What started as a whim turned into an accidental — and very public — engagement. Can Layla and Seth keep up the façade in Chapel Springs this holiday season - for the sake of her career . . . and his heart? Under normal circumstances, Seth Murphy — the best friend of Layla O’Reilly’s ex-fiancé — would be the last person she’d marry. But the news of their upcoming (and phony) nuptials convinces a big client that Layla may be high-society enough to work for his agency — a coup that would put her fledgling home-staging business on the map. Seth has secretly loved Layla for years, even when she was dating his best friend. Maybe she’ll never forgive him for the way he hurt her back then, but he has to try. And Layla is willing to keep up their engagement farce until she’s landed her client. For Layla, it’s the chance to save her career. But for Seth, it’s his last chance to win her heart.
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A December Bride draws you into Layla's predicament right from the first page. Layla's friendly date cancels on her at the last moment, and she's determined to find another one, pronto. After all, the wedding she's attending should have been hers, but the groom's marrying her cousin instead. Seth Murphy offers to take her, and while she hasn't forgiven Jack's buddy for his role in their breakup, she's not about to miss the wedding and the chance to show her ex-fiance that she's so over him.
I just love a hero who's loved the heroine for a very long time, but the circumstances kept them apart, and Seth fills the hero role to perfection. He should have asked Layla out first, but Jack beat him to it. Now that Jack's married, this is Seth's chance, but he almost blows it.
Layla set the white votive inside the Mason jar and slid it down the table to Murphy.
He caught the jar and cut a length of twine. "I swear they're going to revoke my man card."
Layla scooped sugar into the next jar and arranged red berries around the votive. "You own a hardware store; I think your manhood is intact."
He scowled. "I'm tying bows on glass knickknacks. Don't you need some wood chopped or something?"
"What I need is thirty of these to line the walkway, so butch up and tie the bow."
Cute, adorable sparring keeps the dialog moving along at a face pace, and A December Bride packs just enough heat to make me reach for the air conditioner switch in the middle of winter. Denise Hunter is now on my must-read list, and A December Bride could slide very easily onto your bookshelf any time of the year!
Disclaimer: Sending a big thank you to Zondervan Fiction and NetGalley for allowing me the privilege of reviewing this book. I received a free copy of A December Bride in exchange for my fair and unbiased review. This opinion is my own, and I received no compensation.
