This book does what it says on the back. A busy wedding planner, Alexandra Harris, has found the ideal New York wedding venue. Trouble is, this conference centre has not been used for weddings previously. The renovated castle provides history and charm. THE WEDDING PLANNER’S CHRISTMAS WISH starts out being to host a fantastic day, but develops into something more personal.

Drew Parker, a widower and single father, is not at all keen to host a wedding. He and his little daughter Genevieve comprise Parker and Parker. By profession, he’s an architectural engineer, which impressed me that Drew had bought and restored the heritage premises, not just inherited them. Drew’s event manager mistakenly agreed to a contract, but Drew is about to tell this impudent wedding planner no, when it turns out the groom is a friend of his family. So, the day is back on.

Sebastian and Ivy’s wedding is only part of the tale, which covers a few months in the lead-up to the mid-December big day. Genevieve has a nanny but few friends, so Alexandra quite naturally invites the child to a birthday party for a little girl in her family. This means Drew starts to see something of Alex, and they learn that they enjoy spending time together.

The first in this series, A Wedding in New York, tours us around the exciting city, with trips to the New York Rangers game, Halloween, and the preparations for Christmas. It’s a relatively quick read, not too fraught, and the detail and charm will help this romance make friends.

While helping to organise a convention, I learned that the interior of the Convention Centre in Dublin gets repainted after every event. Keep this in mind next time you wonder why event space costs so much, and why wedding planners like Alex need art as well as financial expertise. I had a good time with Cara Colter’s lively modern story, THE WEDDING PLANNER’S CHRISTMAS WISH. This would suit readers from late teens to adults, who are interested in event planning as a career or who want a romantic wintry escape to New York.