A June Bride

A Year of Weddings 1 #7

by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen

A year's worth of novellas from twelve inspirational romance authors. Happily ever after guaranteed.
It takes a reality TV show for Wynne to realize love isn't just a game.
Wynne Hardy never thought she'd get engaged on a reality TV show, but when she met Andy on The Rejection Connection, the two of them hit it off. Now he's asked her to marry him, much to the public's delight and fascination. They're all set to wed on live TV in a seaside ceremony at the height of the wedding season.
But just as Wynne thinks all her dreams are coming true, her ex-boyfriend walks back into her life at the worst possible time. Steve broke her heart years ago, and she's still sorting through her feelings for him. Her heart isn't as clear as her head that it's past time to move on---even though she's engaged to Andy.
At a local TV talk show appearance, Wynne meets Meredith, who won another reality TV show---Marathon Mom---proving herself nothing short of a superhero. As Wynne's beach wedding plans spin out of control, Meredith offers to help, unknowingly stepping on Wynne's secret feelings . . . and exposing some secrets Meredith has been keeping to herself. Can these two reality stars get real about their feelings? Will Wynne go through with her televised wedding and be the perfect June bride the network is looking for?

Genres: Romance, Christian Fiction, Contemporary, Novella, Audiobook, Christian, Contemporary Romance

120 pages, ebook

First published May 27, 2014

About the author

Marybeth Mayhew Whalen is the author of When We Were Worthy, The Things We Wish Were True and five previous novels. She speaks to women's groups around the US. She is the co-founder of the popular women's fiction site, She Reads www.shereads.org. Marybeth and her husband Curt have been married for 26 years and are the parents of six children. The family lives in North Carolina. Marybeth spends most of her time in the grocery store but occasionally escapes long enough to scribble some words. She is always at work on her next novel. You can find her at www.marybethwhalen.com.

Reviews

[Aerykah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finished this within a couple of hours. I can describe it in three words: not so great. It was okay, I guess, but the "hero" of the story barely even made an appearance & the relationship was based solely on backstory between the couple so I didn't get to see their relationship develop at all. And the ending was very abrupt too.
Kinda disappointing...

[Jay Kenobi · Rating 2 out of 5]

From the outset of the novella where Wynne is being interviewed on television, I was intrigued by the reality show concept which raised the possibility as to whether each character were who they appeared to be on screen or were putting on an act for the audience. Unfortunately the story really didn’t live up to the potential of its premise.

Whilst Wynne is clearly holding back and playing the ‘perfect part’ for the cameras, she remains one-dimensional as a character even during private moments of the novel. The story is told in the third person, and this combined with the fact that the nature of her thoughts were both repetitive and superficial, without really delving into her emotions adequately, makes it hard to warm to her. I found it equally difficult to invest in any of the other characters. Andy could have added spice to the story by either being wildly in love with Wynne, or being indifferent but playing his part for a brief shot at fame, but instead he’s rather lacklustre and barely features at all. Equally Callum is so briefly featured that it’s difficult to engage with him, and I found myself unable to care whether she ended up with either one of them.

Meredith, a fellow reality TV star, does add some interest by being a rather contradictory and larger-than-life character, but this really only highlights the potential that failed to be realised with the rest of the cast. The reality tv setting was ultimately far more interesting than either side of the love-triangle, which considering this is billed as a romance meant, for me, that it was rather wide of the mark.

Disclaimer: I was provided with an eARC by NetGalley but all opinions given are, as always, entirely my own

[Veronica · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wasn't that crazy about this story and that's mainly because I thought Wynne was an idiot. I can't really understand why someone would think they could fall in love for real on a reality show, but I can see how it would be flattering to have that many guys interested. She gets engaged to a man she hardly knows, not even bothering to really find out if he's a Christian and only starts to wonder if they should talk about it a few weeks before the wedding! She doesn't really think she loves Andy, yet still plans to marry him, even when she finds out something on the eve of her wedding. She seems to want to just stick her head in the sand and hope everything turns out okay. She finally prays for guidance, but does her own thing anyway. She claims to be sick of the spotlight, but worries about the wedding taking place for the show and then ends up on TV again at the end. I couldn't see what either guy saw in her. We didn't get to know either guy well enough to really root for either one. The dynamic with Meredith was interesting. I read another book by Whalen a couple weeks ago that I liked, but I'd have to say that this one wasn't worth it for me. You might like it if you like reality shows and romance.

This is only available as an e-book and an audio.

I received this e-book free from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review.

[De'Siree Fairley · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75/5
This was the shortest one, but probably the most bland so far? Callum barely has time to grow on you in this story which is frustrating. I had to push through to read this one because I was kinda bored. It had potential, but I wasn't invested at all.

