Stand-In Groom

Brides of Bonneterre #1

by Kaye Dacus

Get ready to attend the quirkiest wedding ever in this delightful romance by Kaye Dacus, a new voice in women's contemporary fiction. When wedding planner Anne Hawthorne first meets George Laurence, she thinks she's found the man of her dreams. But when she discovers he's a client, she knows planning his wedding will be no honeymoon. Can Anne remain professional while falling for the groom? Or will she risk her heart, her values, and her career in the midst of planning the wedding of the century?

Genres: Christian Fiction, Romance, Christian, Contemporary, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Christian Romance

299 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Kaye Dacus is a professional editor, author, and educator who has been writing fiction for more nearly forty years. Pursuing her passion for writing, she earned a Master of Arts in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. Kaye lives in Middle Tennessee, where she is a training documentation specialist in the IT industry and volunteers teaching writing in the community. She writes contemporary and historical romances; and while her contemporary romances are out of print, her historicals are available at most major retailers. To learn more about Kaye and her books, visit her website at kayedacus.com.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great debut! I really enjoyed this story once I got into it. It had unique characters and plot twists. If not for the slow start I would've given it five stars, but it was incredibly romantic and for that I applaud Kaye. The romantic elements and the push-pull that is such and important part of romance novels was very well done. The author had me turning the pages once I got sucked into the story.

I didn't feel manipulated and the conflict didn't seem contrived, which was refreshing. Yeah, it was predictable, but romances do follow a necessary pattern. Though this one followed that prescribed pattern, it still had many unique elements that held my interest and had me rooting for the two of them to get together and then stay together. George was the ultimate hero. And the ending was so cathartic and healing for the heroine that it made me smile. I loved the point that you have to forgive past hurts in order to truly heal and move forward in new relationships was brought out in this story.

I highly recommend this story to people who enjoy tension between the hero and heroine and don't want a fluffy same-old same-old read. This story had guts and heart tugging action, which earned my respect. I am looking forward to Kaye's next book.

[Marleah · Rating 1 out of 5]

An extremely, over the top cheesy Christian Fiction story. A big disappointment! The only good thing I have to say is it was clean.

[Dawn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Juvenile and boring. "Lord, why did you put this man in my path if he's already taken?" Bleh.

[Stormi (StormReads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

George Laurance is a English Personal Assistant to a wealthy man who wants to remain a secret when it comes to putting together his wedding. So he has George go with his fiance to make the wedding plans.

The first time Anne laid eyes on George she just new he was the one, then she finds out he is a client. Anne wonders why she has all the bad luck and with her growing attractiong to George she is not sure if she can go through with planning his wedding.

George hates lying to Anne about who he really is, but he is bound by contract to not say anything. Will he follow his heart and tell Anne and risk losing his job, or will he remain silent. Will Anne forgive him for decieving her?

This was a great romance story, it was fun, uplifting, and a joy to read. The characters where refreshing and it was fun reading George's british lingo as well as Anne's Southern style. If a book can make me sigh at the end, then its a great book and this one is a great book. I can't wait to read Kaye Dacus's next book.

[✨ Gramy ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

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The book was a delightful romance that develops gradually with unexpected twists and turns. It provides intricate details: descriptive sights, tastes, ethnicity, and more…giving the reader an authentic feel for the situations.

However, the million dollar question is: how could the heroine resist her overwhelming feelings for the perfect man, even if he is the groom to be? The characters were entirely believable. However, it lacks any depth in regard to the relationship between the H/H.

This book is clean and wholesome, is able to stand on its own, and helps the heroine overcome a life-long phobia, which results in her H.E.A.

[Teresa Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although predictable from beginning to end, the book was really good. The characters were real. Believable. George was adorable; Anne was equally adorable. The ending was chick flick movie worthy! Looking forward to starting book 2 --- hopeful that we'll see a lot more of George and Annie.

[Aimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit slow moving. Did some skimming. Also a bit heavier on the Christian elements. Picked this one up free on Amazon.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been wanting to read a Kaye Dacus novel ever since I read an interview she did in which she was discussing Andrew Davies and Sandy Welch. As a huge fan of British dramas, I know these two screenwriters and can debate their merits, but rarely do I find another person who shares this interest. Kaye caught my attention and has been on my watch list ever since.

Another reason I was interested in "Stand-In Groom" is because, like the heroine, I am a member of the wedding industry. I love weddings and being part of them. Unlike Anne, though, I don't plan them, and this reminded me why. It takes so many months and such a close relationship with the bride and groom. That's more than I'm up for!

To our story: Anne Hawthorn has a very successful wedding planning business, but she's never found the right man for herself. Her heart starts fluttering when she meets George Lawrence... until she finds out that he's the groom for an upcoming wedding.

But things are not always what they seem. George is actually a personal assistant (in British valet fashion) for a well-known actor and is only posing as the groom in order to keep the tabloids off the scent of his employer's nuptials. George is attracted to Anne but is unable to tell her who he really is and finds himself in quite a quandary, weighing his faith, his feelings and his job in trying to decide what is the right thing to do.

Anne's large extended family and her background play a big part in the story. It would be great if everyone had such loving and involved aunts, uncles and cousins! Her fears and her disappointments also show up to claim their share of attention. Through it all, can Anne trust the Lord and maybe learn to trust this man after she learns the reason for his deception?

This novel honestly didn't live up to my expectations. At times the pace raced, and at others it dragged. Where the attraction was concerned, I was displeased that it focused so much on things such as sharing tastes in movies and music. Not that it isn't nice when those things coincide, but it is hardly the basis on which one should form a life-long bond such as marriage. While Anne and George did share the same Christian faith, it seemed like their love of Dean Martin was just as meaningful. On the other hand, I did very much appreciate how Dacus showed clearly that both our main characters wanted to be the best individuals they could be before deepening their relationship with each other. They didn't want to get serious until issues were resolved and forgiveness extended where required. That's not a popular topic and one you very rarely see in novels. Job well done here!

I'm looking forward to trying one of Dacus's historical releases one of these days and seeing how it compares to this one. I still think Kaye's the kind of person whom I could easily sit down and chat with, and this won't be the only one of her books that I check out!

This review originated at http://www.reviewsbyerin.livejournal.com

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by Kaye Dacus, and I'm very glad that I did! I thoroughly enjoyed the faith based story line. The two main characters, Anne Hawthorne and George Laurence, equally grabbed and held my attention. (George, being good-looking, British, and Christian, might have had a slight edge over Anne.) Anne is a wedding planner and George is who-knows-what for awhile, because he portrays himself to be someone that he's not, sort of. It's not that he wanted to be less than candid, but his job required it. He is sent by his wealthy employer to pose as the groom so that his employer can remain a secret. I really wanted to find out WHY! Why was he secretive about being engaged? When George is making arrangements with Anne he falls head over heels for her. Anne is instantly attracted to George too and even thinks that God has finally answered her prayer to send her a good Christian man. Once she realizes that he is "engaged" or so she thinks, she asks God to remove her thoughts. She is appalled as well that George is supposedly marrying a woman half his age.

George is really torn because he is so attracted to Anne, and he wants to possibly pursue a relationship with her after all is revealed. So he battles between keeping his employer a secret and revealing the truth to Anne. He definitely is very careful NOT to actually lie to her. It's quite funny at times. But I also felt so bad for Anne because she was so sure at first that George was answered prayer, but when she realized he was taken, she prayed for God to remove her thoughts of him and couldn't understand why God didn't answer her prayers.

Another predicament George had is that he needed his position as a personal assistant so that he could stay in the United States. Poor George was so torn, because he really didn't want to deceive Anne at all. So what should he do?

As a Christian woman I totally appreciated that both George and Anne looked to God for answers. They did go to Him in prayer, but this book doesn't not come across as preachy or "religious" so that a non-Christian wouldn't enjoy it. It's not overly done.

