Vision in White(Book One in the Bride Quartet)
Published: 2009 (Roughcut Edition)
ISBN-13: 9780425227510
352 pages
First sentence (Prologue): By the time she was eight, Mackensie Elliot had been married fourteen times.
Meet childhood friends Parker, Emma, Laurel, and Mac. They are the founders of Vows, one of Connecticut's well known wedding planning companies. This story focuses on Mackensie "Mac" Elliot, the one behind the camera. Her character resonates with me because I know how it feels when I get behind the camera taking shots. The funny thing is, Mac's passion for photography is accidental when she captured the first wonderful moment (she calls it the "blue butterfly" moment) during one of their make-believe weddings as children. There's no turning back after that.
Mac does not believe in happily-ever-afters because she sees the truth in her own family. Not until Carter Maguire Ph.D., an English teacher at their high school alma mater shows up in her life. Carter is a safe and stable person, and Mac just does not see him as her type. Carter has a way with words and he expresses himself extremely well.
"Why? Why am I the one?"
"Because my life opened up, and it flooded with color when you walked back into it."
"If you asked, I couldn't say no."
"That's not good enough, for either of us. When I ask, you need to want to say yes."
"It doesn't come with guarantee. Why should it? It's not a car or a computer. It's life, and it's messy, and it breaks down. It's a promise, to try. [...]"
Coincidentally, it was also something that I said to a friend a day before I came to this passage.
Corrine, Carter's ex gets a brief appearance in the story where she tries to get her former lover back, and goes into the "competition mode" with Mac. I resolved to dislike her from that moment but her character was cut short. All of a sudden, she disappears from the radar and I think, "hey that was convenient..." I was torn between wanting to read more of the "crisis" and for her to get out of the way so that Mac and Carter can go on being a couple. I guess my latter wish was answered way too soon.
Another character that gets on my nerves is Mac's mother, Linda. She is probably the most selfish mother on the planet, caring only about herself and thinking the world revolves around her. Mac is manipulated by her mother time and again. She gives in every time to her every whim and fancy until things get too much to bear.
I want to be more like Parker, the goddess of organization and the lady who runs the wedding planning show. She really knows how to handle their clients and everything is at the tip of her fingers. Nothing baffles Parker.
I think the characterization is good and they are all unique. The blue butterfly is an epiphany in this story.
Having read quite a few of Nora Roberts series, I would say this is not the best, but it is also not bad. Still, it's too early to make such assumptions. Her books reads like a formula and I guess if you read the works of the same author enough times, it would probably be natural to feel that way. After all, that is the author's signature style. Having said that, I would recommend Vision in White to readers who like a good story with a touch of wittiness and romance. We all probably know by now that the author does contemporary romance very well. Friendship and love are the themes of this series.
I am looking forward to the next instalment, Bed of Roses, scheduled to be released in November this year!
Note: Vision in White is a joint-reading with Julia. I have totally enjoyed reading it with you, Julia, and the email discussions--although short--was great! Thanks again for waiting ever so patiently for me to get the book.
Related Posts:
- Teaser Tuesday
- Bed of Roses (Book Two in The Bride Quartet)
- Savor the Moment (Book Three in The Bride Quartet)
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