Review: Wedding of the Season by Laura Lee Guhrke

Abandoned at the altar . . .

Lady Beatrix Danbury had always known she would marry William Mallory. She'd loved him forever and she'd never doubted he loved her, too. But when she made him choose between their life together or his lifelong dream, Will chose the latter . . . and left two weeks before their wedding.

Return of the duke . . .

Will has no illusions that Beatrix would welcome him back with open arms, but six years did not dim his love or desire for her. The only problem is, she's about to marry someone else. Someone safe and predictable . . . the complete opposite of Will. But can he stop the wedding of the season and win Beatrix back, or is it just too late?

Bea doesn't love Will Mallory, especially after he broke her heart and left for Egypt two weeks before their wedding, but that doesn't mean she hasn't thought about him in the intervening years.  


Oh, she's tried not to because certainly a man who would shirk his responsibilities in such a way isn't deserving of her continued devotion.  Bea has moved on: she has a new fiance, Aidan, the Duke of Trahern; she's taken up driving a Daimler.  Yet somehow, she's surprised by Will's return.  She believes he'll make trouble for her upcoming nuptials.  Perhaps most damaging, however, is the fact that when she looks at him, she remembers her long-dead dream of a life with him.  


It is during the trip to Pixy Cove that things between Bea and Will come to a head.

"Since you won't allow me to do the honorable thing by marrying you, at least allow me to secure your future another way.  It's a matter of honor."

"Honor?"  She gave a laugh. "Honor?"

"All right," he capitulated. "That's all bunkum.  Honor has nothing to do with it."

He glanced at the drawing room windows again, then unfolded his arms and leaned closer to her.  "I want you.  I want you as much as I ever did.  I've spend six years lying to myself about it, and I just can't find the will the lie anymore. Now I've got a second chance with you--"

"You do not have a second chance!"

"And I'm taking it," he went on if she hadn't spoken. "I want to win you back. I want you in my arms, in my bed, in my life."

Like other reviews I've read, though, the ending came much too fast and at a price where I don't necessarily buy into or believe Bea and Will's happily-ever-after as easily and readily as I wanted to.  That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Guhrke's writing style (I've never read her before), and I'm very excited to read Scandal of the Year. 

(A very special thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins and Avon for providing me with an ARC of Wedding of the Season.)