This summer was really busy and stressful. I quit my job, moved twice, and went back to school. School was CRAZY intense for the 6 weeks I was in it, I blew through my savings by not working for over 2 months, which meant more stress because, well, I’m broke. It was pretty fricking nuts. That’s basically a perfect recipe for a book slump. So I figured I would try rereading a favorite series and see where it got me (I also needed to forget that Blood Magick exsisted because it was awful). It didn’t really work as a slump buster, but I was reminded of why I love Nora Roberts and The Bride Quartet in particular.
I originally read these in high school, if not right when they came out, only shortly after. It was probably my first experience reading a Nora Roberts book that wasn’t five-ten years old already. I have to say, it was kind of great (at the time) to not get weirded out by weird clothing descriptions (those early 90s, man, it was rough) or come across any super outdated worldviews, etc. These felt way more modern than any of her other books I had read at the time.
So the series is about four best friends who start a wedding business called Vows. It’s really perfect for them. Mac’s a photographer, Laurel went to pastry school, and Emma’s dream is to open her own floral shop. Parker is the glue of the operation and they run it out of her family estate (where they also all live).
Part of the reason I love this series so much is their friendship. The dynamics of the four of them, since they’ve known each other so long and so well, are so wonderful to read. They’re really more of a family than friends, sometimes annoying each other but always able to listen and then tell them what they need to hear. I love that they run a business together and do it SO WELL. It’s a well oiled machine and I think how well they work together reflects how strong the relationship between the four of them is.
Obviously, each book focuses on a different friend falling in love, so I’m going to do a mini review for each one, all in this master post.
Some Books & Other Stuff 