women and dating, how well we treat each other and ourselves, the importance of friends and family, and using faith in God to guide decision-making.

There are, however, mistakes in the areas of grammar and punctuation, and I would recommend that the author either research the appropriate rules, or have a professional help proofread her work. Specifically, the writing needs to be checked for improper use of commas, quotation marks and semi-colons, for sporadic paragraph indentation, for compound word use, and for some instances of incorrect vocabulary usage (ie: describing the making of a family fortune as "precocious" [loc 243], describing someone as a "grueling monster" [loc 321], etc).... I bring up these issues for the author's benefit; proper grammar and punctuation are very important in order to create a smooth reading experience for potential customers, so I hope VS sees the value of re-editing her work.

Character development can also be improved, as sometimes the characters come across as a bit one-dimensional and repetitive (ie: Amanda's brattiness and whining, Nat's acting spineless). The continuity of the storyline might be reworked in a couple of areas (ie: when Nat call's Ari, another bridesmaid, for help with Amanda, she informs Ari *at that time* that Amanda is getting married. If Ari is a bridesmaid who is arriving soon for the wedding, she would be aware of the impending nuptials). There are some instances when the dialog is a bit stilted, and other instances where certain people, places and events could benefit from more description, in order to show the reader more clearly what the author intended. I did write down many examples of the above issues, but in the interest of brevity, I decided not to include them all in this review.

Also, the main character mentions being "Christian" many times, but the reader is never informed as to which denomination Natalie belongs. This is important because it can help the reader relate better to the character(s).

All in all, I think that VS has a chance of making a place for herself in the religious-fiction niche, and, if she takes the appropriate steps, I would recommend this novella to people who enjoy this genre.

*edit to clarify an intended message Read more ›

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Maybe flesh it out a bit more May 18, 2012

By SChamblee

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I felt like I was being rushed through this story. There was no setting described - though clothing was described in detail which actually is nice. Otherwise I felt like all the characters were floating in a grey landscape except for my own ideas of what Texas looks like. Perhaps this was more a function of style, and my own personal preference, but I would have enjoyed a more complete picture.

I did come across one very glaring inconsistency - the two friends, Ari and Carlie, are described in both the product description and the beginning of the book, as being bridesmaids in Amanda's wedding. However, two months before the wedding takes place Natalie is calling them and informing them of the wedding and who the groom will be? They both express shock and dismay - weren't they already in the wedding? And if not 'in' the wedding, wouldn't they have at least been invited? The two best friends would have at least gotten an invitation from bridezilla by that time.
Also alot of the dialogue seems much younger than girls in their twenties, and just as a word of caution - just because a guy on a backroad somewhere is playing a Christian cd doesn't mean he actually 'is' a Christian. That part was really over the top naive for me.

On the positive side, I did enjoy the storyline itself and I kept reading despite the feeling of it being too rushed. People themselves had good descriptions - although there were a plethora of extremely gorgeous people, which I found rather unlikely. Like I said earlier, clothes were detailed, which helped to flesh out each character, and I did feel like I knew and understood the main character.

If this is indeed this author's first novel than I'd say keep working at it because there's alot of potential there.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun escape May 20, 2012

By S. Moore

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Funny book and clean, which is a plus. Lots of twists and turns and funny and poignant moments. We've all seen the hype with wedding planning and the tension that comes with it. In this book the main character finds out a lot about herself as she plays the role of maid of honor for her best friend. Really liked the book and the characters.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Story with Christian Views! April 24, 2012

By Christina garcia

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I LOVED this book! It definitely captures your heart. You almost feel as if you become a part of the bridesmaid crew and find yourself feeling happy, laughing, or feeling sympathy towards the ladies in the book. Awesome read!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book November 8, 2012

By tina alagdon

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

A story that tells of how important friends are in your life. But the most important thing is our relationship with the Lord and then to be true to ourselves and honest with the people he has put in our lives.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Book purchase review July 20, 2012

By Jennifer Crisp

Format:Kindle Edition

I received this product in a timely fashion and I appreciated the cooperation of the seller. The product was just as described and the entire transaction was to my satisfaction. I will purchase from this seller again in the future.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it! July 3, 2012

By M. Juarez

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

It was great and funny. The book was a quick read and great for a lazy day to perk you up.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected. May 22, 2012

By Kelsie

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I had high hopes for this ebook, since I'm the same age as the main character and dealing with similar misgivings about a close friend getting married soon. While I understand that this was not only a free download but also a premiering author, I was disappointed that not only were there elementary gramatical errors, but the dialog was stiff and didn't reflect normal speaking patterns, and writing style seems basic and choppy. Also the character development was shallow and confusing for the establishment of the story line. I'll admit that i only read aboht 25% of the story and maybe things improved, but I'm a bjg believer in being hooked into a plot, not waiting for it to get better. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but I believe overall this needs serious refinement and a good bit of editing.

More About the Author

Vanessa Sisson believes that when God designed her, he equipped her with the talent of telling stories, and sometimes even writing them down. Her desire isn't to write edgy Christian romance, or even something you've never read before. She aims to write for the ordinary woman: your neighbor, sister, cousin, and friend.

Sisson enjoys tasteful movies with a strong heroine and dreams of the day when there will be more Christian movies on the big screen. She is a supporter of clean movies and books, with a faith centered message. Her favorite woman in the bible is Deborah because of her warrior princess like persona and boldness.

Sisson feels she couldn't write without the inspiration of the greats in Christian romance: Robin Jones Gunn, Janice Thompson, Karen Kingsbury, Rachel Hauck, Mary Connealy, Christa Bannister, and Jennifer Rogers Spinola. Sisson's hope is that her love for Jesus permeates the pages of her books with characters that struggle to grow and mature in their walk.

If you were to hang out with her, you might find her playing with her daughter, passionately cooking, watching Duck Dynasty, trying to sew something pretty, or shooting her bow and arrow.

Most of her books take place in a fictitious town called Marvel, Texas, which is actually inspired by her hometown, Navasota, Texas. Sisson still proudly resides in the lonestar state with her husband, daughter, and two dogs.



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