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How To Catch a Princess #1
The Five-Minute Bride
The Five-Minute Bride by Leanne Banks released on Jan 24, 1997 is available now for purchase.
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 24, 1997
9 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
Leanne Banks
520 books289 followersLeanne Banks was born on 14 May 1959 in Roanoke, Virginia, USA. She holds a Bachelors degree in Psychology, which she claims she can only use on fictional characters. When her first book was published in 1991, she used the money from her advance to take her family to Disney World.
Leanne is known for telling a story with strong emotion, characters with whom everyone can relate, a kick of hot sensuality, and a feel-good ending that lingers. She believes in creating stories for her readers that will allow them to escape into a place filled fun, emotion and sensuality. She believes that she has the best readers in the world because they understand that love is the greatest miracle of all.
Leanne is the recipient of Romantic Times Magazine's career-achievement awards in Series Sensuality and Love and Laughter, and her books have been recognized by the Award of Excellence Contest, the Romance Writers of America RITA Award contest and the National Readers' Choice Awards. She is grateful for awards and reviews and was particularly moved by a letter from a reader remarking that Leanne's book got her through a chemotherapy session. The reader's letter inspired a favorite turn of phrase: Never underestimate the power of a romance novel.
Leanne lives in her native Virginia with her husband, two teenage children and a Pomeranian. She also has a little condo in South Carolina where she writes in the off-season. She loves music, chocolate, quotes, and new adventures.
Leanne is known for telling a story with strong emotion, characters with whom everyone can relate, a kick of hot sensuality, and a feel-good ending that lingers. She believes in creating stories for her readers that will allow them to escape into a place filled fun, emotion and sensuality. She believes that she has the best readers in the world because they understand that love is the greatest miracle of all.
Leanne is the recipient of Romantic Times Magazine's career-achievement awards in Series Sensuality and Love and Laughter, and her books have been recognized by the Award of Excellence Contest, the Romance Writers of America RITA Award contest and the National Readers' Choice Awards. She is grateful for awards and reviews and was particularly moved by a letter from a reader remarking that Leanne's book got her through a chemotherapy session. The reader's letter inspired a favorite turn of phrase: Never underestimate the power of a romance novel.
Leanne lives in her native Virginia with her husband, two teenage children and a Pomeranian. She also has a little condo in South Carolina where she writes in the off-season. She loves music, chocolate, quotes, and new adventures.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 8, 2012
Emily St. Clair has live her life doing what others have expected of her. When she finds out just prior to her wedding that her fiancé has another girlfriend/mistress, she leaves him at the altar and drives away. She ends up in Ruxton, North Carolina: a small town where nobody knows her. For the first time, Emily finds herself free from expectations and takes this opportunity to find herself. She also finds Beau Ramsey, the studly bachelor sheriff of said town.
This is the first book of the "How to Catch a Princess" series and is just plain fun. Both Emily and Beau are wary of trusting Emily's feelings as she was just about to marry someone else. Is this just a rebound thing? Will she eventually want to move back to the excitement of the big(ger) city? (She's from Roanoke which is not exactly Big City.) Beau has three elder sisters who are constantly trying to "improve" him. I guess all this loving interference has put him off long-term relationships with women. So far he has preferred casual sex and currently has "an arrangement" with local business woman Donna who has been around the block a few times. He's stunned when Emily makes it clear that she doesn't feel the need to change him or his home.
There were a couple of things I did find somewhat odd. Emily shows up in town in her wedding dress after having just run out on her own wedding. When Beau's sister sees it her, she immediately recognises the dress as a Dior. Okay, I guess these small town ladies could be more sophisticated than I'd expect and happen to really know their fashion. No way would I recognise a Dior wedding dress just by sight (yes, I'd probably realise it was a high quality designer/couture dress, but I wouldn't know which designer). Anyway, these fashion conscious women are then not sophisticated enough to understand that Emily doesn't want to wear the dress again at her next wedding; they're totally shocked by it. Now I get that it's beautiful and extremely expensive, but really, what woman would want to get married in the same dress she wore to her previous failed wedding where she was jilted? Granted, Emily wasn't actually the one left standing at the altar, but still... And then there's the whole Donna thing. Beau doesn't have "relations" with Donna after meeting Emily, but not for lack of trying. Donna wants him, he doesn't want her though, which he finds frustrating because he wants to want her. It's not an unusual scenario, but I didn't like it. While Beau is making moves on Joanna, he also wants to (want to) sleep with Donna. As for Donna, she is fairly aggressive about wanting Beau and tells Joanna that she wants to keep their "arrangement".
Putting aside my small complaints, this book was just a joyful romp. The dialogue is fun and I found myself smiling through most of it. For example, when Emily was getting married to Mr. Sleaze, when the time came for her to say, "I do," she instead says, "I don't believe I will. Thank you very much." Loved it. I'm looking forward to the rest of this series if this is any indication of what they'll be like.
This is the first book of the "How to Catch a Princess" series and is just plain fun. Both Emily and Beau are wary of trusting Emily's feelings as she was just about to marry someone else. Is this just a rebound thing? Will she eventually want to move back to the excitement of the big(ger) city? (She's from Roanoke which is not exactly Big City.) Beau has three elder sisters who are constantly trying to "improve" him. I guess all this loving interference has put him off long-term relationships with women. So far he has preferred casual sex and currently has "an arrangement" with local business woman Donna who has been around the block a few times. He's stunned when Emily makes it clear that she doesn't feel the need to change him or his home.
There were a couple of things I did find somewhat odd. Emily shows up in town in her wedding dress after having just run out on her own wedding. When Beau's sister sees it her, she immediately recognises the dress as a Dior. Okay, I guess these small town ladies could be more sophisticated than I'd expect and happen to really know their fashion. No way would I recognise a Dior wedding dress just by sight (yes, I'd probably realise it was a high quality designer/couture dress, but I wouldn't know which designer). Anyway, these fashion conscious women are then not sophisticated enough to understand that Emily doesn't want to wear the dress again at her next wedding; they're totally shocked by it. Now I get that it's beautiful and extremely expensive, but really, what woman would want to get married in the same dress she wore to her previous failed wedding where she was jilted? Granted, Emily wasn't actually the one left standing at the altar, but still... And then there's the whole Donna thing. Beau doesn't have "relations" with Donna after meeting Emily, but not for lack of trying. Donna wants him, he doesn't want her though, which he finds frustrating because he wants to want her. It's not an unusual scenario, but I didn't like it. While Beau is making moves on Joanna, he also wants to (want to) sleep with Donna. As for Donna, she is fairly aggressive about wanting Beau and tells Joanna that she wants to keep their "arrangement".
Putting aside my small complaints, this book was just a joyful romp. The dialogue is fun and I found myself smiling through most of it. For example, when Emily was getting married to Mr. Sleaze, when the time came for her to say, "I do," she instead says, "I don't believe I will. Thank you very much." Loved it. I'm looking forward to the rest of this series if this is any indication of what they'll be like.
May 18, 2015
Short and nearly 20 years old and it will steal your heart.
Emily is straight from the alter - wedding dress and all, running from her cheating fiancée and the expectations held for her by her mother. She's ready to meet life on her terms - even though she's not sure what that will look like.
Beau, the local sheriff,
Emily is straight from the alter - wedding dress and all, running from her cheating fiancée and the expectations held for her by her mother. She's ready to meet life on her terms - even though she's not sure what that will look like.
Beau, the local sheriff,
has an instinct for identifying potential problems. It served him well in his capacity as sheriff. And as a man. He'd seen that expression before the look of a lady pushed too far. The expression of a good woman ready to go bad. Give well-bred, soft-spoken, classy Emily a little time and she would wreak havoc. Underneath that white lace, she was dangerous.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews