Wisteria Wedding: Wisteria Island, Book 3

Wisteria Island #3

by Rachel Hanna, Anne-Michael Smith (Narrator)

Danielle and Bennett are ready to say "I do"… if the island lets them!

Wisteria Island is buzzing with excitement as Danielle and Bennett prepare for their long-awaited wedding. But with quirky residents determined to "help," nothing is as simple as it seems. From a dramatic bake-off to debates over decorations, the journey to the altar is filled with laughter, mishaps, and the undeniable charm of island life.

As Danielle juggles her duties as the island nurse and her dreams of the perfect day, Bennett faces unexpected family drama that threatens to derail their plans. Together, they must navigate stormy weather—both literal and emotional—to make their dream wedding a reality.

With heartwarming moments, hilarious antics, and plenty of surprises, Wisteria Wedding is a celebration of love, community, and the beauty of second chances. Will Danielle and Bennett's big day go off without a hitch? Or will Wisteria Island steal the show?

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Audiobook

Audible Audio

Published June 30, 2025

About the author

Rachel Hanna is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of clean Southern women's fiction. She has published over 54 books and sold more than 2.5 million copies worldwide.

Her stories are set on the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia and in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Georgia. Her heroines are often starting over in midlife, and they find new friends and sometimes new love along the way. The romance is just kisses. Readers say her books feel like coming home.

New readers usually start with The Beach House, book 1 of her South Carolina Sunsets series.

Rachel lives in North Georgia with her husband of almost 30 years and two spoiled rescue dogs. When she isn't writing, she's out in the garden or hunting for blue and white pottery in an antique shop.

Reviews

[Emily]

I have enjoyed the other books in this series, but Wisteria Wedding (#3) was a real dud. It seems the author didn’t check back on what happened in her last book before writing this one, creating glaring inconsistencies. In book 2, after the hurricane, Bennett surprises Danielle with a newly built cottage since hers was unfixable (so she has never seen it before and was not involved in the building), he has made it big enough for them to live there together (and plans to live there), and he mentions adding an extra room for a child. In book 3, a contractor talks about how particular Danielle was when she was overseeing the building of the cottage - including wanting windows moved just a few inches (opposite of a surprise she had never seen), and Danielle mentions needing a bigger cottage if Bennett is to move in and if they have children (two things book 2’s Bennett specifically planned for).

Further, this book could have benefited from more outside editing to fix issues throughout like a new resident staring at “unpacked boxes” that she hadn’t yet started to unpack (??), a retired florist who has a committee to help with flowers but does no helping (all conversations and decisions about flowers happen without her), and a sentence that was essentially “for the first time since her husband’s death she felt more joy than pain” happening several times throughout the book (fine for her to continue to feel this way, but every time isn’t the first time).

All this on top of the fact that almost nothing of substance happens the entire book (it’s essentially reading about people planning a wedding and having the same empty thoughts over and over), this book just didn’t work for me.

[Starr Perry]

Danielle Wright and her handsome tech fiancé Bennett Alexander are getting married on Wisteria Island, where they both make their home. The entire island, all 100ish of their senior citizen residents, are aflutter with excitement. Island resident and flamboyant, flashy friend Morty of course is over the top with planning since he is the self declared wedding planner, retired film star Dorothy assists with the wedding planning with glamour and direction and then, there is Cecelia.

Danielle’s powerful, professional mother, Dr. Cecelia Wright, renowned NYC epidemiologist, reluctantly agrees to come to the island (to inspect it, and Bennett and those living there - are they good enough for her daughter?). Full of strong opinions and determination, Cecelia softens when she realizes the wedding is whatever Damian’s Bennett want, and Cecelia is softened by island life and the wonderful group living there, in spite of her opinions.

The eclectic, charming and hilarious community really shines in this story, but it is Danielle who has brought the community together, with her love and devotion, not just as the island nurse, but a caring, compassionate soul. Bennett is the other piece and pillar of this community - he bought the island, created community in honor of his beloved grandmother and devoted his life to others. So perfect he and Danielle found each other and are joining as a couple in this blissful book and an absolutely worthwhile read

[Terri Hermen]

Author Rachel Hanna has written another 5 star book. Number 3 in the Wisteria series.
Danielle and Bennett are just a few short weeks away from their wedding on Wisteria Island. Danielle's mom, Cecilia arrives to discuss wedding plans. Cecilia wants her daughter to have the wedding of her dreams, unlike the wedding she & Danielle's father never had.
Morty & Clara and the Wisteria Island family are busy making wedding plans for Danielle & Bennett. Will Cecilia approve ?
Wisteria Wedding is a celebration of love, family, community and the beauty of second chances.
I was lucky to receive an ARC copy of this book to read, & review, and in return I am leaving an honest review of this book.

