“Want to take a spin around the dance floor, Katie?” Casey took hold of
my hand. “For old times’ sake?”
I hesitated, but then Casey tugged me to the center of the dance floor
as “Unforgettable” played overhead.
“It’s our son,” Casey whispered in my ear as he pulled me into his arms.
Correction. It used to be our song. Still, as the lyrics rooted
themselves in my heart, I found myself caught up in the moment. I settled into
Casey’s familiar, comfortable embrace and was whisked back in time to the days
when we were young and in love.
Book: Every Girl Gets Confused: A Novel (Brides with Style) by Janice Thompson, Revell Publishers, 2015
Genre: Romance
Subjects: Identity, Trust in God, Love, Family Relationships, Prayer
Target
Audience: Adult Women
Summary: What’s a girl to do when the man she was in the process of falling in
love with seems distracted and moody and isn’t really showing signs of wanting
to continue pursuing her and her former boyfriend from childhood, the one who
dumped her instead of proposing is now showing signs of wanting to pursue her
again? Katie really did think she was falling in love with Brady but his knee
injury and the accompanying inability to play professional basketball seems
more important to him these days and he’s not letting her in. Meanwhile, between
the holidays and the wedding for her grandmother as well as the preparations
for the wedding keep giving her opportunities to see Casey who is back in
Fairfield and being attentive again. That’s not the extent of her problems
though. Business is going great at the bridal store in Dallas – too good. They
have more customers than they can handle, including some they don’t want. Then
there’s her parents, particularly her mother who expects her to hurry up and be
done pursuing any dream that takes her out of Fairfield. And somehow, Katie
finds herself caught up in the drama of all the other romances around her,
those of her brothers, co-workers and aunt. Is it any wonder she’s confused?
Notes: Janice Thompson is known for her “comical romances” as she puts it. Her
books feature characters with large crazy families – usually with strong
demanding parents with expectations for their grown daughter that differ from
the life she is almost accidentally carving for herself. The author is often
creating comical scenes as the characters interact. Each book features older
women who almost exist just to provide comedy to the story, but also spiritual
encouragement at times the main character needs it most. This is the second in
the Brides With Style series. Katie is a small town girl who accidentally finds
herself working in a bridal shop in Dallas and falling in love with the owner’s
son. The comical characters are her grandmother and grandmother’s sister. In
this book Katie is struggling with doubts about her love for Brady and her
decision to move on from Casey. She faces the temptation to let doubt ruin her
relationship. There is also the spiritual issue of Brady struggling with
finding his identity now that his career as a professional basketball player is
at least temporarily over. He and Katie are both encouraged to find their
identity in Christ rather than anything else.
Spiritual
Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5
Reviewer: J:-)mi
James 1:5-6 - If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives
generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when
he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of
the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a
free review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion
