Despite the title, this enjoyable short story A FAIRYTALE
BRIDE is rooted in reality. The kind of reality faced by
the owners of small town secondhand bookstores who can't
make a living - can't make enough even to pay property
taxes. No wonder a young lady like Melissa might escape to
the contents of a romance novel, or a fairytale escapist
romp.
Jeff is a journalist who wrote a story about prominent
people based on an ill-advised source. Now he's in need of
a job and an invisibility cloak. Basing himself in a rural
cabin in Virginia sounds good except that he's bored. Even
a basic-pay job in a dusty bookstore has prospects as far
as this book-lover is concerned. And Melissa's shabby
premises has three definite advantages. One is the lady
owner herself. The other two are Dickens and Hugo, the
resident cats.
While this short story has no real action there is
emotional tension and understated drama in plenty. The hard
work of clearing and rearranging the book stock Melissa
inherited is balanced by the affectionate antics of the
cats. Jeff's desire to lose himself and forget his bad
judgement backfires, predictably, when Melissa decides he
must have been deliberately deceiving her. Other townsfolks
wander in and out of the story, though not the bookshop
which doesn't appear to have a single customer. The moral
could be that if we believe in something we have to work
hard to gain that goal. I love how the two people turn out
to have a lot in common, from their simple love of cats to
their musings on specific authors.
Hope Ramsay has written some great tales set in the town of
Last Chance. I've particularly enjoyed 'Last Chance
Summer'. This latest adult romance story is set in
Shenandoah Falls in a new series called 'The Chapel of
Love'. A FAIRYTALE BRIDE is a splendid, gently paced
introduction to the setting for new readers while the
engaging characters will make you want to return, just in
time for the next book which will be called 'A Christmas
Bride'.
A CHAPEL OF LOVE SHORT STORY
After a very public career disaster, journalist Jeff
Talbert-Lyndon wants to escape from the world. Picturesque
Shenadoah Falls, Virginia, seems like the perfect place to
relax and regroup before heading back to real life. But when
he discovers the charming bookstore Secondhand Prose - and
its lovely, slightly overwhelmed owner- he finds a part-time
job and a very tempting reason to stay...
Melissa Portman is fighting a losing battle when it comes to
saving her grandmother's store - and selling the historic
building may be her only option. Yet when a handsome
stranger wanders in one day, she wonders if her very own
fairytale is just beginning...
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