Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Book Review: The Duplicate Bride by Ginny Baird @GinnyBaird @EntangledPub #Romance

Saying “I do” has never been this much fun in this charming new romance from New York Times bestselling author Ginny Baird.

 

Hope Webb can’t believe her twin sister, Jackie, is begging her to swap places and play fiancée at Jackie’s pre-wedding festivities. Sure, it’s only a business-deal sort of marriage, but Hope is a carb-loving teacher who enjoys curling up with a good book. Jackie is a workaholic whose idea of a good time is a brisk five-mile run at the crack of dawn. The two sisters couldn’t be more opposite.

Now Hope is stuck in the middle of a warm, tight-knit family she can’t help but adore and a groom who turns out to be entirely wonderful...for her.

Hotel magnate Brent Albright knows something is off about his fiancée, but he doesn’t care. Gone is the driven woman with similar career goals, and in her place is someone warm and funny who not only charms his family but him as well. She’s doing everything she can to avoid him, but that’s probably just nerves. Two people about to wed couldn’t know each other less.

Now Brent is determined to woo his fiancée, for real this time, because the more he gets to know her, the more his sweet fiancée turns out to be entirely wonderful...for him.

And that’s when things start to get really complicated...

Publisher : Entangled: Amara (September 29, 2020)
Word Wise : Enabled
Publication Date : September 29, 2020
ASIN : B084V26LFJ

Purchase Link: Amazon

My Review:

The Duplicate Bride is a whimsical romantic tale featuring identical twins; one a workaholic wedding planner for the upper echelon , the other a lowkey school teacher. When Jackie is busy with a high maintenance wedding but her own nuptials are a week away, she can't leave the high profile wedding she's managing. Jackie pulls a favor with her twin, Hope, wanting Hope to step in as her during the wedding week festivities. It's only supposed to be for a couple of days and then they will "trade" back. Hope puts her foot down but a case of mistaken identity puts the ball in motion. Hope can do this for a couple days. She'll try to woo the standoffish grandmother and help blend Jackie into the family she doesn't really know, especially Jackie's fiancé, Brent. What is only supposed to be a couple days becomes much longer and Hope has a a hard time keep up the charade. Jackie's future in-laws and  Brent are wonderful people. 

I spent a lot of this book cringing - not in a bad way but in a "Oh, Hope, this is not going to end well for you" way. Her intentions were wonderful, if not completely unethical and deceitful. Hope blended in nicely with the family in a way you could tell Jackie didn't in the few interactions she may have had with them. Even Brent warmed to Hope much better than is alluded to when he spent time with Jackie. 

Hope and Brent together were cute. They brought out the best in each other. While Hope is a strong and independent woman, Brent brought out her need for companionship and love. Hope also allowed Brent to discover his true wants, needs, and desires concerning marriage, taking over the family business, and opening himself up again after a disastrous previous relationship. 

I was engaged in their story from the very beginning. I devoured this book in one day. I was anxious for Hope, hopeful for her and Brent, and thoroughly disgusted with Jackie for suggesting the switch, and not being upfront with Brent and his family. I didn't agree with Hope's actions either but she truly thought she was doing the right thing at first. The charade should have never gotten as far as it did. 

I enjoyed this contemporary romance. The author's writing style is smooth and conversational. The characters has depth and development. The setting was written well and I was able to visualize the story as I read along, right down to the "eye" from Grandmother Margaret. I will seek out more from this author.

I was provided a copy of this book to read. Thank you Entangled Publishing!

My Rating:

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