It’s a promise she intends to keep at all costsTaylor Preston never breaks a promise, especially to her dying mother about following her dreams to become a successful New York bridal gown designer. But when Taylor unexpectedly loses her high-profile job, she returns early to Last Stand, Texas where she happily spent childhood summers, to help with her cousin’s wedding. On Taylor’s first day back, … Taylor’s first day back, the boy she left behind twelve years ago comes to her rescue and her sleeping heart inconveniently reawakens.
All during their youth, Ryan “Coop” Cooper played Taylor’s “promise game,” and they never once broke a promise to each other, but that was years ago, and Coop, now an established contractor, isn’t the same person. Building a wedding gift she-shed brings Coop closer to Taylor. They recall their promises – silly and solemn – and realize the spark could easily once again flame.
But Taylor’s life is faraway and Coop, a single father, won’t risk his heart or his daughter’s again…
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A sweet second chance romance story.
Taylor Preston and Ryan “Coop” Cooper were best friends and sweethearts when they were younger. Their relationship ended when Taylor decided to follow her dreams of becoming a bridal gown designer in New York.
Taylor has finally returned to Last Stand, Texas, for her cousin Julie’s wedding and when she sees Coop it stirs up old feelings. But Taylor knows Coop is still mourning the lose of his wife and she is only in town temporarily, so nothing can happen. Taylor soon finds herself spending a lot of time with Coop, his daughter Cassie, and his father, Joe, and she has to fight the feelings that creep up every time they are together. Meanwhile Coop is struggling with his feelings towards Taylor and afraid to act on them knowing Taylor will soon be leaving town and doesn’t want Cassie to be hurt again. But spending so much time together is bound to bring them close again.
I read this book really quick because I couldn’t find a place to stop. I became so attached to the characters and couldn’t wait to see how they got their happily ever after. I enjoyed Taylor and Coop’s romance but I also liked reading about the friendships and family relationships that went along with the story. I especially enjoyed Cassie. She was a sweet, fun and sassy little girl.
One of a Kind Bride by Charlene Sands was the perfect book for what I hope to be another series set in a Last Stand, Texas. With a brilliant, flowing dialogue that literally pulled me through the story…and witty banter being an added bonus, the pages nearly turned themselves from beginning to end. Definitely a lovely story to escape into.
This ARC was complimentary, provided by the Publisher. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.
One of a Kind Bride takes us back to Last Stand, Texas for a second chance romance that hits all the emotions right on target. Taylor often visited her cousins in Last Stand and formed a deep friendship and more with Coop. Fate wasn’t kind to them back then and each moved on. Now, Taylor is back in town after losing a job that she was perfect for, but the company didn’t feel her bridal designs were a fit for them any longer. Disappointment turns to determination as Taylor heads to her cousin’s wedding preparations far too early to put the finishing touches on the dress for Julie, as well as figure out what she’s going to do next. The last person she expected to run into almost immediately was Coop. Neither are the same person they were in their youth – but the spark is still there between them. Dare they risk igniting that spark into a forever future?
I adored this couple. They are realistic and believable in a story that flows smoothly and drew me in right from the start. I always love going back to Last Stand, Texas with its, at times, quirky residents and small town, down-home feel. I don’t intend to give anything away – but I can say that One of a Kind Bride brought me laughter and tears, feel-good emotions, and a couple to root for to find their happily ever after future. If you love a small-town romance with a couple you’d consider friends, then pick this one up as soon as possible.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from Tule Publishing. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*
Broken promises don’t always stay broken
Taylor Preston made a promise to her mother as she was dying that she would go to New York and become a wedding dress designer. Keeping this promise meant leaving the childhood friend and boy she was halfway in love with behind in Last Stand. But New York and the wedding dress design industry are hard to break into and even harder to be successful in. Taylor is at a breaking point when she comes back to Last Stand to help her childhood best friend prepare for her wedding. And the first person she runs into is her childhood friend, Coop.
Ryan Cooper aka Coop grew up playing a promise game with Taylor. He is now a well established contractor in Last Stand and is rebuilding the old gazebo that he and Taylor used to hide their promise notes in growing up. Coop still feels something for Taylor and would love to explore it. But he is a father now and want to protect his daughter if this relationship goes bad. Can these two remember their love from their childhood and make it permanent?
This is a quick read that is well written. The wonderful town of Last Stand has so many wonderful characters that it makes you want to go live there.
I was provided with a copy of this novel by the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
Taylor, Coop and Julie were best friends while growing up. Julie and Coop lived in Last Stand and Taylor came to spend the summers there, they all looked forward to those summers spent together. Taylor and Coop used to make promises to each other and hid them in a box in the gazebo where they used to play. When they were 17 Taylor and Coop were in love with each other but Taylor’s Mother wouldn’t let her stay because she said it was only puppy love and Taylor had to pursue her dreams. Which she did.