I plan to continue this series and hope that others will give it a shot. Girls won't be able to help falling for George because he is such a good man. Everyone will root for Anne, too, because she wants so desperately to find a good man, and who can 't root for love?

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the book Stand-In Groom by Kaye Dacus, Anne Hawthorn is the best wedding planner in town. When we first meet her she seemed like a workaholic and that something in her past must have happened to make her drown herself into her work. We quickly find out though, that she isn't all work and no play, when she falls for a man named George. However, when she goes to work the next day, she find out George happens to be her client. What will she do? Will she risk her heart and her career by making her feelings known? Little does Anne know that George came to Louisiana on a job. He isn't really the groom. He is undercover and planning the wedding for his employer. George also fell for Anne at first sight. What will he do? Fight the attraction? Break his contract with his employer? What will happen if Anne find out his secret? Will she ever be able to trust him? Will she hate him or is there a happy ending in sight?

This book is written as a Christian Romance Novel and I would say is safe for teenagers and above. It is an easy read with lots of twists and turns.

This year I have been reading a lot of new authors for two reasons.

I have been trying to complete a reading challenge I saw on pinterest. This book is to complete the challenge of reading from an author that has the same initials as mine.
I am a christian and I thought for sure I was grabbing just a normal romance novel and was nervous wondering what it would be like reading a Non-Christian Romance novel. I was pleasantly surprised when this turned out to be a Christian novel.
I enjoyed this book because of all the twists and turns. The ending is a little predictable but the author did a great job at keeping me guessing. Just when I thought I had it figured it out , something was thrown into the mix to keep me turning the pages.

One thing I enjoyed about this book was the characters. They grew a lot in this book. They had to overcome their fears and ask to be forgiven while others had to give forgiveness, at times to more then one person. All of us know how hard it is to forgive and the more years go on the harder it is. I believe that the author did this very realistically with her writing and the emotions portrayed by the characters.

Overall I rate this book a 3 out of 4 stars. I gave it a 3 because it did inspire me, surprised me, and help take me to another world.

[Jennifer Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kaye’s Christian Romance novel, Stand-in Groom was a fun and thoroughly enjoyable story from start to finish. The writing is smooth and tight and moves you from scene to scene effortlessly. No part of the novels feels too slow or too quick. I have to say it’s one of the best paced romance books I’ve read in a while. You get just enough to enjoy that moment and look forward to the next.

Her two main characters, Anne and George, have wonderful personality, with strengths and insecurities that everyone can relate to in some way. They have their flaws, but they work hard to overcome them and truly be better people. While the first half follows the standard format of “the heroines are kept apart because of miscommunication” the second half goes a step beyond and lets us see how they deal with their relationship after clearing up their misunderstanding. I loved that aspect. So often we don’t get to experience this in romance stories. And I have to mention Dean Martin and the good old classics. Anne’s love of classics added a great little personal touch to her character.

The characters faith in God, even when they don’t understand His motives, is a wonderful example to look up to. I know so many struggle with having complete faith that God has his reasons. Despite the trials Anne and George are put through their faith never waivers and I loved this aspect of the novel.

There were so many little things I loved about this novel from the morality clause in Anne’s wedding contracts to the great family atmosphere, and cousinly love that was so evident throughout the novel. This was a wonderful novel about trust and forgiveness that I recommend whole heartedly to others. I eagerly look forward to the next story in the lives of the Bonneterre women.

[Margaret Chind · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is quite the romance. Some could call it predictable, but I would not necessarily say that because one could not foresee all the twists and turns that are to occur before the outcome. I only think people will predict how they want it to end and just assume they will get it right. As I have said dozens of times before, I am not much a fan of contemporary romances, but I liked this one. That said, I did not necessarily love it. But I think that is because my heart is just stronger in the realm of historical fiction. (Definitely recommend Kaye Dacus' historical series The Ransome Trilogy!!)

Some elements of a large family and good food were parts of this story that I am not used to reading in a book that I quite enjoyed. As well as imagining the scenes and hearing the British or Southern accents play through in the characters vernacular. This is my first contemporary experience with reading this author and it will not be my last. I do recommend this book, and look forward to reading the sequel soon in a few days.

