The Best Laid Wedding Plans

September 21, 2015
In the intriguing premiere of Austin's Magnolia Brides contemporary series, spunky Jenni Beth Beaumont, an event planner in Savannah, moves to small Misty Bottoms, Ga. Her plan is to help her parents, still grieving the death of their soldier son, and save her family home by starting her own wedding-venue business. But Jenni Beth needs a loan to fix up the place, and her only option is the shady town banker. Cole Bryson, an architectural salvager and her dead brother's best friend, has a complicated history with Jenni Beth, who's had a crush on him since she was 16. He wants to buy Magnolia House, but he agrees to help Jenni Beth restore the antebellum mansion to grandeur and attempts to restore their relationship as well. In an unnecessary subplot, someone tries to sabotage their work on the house. Well-developed characters and sensual romantic tension save the book, but it's about 100 pages too long. Agent: Nicole Resciniti, Seymour Agency.

October 1, 2015
Jenni Beth Beaumont leaves behind her dream job as a wedding planner in Savannah and returns to Misty Bottoms, Georgia, when she realizes just how bad things are at home. Her parents haven't recovered from the death of her brother, Wes, and now they're in danger of losing the mansion that's been her family's since before the Civil War. Jenni Beth plans to turn Magnolia House into THE place for destination weddings, but she didn't count on Cole Bryson turning up everywhere she looks. Cole, an architectural salvager, was Wes' best friend and the love of Jenni Beth's life, but he's broken her heart one too many times and she is now determined to prevent him from getting her house or her heart. A subplot involving sabotage helps to move the story forward. The first book in the Magnolia Brides series is all about small towns, community, and sweet and sexy romance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)