Never say never when it comes to love in A Wedding at Two Love Lane by Kieran Kramer. Greer Jones has made a real name for herself at the elegant matchmaking agency Two Love Lane. For a lot of reasons–including a past engagement she broke off–practical tech expert Greer is more interested in the business of love than the experience of it, but she can’t help but covet a gorgeous wedding gown … gorgeous wedding gown that’s the prize in an upcoming cocktail-party contest. In a moment of brazen inspiration, Greer asks a handsome Brit she’s only just met to accompany her to the party. He agrees–and Greer believes her date is a starving artist. Little does she know the truth. . .
Ford Smith, as he calls himself, is actually Stanford Elliott Wentworth Smythe, the Eighth Baron of Wickshire. Fresh off a breakup with a money-grubbing siren who deceived him all the way to the altar, Ford has no desire to fall in love–especially with Greer who, like the desired wedding gown, is beautiful but only skin-deep. But soon Ford realizes that there’s more to Greer than meets the eye. Her professionalism is matched only by her passion for life and love. . .and, best of all, she has no idea that he’s to the manor born. Could it be that true love is priceless after all?
more
Southern charm wraps itself around the delightful characters in this lovely book about romance, taking chances, and love. Who would ever guess that a small gesture of asking for a date to a party would lead to the unexpected results of love for a most unusual man.
This is the second book in the Two Love Lane trilogy, about the Charleston, SC matching making agency founded by three college roommates. Years after they had successfully matched their beloved dorm mother, Ms. Thing, her husband died, and they came together, founded the company and hired Miss Thing as their office manager. The first book was about Macy, who was said to be a descendent of Cupid, and had a talent for match maker. This book is about Greer, the math wiz, who designed algorithms to match couples together. She was raised at a Wisconsin dairy farm and never believed her parents has any passion between them, so at a young age started scrapbooking her Perfect Wedding. She dated Wesley for 10 years, but when he proposed, she turned him down, as she didn’t feel she loved him enough. Her parents and the whole town think she made a mistake.
As the book begins, Macy, Ella and Miss Thing are all in LA, with tickets to The Price Is Right, Greer deciding to stay home and man the fort. She finds herself at an auction where she bids on a gorgeous wedding dress, Royal Bliss, the perfect dress for her, whenever she finds the perfect partner, but is outbid by a Pierce Simmons, out of spite, because, so far, Two Love Lane has not been able to find him a match. The day gets worse, when she runs into Wesley and his new fiancé, both surgeons, who plan to wed and work in Charleston. However, she also meets a very attractive Brit artist, who wants to paint her. Ford Smith, is an artist, but also a wealthy baron who was recently betrayed by his fiancé with one of he grooms men. When Pierce decides to hold a contest for Royal Bliss, mostly to spite Greer, Ford volunteers to be her partner, if she will pose for him. The more time they spend together, the more passion ignites between them, but how can there be any future fro them, when he must return to Britain and the algorithms don’t even march them up?
The characters are all very charming in their quirkiness and the plot quite unique. I do suggest reading the books in order.
I haven’t found a contemporary romance in awhile with a couple that didn’t feel fake to me. This one disappointed me more than its predecessor. This story felt too contrived, unbelievable & over-the-top. The characters, for their ages (30ish), ended up in some juvenile-like situations. The premise for this series (three best girlfriends succeeding in a love match business) sounded cute and promising. But with this effort especially, I felt no connection to the couple or the plot. There was very little interaction between the girlfriends here (which the previous one did have), and I felt that could have added a saving element to it. Just not for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.
This is the second book in a contemporary romance series, Two Love Lane, by Kieran Kramer. I discovered her writing a few years ago and truly love her style. I am so excited to read this new series. While you can read this second book of the series “A Wedding at Two Love Lane” without reading the first book, I think you will enjoy it more with the background gained from the first book.
Three friends own and operate a match-making company in a charming old house in Charleston North Carolina, Ella, Macy and Greer. Miss Thing is their office manager, friend and mentor.
This book is centered around Greer finding her true love and soul mate. That can be a difficult task, especially when she is guards her heart. She takes Miss Thing’s advise and does something crazy, which leads her to enter a contest for future brides with the prize being a beautiful wedding gown, named “Royal Bliss”, designed with beads arranged in a heart that supposedly have a spell on them that the wearer will be granted true love.