[Katherine]

This book was about preparing for and executing the wedding between Danielle and Bennett, who met and fell in love in books 1 and 2. Unfortunately, I didn’t really care about their relationship because most of it occurred off page in the first two books. That said, I enjoyed the wedding planning, and the wedding scene was just lovely. I love the Wisteria Island setting and some of the side characters.

However…

I hate to say this, but it feels like the Wisteria Island series is Rachel Hanna’s weakest series I’ve read so far. There is a large cast of fun characters who don’t get the depth they deserve because these books are so short. Two major characters were introduced in book 2 - one never appeared in this book, and the other was mentioned only in a sentence like he was an afterthought. I think Rachel does herself a disservice of writing multiple series’ at the same time.

Regardless, I still enjoy her books because they are so wholesome and easy to read, and still recommend them.

[Emi Dogandjiev]

Rachel Hanna is one of my favorite authors, but I didn’t love this 3rd installment of Wisteria Island. The entire story focused on the planning of Danielle and Bennett’s wedding, with the final 2 chapters being their wedding/reception. I guess I was expecting more? I did appreciate the addition of a new character, Clara, and the mother/daughter dynamic between Danielle and her mom. I didn’t like her mother’s involvement in the wedding and how folks catered to her, despite how controlling and unlikable she was.

[Suzanne]

Wisteria Wedding is a great addition to the Wisteria Island series. I loved this book from the very first page and couldn’t put it down. Reconnecting with the residents of Wisteria Island and discovering Clara’s story was a delightful experience. The characters of this unique retirement island are truly captivating, and you can’t help but fall in love with them—especially Morty!

I first fell in love with Danielle and Bennett in the first book in the series when Danielle moves to Wisteria Island as the island nurse. Although she and Bennett, clashed initially, I sensed there was a deeper connection between them, and now, in the third book, they are on their way to the altar.

Danielle and Bennett’s journey to the altar is far from smooth, which only adds to its charm. They encounter quirky island residents with “helpful” intentions and unexpected family drama. Danielle’s mother arrives on the island with her mind already made up: Bennett is not the right man for her daughter, and she strongly opposes the wedding taking place here. For years, she has envisioned her daughter’s wedding, and this island does not match her dreams.

As a side story, we meet Clara, a new resident who has recently moved to Wisteria Island following the death of her beloved husband. While she is still mourning her loss, the residents warmly embrace her, helping her feel like an integral part of the community.

If you enjoy quirky characters, unexpected friendships, and mother-daughter relationships set against the backdrop of a stunning island, all woven into a beautiful love story, you’ll absolutely Love Wisteria Wedding. This story will leave you believing in happily ever after.

[Martie]

Wisteria Island just might be the most perfect place around, and the residents feel right at home with Danielle and Bennett. So much so that Morty took it upon himself to plan Danielle and Bennett's Pinterest perfect wedding. In the midst of wedding planning, Wisteria receives a new resident on the island, a widow named Clara. Danielle is tasked by Bennett to see that Clara becomes adjusted to the island. Danielle works hard to make sure she feels welcome and begins to adjust to the island after recently becoming a widow. Wisteria is the perfect series to me because it focuses on grief, heartbreak, found family, and overall the Human experience. Rachel was able to make me feel emotionally involved in Wisteria Wedding, and I would highly recommend this book.

[Barbara]

Wisteria Island became the perfect place for Danielle to start her new life, and it now provides the perfect setting for her wedding to Bennett. She fell in love with not just Bennett, but the island, her job, and the residents. Now, if they can just get past the plans several of the quirky residents have in store for them. And then there’s Danielle’s mother, who thinks the wedding should take place in New York.

A wonderful story with quirky characters, a beautiful island setting, new friends, surprises, and more! Loved this story!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Sue]

This is the third book in this series and it is a good story. I would have given it five stars but the author obviously forgot what was written in the second book concerning the rebuilt cottage for Danielle. In the second book, Bennett had Danielle's cottage rebuilt bigger and didn't let her have anything to do with that as he wanted to surprise her which he did and she was pleased. In this third book, the early chapters refer to her cottage as being built the same small size as it was before the hurricane and said that she had a say in it's design. Other than that, it is a good story ending to this series.

[Dot Morrow]

Love the book. The characters are different especially Morty. The wedding for Danielle and Bennett has the island a buzz with all wanting to help. Morty keeps them all in check with his clip board and dishes out duties. Then comes Danielles mom wanting to take the wedding to New York, but Danielle stands up to her and has the wedding on the island. Ther is a lot of things that come up nut Morty gets it straightened out and along with Dorothy (an old movie star). Need more of Danielle and Bennett.
I received a free copy of this book and leaving a review voluntarily.

[Roxanne Miles]

I LOVE Rachel Hanna's books. They are set in beautiful areas, with great characters and I always feel like I want to move to her fictitious places. I would love to retire to Wisteria Island and get to know the people in her books.

