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New Release Review! TAKE THE BRIDE by Carly Phillips (A 1001 Dark Nights / Knight Brothers novella)

Take the Bride
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She used to be his. Now she’s about to marry another man. 
Will he let her go … or will he stand up and take the bride? 

Ryder Hammond and Sierra Knight were high school sweethearts. Despite him being her brother’s best friend, their relationship burned hot and fast…and ended with heartbreak and regrets. 

Years later, she’s at the altar, about to marry another man. 

He’s only there for closure, to finally put the past behind him. 

But when the preacher asks if anyone has a reason the couple shouldn’t wed, she turns around and her gaze locks on his. 

Suddenly he’s out of his seat. 

Objecting. 

Claiming. 

And ultimately stealing the very pissed off bride and taking her to a secluded cabin. 

He wants one week to convince her they’re meant to be, to remind her of the fiery passion still burning between them. 

When their time together is up, will she walk away and break his heart this time, or will he finally have the woman he’s wanted all along? 

Take the Bride cover

✔️Kindle: http://smarturl.it/BrideKindle

Review:

Take the Bride lives up to the 1001 Dark Nights promise–a decent intro to a new author, or a small taste of a favorite one! This time it’s Carly Phillips, who I’ve read in the past but it’s been a while.

I’m always interested to see where an author takes a left-at-the-altar story; writing one as a novella, though, has got to be a challenge. Can you give enough reason in such a short format for a character to convincingly bail on their wedding? I haven’t read the first book in the series, so I don’t know if there are clues in that one that Sierra perhaps shouldn’t be marrying the guy she’s getting ready to walk down the aisle toward at the start of this book; Ms Phillips doesn’t really give Sierra a lot of time to go from gliding regally to the Wedding March to running out of the church with another man–though her intended groom’s reaction definitely clues you in that it’s probably for the best that they didn’t go through with it.

To be honest I wasn’t 100% behind Sierra and Ryder for the first half of the book–he seemed more than a little overbearing, and all she seemed to do was sleep in between short bouts of aggravated wakefulness. I really didn’t like the reason why they broke up originally (one of those situations where the man knows what’s best and is going to make decisions for the two of them without ever bothering to explain those decisions to her) and it’s not clear how the two of them could have continued to see each other for years (he’s still BFFs with one of her older brothers, and comes to family things all the time, apparently) but never resolved things.

That said, the second half of the book is much better–watching them rekindle their relationship is satisfying, and the ending was very sweet. As someone who lives in between two often tacky honeymoon destinations (Niagara Falls and the Poconos, where two days of the story take place), I found the descriptions of the resort they find themselves at highly amusing and the descriptions of resort clothing spot-on.

Take the Bride worked just fine as a standalone. Though all three Knight brothers play small roles here, you don’t have to have read the first book in the series to enjoy this one–the focus here really is on Sierra and Ryder. I honestly couldn’t even tell you right now without looking which brother is the hero of book one, so…

Rating: 3 1/2 stars / B-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

"I couldn't stand by and lose you forever."

About the author:

Carly Phillips gives her readers Alphalicious heroes to swoon for and romance to set your heart on fire, and she loves everything about writing romance . She married her college sweetheart and lives in Purchase, NY along with her three crazy dogs: two wheaten terriers and a mutant Havanese, who are featured on her Facebook and Instagram. She has raised two incredible daughters who put up with having a mom as a romance author. Carly is the author of over fifty romances, and is a NY Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestseller. She loves social media and interacting with her readers.

Website: http://www.carlyphillips.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarlyPhillipsFanPage/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/carlyphillips
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlyphillips/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10000.Carly_Phillips
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/carly-phillips

Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SerendipitysFinest/

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