Since Greer is not dating anyone at the time, she enters the contest as a “Future Bride” with no partner yet. This causes some controversy, but “Ford” who just met Greer a short time prior, steps in as her partner in the contest.
Things get interesting as the contest is a series of tests to do in order to win the prized wedding dress, especially when we find out that Greer’s ex-boyfriend and his fiancée are in the contest also. The story gets more and more involved and interesting as complications arise. Greer and Ford have another arrangement going on. He is a artist and wanted to do a painting of Greer. During the time they work on the painting, they become close friends. This also leads to love, which is what the book is all about.
I enjoyed this story so much an look forward to book 3 in this series.
This is the second book in the Two Love Lane series. After I finished Christmas at Two Love Lane which was Macy and Deacon’s story I was very much looking forward to reading the stories of the other two matchmaker friends, Greer Jones and Ella Mancini. A Wedding at Two Love Lane is Greer’s stroy. She meets our hero at an auction where she tries and fails to make the winning bid for a beautiful wedding gown even though she isn’t engaged or even dating anyone. It turns out that a handsome Brit, Ford Smith who is really Baron Stanford Ellitt Wentworth Smythe, traveling as Ford Smith so he isn’t recognized, is sitting next to Greer at the auction. And not just by chance!
Greer and Ford both have some baggage from past experiences but there is a special connection between them from the first day they meet. I was totally engaged in the development of their relationship which kept me turning the pages to see what all would occur before they have their HEA. It’s a fascinating story. I highly recommend it!
I enjoyed reading A Wedding at Two Love Lane by Kieran Kramer, book two in her new Two Lane series. Greer is the tech person among the ladies running Two Love Lane, creating the algorithms for love matches. One day, while the other three ladies are out of town Greer is out-bidded for a one-of-a-kind wedding dress at an auction, encounters her ex-boyfriend and his fiancé, and meets an Englishman. Ford, hiding the fact that he is a Baron, is an artist spending time in Charleston to paint the last picture for his show. When the winner of the gown runs a contest for brides, Ford helps Greer, who entered, try to win it in exchange for her posing for him. I love that both are honest with each other about their pasts but not their feelings. I also liked the way Ms. Kramer handled the ex-boyfriend as well as Ford’s epiphany about his painting and brother. There are a number of surprises and twists and turns before anyone can have a happy ever after.
I really loved reading this book and had trouble putting it down, but I wanted, no needed, an epilogue telling me the answers to a couple of cliffhangers. Ms. Kramer wove a delightful story, drawing me in and not letting go until I read the last page. I definitely recommend this book to other readers and look forward to reading the next book in this series.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
A Wedding at Two Love Lane by Kieran Kramer
Two Love Lane #2
Greer Jones is a matchmaker but she is also a dreamer. She has been planning the “perfect” wedding with pins and scrapbooks for a long time. When she sees the “perfect” wedding gown she tries to pick it up at auction and fails only to be given another opportunity to win it through a bit of game playing promotion put on by the auction winner of the dress. Wanting to win she shows up with Ford Smith, an artist, and begins to compete. Ford is more than she thinks he is while also being leery of love. The two do finally end up with a HEA BUT there are some twists and turns and hoops to get through before it happens.
I had trouble relating to these characters and the idea of “perfect” dress, wedding, man, whatever…matches can be made but relationships take work. I didn’t see what Greer and Ford saw in one another and had trouble understanding their motivations. There were side characters and baddies and goodies and…maybe this book had the feel of a New Adult romance and that is what put me off…not sure. Anyway, I am sure some will love this story and find it a fun filled way to spend some time. It did not appeal to me, though.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.
2-3 Stars
It’s stories like this that remind me why I love romance. Kieran Kramer reminds us why it’s okay to dream. Modern day reality meets fairytale fantasy and creates unforgettable magic. Greer is a dreamer, whose lost the will to dream. Ford is a realist who wants to learn how to dream. A beautiful dress, a chance encounter and one night that rivals any childhood fantasy could be the beginning of something wonderful. Wedding at Two Love Lane is a sentimental tale that allows readers to escape into the world of classic romance and remember when.