[Rmsooon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ive read " june bride " ،،ugh all the drama and at last she retured to her ex ,, i gave it 1.5 out of 5 stars

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much of the story was spent on planning the wedding for Wynne and Andy with very little time (maybe a page or two) on the real romance of the book...Wynne's former fiancé Callum. From the little told to us, I gathered that Wynne was too hasty in sending Callum her engagement ring back who does that anyway? Overnights an engagement ring to call things off? because he expressed some doubts.

So far, this is my least favorite in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was asked to give my honest opinion of the book - which I have done.

[Joy Crain · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, let me start off by saying "Where's the romance?"

This was a sweet little novella but the romance part wasn't there and we barely got anywhere with the characters. Callum had very little to do with the plot except for being the good guy who dumped her for good reasons who failed to get her back.

This was kinda disappointing although appropriate for all ages.

[Kathie (katmom) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one comes out May 27, 2014

This is another in the "A Year of Weddings" series published by Zondervan - Fiction. Each of these novellas focus on a wedding and the trials and tribulations leading up to the event. These are nicely clean, but have some UST for our reading enjoyment. Kisses can be FUN! They are also inspirational, but they don't beat you over the head about it.

I really wanted to enjoy this novella, as I have the others. But there were too many questions that were unresolved in this one. And while Wynne wants the perfect wedding and to be the perfect June bride, the questions kept me from liking her. Or Andy. Or Meredith.

And Callum. Her ex. Her mother said she didn't give him enough time "to come around" after their breakup and before she leaped into the reality TV show. But later in the book it says that she waited and cried for months. So, how long was she supposed to wait? Life does go on.

My favorite part was when Wynne prayed, asking God to show her the right path. That worked for me. The rest of it...just didn't. That part is what raised this book to a THREE BOOKMARK rating for me.

I realize that not every book was written for every reader, and that must be the case here as there are many highly rated reviews. Maybe others will like it more than me.



*Thank you, Zondervan and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read A June Wedding

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/review/R20D99U9...
Review on my blog: http://christianbookshelfreviews.blog...

I didn't really care for this novella. I thought the main character was a little too trusting/naive. I didn't like the ending, either. There wasn't much to the romance and I would have enjoyed the book more had the characters spent more time together.

I liked the reality TV show aspect and thought the book was written well, but other than that there sadly wasn't much I personally liked. An okay read.


*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

[Lisa (Bookworm Lisa) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This installment of A Year of Weddings takes an interesting turn. It's not necessarily about having found the right guy and getting married for a happily ever after. This book deals with the selection process. It deals with seeking inspiration. The characters differentiate between real love or just settling for whomever is convenient. More than anything, this book looks at the emotions of marriage. The euphoria of getting engaged, the preparation for a wedding, and even with the pain of rejection.

The book focused on the main character, Wynne. Everything is from her perspective, there really isn't much interaction with her fiance, Andy. The reader knows about decisions she has made through flashbacks. It's through her thought process that the book unfolds. The turmoil is mostly her emotions. She is unsure if she is jumping into a situation, marriage, that she is not prepared to face. Does she love her fiancee, or are her feelings unresolved for her ex-fiancee?

The book didn't turn out quite like I expected it to. It is a clean romance that has a strong Christian theme.

[Tiffany · Rating 1 out of 5]

I take back my last review. THIS is the worst book in the series.

[Alysia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute Novella based on a match-making reality TV show....only the results weren't what was meant to be. I did have a hard time with the fact that Wynne was willing to marry Andy even though she felt in her heart that it wasn't right...

[Iola · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wynne Hardy sent in a tearful application for reality TV show The Rejection Connection after being dumped by her fiancé, Callum Royce, her high school sweetheart. She does the show, accepts a marriage proposal from the handsome and caring Andy Green, but finds herself lost in wedding plans that seem to have been taken over by the TV network. And she wants closure with Callum before marrying Andy, to confirm she’s made the right choice.

This novella is written entirely in the first person, from Wynne's point of view, and that is both a strength and a weakness. It’s a weakness in that we never know exactly what Andy or Callum are thinking, so we don’t get to understand their feelings or their motives, and I’m was never sure which man was the ‘right’ choice (one of the issues with this kind of plot, and one reason many readers—and authors—prefer not to use the ‘other man’ plot). But that’s also the strength: if we knew what the men were thinking, it might telegraph the ending.

