Sharon’s review ~ Wedding Season by Michelle Major

I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Wedding Season by Michelle Major
Published by HQN Books on April 26, 2022
Genres: Fiction / Family Life / Marriage & Divorce, Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, Fiction / Small Town & Rural, Fiction / Southern
Pages: 384
Format: ARC, eBook, Paperback
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“Perfect for fans of Debbie Macomber.” —Publishers Weekly

The last person she wants to see in Magnolia, North Carolina, could be exactly whom she’s been waiting for…

Mariella Jacob was one of the world’s premier bridal designers, but one viral PR disaster later, she’s trying to get her torpedoed career back on track in small-town Magnolia, North Carolina. With a secondhand store and a new business venture helping her friends turn the Wildflower Inn into a wedding venue, Mariella is finally putting at least one mistake behind her. Until that mistake—in the glowering, handsome form of Alex Ralsten—moves to Magnolia too.

Mariella ruined Alex’s wedding by announcing that his starlet bride-to-be was sleeping with Mariella’s fiancé. While he’s furious when they’re forced to work together, there’s no denying Mariella is hardworking, talented…and gorgeous. In fact, though Alex keeps reminding himself that they’re enemies, something deeper is growing…daring them to admit that a rocky past might lead to something unexpectedly wonderful.

Includes a Bonus novella!
Josie Trumbull has rebuilt her life after her dreams were crushed by a career-ending injury. Now she teaches ballet in Magnolia and has mostly made peace with her life and future. Until her best friend, and proprietor of the bookstore next door, Stuart Madison, takes her completely by surprise.

The Carolina Girls Series
Book 1: Wildflower Season
Book 2: Mistletoe Season
Book 3: Wedding Season

Wedding Season was a wonderful and emotional story of life and love. ~ Sharon – Simply Love Books

I’ve been waiting for this story since the first book in The Carolina Girls series. I had a feeling there was more to the heroine, Mariella Jacob than met the eye and there was but it was something I never expected. That said, this book was every bit as intriguing and heartwarming as the first two in this series, but for me loads more emotional. That’s not a bad thing, but both characters have quite a bit of baggage and they had to unpack it, deal with it, and move on from it before they felt they could be together. It wasn’t pretty and it certainly wasn’t easy, but for two people who had a not so pleasant history it was easy to see that together they made one another very happy.

After a major meltdown at the wedding of an actress she designed a wedding dress for after finding out her fiancé had been having an affair with the actress, Mariella lost her career, her company, and her friends. A stint in rehab because yes she was drunk and high at the time, Mariella moved to the town of Magnolia, North Carolina determined to not draw attention to herself and not let anyone know who she was in her former life. Opening a vintage dress shop kept her busy and put her in touch with two women who she now counts as her best friends despite some rocky moments like when they realized she was a famed wedding dress designer. Now a partner in a wedding business, Mariella worried that her “fame” would hurt the business and after a runaway bride it seemed she was right, but her partners refuse to keep her in the background. To top it off Alex Ralsten, the man whose wedding she ruined with her meltdown has chosen Magnolia as the headquarters for his new business. Her old life is encroaching on her new life and Alex is only the beginning.

Mariella had quite a lot of surprises that popped up in this story and her go to defense is to run, but Alex was pretty steadfast and refused to let her hide. Mariella never really had someone in her life that put her first so Alex made her nervous and threw her for a loop, but that was the beauty of it because she had no idea what to make of him. He kept her on her toes and challenged her and that was exactly what she needed. Mariella also had to deal with someone else from her past showing up in Magnolia and her appearance gutted her. Luckily she had her friends and Alex to help her deal with the fallout and make peace with the situation.

I have loved this series because the women all come from very different walks of life, but their problems are problems that women every day deal with and author Michelle Major puts these characters through their paces but also offers hope that with work things can work out and life can be better.

Wedding Season was a wonderful and emotional story of life and love.