Book Review: Ready to Wed by Cindi Madsen

Ready to Wed by Cindi Madsen

Pages:350 (paperback)
Publish date:July 22nd 2014
Publisher: Entangled:Select
ISBN: 162266258X
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Dakota Halifax loves to be in love. In fact, as one of Las Vegas’s premier wedding planners, she’s built a whole career around romance. Which is why her own wedding has to be nothing short of perfect. And then her fiancé jilts her. While she’s waiting in her wedding dress. On a cruise ship already out at sea.Once back on dry land, Dakota tries to pour her heart into her business and weekly wedding advice column, Get Ready to Wed. But how can the heartbroken celebrate others’ true love? When she reconnects with her childhood best friend, surprisingly sexy and all-grown-up casino bouncer Brendan West, Dakota wonders if maybe she can fall back in love with being in love.

But then her ex reappears, begging for another chance, and suddenly Dakota questions if she’ll ever understand love. Can someone once-burned and twice-shy ever find her way down the aisle again?

Ready to Wed:

I received an e- arc of Ready to Wed in exchange for an honest review. This in no way has influenced my review.

I always like reading an adult book every once in a while. It’s a nice change from the YA world.

This is the second Cindi Madsen book I have read and I think I enjoyed this one more and that is saying something because I really did enjoy her other book.

Madsen’s writing is really bringing. It takes you in from the first moment and, let me tell you, Ready to Wed starts off with a bang.

At the start of the book (and this won’t be a spoiler because it does mention it in the blurb) Dakota is left at the ‘altar.’ She is left on her wedding day on the cruise ship that she was going to be having her honeymoon/wedding on. To make things a little bit worse, she is also a wedding planner.

Throughout the book Madsen is really able to capture Dakota’s emotions and it’s heartbreaking. She tries to conceal her emotions from everyone around her but we can see how she is really feeling. I wanted to slap her across the head and give her a big hug.

Ready to Wed is set in Las Vegas and I love how Madsen really captures the world of Vegas without overpowering the story. It was just that little hint that it was there.

After all the heartbreak, Dakota’s childhood friend Brendan comes into the picture and he is just amazing. He comes at just the right time and he is what Dakota needs…a friend. Someone who understands her in a way no one else can, he understands why she is the way she is.

Grant is the guy that left her at the altar. He just made me so mad! I understand as to why he didn’t turn up, but he didn’t have the courage to tell her then and there why. Then he tries and gets back with her. Please no, just go away.

Brendan is just so damn cute. He was such a good character. Everyone is going to love him. He is there for Dakota when she needs someone and even though he sometimes doesn’t know what he is doing he helps.

Dakota’s mum. Another mum that I just don’t seem to like. She just got on my nerves. Maybe it’s because of the way that Dakota thought of her mum. Maybe it’s the way that Madsen wanted the reader to feel. Her mum just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Her dad, on the other hand, I quite liked. Yes, he may a little overprotective, but aren’t most dads? He was quite an enjoyable character to read about.

I loved hearing about all the weddings being planned. It was different from what I am used to. Obviously, because I read mostly young adult I don’t get weddings planners as the main protagonist, it was really fresh and interesting to hear about it.

All the time and work that it takes to plan a weddings and all the little details. It was awesome. There were also those dreaded little disasters that happen on the wedding day that nobody wants.

I really enjoyed Ready to Wed. It was cute, heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. I know that I will be reading more Cindi Madsen in the future because so far I haven’t been disappointed.