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The Bridesmaid Chronicles #3
First Dance
In this final installment of the Bridesmaid Chronicles trilogy, the bride's best friend, Manhattan divorce attorney Vivien Shelton, arrives in Texas with the perfect gift for the couple: an iron-clad pre-nup. Soon, sparks are flying between Vivien and the groom's lawyer. Original.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 2, 2005
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125 people want to read
About the author
Karen Kendall
44 books36 followersKaren Kendall is the author of many disasters and nine romantic comedies. She grew up in Austin, Texas, and credits her early interest in writing to several teachers and her mother, a professor of comparative literature.
A graduate of Smith College, Karen studied the mysteries of modern and contemporary art before enrolling in a masters program in Museum Education, with the aim of teaching children about art. She worked for several museums and galleries before following her lifelong dream and completing a novel.
Karen is still a big fan of children's art, but she now writes full time and lives in Florida with her husband, Don, and attack-cat Boo, who turns up her nose at chicken and fish but adores asparagus and mint-chocolate-chip ice cream.
A graduate of Smith College, Karen studied the mysteries of modern and contemporary art before enrolling in a masters program in Museum Education, with the aim of teaching children about art. She worked for several museums and galleries before following her lifelong dream and completing a novel.
Karen is still a big fan of children's art, but she now writes full time and lives in Florida with her husband, Don, and attack-cat Boo, who turns up her nose at chicken and fish but adores asparagus and mint-chocolate-chip ice cream.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 14, 2012
Karen Kendall has done it again! Another smart, sexy, savvy book in The Bridesmaid Chronicles, FIRST DANCE revolves around the third bridesmaid in the upcoming wedding of Julia Spinelli and Roman Sonntag.
In this installment, Manhattan divorce attorney Vivien Shelton is already amazed that she's a bridesmaid in a wedding. The irony doesn't escape her. What she can't figure out is why she's having such a hard time convincing the bride, Julia, to sign a pre-nuptial agreement before the wedding. After all, Vivien knows that love rarely lasts. She sees everyday the way former couples can destroy each other, and she doesn't want to see the same thing happen to her friend. And besides, Roman gave Julia a cubic zirconia ring, for goodness sake! An ironclad pre-nup sounds like the best wedding present she could ever give her best friend. So she's off to Fredericksburg , Texas , to make sure her friend doesn't bite off more than she can chew.
For J.B. Anglin, the best man, protecting his best friend Roman's best interests is the most important thing. Being the Sonntag family lawyer has its responsibilities, and making sure Roman isn't sucked into an unfair pre-nuptial agreement is at the top of his list. Imagine his surprise when he discovers that the lawyer pushing for the agreement is none other than hot-shot divorce attorney Vivien, a woman known for her cynical views on love and marriage-and also the woman he had a sizzling one-night-stand with three years ago after a battle in court. Their relationship hadn't worked out back then, with J.B. in Texas and Vivien in Manhattan , and he's still stung over the way things ended. Now, when they're battling over the interests of their two best friends, seems like the perfect time to have it out, once and for all.
I loved FIRST DANCE. Wonderful characters, unforgettable dialogue, and plenty of laugh-out-loud scenes make this a perfect addition to The Bridesmaid Chronicles. The way Vivien and J.B. fight and love is reminiscent of numerous couples I know, and kept me in stitches. This book is a great way to spend a relaxing evening, laughing at the antics of two people who just can't figure out that if they'd ever stop arguing, they'd find a love worth fighting for.
In this installment, Manhattan divorce attorney Vivien Shelton is already amazed that she's a bridesmaid in a wedding. The irony doesn't escape her. What she can't figure out is why she's having such a hard time convincing the bride, Julia, to sign a pre-nuptial agreement before the wedding. After all, Vivien knows that love rarely lasts. She sees everyday the way former couples can destroy each other, and she doesn't want to see the same thing happen to her friend. And besides, Roman gave Julia a cubic zirconia ring, for goodness sake! An ironclad pre-nup sounds like the best wedding present she could ever give her best friend. So she's off to Fredericksburg , Texas , to make sure her friend doesn't bite off more than she can chew.
