TO LOVE AND TO CHERISH is the third and final installment
in Lauren Layne's Wedding
Belles series. I've enjoyed
each book in this Wedding
Belles series, but something
about TO LOVE AND TO CHERISH makes this romance linger in
your mind long after you finish reading it. This is a
great book for readers who enjoy the friends-to-lovers
and secret-love romance tropes. There is something so
compelling about the relationship between mild-mannered,
Clark Kent double, British hottie Logan Harris and
consummate businesswoman and perfectionist Alexis Morgan.
Alexis' slow realization of how much she cares for Logan
and how much he loves her is a lengthy, and often
frustrating, process for Logan but Lauren Layne delivers
a satisfying and emotional powerhouse with TO LOVE AND TO
CHERISH.
Lauren Layne does a good job of getting inside the head
of the two main characters and revealing their innermost
thoughts and struggles to the reader. Logan has been
Alexis' business partner and friend for eight years, as
well as secretly in love with her for that same amount of
time. TO LOVE AND TO CHERISH deals with some heavy
emotional baggage, but I like how Lauren Layne gives the
drama prominence, while also throwing in fun tropes and
erotic sizzle.
It's a good thing that TO LOVE AND TO CHERISH is told
from alternating perspectives, because readers need to
understand the things that Alexis and Logan refuse to
reveal to each other. It would be very difficult to
understand why Alexis never pursues a romantic
relationship with Logan, if Lauren Layne hadn't provided
so much background information on Alexis throughout this
book, and snapshots of her soul. Lauren Layne skillfully
describes what drives Alexis and the old hurts that haunt
her. In TO LOVE AND TO CHERISH, Alexis gets the emotional
jolt she needs to alter her perceptions of Logan and what
their relationship could be. Logan is a completely
sympathetic character and hero to swoon over. Although he
sometimes thinks of himself as a romantic fool where
Alexis is concerned, I like that he asserted himself and
finally pursues her the way she needed to be pursued.
TO LOVE AND TO CHERISH is packed with passion and a love
story that is worth waiting for. Logan is a hero pushed
to his limits and delicious things happen when he finally
gives in to his desires. Lauren Layne frames this romance
beautifully and there is a wonderful symmetry in the way
the relationship between Alexis and Logan begins and what
it evolves into by the end of the book. I love this
Wedding
Belles series, and can't wait to see what
Lauren Layne has in store for readers next.
Sex and the City meets The Wedding Planner in
The Wedding Belles, a contemporary and witty romance series
about three high-powered New York City women who can plan
any wedding—but their own.
Alexis Morgan has spent the past eight years devoted to
turning her tiny start-up into Manhattan’s premiere wedding
planning company, The Wedding Belles. Now that her business
is thriving, it’s time to turn towards her much neglected
personal life, and Alexis approaches her relationships like
she does everything else: with a plan. Not a part of
that plan is Logan Harris, the silent partner in the Belles,
and the one person who’s been there for her since the very
beginning. But Alexis needs someone fun, and Logan’s all
business, all the time—except when a late night at the
office ends with an unexpected kiss that leaves the usually
cool and together Alexis reeling.
Logan has lusted after Alexis since the day he walked into
the tiny Harlem apartment that used to double as her office.
But the ambitious wedding planner has always been
untouchable...until now. Alexis has made it clear that she’s
on the dating market—and equally clear that he’s not in the
running. But when Alexis finds herself in need of a date for
her sister’s last minute wedding in Florida, Logan knows
it’s the perfect time to show Alexis that there’s more to
him than numbers and spreadsheets—and beneath the pinstripes
and glasses lies a hot-blooded heartthrob. As Florida’s
sultry days turn into even hotter nights, Logan’s out to
convince Alexis that the fling of a lifetime could just
maybe turn into forever...