An August Bride by Debra Clopton

★★★★★
Goodreads | Amazon

Kelsey vowed never to love a cowboy again. But then she meets Brent.

After a cowboy broke her heart, Kelsey Wilcox traded in her boots for flip-flops and a bistro on the beautiful sandy beach of Corpus Christi. Two years later, still not believing in happy endings, she is about to endure a weekend of torture at her cousin's beach wedding. Not only will she be forced to watch yet another wedding, but her great-aunt and her two best friends – aptly nicknamed "the matchmaking posse of Mule Hollow" – are coming to the wedding, and Kelsey is sure to be on their radar.

Brent Corbin has had his share of bad luck with women and isn't looking for love or looking forward to the weekend of wedding festivities as a groomsman for his friend. When he sees a commotion on the beach and what appears to be a mermaid in distress, he doesn't hesitate to dive to the rescue. His attention is instantly captured by the woman he's saved and it turns out they're part of the same wedding party. But the instant Kelsey spots his soaking wet boots she wants no part of him.

Thrown together through the weekend and with the meddlesome encouragement from the matchmakers, Brent is determined to pursue Kelsey and change her mind about cowboys. Sparks fly at this August wedding as Kelsey and Brent dance a rocky Texas two-step toward a beach wedding of their own.

At this point, I can’t wait to read the newest addition to A Year of Weddings every month. I’m a sucker for romance and happy endings, and that’s exactly what this novella collection has – and plenty of it. I just love it. So, of course, for the month of August, I picked up Debra Clopton’s “An August Bride” – and with a couple cowboys, a distressed mermaid and a trio of meddlesome matchmakers, I was sure it would be an entertaining story.

After swearing off cowboys, the beautiful and bubbly Kelsey meets Brent, the gorgeous and gallant cowboy determined to change her mind – and their unwanted, yet inescapably blossoming romance begins. From a beach wedding to a soup kitchen to a ranch, Kelsey and Brent encounter equal parts of humorous, stubborn and tender moments in their relationship, and the chemistry between the two of them is evident and endearing. Their love story is well-paced from the beginning to the end, and with the completely loveable cast of characters, full of spunk and a lot of fun, I absolutely enjoyed it (as I expected). “An August Bride” is a short, but delightful summer read and I recommend it along with all the other novellas in A Year of Weddings.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers, I received a copy of “An August Bride” and the opportunity to honestly review it. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own. (I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)