What do you think?
Rate this book
Taming Groomzilla
Joel Harfner and Luke Townsend, lovers for two years, have just bought their first home together in Scarborough, Maine. In a moment of domestic impetuosity, Joel proposes to Luke, who says yes. Then, to Joel’s surprise, Luke says he wants a wedding with “all the bells and whistles.” Joel, who never expected to be married, suddenly finds himself in the midst of planning a full-scale destination event to be held in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Why Massachusetts? As Joel says, "We can't get married in Maine -- yet -- but we are ever hopeful." Taming Groomzilla tells the story of how Joel and Luke navigate the tribulations of the six months from “Will you marry me?” to “I do.” And while they do seal their union, complete with a kiss, there is more than one twist and turn in store to complicate their journey and keep the reader hilariously entertained. A portion of the profits from the sale of this book will be donated to Protect Maine Equality, the organization that is leading the fight to keep same-sex marriage legal in Maine.
45 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2009
50 people want to read
About the author
E.N. Holland
3 books3 followersAfter spending thirty-five years learning the craft of writing as a scientific and technical writer and editor, author E.N. Holland finally decided to pursue a lifelong dream to write fiction. She serialized two novel-length fanfiction stories online; positive feedback from readers gave her the confidence to tackle stories with original characters and settings. Taming Groomzilla is her first published novella. It was inspired by her belief that all people have the right to be married, no matter who they happen to fall in love with. A portion of the profits from the sale of this book will be donated to Maine Freedom to Marry and Equality Maine, organizations that are fighting to keep same-sex marriage legal in Maine. A second novella, Our One and Only will be published on Veteran’s Day (November 11, 2009) as part of a four-novella anthology, Hidden Conflict: Tales from Lost Voices in Battle. It was inspired by visits to World War I and World War II cemeteries in Belgium and France in 2007. Ms. Holland has two other novels underway and dozens of ideas lined up in her brain. She lives in an antique cape (built in 1803) in southern Maine with her husband, two children, dog, and cat.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 8, 2009
Luke and Joel have been lovers for two years and have just bought a condo together. In the midst of unpacking and getting the kitchen set up Joel proposes to Luke. Surprised and delighted Luke accepts and their wedding adventures begin.
Taming Groomzilla is told through Joel's POV and I found the storyline flowed beautifully throughout with his witty and downright funny personality shining through. I really liked both Joel and Luke, they're charming and sweet, face life with humor and even under stress manage to keep their focus on the most important thing, their love and commitment.
The book follows Joel and Luke as they prepare for their big day, from picking a date to deciding where to actually get married and all of the other details involved in planning a wedding. The supporting characters are wonderful additions to the story. From family members and friends to others involved in some way with the wedding, the interaction between the characters is fun and all in some way help advance the storyline. I especially liked the scenes between Joel and his mother as well as the scene where Joel receives a sweet letter of support from an unexpected source.
In keeping with the romantic overtones of the story the sex scenes are not explicit but still give the sense of the love and desire these two men share. It's always nice when I read a book where the relationship between the characters is the focus of the story. There are no big misunderstandings and no angst filled scenes, no shouting matches or crying fits. Joel and Luke genuinely love each other and their relationship is a happy one so while at times planning the wedding was stressful it never overpowered the story.
I really loved this book. Wonderful writing, great characters and a simple but highly entertaining plot make this fabulous story a definite 5 star keeper for me. As far as I can tell this is E.N. Holland's first book and I'm looking forward to reading more from this talented writer. I definitely recommend this well written and humorous story. Read it for yourself and enjoy!
Taming Groomzilla is told through Joel's POV and I found the storyline flowed beautifully throughout with his witty and downright funny personality shining through. I really liked both Joel and Luke, they're charming and sweet, face life with humor and even under stress manage to keep their focus on the most important thing, their love and commitment.
The book follows Joel and Luke as they prepare for their big day, from picking a date to deciding where to actually get married and all of the other details involved in planning a wedding. The supporting characters are wonderful additions to the story. From family members and friends to others involved in some way with the wedding, the interaction between the characters is fun and all in some way help advance the storyline. I especially liked the scenes between Joel and his mother as well as the scene where Joel receives a sweet letter of support from an unexpected source.
