THE WEDDING HEIRESS

Author: Pamela Ford ISBN: 9780373715213 10/2008 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: HARLEQUIN

She's planning everyone's wedding but her own. Who'd have thought that Delaney McBride would come back to her Wisconsin hometown—where Mike Connery still lives!—to plan weddings? Not Delaney, the upwardly mobile career-woman who doesn't believe in storybook endings. Certainly not Delaney, the insecure teenager who never got over her girlhood crush on Mike. If it weren't for her inheritance, Delaney would be so out of there, as far away from the irresistible-as-ever man as she can get. But it's either take over her great-aunt's wedding planning business or lose everything. So here she is, creating happy endings for real-life Cinderellas while still secretly pining for Mike. At the rate she's going, Delaney's heading straight for happily never after. Unless—is it possible?—the single father is just as secretly pining for her...

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Pamela Ford's THE WEDDING HEIRESS is upbeat, witty and as much fun as a ride on the merry-go-round. I breezed through it, a smile on my face from beginning to end. This is one story where going back to one's beginnings shows that history can be rewritten and the old adage can be wrong. You can go home again.

Delaney is at a low point in her life when she learns her great-aunt's will has specifications that must be met in order for all involved to benefit. A phone call at what is, for Delaney, a pivotal moment, convinces her to go and plan a few weddings and collect her inheritance. She may be able to put a few ghosts to rest, as well, and with nothing else on her calendar and her bank balance dangerously low, she figures she's got nothing to lose. Reconnecting with the people from her past, putting old demons to rest and finding a way to weave what was with what is and move forward is a daunting task, but somehow Delaney manages it all.

I love the way Ms. Ford brings her characters to life. I could see—clearly—every person, each nuance, all the teasing and romantic gazes and feel the connection between this woman's past and her future. This is a wonderfully well-told romance and this author has a new fan in this reader. I especially enjoyed the ending of this story. It is perfectly suited to the tale and the fact that Aunt Ellie had a "grand scheme" managing everything as she did, really warmed my heart. I could see it, and understand it. And, I loved it.

If you like happily-ever-afters that warm your heart, THE WEDDING HEIRESS is the book to read!

Kay James