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The Wedding War

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What happens when a fairytale-believing wedding planner and a jaded hot-rod builder who thinks love is nothing more than a chemical reaction end up on opposite sides of the aisle at the wedding of her best friend and his brother? A wedding war erupts.

Jake Ryan will do just about anything to keep his brother from making the same mistake he made. He’s convinced there won’t be a wedding because he’s out to stop it. Mia Briscoe’s determined this will be the most spectacular wedding she’s ever planned. When she boards the plane for the wedding in South Carolina with a thousand ideas for the celebration swirling in her mind, she’s momentarily distracted by the man sitting in her seat. He’s not only drop-dead gorgeous, he’s sexier than sin, and, she quickly learns, arrogant and extremely obnoxious. Hours later, she steps off the plane, all too happy to get away from the man who’s got her hormones and temper in a maelstrom only to learn he’s the best man at the wedding she’s planning. And when she discovers he’s out to break up the happy couple? The battle begins.

Jake and Mia have both suffered deep emotional wounds that prevent them from making lasting connections. And both are baffled by the intense feelings they bring out in each other. Can Mia teach Jake that love is something to cherish and not loathe? And if she can, will he be strong enough to bury his past so they can have a chance at a future together?

Mia Briscoe is pulling triple duty as best friend, maid of honor, and wedding planner. Not to mention she was flying from California to South Carolina to do it. Boarding the plane she finds a mouth-watering hunk sitting in her seat and thinks 'Maybe this won't be so bad'. Then the hunk refuses to move. Stewing the whole ride she can't wait to get away from him. All she wants to do is get on with planning the wedding that could be the feather in the cap for Weddings By Mia.

Jake Ryan isn't about to let his baby brother Gabe make the biggest mistake of his life. And he thinks marrying Jillian Tyner a woman he's only known a few months is about as big as a mistake he can make. When little Miss Uptight informs him he's in her seat he can't help wanting to irritate her. So acting on his primitive side he does. The only problem is he finds himself falling for her.

Finding herself sharing a cottage with Jake is the last thing she expected, but for Jillian she'd make it work. However when Jake tells her that if he has anything to do with it there will be no wedding she swears to make him eat his words. Jake's teasing and little peeks at a more easy going side lure her into wanting to tempt the beast.

This story had some surprises and great characters. It moved and flowed keeping the pages turning. Jenny Gilliam has a way of make you want to ask what's next. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes that opposites attract feeling.

The Wedding War
Jenny Gilliam
Contemporary romance
Available from The Wild Rose Press
ISBN: 1-60154-224-0
March 2008

Mia Briscoe, the 31-year-old owner of Weddings by Mia knew this trip was in jeopardy when she boarded the plane for her first ever first-class flight. Her best friend, Jillian Tyner was getting married in two weeks and her parents could afford to procure the upgraded tickets. But when she contemplated her seat, there was a horridly rude man sprawled across her seat. He refused to move. And since he was so gorgeous, she got little help out of the flight attendant. She finally gave up. The air travel did not hold much promise but the eye candy was not a hardship.
When she flew into South Carolina, she was excited to see Jillian Tyner and Gabe, her fiancé. What shattered her well-being was seeing her seat mate also walking up to them and finding out he was Gabe’s brother, Jake Ryan. His sole purpose in being here was to stop the wedding. Jake felt there was no such thing as happily ever after and he refused to give his brother up to the leg-shackles of matrimony without a fight.

Ms. Jenny Gilliam is a new author to me. She has grabbed my attention. She worked her main characters into multi-faceted individuals who blended extremely well with each other. There were a myriad of problems with the two couples who were the main focus as well as the supporting cast members. She managed to keep the story flowing without losing site of any of the impressive plot. The storyline was intense and I had a hard time putting it down.
The sexual tension was palpable but certainly not offensive. The sensual scenes were beautifully written and felt as if I was, personally, involved. Believe me, that does not usually happen. I loved the way she both extended the loving feelings but also pulled away from reality when things got passionate.

