Friday, May 25, 2018

Review: One and Only (Bridesmaids Behaving Badly #1) by Jenny Holiday

One and Only by Jenny Holiday

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One and Only by Jenny Holiday

One and Only brings together two lonely hearts, one misunderstood former soldier and a staid, responsible writer as they navigate bridezilla wedding preparations while learning about each other and falling in love.

When I first started this story, I didn't like it very much for the first 5% or so. I didn't like some of the things being said about Cameron and I didn't like the way Cameron and Jane met. I particularly did not like what Cameron thought when he first met Jane and his attitude towards her. But that's the thing with Cameron. He's all bluster and bravado. And he's got a terrible reputation leftover from his youth. It made me angry the way people treated him and misunderstood him, and because Cameron didn't think very highly of himself, he didn't put any effort into defending himself. It made me want to yell at the people in the book for mistreating him and being so unfair towards him. Cameron is working towards improving himself and his life, and perhaps his reputation but being discharged from the military, suffering PTSD, and not having any future prospects doesn't make things look good for him. Getting to know Cameron was a revelation. Underneath his bad boy persona, he's an upstanding and honorable man. Willing to take responsibility even when the mistake is not his, defending the weak, and standing up for those being bullied. He's protective, caring, tender, and considerate. But still a bit of a daredevil with a twinkle in his eye ready for mischief. I grew to love Cameron. He made me want to defend him and fight for him.

At first glance, Jane is the boring, responsible one, that is until you get to know her. Then you find out she's strong, courageous, and caring. She believes in second chances and not making snap judgments. Jane needs to let loose and live a little, not be the timid, quiet one who stays out of trouble and Cameron is able to do that for her. He gives her a safe space to stretch her wings and soar, to shine as bright as she was meant to before hurt and rejection made her hide away. I'm glad when Jane finally decided to take a chance. That took guts on her part.

I loved the relationship and interaction between Jane and Cameron that developed. I didn't enjoy the whole bridezilla thing although the bonds between Jane and her three friends were solid and beautiful. I cringed a lot when Elise, the bride-to-be went into bridezilla mode and how everyone allowed her to be a little crazy about the wedding. Fortunately, Elisa was a likable bridezilla and came through swimmingly at the end when things got down to the crunch.

Even though I didn't like the way this story started, it finished strong. I enjoyed Ms Holiday's writing and I think I will read her other books in the series when they come out. I just hope there aren't too many more crazy bridezillas in the future books.

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About the author

Jenny Holiday

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4 comments:

  1. I do like the sound of this one :)

    Have Fun

    Helen

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This was a lot of fun but also a lot deeper than I expected.

      Delete
  2. That sounds like a book that I might like and I like that cover. Thanks for the great review.

    ReplyDelete