Things happen in life to get you where you need to be, and the hardest part is dealing with a painful event and believing that you will get past it. God knows what he is doing, and the part to remember is that things are best in his time and not in our own. I feel very uplifted from this book and the characters experiences. It makes me think over things from my own past and see more of God in them than I ever would have realized at the time.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Christian romance is a well-written, thoroughly enjoyable read. The pacing was excellent and kept me wanting to know what came next. I liked how the two main characters truly strove to live out their high ideals in less than ideal circumstances. While neither main character was perfect, they were very clearly perfect for each other.

Both main characters are Christians and their faith plays a lot more vital role in their lives than is typical in many Christian romance books. Overall, the story was very satisfying. This is a book that should please Christian romance devotes.

(Semi-spoiler) The first part of the book was the typical "they'd get together if they just talked out their misunderstandings," but the reason they couldn't clear up the misunderstanding was a very good one. The second part of the book was devoted to after the misunderstanding was cleared up. The two of them get to know and start to trust each other while learning to forgive those who hurt them in past relationships. I liked how the point was made that we need to forgive those who hurt us in the past to make present relationships work out well.

[Sheyla ✎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anne Hawthorne is a very successful wedding planner. She has been doing this for a while and enjoys it. However, her personal life is lonely except for her frequent dinners with her cousins.
Anne has been hurt before, so when she meets George Laurance, a british personal assistant she thinks she has met her man.
To her surprise the next time they meet, George is a client. She is to be his wedding planner.
How can she fall for a man who is almost married?
I liked the secondary characters they make this book come alive.

This is a Christian Literature
3/5 Fangs
cross posted at my blog http://mrsleifs.blogspot.com

[Sami · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first foray into Christian fiction; I thought I'd enjoy it as I consider myself a religious person, but this one just wasn't up to my expectations.

It was badly written and around the time when I read 'hazelnut mocha coffee coloured eyes'* I realised I'd read fanfiction better than this.


I did enjoy all the 'God has a plan for me' sidelines though, and the general moral decency of (most of) the characters, and I think I will read more of this genre in the future.

*to be edited when I get the proper quote as I don't have the book in front of me.

[Cheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I could give this book three and a half stars I would, it was a fast paced read and enjoyable.
Anne Hathaway is a wedding planner,but because of a broken heart has yet to get married herself. When she meets the man who makes her heart beat faster she is disappointed to find out he is engaged and she is to plan the wedding.What a cute story.

[Stephany · Rating 2 out of 5]

I made it through a little over 100 pages of this book before I had to stop reading. It was completely cheesy and I couldn't get into the main character. I just really didn't like her at all. While the other characters seemed to be more well-developed and likeable, I don't know if I would pick up another book of Kaye Dacus again.

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way too cheesy and unrealistic for my taste.

[Krista Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Stand-in Groom! Just the right amount of romance and twists to keep me reading and lovin' it!

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slow and overly religious

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really, really insipid. I want to like Christian fiction because it's clean, but could somebody please, please find a PLOT LINE???

[Heidi Pack · Rating 3 out of 5]

great plot but I couldn't get into the writing, it wasn't a can't-put-down style.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

When they first meet, Anne Hawthorne and George Laurence are instantly attracted to one another. There's a problem, however: Anne is a wedding planner, and George, as far as she knows, is the groom ... except he isn't, really.

George is standing in for his employer, a high-profile celebrity who wants to protect his bride from unwanted publicity, and George has sworn to keep that secret.

Anne hasn't really trusted any man outside her family for ten years, since her ex-fiance dumped her at the altar. Can she learn to trust George ... and her feelings for him?