Overall rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 Hearts
Sensuality rating: Very sensual
Reviewer: Brenda Talley
March 19, 2008

Wow! Mia is all lemonade with little sugar and Jake as a sexy beast as he is, he’s just asking to be mounted. True he aggravates Mia to get a rise out of her, but she does it to him in the most visual way there is. This book has gone on my keeper shelf. It has its funny moments and there’s places I swear I almost went through a box of Kleenex. A really great read!

Wedding planner Mia is struggling with her fledgling business following the death of her beloved aunt. Her best friend Jillian is the heiress to a hotel chain, so when she asks Mia to help plan her wedding, Mia’s hopeful that more jobs will result from organizing such a big society event. On her way to meet Jillian and her fiancé Gabe, Mia is forced to sit beside a hunky guy. It’s such a shame that he’s also totally obnoxious.
Jake is on a rescue mission to stop the wedding of his younger brother Gabe. From a young age, Jake was forced into playing the role of a parent to his brother. Their mother abandoned them, and their father became an alcoholic. Jake mistrusts love and is determined to prevent Gabe from making what Jake sees as a big mistake.
Both Mia and Jake have their missions clear. What they don’t count on is finding each other. With Jake determined to stop the wedding and Mia determined to make it go ahead, it’s a clash of personalities and hearts as The Wedding War commences!
I absolutely loved this book. From the strong, humorous opening scene right until the last word, author Jenny Gilliam doesn’t put a foot wrong.
The characters are a joy to read. Even the minor characters fizz with energy. Mia is especially well defined, a sympathetic and instantly likeable heroine. As for Jake – wow, he’s just sex on legs! Take a look at this (slightly biased) description as he and Mia clash for the second time:

Jake Ryan stood in the doorway, one long, sinewy arm propped above his head as he gripped the doorframe. An intricate black tribal tattoo circled his bulging bicep. In his other hand, a bottle of beer dangled from his fingertips. He still wore the black T-shirt that fit him like a second skin, and those Levis. He’d removed the ball cap in what she supposed was respect for dinner, though she still wasn’t convinced he knew how to walk without dragging his knuckles. His black hair was silky, short on the back and sides, a little longer on top. He had close-cropped sideburns that ended at his earlobes. They should have looked ridiculous, but on Jake they were outrageously sexy.

Yum!
As the wedding preparations lurch from one minor disaster to the next – Jillian’s interfering parents, obnoxious relatives, a secret pregnancy, a recalcitrant priest, a hurricane, plus the reappearance of Jake and Gabe’s mother – Mia and Jake overcome their demons and fall in love. With bucket-loads of sexual tension combined with sizzling love scenes, a brisk plot and truly excellent characterization, The Wedding War is a superb read. This is one of the most perfect contemporary romances I’ve seen in a long time – buy it now!

Mia Briscoe is excited to have the opportunity of a lifetime to plan the wedding of her best friend, Jillian. With her business, Weddings by Mia, not doing so well, planning her best friend’s wedding would boost her clientele since Jillian’s family is big in society. Furthermore, nothing beats planning her best friend’s wedding. Hence, she expected to meet the difficult-to-please bride’s mother, the jittery bride and the last minute wedding details. However, what she did not expect to find was Jake Ryan, a man trying to stop the wedding from ever taking place. Jake could not believe that his brother Gabe had gotten himself trapped into marriage. Vowing to rescue him from his foolish decision and make him see reason, he arrives at the place of the wedding. After all, marriages never work out and love is just a scientific phenomenon. His father destroyed himself over the love of one woman. And that was not going to happen ever again to another man from the Ryan family. What he did not expect to encounter was Mia Briscoe, the feisty wedding planner, and a firm believer in love and marriage. The Wedding War was a fast-paced and exciting read. Jake and Mia’s relationship is developed realistically and their ups and downs are funny and interesting to read. The supporting characters that were also part of the story, added to developing a well-written and well-thought out novel that is sure to entertain. Child and parental abuse is a major theme in the novel and I believe that the author has done a great job in portraying the seriousness and consequences of such actions. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a interesting, as well as a thought provoking, read.