In keeping with the romantic overtones of the story the sex scenes are not explicit but still give the sense of the love and desire these two men share. It's always nice when I read a book where the relationship between the characters is the focus of the story. There are no big misunderstandings and no angst filled scenes, no shouting matches or crying fits. Joel and Luke genuinely love each other and their relationship is a happy one so while at times planning the wedding was stressful it never overpowered the story.
I really loved this book. Wonderful writing, great characters and a simple but highly entertaining plot make this fabulous story a definite 5 star keeper for me. As far as I can tell this is E.N. Holland's first book and I'm looking forward to reading more from this talented writer. I definitely recommend this well written and humorous story. Read it for yourself and enjoy!
October 8, 2009
4.5 stars
A delightful, entertaining story about a very happy gay couple that turns into funny but crazy grooms when planning their wedding. Joel and Luke are moving into their first house together and on the spur of the moment, Joel proposes. Although the proposal starts offhand, the emotion and sentiment involved is very true. Luke wants a real wedding with all the trimmings and soon Joel is overwhelmed with clothing choices (kilts?!), cakes (who knew they were so expensive!), venues (six months, are you nuts??) and through it all, Joel struggles to remember why they’re doing this in the first place. Thankfully the committed couple has enough time together to solidify what is important to them.
This story is wonderfully written with great characterization and often poignant moments of emotion mixed with hilarious planning antics. As an introductory novella from a new author, this shorter story is a true gem. The characters are fully realized and developed. Joel is the first person narrator and has a fun, witty voice as a stereotypical gay hairdresser that is anything but predictable. Both Joel and Luke get caught up in wedding plans and gift registry, injecting a lot of humor and sympathy into the narrative. The fag hag attendants are a perfect touch, especially as Joel stresses over his recent hag-less state.
The occasional overwhelming details of planning a wedding are offset by the solid relationship between the two men. Their love is clearly shown in various small details and gestures. Even without any explicit sex scenes included, the suggestion of a vigorous and satisfying sex life is obvious. Here the author is able to please fans without lengthy graphic scenes by adding tantalizing phrases such as:
“That night we made love and it was hard and fast and more intense and passionate than it had been in awhile—and I loved it. He pounded my ass into the mattress.”
Often the importance of gay marriage is highlighted in subtle but poignant moments. Most especially is a conversation between Joel and his mother. It’s too long to include in its entirety but the emotion is touching and moving. Without needing to preach or argue, the simple truth of the issue is stirringly depicted. Here is only a short excerpt but portrays the sentiment of the scene:
“But there’s another group of people who... while they might not approve, won’t actively fight to prevent you getting married. They ‘tolerate’ you... go ahead and get married, but do it privately and quietly. Don’t put wedding announcements in the paper, don’t have a big, splashy ceremony... and I think those people are just as wrong. Joel, you are my son, and I love you. You are not someone to be ‘tolerated.’”
Fans of the genre will enjoy the story and laugh, perhaps even cry, along with the characters as they plan what they thought would be a simple affair. The clean writing, evocative emotion and creative imagination all deliver a thoroughly engaging and delightful story. The ending is romantic, sweet, and very fitting as life and love is more important than any particular event. For only 60 pages, this story has few missteps, with crisp, clean prose and brings a fresh, entertaining voice to the narrator. You’ll definitely want to pick up a copy.
http://kassa-rvws.livejournal.com/539...
A delightful, entertaining story about a very happy gay couple that turns into funny but crazy grooms when planning their wedding. Joel and Luke are moving into their first house together and on the spur of the moment, Joel proposes. Although the proposal starts offhand, the emotion and sentiment involved is very true. Luke wants a real wedding with all the trimmings and soon Joel is overwhelmed with clothing choices (kilts?!), cakes (who knew they were so expensive!), venues (six months, are you nuts??) and through it all, Joel struggles to remember why they’re doing this in the first place. Thankfully the committed couple has enough time together to solidify what is important to them.
This story is wonderfully written with great characterization and often poignant moments of emotion mixed with hilarious planning antics. As an introductory novella from a new author, this shorter story is a true gem. The characters are fully realized and developed. Joel is the first person narrator and has a fun, witty voice as a stereotypical gay hairdresser that is anything but predictable. Both Joel and Luke get caught up in wedding plans and gift registry, injecting a lot of humor and sympathy into the narrative. The fag hag attendants are a perfect touch, especially as Joel stresses over his recent hag-less state.