Her dream was to design one of a kind wedding gowns. She went to work for a good company in New York but when they asked her to submit her designs, she did, they just didn’t think that her designs were what they were looking for. So they let her go. Now she is unemployed so she goes to stay with Julie and help her plan her wedding. She is designing Julies wedding gown and it is all sown by hand. Julie loves it.
While Taylor is in Last Stand with Julie, she keeps running into Coop, who happens to still be Julies Best friend and now the best friend of Julies to be husband Miguel.
A really good book that once you start reading I just couldn’t seem to put it down.
This book wowed me simply from the wedding dress talk. Yes I am one of those of those people. But the beautiful dresses that our designer Taylor Preston creates is amazing. In spite of that she does lose her job in New York City so she is back in Last Stand, TX early for the wedding of her best friend. Life has a way of a working out the way it suppose to be it seems as the first day back who does she bump into but the one guy she left behind. Ryan Cooper or Coop and Taylor were inseparable back in the day and he isn’t mad she left or upset she left or is back. But he does have a child he keeps her protected as he should. Promises are a big part of this book all around and one thing i really liked reading about. Promises & Second Chances.
What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Standalone
HEA
I look forward to reading more from this author.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC from Tule Publishing.
I just adore second chance romances. One -of-a-Kind Bride by Charlene Sands was a perfect combination of all the things I look for and love in a romance. Taylor and Coop met as children when Taylor spent her summers away from New York City visiting her cousin. During those summers, she and Coop grew close. At one point their relationship became more than childhood best friends. But Taylor left at the end of the summer as she usually did each year. She would start college and prepare for a career she always dreamed of. Taylor made a promise to her mother that she would find success and fulfillment in her adult life. Taylor always kept her promises. Only problem was, that Taylor took that promise too literally and while she was successful in her profession, life was passing her by. Life and love that is. It isn’t until she visits Last Stand to help her cousin with wedding preparations that Taylor starts to reevaluate her goals and dreams.
Coop adored Taylor growing up, and in his late teens fell head over heels in love with her. He wanted to create a future with Taylor; he loved her that much. But Taylor had other plans and so she left him with a broken heart. Coop went off to college himself and made a life that he loved. Unfortunately, life through tragedy at Coop and so he ended up going back home to Last Stand.
I won’t spoil any of the story for you. I will say, that I was happy the way these two re-developed their friendship. The pace was slow but believable. I became frustrated a bit with Coop and Taylor at times but understood their wariness with giving their hearts away. This book has many wonderful secondary characters that bring even more entertainment to my reading. This book was definitely not my first by this author so going in, I knew I would enjoy it. I recommend One-of-a-Kind Bride to anyone who loves second chance stories and likable, realistic characters.
This is my honest and unbiased review. Thank you for taking the time to read it. 🙂
I gave this book 5 stars but can’t get this to stay on the Bookbub review.
I received this arc from Tule Publishing in exchange for an honest review. The story took place in Last Stand Texas and features Taylor. She lives in New York but used to spend her summers in Last Stand with her cousin Julie and their friend Coop. Julie is getting married, and Taylor a designer is returning to be maid of honor and has made the Wedding and bridesmaid dresses. Right before she is to leave, she is fired because her boss finds her designs too Edgy and Different. She heads out early to help her cousin with the plans. Once she gets there, she runs into Coop. The last summer she was there, they had fallen in love but she left him to return to NYC and attend college there.
Coop had left Last stand to go to college in California when Taylor left. He met his wife, they had a daughter and his wife died in a car accident. He had recently returned to stay with his dad, run his construction company and raise his 8 year old daughter Cassie. He has a lot of guilt about his wife’s death and still is angry at Taylor for leaving. He is close with Julie and her fiancé, working on a she shed wedding present for Julie. This allows him to see a lot of Taylor.
Taylor is contemplating what she will do for a job. One of the bridesmaids asks her to stay after the wedding and design her dress. She agrees and is really loving being back there. Spending time with Cooper makes her realize she is still in love with him. She gets close with Cassie, too, and Ccop doesn’t want her to hurt either of them when she inevitably returns to her life in NYC. He is still grieving his wife and won’t ask her to stay. The story is exciting, romantic and tragic, but with a nice HEA. I gave it 5 stars.
One-of-a-Kind Bride by Charlene Sands takes the reader to Last Stand, Texas. This is a place that has stood even when it should have fallen. It is made up of a tough but caring community. Those who visit never forget the town. Readers will not either.
Taylor has made a return visit to a place spend her summers. These were happy summers but she always planned to make her home in the Big Apple as a designer. As always there are bumps in the road to fulfilled dreams, with Taylor hitting a big one. I admired her loyalty to her cousin, Julie, as well as her persistent pursue of a dream. Life changes, people grow and change along with it, which she learns.
Time there includes a past summer before college love who has also returned to Last Stand, Texas. Ryan “Coop” Cooper is now living there with his young daughter. I admired his dependability and steadfastness. Still he seemed to have some major emotional issues that must be work through. With a young child who could be hurt by a quick reunion fling, the author wrote a sensitive and believable story with a conclusion that pleases all.