For J.B. Anglin, the best man, protecting his best friend Roman's best interests is the most important thing. Being the Sonntag family lawyer has its responsibilities, and making sure Roman isn't sucked into an unfair pre-nuptial agreement is at the top of his list. Imagine his surprise when he discovers that the lawyer pushing for the agreement is none other than hot-shot divorce attorney Vivien, a woman known for her cynical views on love and marriage-and also the woman he had a sizzling one-night-stand with three years ago after a battle in court. Their relationship hadn't worked out back then, with J.B. in Texas and Vivien in Manhattan , and he's still stung over the way things ended. Now, when they're battling over the interests of their two best friends, seems like the perfect time to have it out, once and for all.
I loved FIRST DANCE. Wonderful characters, unforgettable dialogue, and plenty of laugh-out-loud scenes make this a perfect addition to The Bridesmaid Chronicles. The way Vivien and J.B. fight and love is reminiscent of numerous couples I know, and kept me in stitches. This book is a great way to spend a relaxing evening, laughing at the antics of two people who just can't figure out that if they'd ever stop arguing, they'd find a love worth fighting for.
July 28, 2011
I was happy to see that Karen Kendall wrote this third book in the series. After the disaster of the second book, I needed a good one to keep me going. I did get it here. We’re back in Texas, thank goodness, where wedding preparations are still going on when the bride’s best friend, Vivien, a Manhattan divorce attorney, makes it to Fredericksburg to help out. I really liked Vivien. She’s, of course, very independent and intelligent and has a soft spot for Greyhounds, saving abused ones every chance she gets.
She has reservations about being in Texas again since that’s where JB Anglin, the groom’s best friend and attorney, lives and practices. The last time she saw JB, she’d just booted him out of their hotel room where they’d had the most incredible sex. Obviously Vivien has commitment issues. And JB now has issues with Vivien. They try to put those issues aside, though, for the sake of the happy wedding couple, but things don’t go as planned. They’re constantly thrown together by the bride asking them to do errands for her, but it’s JB who’s out for revenge, waiting for his turn to kick Vivien of his bed.
When the time comes, however, he’s not able to do it. And Vivien does her best to stay the night, but arguments commence, feelings are hurt, and things go downhill fast. Imagine the make-up sex, though. I really liked this couple. Though they had issues, they still had some fun together, tried to keep the humor upfront, and do a fairly good job until they realized their true feelings one another. That was another hurdle to get over, but they did it admirably. We still get a lot of interaction with the bride and groom and Sydney and Alex from the first book. Thank goodness Kiki is still in New York.
I liked being back with a Texas cowboy who wants to share his way of life with the heroine, who sincerely tries to work through her problems to be with him, especially when he agrees to help out with the Greyhound work that is so close to her heart. Even when these two were at odds, they thought about the other and what they could do for them. Definitely a couple worth reading.
See my complete review at http://www.goodbadandunread.com
She has reservations about being in Texas again since that’s where JB Anglin, the groom’s best friend and attorney, lives and practices. The last time she saw JB, she’d just booted him out of their hotel room where they’d had the most incredible sex. Obviously Vivien has commitment issues. And JB now has issues with Vivien. They try to put those issues aside, though, for the sake of the happy wedding couple, but things don’t go as planned. They’re constantly thrown together by the bride asking them to do errands for her, but it’s JB who’s out for revenge, waiting for his turn to kick Vivien of his bed.
When the time comes, however, he’s not able to do it. And Vivien does her best to stay the night, but arguments commence, feelings are hurt, and things go downhill fast. Imagine the make-up sex, though. I really liked this couple. Though they had issues, they still had some fun together, tried to keep the humor upfront, and do a fairly good job until they realized their true feelings one another. That was another hurdle to get over, but they did it admirably. We still get a lot of interaction with the bride and groom and Sydney and Alex from the first book. Thank goodness Kiki is still in New York.