The occasional overwhelming details of planning a wedding are offset by the solid relationship between the two men. Their love is clearly shown in various small details and gestures. Even without any explicit sex scenes included, the suggestion of a vigorous and satisfying sex life is obvious. Here the author is able to please fans without lengthy graphic scenes by adding tantalizing phrases such as:
“That night we made love and it was hard and fast and more intense and passionate than it had been in awhile—and I loved it. He pounded my ass into the mattress.”
Often the importance of gay marriage is highlighted in subtle but poignant moments. Most especially is a conversation between Joel and his mother. It’s too long to include in its entirety but the emotion is touching and moving. Without needing to preach or argue, the simple truth of the issue is stirringly depicted. Here is only a short excerpt but portrays the sentiment of the scene:
“But there’s another group of people who... while they might not approve, won’t actively fight to prevent you getting married. They ‘tolerate’ you... go ahead and get married, but do it privately and quietly. Don’t put wedding announcements in the paper, don’t have a big, splashy ceremony... and I think those people are just as wrong. Joel, you are my son, and I love you. You are not someone to be ‘tolerated.’”
Fans of the genre will enjoy the story and laugh, perhaps even cry, along with the characters as they plan what they thought would be a simple affair. The clean writing, evocative emotion and creative imagination all deliver a thoroughly engaging and delightful story. The ending is romantic, sweet, and very fitting as life and love is more important than any particular event. For only 60 pages, this story has few missteps, with crisp, clean prose and brings a fresh, entertaining voice to the narrator. You’ll definitely want to pick up a copy.
http://kassa-rvws.livejournal.com/539...
June 12, 2010
OMG!!! I LOVE THIS BOOK!! It's always a lovely thing to read about gay wedding (usually the male/male romance that I read do not get through all the way to the wedding). This one has every crazy things that I used to watch/read from a male/female wedding. From the proposal, the planning, the place, the dress, the ring, the cake, the invitation, even the wedding jitters ... the only thing I "miss" is the bachelor night as well as having seating arrangement *g*. It has lovely humor (wedding in a "kilt", when one of the groom is Jewish, say isn't so!!), the path of finding the perfect place (everyone thinks it's crazy to plan a wedding in 6 months), and the spectactular wedding cake.
It's so, so beautiful, and I love both Luke and Joel (they both have their obsession with the wedding). There is a very beautiful advice from Joel's mother when Joel has a meltdown ... that rings so true, I end up crying. And there is a lovely twist in the end about the wedding. All in all, it's such a beautiful story and definitely one of my favorites. Despite it being short :)
It's so, so beautiful, and I love both Luke and Joel (they both have their obsession with the wedding). There is a very beautiful advice from Joel's mother when Joel has a meltdown ... that rings so true, I end up crying. And there is a lovely twist in the end about the wedding. All in all, it's such a beautiful story and definitely one of my favorites. Despite it being short :)
June 15, 2010
A very funny, very charming short story about Joel, who decides to propose to his lover of two years, and Luke, who turns into a wedding planning whirlwind. I liked the characters, all the impossble things that happen to them, and the final outcome was brilliant. This falls squarely into the area of romantic comedy and is very well written. Be prepared to be entertained!
Read
February 23, 2010This is a surprisingly light and very romantic story. Well, yes, I probably should have a suspect, from the title, Taming Groomzilla, that basically this is a nice story, without much drama, but same-sex marriage is still a so delicate matter that I, wrongly, was expecting for it to have a sad core. There is indeed a sad post effect: this story was written before the Maine voted to approve for same-sex marriage to be legal in the state, and we now know that the vote didn’t achieve the hoped result.
Anyway, coming back to the story, the reader realizes from moment one that probably the story will be light and very much comedy like, the type of comedy that warms your heart and leaves you with a big smile on your face: Joel proposes to Luke while he is washing glasses in the kitchen sink, with his hands in the water. At the moment, probably the reader thinks that Joel could have chosen a better moment, but then he probably realizes that Joel was probably scared of Luke’s answer, and trying to give to it less importance, he was preparing himself to a rebuttal. Obviously Luke is as much in love as Joel, and so there is no refusal, and as Joel said, Groomzilla is born: everyone who participated to a marriage’s organization knows as complicated it can be, from the small things to the most important one.
