4.5 ⭐️
What a wonderful and funny romance with many charming characters (including the two adorable Alpacas Alli and Elli), and as always, Cheyenne Blue wrapped everything up in a joyful and entertaining story. Sophie is bedridden due to an accident she didn't cause and can't do the biggest job of her event company herself. I mean, what could possibly go wrong when lesbian Sophie persuades her supposedly straight twin sister Allie to coordinate the Gay Bells Wedding Festival in Quandong in the Byron Bay backcountry for her? Allie, who recently lost her accountant job, has no idea about event organization, and the last time she checked she was still straight, but she'd do anything for her sister.
Tarryn can't get on board with all the wedding hoopla her beloved Quandong has fallen for. She would love to just create her metal artwork and take care of her alpacas. But her aunt Phyll has ordered her to work as Allie's assistant - the only advantage of that is that at least she's getting paid for her agony of soul.
I love Cheyenne Blue's wonderfully colorful and entertaining stories, mostly set in rural towns in Australia. POV is alternately of Tarryn and Allie. Both are endearing and despite opposing views, they fit together better than they themselves think. But despite all the fun, the story also touches on more serious issues, such as the difficulties for a business owner of not being able to work for a long time after an accident. Or Allie's remorse for pretending to be someone she is not to the festival organizers, and more.
Diversity is written large and so we meet a motley crew of people of all kinds, skin color, and sexual identity. With the fact that the romantic, fake-gay (or not so fake?) Allie meets the wedding hater Tarryn, good entertainment, funny situations, and spicy scenes are pre-programmed - and who knows what a fake wedding kiss, which of course you have to practice, can have for effects. But of course, not everything goes as smoothly as they want to.
Recommended, a story that made me smile a lot.
ARC received from Ylva Publishing through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.