I liked being back with a Texas cowboy who wants to share his way of life with the heroine, who sincerely tries to work through her problems to be with him, especially when he agrees to help out with the Greyhound work that is so close to her heart. Even when these two were at odds, they thought about the other and what they could do for them. Definitely a couple worth reading.
See my complete review at http://www.goodbadandunread.com
June 10, 2015
Books by Karen Kendall almost always are entertaining and the characters endearing. This is the case in this book, the 3rd book in the Bridesmaid Chronicles Series. The first book in the series is written by Karen Kendall as well. The second and forth are written by Kylie Adams and Julie Kenner respectively. I've only read Books 1 and 3 at this point. Since the books are authored by three different writers I decided to read them out of order.
Anyway, the heroine in this story is a tough as nails divorce attorney who doesn't let anyone get in her way in her pursuit of a positive result in a divorce suit or to be recognized as one of the top lawyers in NYC. She's not exactly impressed by men partially through her own life experiences with her parents. She is the best friend of Julia Spinelli whose wedding she has to agreed to be a bridesmaid. There are many ironies throughout the story dealing with her "man allergy" and how she evolves as new life lessons show her that all men are not created equal. Some men are actually good and worthy of trust and her esteem.
I'm surprised that Karen Kendall books seem to have lower ratings than what they deserve. Her writing is right up there with Jennifer Crusie, Susan Anderson, Elizabeth Bevarly and other writers of romantic stories laced with humor.
Anyway, the heroine in this story is a tough as nails divorce attorney who doesn't let anyone get in her way in her pursuit of a positive result in a divorce suit or to be recognized as one of the top lawyers in NYC. She's not exactly impressed by men partially through her own life experiences with her parents. She is the best friend of Julia Spinelli whose wedding she has to agreed to be a bridesmaid. There are many ironies throughout the story dealing with her "man allergy" and how she evolves as new life lessons show her that all men are not created equal. Some men are actually good and worthy of trust and her esteem.
I'm surprised that Karen Kendall books seem to have lower ratings than what they deserve. Her writing is right up there with Jennifer Crusie, Susan Anderson, Elizabeth Bevarly and other writers of romantic stories laced with humor.
December 7, 2013
Hmmm… I wonder if this is a common trope with this author - ball-buster heroine gets publicly humiliated by H right at the beginning, they spend the next 80% of the book getting closer, only for him to do/say something that reminds her why she's a ball-buster to begin with, followed by an apology.
Since the main reason I picked this series up is because Julie Kenner wrote the last book…
In any case, the trope is pretty much the plot. The H/h met 3 years previous when they represented opposing clients in a divorce trial. They made whoopee, she kicked him out, and he's still somewhat miffed about it. So…on that note, he publicly humiliates her after she gets choked, then they spend the next…week…somewhere between arguing and well, that, before she finally opens up, and inadvertently says something to tick him off, so he kicks her out.
I'm not sure…am I supposed to feel sorry for these heroines? Because you know, you're your own person and just because you had lousy parents is no reason to be an ice cube or asshole either for that matter. As for the public humiliation bit, not sure I could get past that.
Since the main reason I picked this series up is because Julie Kenner wrote the last book…
In any case, the trope is pretty much the plot. The H/h met 3 years previous when they represented opposing clients in a divorce trial. They made whoopee, she kicked him out, and he's still somewhat miffed about it. So…on that note, he publicly humiliates her after she gets choked, then they spend the next…week…somewhere between arguing and well, that, before she finally opens up, and inadvertently says something to tick him off, so he kicks her out.
I'm not sure…am I supposed to feel sorry for these heroines? Because you know, you're your own person and just because you had lousy parents is no reason to be an ice cube or asshole either for that matter. As for the public humiliation bit, not sure I could get past that.
October 30, 2014
Revenge has never been so hot.
J.B. thought he was done thinking about the cool divorce lawyer who had used him and then kicked him to the curb after one great night, until she comes rolling into town to talk to his friend's, and client's, new fiance.
Vivian just knew she had to help Julia out and talk her into a pre-nup, but she had hoped that she wouldn't run into J.B.. Three years ago their paths had crossed and it had evoked such emotion and feeling in her that she had kicked him out of her hotel room after one glorious night.