The really wonderful thing of the story is the mix of old-fashioned and modern style. It’s a same-sex marriage, and so it’s obviously modern, but Luke and Joel choose the most traditional things, like hand-made wedding bands and traditional china for the gift list. In their journey to find the perfect piece for the puzzle that is their marriage, the author mixes old memories from the past, like Joel’s grandparents’ story, almost to give the stamp of traditionalism to what traditional is not: finding a common path between Joel and Luke’s story and Luke’s grandparents’ one gives courage to Joel, that courage that the reader knows since scene one he needs.
Joel has some bad experience in the past, and he saw and experienced the worst way to be gay. Don’t get me wrong, he is sure and comfortable with his sexuality, he totally loves Luke, and he has no intention to going back in the closet, but he needs to come back to his origins and to have an “ordinary” life.
Joel and Luke are enough lucky to not find too much obstacles in their path towards happiness, but the author is also honest, and there are some hints that not all is roses for them; but in the end, the most important thing is that they are in love, and love is enough.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002LARDB6/?...
Anyway, coming back to the story, the reader realizes from moment one that probably the story will be light and very much comedy like, the type of comedy that warms your heart and leaves you with a big smile on your face: Joel proposes to Luke while he is washing glasses in the kitchen sink, with his hands in the water. At the moment, probably the reader thinks that Joel could have chosen a better moment, but then he probably realizes that Joel was probably scared of Luke’s answer, and trying to give to it less importance, he was preparing himself to a rebuttal. Obviously Luke is as much in love as Joel, and so there is no refusal, and as Joel said, Groomzilla is born: everyone who participated to a marriage’s organization knows as complicated it can be, from the small things to the most important one.
The really wonderful thing of the story is the mix of old-fashioned and modern style. It’s a same-sex marriage, and so it’s obviously modern, but Luke and Joel choose the most traditional things, like hand-made wedding bands and traditional china for the gift list. In their journey to find the perfect piece for the puzzle that is their marriage, the author mixes old memories from the past, like Joel’s grandparents’ story, almost to give the stamp of traditionalism to what traditional is not: finding a common path between Joel and Luke’s story and Luke’s grandparents’ one gives courage to Joel, that courage that the reader knows since scene one he needs.
Joel has some bad experience in the past, and he saw and experienced the worst way to be gay. Don’t get me wrong, he is sure and comfortable with his sexuality, he totally loves Luke, and he has no intention to going back in the closet, but he needs to come back to his origins and to have an “ordinary” life.
Joel and Luke are enough lucky to not find too much obstacles in their path towards happiness, but the author is also honest, and there are some hints that not all is roses for them; but in the end, the most important thing is that they are in love, and love is enough.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002LARDB6/?...
October 19, 2012
Luke and Joel get their own place and getting married seems like a good idea. This was a fun read to see everyone getting so out of control about so many things.
February 14, 2013
This read was short but really well written. And funny! And true! I loved, reminded of the good ole planning the wedding days.
October 9, 2009
This is a sweet story about Luke and Joel who live in Maine and decide to get married. It then follows their “adventure” with wedding planning. It’s very sweet and humorous as they deal with finding the perfect cake, choosing colors and dealing with snarky vendors. I’m not sure I quite loved the ending (yes, they do get married) but on the whole I found it a cute read and proceeds go towards supporting marriage equality in Maine so it was for a good cause. Definitely worth a read.
November 12, 2013
Lily and Ivan both said this was a fantastic story, and it was! It's only 45 pages long, but it is sweet and funny. Joel and Luke will definitely live happily ever after.
February 3, 2010
Joel and Luke decide to get married and this short novella is the charming result. A wonderful story, highly recommended.
March 28, 2012
Very nice short story, just the right amount of sweetness and and comedy.
January 19, 2013
A short, cute and fun book that managed to pack a whole lot into only a few pages. This is the kind of short story I enjoy reading!
May 4, 2013
Boring
November 16, 2019
3.5 Stars
March 10, 2011
Quick and sweet wedding-fic. 2.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews