Sandra D. Bricker

Book blurbs aren't really my thing, but even with the blurb I did skim over before reading this novel (it wasn't the blurb on the book's back cover, which I saw later has some erroneous info), I guess I wasn't thoroughly prepared for what I was in for.

Despite the absolutely delightful cover design that had me anticipating a good deal of humor, I wouldn't call author Sandra D. Bricker's contemporary fairy tale, Rise and Shine, an out-and-out comedy. Don't get me wrong, it's got its quirky and show more humorous moments, but it's not the most jokey-jokey read. I mean, a major honeymoon accident and waking up after a ten-year coma to learn that your husband died of cancer is no laughing matter.

Still, I didn't need to be dissolving into frequent giggles to find this story satisfying. Besides my sharing Shannon Ridgeway's classic television and literature tastes, and apart from the fact that she cries an (understandably) awful lot, I rooted for her all along her unlikely journey. She earned every ounce of my respect during the climax--oh!--and Shannon and that dog. Too adorable, those two who happen to be depicted on the absolutely delightful cover.

Other fans of ChristFic chick-lit, romance, and contemporary fiction should enjoy this.
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I received a complimentary copy of this book from Moody Publishers for an honest review. show less

Joss Snow has had enough of Christmas pageantry, so for the last few years, she and her best friend Reese Pendergrass have skipped the holiday together. But this year, Reese is newly engaged and spending a traditional Christmas with her future in-laws. Joss, left to go on her Bah! Humbug cruise alone, ends up on a 12 Days of Christmas cruise instead and Reese's trip seems to take every bad turn possible. Will these two friends survive the holiday?

Technically this is written as 2 separate show more novellas, "Once Upon a Jingle Bell" and "It Came Upon a Midnight Deer," each following one of the two friends through their holidays. The story is mostly cohesive, though; it simply tells the 2 main characters' escapades one at a time. Each chapter starts with a line from a "12 Days of Christmas" parody invoking Murphy's Law, which I liked. And Murphy's Law comes in heavily, especially in the 2nd story. While normally the "everything that can go wrong will go wrong" trope annoys me, I enjoyed the book and even liked the 2nd novella more than the first.

One great thing about this book is that, even though it's a Christmas book, it's not as sappy as Christmas books so often are. On the other hand, it's billed as a Christian book, but the Christian content is incredibly light. And there's a lot of emphasis on physical looks in both relationships. If you're not looking for a faith-filled story, though, this is a nice light-on-the-syrup Christmas read with some romance and fun. show less

Always the Wedding Planner, Never the Bride
by Sandra D. Bricker
Published 10/1/2011
Abingdon Press
RATING: 5 Stars

Every time I finish a book like this one, I ask myself why I don't read more of them. Though considered part of the christian fiction genre, this book has all the great characteristics of a PG rated chick lit novel. It is delightful and romantic with that certain fun-loving quality, humorous tone typical of chick lit type books.
Sherilyn Caine and Emma Rae Travis have been friends show more since their college days. With virtually no family of her own, Sherilyn quickly gets received into the fold of the Travis family by Emma's parents, Gavin and Avery. Now, after years of living in Chicago, Sherilyn is headed back to Atlanta to be near both them and her fiance's family.
Quickly landing a job at The Tanglewood, Sherilyn works alongside Emma as the resorts wedding planner. While she possesses all the right skills to successfully execute dozens of fairytale weddings for her clients, getting her own marriage plans together proves to be most difficult. Two lost wedding dresses, a terrible allergic reaction and a mischievous drunk from 'down under' makes for an interesting ride.
I LOVED this book... with big X's and O's. It was funny, entertaining and it had a great cast of characters that I would love to meet. All of the various relationships portrayed throughout the book were fascinating without being overly "fluffy" or dramatic. I found myself giggling out loud several times and going back to re-read the parts that tickled me.
The story was well written and well paced. The ending was a bit predictible but satisfying none the less. I am looking forward to the third installment in this series so we can finally know the fate of Emma and Jackson.
If I had to say one negative thing about this book, it would be that reading Emma's yummy recipes at the start of my weight loss program was near torture. They sounded so sinfully delicious that it took all my willpower not to set the book down and run to the kitchen. Consider yourself warned. =)
Without a doubt, I give this book 5 big stars and highly recommend it to you. show less

This was a fun little romance with a nice, lightly spiritual tinge to it. Not overly so, but just the right amount. I appreciated that there were clear feelings developing between the two main characters (Liv and Jared) without them having to dive right into bed together.

One thing I found a bit distracting was that the whole story made 50 seem like it was really old. I found that a bit disturbing... maybe it's just because the 50-somethings I actually know in real life are younger at heart show more (and in appearance) than average? show less