(I found the following editing oversights in the Kindle text of Stand-In Groom:

Page 18, she'd purchased the Victorianturned-triplex / she'd purchased the Victorian-turned-triplex ; 40, before you and me went to meet / before you AND I went to meet (you and me = US, you and I = WE; before WE went) ; 76, of a midsize Americanmade convertible / of a midsize American-made convertible ; 104, her cousin could illicit that reaction / her cousin could ELICIT that reaction ; 123, Oh no. / Oh, no. ; 131, Oh no, that's quite all right / Oh, no, that's quite all right ; 135, Oh yes, he wanted / Oh, yes, he wanted ;

Page 139, her relief he wasn't a client / her relief THAT he wasn't a client ; 144, Elizabeth's miniscule waist / Elizabeth's MINUSCULE waist ; 147, eliminate the risk they would / eliminate the risk THAT they would ; 164, Oh no, not revenge ... / Oh, no, not revenge ... ; 183, Oh no, her ten o'clock / Oh, no, her ten o'clock ; 186, Oh well. / Oh, well. ; 196, paid in miniscule installments / paid in MINUSCULE installments ; 200, a woman about ten years Anne's elder entered / a woman about ten years Anne's SENIOR entered ;

Page 206, Oh my goodness / Oh, my goodness ; 213, Oh well / Oh, well ; 217, an early and grizzly demise / an early and GRISLY demise (grizzly = a type of bear, grisly = gruesome) ; 221, Oh no! / Oh, no! ; 204, for a miniscule amount of money / for a MINUSCULE amount of money ; 225, Why indeed / Why, indeed ; 233, recalling they were old friends / recalling THAT they were old friends ; 236, The miniscule part of his brain / The MINUSCULE part of his brain ; 241, whatever necessary from here / whatever WAS necessary from here ;

Page 247, Oh well / Oh, well ; 255, she was an awardwinning photographer / she was an award-winning photographer ; 256, With gathering speed the small plane / With gathering speed, the small plane ; 260, Oh no, it's not about / Oh, no, it's not about ; 261, able to eat anything anyway / able to eat anything, anyway ; 263, no confirmation George felt the same / no confirmation THAT George felt the same ; 290, Enough of this already / Enough of this, already ; 291, try to convince her she needed / try to convince her THAT she needed .)

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun romance about a wedding planner who falls for a man who is a personal assistant to a famous actor and is pretending to be the groom during the planning to avoid a publicity frenzy for his boss. George is very attracted to Anne as well but cannot tell her of the ruse because of a clause in his contract, which makes him uncomfortable to be lying to her. There are many misunderstandings and miscommunications. Anne has a very large, close extended family that also like to be in her business. When Anne does find out the identity of George's boss, on the night of the engagement party, she does not react well. She has to work through bitterness from the past and learn to forgive. I enjoyed this book.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a delightful, absorbing read. I may or may not be dealing with a slight book hangover this morning...
George is a classy individual and Anne has great depth. While it's not particularly suspenseful or overly dramatic, I found myself completely immersed. I really wanted to see how it all played out and I'll be looking into the next books because I need to know what happens with the rest of the family.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trusting In Love

Anne Hawthorne was a very successful business woman, owned her own businesses, a business she loved, A family of aunts, uncles, cousins she loved and who loved her, had her trust in God but it just wasn't enough. She has just booked a new wedding and the money she would make on this wedding would set her up for years to come, plus expand her business. How would this wedding affect the rest of her life?

[Meagan | The Chapter House · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an entertaining book! I really enjoyed it (even though I figured out plot components in advance of them happening :D). I'd happily pick up more books in the series. A clean read, with plenty of theological gems.

I really liked the Louisiana setting; having been to New Orleans, I was easily able to imagine the Bonneterre setting.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story. Predictable but still fun to read. I liked how the main characters had "flaws" and were not perfect. As a result of this I was able to emotionally connect with them and relate to them better.

[Charline Bonham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wedding planner

The emotions between George and Anne are well written. George and Anne are both attracted but George is engaged to one of her brides. Anne is professional enough to continue but her heart is breaking. What is the secret he and her cousin are keeping?

[Kayltee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely read

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and its characters. The family setting and closeness made it a joy to read and I love it when people overcome hardships to have happy endings.