This novella is part of the A Year of Weddings series, featuring stories from a range of contemporary authors such as Denise Hunter, Rachel Hauck and Deborah Raney (not surprisingly, the plan is for a series of twelve books). Each novella appears to be a standalone story, although they do also link to other books by the author, either in terms of characters or location. In A June Bride, it was the location, which has featured in several of Whalan’s novels (I’ve read several, and enjoyed all of them more than I enjoyed this novella). The writing is good, but I didn’t find the male characters convincing, and I’m not sure Wynne made the right choice.

Thanks to Zondervan and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't even know how I feel about A JUNE BRIDE. Wow. Totally mixed emotions. I couldn't believe she would actually go on a reality show after being rejected and airing all that garbage, and then picking some guy on the rebound who is obviously... not what he pretended to be, and to allow some power-hungry woman control in her life... and there is so much unsaid. She saw Callum twice in the story. And it ends unresolved. No happy ever after ending. Which leaves a big gaping hole in this romance-lovers life. And I can't believe Callum actually intruded in her life when she was moving on. That was low....

Sigh of disappointment. I loved A December Bride. The A Year of Weddings series has gone down since then. But despite that, I'm not ready to throw in the towel.
I will request A July Bride if it is offered to me for review (by Booklook) after they see this review.

This is my opinion only.

[Rita · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was just an okay read. The main character seemed too wishy-washy to me. There wasn't much depth to the story, which I guess is understandable, but that made me like it less.

[Niyati Em · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was SO SHORT, I honestly wondered WHY the author wrote it. It was SO BAD and so incomplete, half-baked, and undone that it seemed really pointless. There's no backstory on any of the characters, there is not much logical thinking, there is barely any talk between Wynne and her reel life fiance, Andy. I mean, really.


So, Wynne catches Meredith cozying up to Andy, and then she confronts Meredith, but Andy is let off the hook? Not once does she ask him anything? When they do talk, it's about fixing a PR mess, and he's still the sweet old guy who stood out in the reality show. I mean WHATT? Seriously, is that how people behave? I mean if I saw my fiance cozying up to someone, I would confront HIM first rather than the person.



And what is WITH all of these books that just don't give closure to people when they break up. It is SO SO SO UNREALISTIC that you have people still hung on over their exes. THIS! THIS is what puts up unrealistic expectations from a relationship. Ultimately, you have to know that things don't always work out. People have different frequencies. And can we just STOP romanticizing people who don't move on from their relationships? That's why I loved that movie with Julia Roberts, my Best Friend's Wedding, where she is in love with her best friend but he is going to be married to someone else. And guess what, her friend DOESN'T break up his wedding because Julia Roberts loves him. That is realistic. This sort of twisted romantic mess is what gives the genre a bad name.

I think I have HATED a majority of books in this series. Because they were selfish, unrealistic, and all had central characters who were infuriating, in a terrible way.

Literally, if this is the stuff trad publishers put out, no wonder people prefer indie. I mean I've read better stories from a newbie author. I'm sorry this comes out to be too scathing, but the story was really irritating. It could have been much better. But it was cliche and undercooked.

I regret choosing this book from NetGalley, but thank you for giving me a free copy.

[January · Rating 4 out of 5]

A June Bride by Marybeth Whalen 120 ebook pages aka Marybeth Mayhew Whalen
A Year of Weddings 1 #7 according to series and publication date Incorrectly #6 on Goodreads
Not listed as part of the Sunset Beach series but is set there.

Genre: Contemporary Christian Romance, Novella, Christian Fiction, Clean Romance, Christian Living

Featuring: Sunset Beach, South Carolina; Small Towns, Reality Television, Cold Feet, Second Chance Trope, Discussion Questions, Next Book Preview

Rating as a movie: PG for adult themes

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My thoughts: 70% - After so many dark stories, this is refreshing. I think it's because it's a novella, but some of the details are left out, and the story is a bit rushed. I'm going to add this author to my list. I think her novels may have those details, and I like her vibe.

I really enjoyed this story, but it wasn't amazing. I couldn't give it 5 stars because the main character was way too nice, and there were so many things that were left unsaid as they were happening. This book was like 3 chapters; I like to be shown instead of told, even if it is a short book. If the rats had been called out, I would have felt differently, but of course, she only worked on her own problems.

Recommend to others?: Yes. This was nice. I got 3 books to add to my list from the Sunset Beach series, where this novella takes place.

[Grace Tolman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this book 3.5
This was a cute read. A nod to the trend of reality show. There are definitely some connection to popular reality shows and stars. I think that the author did a good job putting a spin on what life can be like when regular people become 'reality stars' and how they navigate 'real life' when cameras and the public are always in their business.
Wynne felt rejected when her fiance announced his fears about marriage. She was so hurt that with the help of her bff, created a video that landed her in a reality show where rejected individuals find a new partner so to speak. She found one and with the help of the show, was planning her wedding with the guy she chose in the show. But then she starts having her own concerns about the marriage, who she was marrying and the fact that she still felt a strong pull towards her ex. The drama escalates when another reality show star, a super mom, tried to help with the wedding in hopes of getting back into the limelight.
I gave this book a 3.5 because I thought that the ending was a bit abrupt. I wished there were more between the final chapter and the epilogue. Plus it seemed like this was the only book I have read in this series that did not show an actual wedding taking place.

[Ana Lopez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a new to me author and I have to say that I didn't really love it.
The storyline of Wynne being on a matchmaking reality tv show was very interesting but I would have liked to read more about what actually went on in the competition instead of just getting the end. I would have liked to know more about Wynne's character and personality as well as know more about why she chose Andy. But instead the storyline is all about how much Wynne doubts her future marriage to Andy specially after her ex Callum comes back into her life.
I did not like Wynne's relationship with Callum at all, I couldn't really feel their chemistry and it just felt kind of forced and predictable. I would have preferred to see her relationship with Andy work out but then again it was not hard to figure out what was going to happen in the story.
I will read more of this authors' books in the future and I hope that I will enjoy them more.

[Anima · Rating 3 out of 5]

We all know reality dating shows are just for ratings and the weddings are usually a sham. But nobody told Wynne, a few days before her wedding she noticed signs of a marriage in trouble before it began. This story isn’t like an average romance, it almost lacks any romance at all. Wynne is second guessing her choices while putting on a happy face and going about the wedding plans. It was a simple story, predictable, yet I never could feel anything for the characters. The groom, Andy, is practically non existent. The new friend magically inserts herself at just the right time and she ignores her gut on the topic of religion. I received a copy many years ago, forgot about it, and here we are. It was ok but lacked feeling.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read the rest of this series and they are all cheesy and unrealistic, but this one was just silly. A woman who is dumped by her fiancé is signed up for a tv show to find a new man. She picks a man and he proposes and then the whole fiasco is televised. It was just one ridiculous thing after another with this. Then out of nowhere her ex fiancé comes into the picture. She talks about God yet she ignores reason and faith. You can guess the outcome and this book has no right to be called June Bride because while she was technically having a June wedding, she isn’t a June bride…

[Karen Antonaitis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to this while waiting for another audio from Libby to be ready soon. It was about a relationship from a reality tv show that reminded me a little of the Bachelorette. It had a decent theme but the main character was very disappointing. None of the characters had any substance nor did you like any of them except in the end maybe Callum. And it was titled a June Bride but there really wasn't a June Bride so I kind of thought the story was misleading. The ending was kind of abrupt.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was definitely not the kind of story I was expecting. I liked how the author took us 'behind the scenes' on what might go on in 'reality tv' shows, and considered what the repercussions of such 'insta-fame' might be.
I really appreciated Wynne's determination to honour the commitments she had made to Andy and to God. Her faith was important to her, and despite her imperfections, really shone through to me.

[TheModestMillennial · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good story, but seemed to lack depth. I didn't like how little you know about Callum and Andy. Wynne seemed to have pretty strong convictions and saw a lot that needed to be addressed, but failed to act early on. I didn't feel any sort of connection to the story that would make a lasting impression. On the positive side, the writing was well executed and the dialogues were very fluid and natural.

[C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A June Bride by Marybeth Whalen narrated by Julie Lyles Carr
5 stars
Feb 28
This was a very different premise, but of course I loved the ending! Instead of focusing on on the perfect wedding, this fiancé should have trusted God and focused on her groom! I loved the narrator and had no trouble deciding who was speaking when the author didn’t label the conversations!

[Sherri · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very short and short back story. Wynne is rejected in a real life proposal that goes viral. This lands her on a reality TV show. Her pick, Andy, and she are planning their on-air wedding. When her real-life ex shows up again questions happen. Who will she pick and stay with? Does Wynne have a back bone or is it all about the TV wedding process instead of the marriage afterward.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed with this one. It was way too short and I felt like a lot was missing from the story. One of the reasons I like these books is for the weddings and this didn't even happen in this story so I was a bit let down.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was cute!
It had to with a story similar to Bachelorette! Wynn was heartbroken and let a friend talk her into going on the show. Maybe Whnn would have been better if she had remained single for awhile. She learns a lot throughout this book.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really could not get into this one. The Characters were not developed well enough to have any interest in them. I really did not like the storyline either. Just Ok for me.

[Kathryn Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

short and sweet love story. clean audio book. Not enough moments with the man she was in love with.