Cindi Madsen
May 26, 2020
Entangled Amara
Blurb: Violet Abrams may have been a bridesmaid no less than seven times, but her wedding day was near—she could feel it. Until her longtime boyfriend left her for someone else. That’s just fine—she has her photography and a new project redesigning her sister’s bakery to keep her happy and fulfilled. Fast-forward to the day of his wedding, though, when Violet might have accidentally, totally not on purpose, started a fire. And… Officially the worst day ever.
Firefighter Ford Maguire thought he’d seen it all. Until he’s called out because someone tried to set the local bakery on fire…with a wedding magazine? The little arsonist might be the cutest woman he’s ever seen, but he’s too career-focused to consider something serious. Still, Violet seems like a great person to help him navigate his upcoming “man of honor” duties in his best friend’s wedding.
Pretty soon, not only is Violet giving him lessons on all things weddings, she’s helping him train his latest rescue-dog recruit puppies and weaving her way seamlessly into his lone-wolf lifestyle. But forever is the last thing on Ford’s mind, and if there’s one thing a perpetual bridesmaid knows, it’s the importance of a happily ever after.
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I really (mostly) enjoyed this second book, Always a Bridesmaid, in Cindi Madsen’s Getting Hitched in Dixie. Ford, a fireman/paramedic/S&R/little league coach/puppy trainer, is sexy and sweet and Violet is warm, smart, self-aware; her ADD adds a quirky layer to her character.
Trouble and his littermates and Pyro, the S&R dog, all add such a wonderfully sweet dimension to this book. And, I was so very happy to see the extent that Addie, the MC from the previous Getting Hitched book Just One of the Groomsmen, participated in this book. She is probably my favorite ever Madsen character.
I loved the way that Ford and Violet came together, slowly feeling each other out, unable to avoid the very strong attraction they have for each other.
Two elements stop this book from getting a much higher rating from me. The first is that the pacing felt off near the middle, perhaps due to the feeling that situations were repeating themselves, so much so that I actually grew weary of continuing so I stopped and finished reading the other book I’d been reading in conjunction because I was sure I’d give this one a much lower rating than it might have deserved just because I was annoyed. The second element is that Violet went all Carrie Underwood-Before-He-Cheats on her ex-boyfriend’s car. Now, you have to understand I beyond hate that song. I abhor it. I loathe it. If I never heard it again, I’d be ecstatic. It’s the only song I turn off when I hear it begin. It’s my nails-on-a-chalkboard song. I think that if you do that to someone’s car, you may have more issues than just his cheating. Yep, extremely disappointed that Violet did that and being drunk just isn’t a good enough excuse for reasons which should be obvious. Sorry, not sorry. Phew. Glad that rant is done.
When I picked up the book again, I was in a different space and mostly enjoyed the rest of it.
I’d recommend Always a Bridesmaid for anyone who likes their romances with a sense-of-humor, a sense of cute, and a good amount of sexy.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
rating:
3 out of 5 butterflies
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