Showing results by author "Beth Kendrick" in All Categories

They’ve had the white dresses and the fancy receptions. But now that the honeymoon’s over, Stella, Casey, and Erin have each had to face some hard truths about the men they’ve married and the lives they’ve chosen. So when the news breaks that the pastor who presided over their weddings failed to file a few critical pieces of paper, none of these newlyweds is rushing down to the courthouse to legalize her vows. Instead, the brides share their hopes, disappointments, and secrets while grappling with that pivotal question: Should they stay or should they go?

Christmas concierge Holiday Smith, known as “the Wish Granter,” procures impossible-to-find gifts for her elite clients. But after years of granting everyone’s wishes but her own, she promises her family that this year she’ll finally make it home for Christmas. Just one tiny glitch: a favorite elderly client begs Holiday to set up her grown granddaughter on a blind date with her old high school crush, tech-world escapee Alex Sappier… who is somewhere off the coast of Maine.

Lara Madigan has a gift. She can help you find your soul mate - your canine soul mate, that is. As a dog trainer with a soft spot for strays, she's found the perfect home for sulky Shih Tzus, broken-down Border collies, and diabolical Dalmatians. But while she'll always make room for one more rescue mutt, she's not sure she's ready to commit to another human being - especially after her long-term boyfriend drops the bomb: He's not a dog person.

Every summer, four college friends hold a mini reunion. They laugh, reminisce, and commiserate about their soul-sucking jobs. Maybe they should have listened to everyone who warned them to study something "practical". Then an unexpected windfall arrives - $1 million, to be exact - with the stipulation that they use it to jump-start their new careers. Almost overnight, a professor, a bartender, a copywriter, and an administrative assistant reinvent themselves.

Brighton Smith doesn't do outrageous. As an insurance actuary, it's her job to assess risk and avoid bad investments. But when her fiancé calls to confess he's married someone else on a whim ("I looked at her and I just knew!"), she snaps.... That night, at a local bar, Jake Sorenson - hot, rich, and way out of her league - buys Brighton a cocktail. At midnight, she kisses him. And by dawn, they're exchanging vows at a drive-through chapel.

Suburban soccer mom Amy has always wanted to stand out from the crowd. Former child prodigy Linnie just wants to fit in. The two sisters have been estranged for years, but thanks to a series of personal crises and their wily grandmother, they've teamed up to enter a national bake-off in the hopes of winning some serious cash. Armed with the top-secret recipe for Grammy's apple pie, they should be unstoppable. Sure, neither one of them has ever baked anything more complicated than brownie mix, but it's just pie - how hard could it be?

Becca Davis has always played it safe - denying her passion for fashion design in a dead-end job and letting her pragmatic boyfriend (mastermind of the "Kevin Bradley Ten-Year Plan") make the tough decisions in life. Stunned into saying yes when Mr. Predictable springs a surprise proposal on her, Becca realizes that she's running out of time to turn her life around. She's only got one more chance to chase her dreams and no one - not her control-freak fiancé, not her dramaholic sisters, not her overprotective parents - will talk her out of it.

Ellie married her handsome, wealthy Prince Charming when she was young, naive, and willing to sign a one-sided pre-nup in the name of true love. But seven years and one toddler later, her happily ever after has come screeching to a halt. If she can't save her marriage, she's determined to save her divorce, and she's not about to let a lot of legalese stand in her way.

Exhibit A: Faith's little sister, Skye, who muddled through her first divorce at the tender age of 21. Faith has always provided damage control when Skye's love life gets too reminiscent of a daytime drama. But now that Faith has finally found the job, if not the man, of her dreams - as a culinary writer, currently living la dolce vita in Italy - she can't just jet back to small-town Minnesota to help her suddenly pregnant little sister heal her broken heart and anemic bank account. Faith has been putting off this homecoming for years.

Child psychologist Gwen Traynor has learned the hard way that "perfect" men aren't always what they seem. After being dumped the night before her wedding, she's understandably wary of diving back into the dating pool. But when she meets Alex Coughlin, she's convinced her luck is changing. He's smart, handsome, funny - an ideal rebound guy. She doesn't intend to fall in love with him, but scintillating dates and mind-blowing physical chemistry have a way of winning a girl over.