Now she's on his turf and he wants his revenge...or will he get something better instead?
This is perhaps my favorite of the Bridesmaid Chronicle books. I loved J.B. and Vivian was interesting too.
J.B. thought he was done thinking about the cool divorce lawyer who had used him and then kicked him to the curb after one great night, until she comes rolling into town to talk to his friend's, and client's, new fiance.
Vivian just knew she had to help Julia out and talk her into a pre-nup, but she had hoped that she wouldn't run into J.B.. Three years ago their paths had crossed and it had evoked such emotion and feeling in her that she had kicked him out of her hotel room after one glorious night.
Now she's on his turf and he wants his revenge...or will he get something better instead?
This is perhaps my favorite of the Bridesmaid Chronicle books. I loved J.B. and Vivian was interesting too.
May 17, 2012
Short and light romance.
The beginning was extremely good, allowing the reader to get into Vivien's day to day life as a highly successful divorce attorney. I also liked her arrival into Fredericksburg Texas and smiled / laughed during her first encounter with her friend's future groom and his best friend, JB, whom she met a few years ago and threw out of her hotel room, after sex, buck naked.
Unfortunately I did not find the remainder of their story so appealing, nor so funny. It sometimes even seemed a bit too long.
The short extract at the end of the book supposed to tease the reader into buying the next one managed to convince me I would not enjoy it and will avoid it at all costs.
The beginning was extremely good, allowing the reader to get into Vivien's day to day life as a highly successful divorce attorney. I also liked her arrival into Fredericksburg Texas and smiled / laughed during her first encounter with her friend's future groom and his best friend, JB, whom she met a few years ago and threw out of her hotel room, after sex, buck naked.
Unfortunately I did not find the remainder of their story so appealing, nor so funny. It sometimes even seemed a bit too long.
The short extract at the end of the book supposed to tease the reader into buying the next one managed to convince me I would not enjoy it and will avoid it at all costs.
December 23, 2012
Significantly better than the second book, that's for sure!
I loved how Viv was smart, hard-working, and sassy! She's a heroine that a lot of women can resonate with and empathize with. The hero was also lovely, although I felt his feelings for her were underdeveloped. I couldn't give this book the full 5 stars because I felt that a lot of the problems between the townspeople, secondary characters, etc. were not fully resolved - for instance, Viv and her mother, the H's ex-wife, Uncle Ted's emus getting out, etc.
Breakdown:
OVERALL: 4//5
PLOT: 3/5
ROMANCE: 4/5
DIALOGUE: 4.5/5
I loved how Viv was smart, hard-working, and sassy! She's a heroine that a lot of women can resonate with and empathize with. The hero was also lovely, although I felt his feelings for her were underdeveloped. I couldn't give this book the full 5 stars because I felt that a lot of the problems between the townspeople, secondary characters, etc. were not fully resolved - for instance, Viv and her mother, the H's ex-wife, Uncle Ted's emus getting out, etc.
Breakdown:
OVERALL: 4//5
PLOT: 3/5
ROMANCE: 4/5
DIALOGUE: 4.5/5
December 1, 2013
page 125 :
"It reminded us that life and family and friends are precious gifts, and shouldn't be squandered or taken lightly. My parents we all were so lucky to have had the happiness we did. I see people all the time, focused on small negatives in their lives. They completely forget to be thankful for what they have. They just want more."
Want to read
February 3, 2010Okay for some reason First Date and First Dance are sharing space here on good read, perhaps because they are both of The Bridesmaid Chronicles so both reviews will be here.
First Date:
First Dance:
First Date:
First Dance:
March 17, 2008
A light-hearted book! Although it conveys the same message like most chic-lits, the way Karen describes it is very enchanting. I couldn't stop reading the book after the first 10 pages.
June 12, 2015
This was the best of the 4 books in the series but that isn't saying much.
July 7, 2014
fantastic :D
July 11, 2015
If your looking for a quick read, with some romance, this is a perfect read for you!
March 4, 2008
What a fun, quick, light-hearted read!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews