She loves him–but does she want to get married? She’s finally getting married– Or not? When Brynne Taylor breaks off her engagement to Paul Capriati, she knows her life is going to change. But when two women who claim to be triplets to her show up in her small Utah town, it’s a lot more change than she ever expected. Now she’s digging up long-buried family secrets and navigating her … and navigating her relationship with her ex-fiancé. Does she actually want to get married? And what’s this introverted only child going to do with two brand-new sisters?
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Good conclusion to the trilogy. Brynne’s life is a hot mess. Six months earlier, she was engaged to the man she loved, was working her dream job as a labor and delivery nurse, and had her mom around to help plan the wedding. Then Brynne’s mother passed away, and suddenly her life explodes into turmoil. She takes a leave of absence so she can run her mother’s bookstore, postpones her wedding, and grieves her mother’s death. Now Paul is pushing to set a new date for their wedding while Brynne still feels overwhelmed. When he issues an ultimatum, Brynne ends the engagement. Moments later, Brynne finds a woman in labor in the bookstore’s bathroom and is shocked to see a face identical to her own.
I ached for both Paul and Brynne, but I also wanted to shake them. Brynne’s grief and need to concentrate on her obligations is understandable. However, she doesn’t do a very good job of communicating those feelings to Paul. She also has some concerns about her future life with him that she doesn’t share. Brynne came from a family that was just her and her mom. It was a quiet life with little time spent with other people. Paul comes from a large Italian family whose exuberance is alien to her. Paul seems oblivious to Brynne’s discomfort around them. He also goes on about his wish for a big family, while Brynne isn’t sure she’s capable of caring for even one child. Paul’s decision to use an ultimatum to force Brynne into setting a date backfires on him, but he refuses to believe that she won’t come around.
Complicating matters, Brynne discovers that she is one of a set of triplets. She goes from no family to one with sisters, brothers-in-law, and nieces and nephews. As she gets to know Lacy and Eva, Brynne is forced to face the fact that her mother had secrets. Brynne struggled with her relationship with her sisters, unsure if she wanted to keep them at a distance or embrace the idea that she had a family. There were plenty of growing pains as Brynne learned how to deal with sisters that didn’t hesitate to butt into her life, and Lacy and Eva learned how to back off when they came on too strong. I liked that they were there for Brynne, and also helped her confront her issues. There were some terrific scenes of them together, especially those where they learned about their mother.
I liked the way that Paul didn’t give up on their love. That made it possible for him to be there for Brynne as she dealt with her surprise family. I thought that he was very patient with the way she seemed to be using him after ending their engagement. Not that he was without his faults. Paul was a bit of a control freak who tended to make a mental plan and stick to it no matter what. Brynne calls him out on it at one point, and after some self-reflection, he realizes that he needs to make some changes. I liked watching those changes and the effect it had on Brynne. I liked the ending as Brynne and Paul came together, finally sharing their concerns and visions. The epilogue was a great wrap-up.
The Reluctant Fiancée is the third and final book in Lynne Marshall’s A Taylor Triplet series. Brynne Taylor life is filled with grief and uncertainty. Having lost her mother, she’s left her job as a nurse and has taken over the running of her mother’s bookstore. She’s postponed her marriage to Paul Capriati and when he pressures her to set a wedding date she can’t commit and he thus ends their engagement.
Brynne’s life is in turmoil when moments later she encounters a pregnant woman in the bookstore that goes into labor. One look at her and she sees a replication of herself. Brynne helps deliver the baby and not only does she discover one long lost sister but two. One moment she’s all alone in the world and the next she finds she’s a triplet.
The Reluctant Fiancée is a powerful, emotional read. Ms. Marshall takes the reader on a roller coaster ride as Brynne deals with the grief that consumed her. She needs to find her way and also come to grips with her career choice. Paul was a special character that never gave up on the love of his life. I love how his character was written!
Will they find their happily ever after or will Brynne seek a new life with her newfound family?
I received an advance copy of The Reluctant Fiancée which I highly recommend. It is a standalone book but I suggest reading the first two books in the series too. I’m sorry to see this series come to an end but I look forward to the next story that Ms. Marshall crafts for her readers.
4 1/2 STARS!
A life re-imagined! With the third book in her The Taylor Triplets series, Lynne Marshall takes us on the final leg of rediscovery as the third sister is found and reconnected in THE RELUCTANT FIANCEE. It’s emotional and heartwarming all rolled in together.
Brynne Taylor was a difficult character for me. I liked her on a whole in the situation with her family, but man, she treated Paul so badly. I just could never quite fully redeem her.
Paul on the other hand is delightful. He’s kind, he’s loving and all he wants in life is to share it with Brynne.
I highly recommend this book and this series as a whole to anyone who enjoys an emotional journey to love, family and happily ever after.
Author Lynne Marshall brings her “Taylor Triplets series” to a reader-satisfying conclusion with Book Three, “The Reluctant Fiancee”. When Brynne Taylor’s mother passed away after a sudden illness, Brynne’s life changed in more ways than she could have imagined. Putting her own career as an RN on hold to manage her mother’s bookstore was not her only sacrifice–she’d also postponed her wedding to the man she dearly loved, Paul Capriati. Feeling pulled from all sides to meet obligations–not only in matters of business, but in matters of the heart–Brynne struggled to make it all work. Paul came from a large loving family and was more than ready to marry and become a father. Brynne’s growing-up years were the opposite of Paul’s–she had been raised knowing her mother as her only family. She loved her mother, but Brynne could never understand why she had been so secretive about Brynne’s heredity. When Paul steps up the pressure for them to marry–giving her an ultimatum–Brynne feels she has no choice but to tell him that their relationship is over. A life-changing discovery that Brynne may one of a set of identical triplets separated at birth sends her back to Paul’s arms for comfort, and he tries desperately to repair the rift between them. However, they have much to resolve between them before they they can reach out for a bright and happy future together. They must also deal with the mystery surrounding the births of Brynne and her sisters–can the three of them find peace with the past that will clear the way for lives filled with joy and newfound family? Author Lynne Marshall is a wonderful teller of romantic tales, bringing together story elements–including surprises–and in-depth characterizations which keep the reader happily turning the pages to see what happens next.If you enjoy heartwarming contemporary romance with a hint of mystery, then you will love “The Taylor Triplets Series”
Book Copy Gratis Author
The Reluctant Fiancee is the final installment of the Taylor Triplets series but can be read as a stand alone. This is a wonderfully written conclusion to the series in which three identical triplets were separated at birth but have since found each other and are now trying to discover the reasons why. Brynne is a labor and delivery nurse who is now running her mom’s bookstore since she passed away. Paul and Brynne were supposed to be married in the Spring but postponed the wedding due to Jessica’s death. Growing impatient, Paul gives Brynne an ultimatum about rescheduling and she breaks their engagement. In the aftermath of their confrontation, she walks into the bookstore to find a woman who looks exactly like her in full labor. After delivering the baby, she discovers that their are actually two women and that they are triplets who were separated at birth. The story that follows, the secrets revealed, and the growing relationships will entertain and enthrall the reader until the very end.
I received an advanced reader copy from the publisher but all thoughts and feelings are my own.