An ARC of the book was given to me by Tule Publishing which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is a story that will tug at your heartstrings a book that once you start it you won’t want to put it down It is well written flows beautifully and draws you into the life of the characters
Taylor Preston may be a New York city girl at heart but some of her best memories are from family holidays in Last Stand Texas so when things in New York aren’t going so well she sees it has a chance to head to Last Stand early to help her Cousin Julie with her wedding plans. The first person she meets when she arrives is Coop she and him loved one another when they where younger but never wanted the same thing. He is now a single dad after the death of his wife. The attraction between them is still there but can he give her his heart and risk his daughters Cassie’s heart by loving someone who will leave them behind again. Or will Taylor rethink what she wants in life You will have to read to see if they get a HEA this time
One-of-a-Kind Bride by Charlene Sands
It’s a promise she intends to keep at all costs
Taylor Preston never breaks a promise, especially to her dying mother about following her dreams to become a successful New York bridal gown designer. But when Taylor unexpectedly loses her high-profile job, she returns early to Last Stand, Texas where she happily spent childhood summers, to help with her cousin’s wedding. On Taylor’s first day back, the boy she left behind twelve years ago comes to her rescue and her sleeping heart inconveniently reawakens.
All during their youth, Ryan “Coop” Cooper played Taylor’s “promise game,” and they never once broke a promise to each other, but that was years ago, and Coop, now an established contractor, isn’t the same person. Building a wedding gift she-shed brings Coop closer to Taylor. They recall their promises – silly and solemn – and realize the spark could easily once again flame.
But Taylor’s life is far away and Coop, a single father, won’t risk his heart or his daughter’s again…
This is Taylor Preston and Ryan “Coop” Cooper’s story.
This was the biggest day in Taylor’s life, in recent memory that was.
And the morning called for coffee. She crossed the street, fighting heavy winds, one hand clutching her oversized design briefcase, the other reaching for Coffee Corner’s doorknob. New York never did anything on a small scale so when a gigantic gust pushed her inside the coffee house she hung on for dear life and came to a quick stop when the door closed behind her. It was warm inside and homey, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee helping to calm her nerves.
“Look what the wind blew in,” Melanie said from behind the counter, her smile wide.
Ryan “Coop” Cooper played Taylor’s “promise game,” and they never once broke a promise to each other, but that was years ago, and Coop, now an established contractor, isn’t the same person. Building a wedding gift she-shed brings Coop closer to Taylor. They recall their promises silly and solemn and realize the spark could easily once again flame.
But Taylor’s life is far away and Coop, a single father, won’t risk his heart or his daughter’s again.
One-of-a-Kind Bride by Charlene Sands is a 4 star book.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader copy.
Charlene’s Books with Tule:
Claim Me, Cowboy
The 77th Copper Mountain Rodeo
Bachelor for Hire
Bachelor Auction Returns
Taming the Texas Cowboy
Forever Texan
Loving the Texas Lawman
Forever Texan
Redeeming the Texas Rancher
Forever Texan
One-of-a-Kind Bride
A reunion dreams are made of! With a delightful sweet romance, Charlene Sands brings her readers a heartfelt reunion of summertime friends and first loves in ONE-OF-A-KIND BRIDE. The characters are fun, their connection feels like they were never apart and the added depth of the family and friends around them makes for a romantic reunion. I loved their story!
Taylor Preston is easy to like. She’s never been shy about being a big city girl in New York City, but her summers spent with family in Last Stand, Texas are some of her fondest memories. When city life gets her down, she heads to TX early to give her cousin some extra help in planning her wedding and who does she run into almost the second she steps foot into town? Her first love … the man she left behind … the man who seems to still make her heart tingle at first sight.
Ryan “Coop” Cooper has a heart of gold. Taylor might have left him behind all those years ago, but he hasn’t held a grudge, and he went on to be happy without her. His life now is a bit different from what he dreamed of though, and he’s doing his best to be the type of father his little girl needs in her life. He can’t let his guard down and bring anymore heartache to either of their lives.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a sweet reunion of first loves with a great supporting cast behind them of friends, family and an adorable little girl.
A very cute book about promises made ,promises kept between 2 friends growing up in Last Stand,Texas. Love 2nd romance storylines this one covered what I look for in a book,kids,sports,best of all romance.
Truthfully I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for my review.
Oh the characters in this book really tugged my heartstrings, from young Cassie right up to Grandpa Joe, heck I even wanted to cuddle Muffy the dog.
And the story line is just the best, from the promise box Coop made for Taylor when they were kids till what happened with it twelve years later just makes this one of the best second chance romances you could read, take my advice and let it play your heartstrings you wont be sorry.
Second chance romances are wonderful especially when there is a lot of push and pull between characters. This book is terrific!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.