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Once Upon a Wedding

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Mom, Dad, I'm getting married.

What do you do when your daughter tells you the big news? If you're Camille Delonga, you fight the urge to go lie down for a year or so ... and then you do what any self-respecting mother of the bride would -- you march right out and buy a sky-high stack of bridal magazines.

Once upon a Wedding In award-winning author Kathleen Eagle's astonishing and warm new novel, we see just what happens to Camille, her family, and her friends when her beautiful and young daughter, Jordan, speaks those unforgettable words. After all, weddings are a time of unbelievable joy, a few tender tears -- and sometimes one huge headache.

So Camille ignores the thought that her baby is simply too young to take such a big step and throws herself into action. There are flower arrangements to be chosen, favors to be lovingly created by her own two hands ... and lives to be put in order. And one of those disorganized lives belongs to her irrepressible, irresponsible, and somehow still irresistibleex-husband.

When they were younger -- as young as Jordan is now -- Camille loved Creed Burke with all her heart and soul. This passionate Lakota swept her off her feet and right to the justice of the peace. Their wedding had been hurried, private ... nothing like the extravaganza their daughter is now planning.

Creed is a musician who never seems to stay in one place long enough. Yet his wanderlust has never quite quenched his and Camille's passion for each other or his love for their daughter. But it did unravel their marriage.

Now after years of cordial and casual, Camille finds that Creed is invading every aspect of her life. When she comes down for breakfast, he's sitting at the table helping himself to coffee. And when she goes out on the town with her girlfriends, he's sure to show up and ask her for a long, slow dance. Slowly but surely, Creed is weaving himself back into the fabric of her life. And their daughter's upcoming wedding brings back so many tender, tempting, and confusing memories of their own fiery union.

Her two best girlfriends aren't much help. "Maybe it'll all work out," says gentle Ellie, a not-so-closet romantic who is clearly hoping for a reconciliation. "Don't trust him!" warns Bridget. But can you really trust someone whose husband has just stormed out of the house? As for Camille's own mother, Rosie, who is facing a serious illness and still has an expectant gleam in her eye and a soft spot in her heart for her ex-son-in-law, she declares Life's too short to pass up another shot at happiness.

So when the big day arrives Camille realizes there is only one answer: follow her heart. But where will it take her?

Kathleen Eagle has written an extraordinary story, filled with the complexity of female friendships, the tempestousness of the mother-daughter relationship, and the power of everlasting love. Anyone who has ever been a mother, daughter, friend, or lover will never forget Once upon a Wedding.

304 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2002

35 people are currently reading
79 people want to read

About the author

Kathleen Eagle

117 books165 followers
Kathleen Eagle published her first book, a Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award winner, with Silhouette Books in 1984. Since then she has published more than 40 books, including historical and contemporary, series and single title, earning her nearly every award in the industry. Her books have consistently appeared on regional and national bestseller lists, including the USA Today list and the New York Times extended bestseller list.

Born in Virginia and raised "on the road" as an Air Force brat, Ms Eagle earned degrees from Mount Holyoke College and Northern State University. She taught at Standing Rock High School in North Dakota for 17 years.

Eagle's work is often singled out by book reviewers for its exceptional quality and appeal. THE NIGHT REMEMBERS was a Chicago Tribune Notable Book. SUNRISE SONG, THE NIGHT REMEMBERS, THE LAST TRUE COWBOY, and WHAT THE HEART KNOWS made the Library Journal "Five Best Romances of the Year" list. BookPage listed WHAT THE HEART KNOWS among its "Top Six Romance Picks" for 1999. THE LAST GOOD MAN was a finalist for the 2000 Minnesota Book Award for Popular Fiction--the only Romance so honored thus far. YOU NEVER CAN TELL was named to RWA's "Top Ten Favorite Books of the Year" list. She is an RWA RITA award winner.

Kathleen Eagle lives in Minnesota with her husband, who is Lakota Sioux. The Eagles have three children and three grandchildren.

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5 stars
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4 stars
54 (31%)
3 stars
57 (33%)
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8 (4%)
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
920 reviews6 followers
September 23, 2019
Really good

I didn't like it at first, but give it a chance. I' supposed to be making dinner, but instead I am finishing this book. Dinner can wait
281 reviews
February 5, 2023
When I started to read this book I almost didn’t continue it.
I am glad I went on to finish.
I really enjoyed it & it touched many places in my ❤️.
Profile Image for Debra.
396 reviews
June 9, 2020
Kathleen Eagle never fails to deliver. A sweet story bringing together many of the events from the lives of people I know. Some of those weddings were happily ever after and some of them weren’t. Some of them we’ll have to wait and see. Jordie and James haven’t seen each other for a number of years. They are brought together at James’s sister’s wedding. Things click and now there is another wedding to plan.
Profile Image for Tammy Adams.
1,358 reviews15 followers
February 14, 2018
Well, I did finish this book, so that's something. It contained the most awkward writing style. Made it hard to read.
20 reviews
September 22, 2019
What a wedding

Kathleen was at her best in this delightful book. Keep it up for all the Minnesotans. Your descriptions were like we were there.
Profile Image for Helen.
Author 7 books275 followers
December 25, 2015
Sweet with engaging characters, but not exactly a romance. True, there is some romance between Camille and Creed, the divorced parents of the bride, but that's not the main focus here. I'm not a big reader of women's fiction, but I think this book fits into that category. It's a story about relationships, mostly among women, featuring a 3-generation grandma, mother, daughter center stage as well as three women who are long-time friends. If you've ever been through a wedding, you'll identify with elements in this book.
Profile Image for Marie French.
318 reviews
October 29, 2015
Cute book, all centered around a wedding, of course. I maintain this was written by a woman who had spent her childhood dreaming of the perfect wedding, and then finally got to write about it. It certainly sounded lovely. A nice plot intrigue with Creed, and tug at the heart with Rosemary.

This book was recommended by Delores.
Profile Image for Mia Fisher.
Author 17 books9 followers
June 13, 2012
Another cute Kathleen Eagle storyline - you can tell she was getting ready for her own daughter's wedding while she was writing!!
Profile Image for Bender.
467 reviews
September 14, 2015
Minus molestiae ut quidem. Sint occaecati beatae similique fugiat. Voluptates laboriosam enim est eius et. Debitis vitae quia autem qui voluptates.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews

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