Publication Date: 02/18/2014
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Imprint: Revell Books
Genre: Christian/Inspirational Contemporary Romance
Pages: 336
ISBN-10: 0800721543
ISBN-13: 978-0800721541
(Received for an honest review from Revell Books)
Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, ChristianBook, Indiebound
Janice Thompson on the WEB: website, blog, twitter, facebook, goodreads
Books in the series:
Picture Perfect (2013), The Icing on the Cake (2013), The Dream Dress (2014)
Coverart: Click the Image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.
Excerpt from, The Dream Dress, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature.
Synopsis:
A seamstress at a swanky bridal boutique, Gabi Delgado dreams of doing more than ripping out seams and fitting dresses to doe-eyed brides. She wants to see her own dress designs gracing the young women of Texas. When Jordan Spencer, the editor of Texas Bride magazine visits the shop to do a feature, Gabi is devastated to lose her job in his very influential presence. Convinced she'll never get her dreams off the ground now, Gabi needs lots of encouragement--especially from her friend Bella Neeley--to take a chance and start her business. And as she gets to know Jordan, she discovers that she may have to take a chance on love as well. Could it be that she'll have to design her own wedding dress soon?
As always, Janice Thompson delivers fun, laughter, and romance as she takes readers back to Galveston, Texas, to spend more time with their favorite quirky characters along with fabulous new ones.
Thoughts:
Inspirational author Janice Thompson returns with the third book in her, Weddings by Design series, The Dream Dress. When it comes to Weddings, Thompson knows what she's talking about. Having been a former Wedding planner herself gives her stories an authenticity that is missing from other books of this kind. Thompson uses over-the-top situations to create humor in her writing and readers will find themselves smiling often when reading her books. Thompson's inspirational message is weaved throughout the story assuring that readers not only entertained but have the opportunity to grow spiritually as well.
What I liked:
Every time I pick up a book by Janice Thompson I know a few things already. One, it will be a fun read, with lots of humor and two, it will have a clear cut message. In her latest book, The Dream Dress, Thompson again goes back to her roots as a wedding planner and brings readers a story about a young woman with a dream. A dream of being a wedding gown designer. Unfortunately, Gabi doesn't understand her own worth and can't believe that she will ever attain her goal. The messes she finds herself in as she works at hemming and stitching gowns designed by others is often enough to make readers laugh out loud, but it is clearly the underlying message of faith that is the love story of this novel.
Don't get me wrong, Gabi's Mr. Right comes in the form of a reporter from Texas Bride magazine, named Jordan. And these two make a wonderful couple. They are sweet together, supportive of each other and ultimately they find their way together. But the story of how Gabi comes to the realization of God's love in her own life is the back bone of the book. I could see a lot of myself in Gabi's character and I believe other readers will as well. She is easy to relate to because we have all had moments of low self esteem in our lives and this is a character that will speak to others. I loved the fact that Thompson didn't try to water down her story to make it fit into a certain kind of mold. She told it with simplicity and clarity and I loved the way it turned out.
I also enjoyed the characters from Thompson's other series, Weddings by Bella making an appearance as well. It was nice to see them again and gave readers who follow the author a chance to catch up with some old favorites. Also I think it provided some page time to the relationships between women that can be so special. All of the women in this series are inter-related in some way and I loved seeing them interact and draw strength from each other. I think writing about friendships is so meaningful. I often find myself wishing for that special "girlfriend" that has been missing in my own life and seeing these characters interact makes me determined to find that again. Another pleasant surprise from this book.
Love is certainly in the air with this series and I think Thompson does a fantastic job with all of the wedding aspects of the story. It provides a lot of necessary structure for the story and weddings are such a wonderful and joyful experience to write about. I loved all of the behind the scenes information about the wedding business and it makes me wish I could do that for a living.
What I didn't like:
Some of the situations that Thompson writes about are a little too over the top for me. Not that they couldn't happen in real life, it's just that the possibility of so many of them happening to the same set of characters seems a bit far fetched once in a while. But if I just let myself go and enjoy the read no matter what happens, little things like that, just kind of fade into the background.
Bottom Line:
This story made me laugh. It made me nostalgic for a close female friend. It made me think about God's love in my own life and how having confidence is so important. In other words, it touched me on many levels and it definitely tickled my funny bone. A very good book by an exceptional inspirational author.
The Dream Dress is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.
I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!
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