Bed of Roses (The Bride Quartet, Book 2) [Deckle Edge] [Paperback]

This is Nora Roberts second book in the Bride Quartet. Roberts sets this series on an inherited estate which is now the home of Vows and the four women who run the full-service wedding business. In the first book, Vision in White, we meet the pragmatic photographer, Mac, who must overcome her own practicalities to allow herself to fall in love. Now we meet Emma, the florist, who is a romantic to the core. She wants the whole nine yards- and indeed, she'd be the one to have a train just that long. She longs to be swept off her feet by true love. The relationship between the four friends is the cornerstone of the book and the wedding business really comes alive with anecdotes of the matrimonial couples seeking the services of Vows. I felt the romance in this book was much sweeter and maybe more 'romantic'- in part because Mac, from the first book, was the more practical sort and had to overcome herself to fall in love. In this book, Emma is a bit of a social butterfly, dating around. In the meantime, an old friend works his way into her affections. These books are simple and rely on the strong characters and their emotions. This book lacked a bit of the tension that was there in the first as there were no giant hurdles in Emma's romance developing. In a way, that's what is refreshing about these books- the plot is not contrived, just straightforward, simple and romantic. I like that the writing is good, solid, without getting in the way of the story- the voice is fluid which makes for an easy and enjoyable read. These books are great if you want to unwind after a busy day or de-stress in your bubble bath. I downloaded to my Kindle before I went to bed last night, read a few chapters and then finished the book while my kids were at school today. If you enjoyed the first book, you will really enjoy this book- and if you haven't had a chance to read the first, this one will stand just fine on its own.