In this one, there is an upcoming wedding and it is going to be planned and held on Wisteria Island, a retirement community on a beautiful island. The descriptions are awesome and the story was great.

As I said, I want to step inside these books and live my life in Mrs. Hanna's stories.

[Karen Campbell kunte]

A romantic read

This is actually about all 3 of the books in the series. You could tell from the beginning how this was going to end. And it does have the expected happy ending. What drew me in was the premise of a community for older people on an island with the desire of making them a family. Excellent! The characters are fun. The love story was typical but I kept reading. I needed something a little different from the WWIi novels I've been reading. A nice, clean summer read.

[Joyce]

I enjoyed book three of this series and it moved along at a rapid pace it was about the upcoming wedding
Of Danielle and Bennett the founder of Wisteria Island.Danielle is the nurse on the island. All the friends
On the island helped plan and organize the special day for the couple. Danielle’s mother a socialite from
New York even draws closer to her daughter and helps with the planning for the wedding and becomes
Less formal . The book is a tale of love, surprises, community, second chances, and more.
Recommended.

[Candi Kult]

Wisteria Wedding is the 3rd book in the Wisteria Island series. Listeria Island is the place that older people go because they are looking for a place to be accepted and not pushed aside. They still have alot of life left in them and want to live on their own terms. Listeria wedding continues the romance and love story of the islands owner Bennett and nurse Danielle. They are so beloved by the islands residents that they all want to participate in the planning. Let the chaos begin.

[Marabeth King]

This has been my favorite Wisteria Island story thus far! I enjoyed reconnecting with all the characters from the previous books and getting to know Clara and her story. Her love for music added perfectly to the island. I also enjoyed watching the bond grow between Danielle and her mom. I really hope the story continues more!

[Corey]

I absolutely adored Wisteria Wedding. While I already loved the other two books in the Wisteria Island series, this was my favorite. The already established characters were their usual fun selves and the new characters were great to get to know - the perfect additions to the island. Wedding planning at its best! I cannot wait for the next book!

[Cindy Dupre]

The third book in the Wisteria series, Wisteria Wedding, is a romp.
This book has a beach-front setting, belly-laughing humor, and many quirky characters that endear themselves to the reader.
I highly recommend this book that takes one away to a happy, peaceful place.
Rachel Hanna has done it again.

[Deb F.]

Perfect Ending!

Wisteria Wedding was the perfect ending for this series.
I loved that the relationships that were in jeopardy were healed. The quirky characters had just enough sense of humor to make the wedding finale end on a beautiful note.
A delightful ending to this wonderful series!!

[Marilyn Teitelbaum]

Heartwarming

This book had me both laughing and crying happy tears. Danielle came to the island to run away from the heartbreak and embarrassment in her life. She met Bennett, and thought she would never trust a man again. I don’t want to spoil the story. I suggest that you read it and you will be happy that you did!

[Robin]

I loved this book , fun and quirky characters help plan the wedding. Danielle and Bennett are busy, and planning the wedding is taken care of by the great friends and inhabitants of the island. I really enjoyed this story...hope there is a sequel. Rachel Hanna's books never disappoint.

[Yvonne]

Fantastic read!

Such a wonderfully written continuation of love. The Island’s residents are etched in my mind, forever sharing their creativity and love as one, very large family. The series has been such a pleasure to follow. Thank you Rachel for another fantastic read. ❤️

[Linda Anderson]

Beautiful Series

I know this is fiction, but I really want to live somewhere like this. The beauty of the island , the kindness of the community—what more could anyone want? Such compassionate and sometimes quirky characters makes me smile.

[Mary Jackson _TheMaryReader]

I was expecting so much more from this book after reading the first two books. It seemed to drag on and it took the whole book to get the wedding at the very end. I used to love Hannas books but this one feel flat for me.

[mary glynn stelmack]

Such a sweet story, perfect ending and beginning for Bennett and Danielle!

a perfect wrap on the wedding! The sweeJustt character s makes me wish she would write another book ! Just another sweet story with character who feel like friends!

[Caitlin]

Ehh, I only read it because I wanted to finish the 3-book series. Happy ending, wedding, etc. Too predictable and actually boring, which I usually don't say. No new characters, no drama or crisis to resolve, other than wedding planning, which is uninteresting to me.

[Monica Benbow]

A fun continuation of a great light-hearted series!

[Jill Clark mcnenly]

Rachel has done it again. wrote a book I couldn't put down. I loved the quirky characters and story. I can't wait for the next book in this series.

[Gail]

The narrator on the audio book was awful. The story was predictable.

[Diane Mathis]

I loved it

A quick read, but so enjoyable. I’ve been waiting for this book to come out and was it disappointed. I hope everyone enjoys it as well.

[Pam Winans]

Happy event

Fun
Easy happy read to entice your imagination as to how this Island worked And how each individual contributed to the family