Everything But A Groom is a cute story about what happens when a Hungarian grandma unintentionally curses her own family. Granddaughter, Vancy, is left at the alter, causing yet another ruined wedding ceremony for the family. When the media starts hounding the former bride and her family, Vancy finds protection and shelter with her landscaper and his recently discovered twin nephews. What started out as a curse, ultimately becomes A blessing when Vancy and Matt discover love, and a family that neither knew they were missing.The story is cute, with plenty of crazy family members to keep things interesting. Unfortunately, Vancy gets repetitive when talking, or thinking, about her ruined wedding and ex- fiancé. I think the story would have benefitted from the author expanding on the subject; instead of just repeating, almost word for word, Vancy's thoughts on her failed relationship.A sweet story with no sex scenes, Everything But A Groom would be a great read for anyone interested in clean romance. It would also be appropriate for older teens who've moved past normal teen-angst romances, but not yet read for "adult" situations. Many years ago in Hungary, Vancy Bashdale was the most beautiful girl in her village and she was determined to marry the handsome Bela Salo. She had everything planned for her wedding but the groom failed to appear. In her heartbreak, Vancy cursed his descendants so that they would never have a big, fancy wedding until they understood that love triumphs over pageantry. The groom reappears with a good excuse and she marries him, regretting her hasty curse. Now her granddaughter Vancy is getting married and won't listen to her Nana and elope. Vancy has everything under control. She sees the wedding as a business opportunity for both her and the groom. However, the groom fails to appear and sends word that he ran off with some waitress he had just met. When the media gets a hold of the dual stories of Nana's curse and the runaway groom, they stalk Vancy. Matt Wilde, owner of Everything Wilde landscaping business has just discovered he has two young nephews he has never met. His twin brother abandoned the twins' mother and the mother in turn left the children to her mother who has dumped them on Matt. Rather than see them as an inconvenience, Matt falls in love with the boys at first sight. His path crosses Vancy's and he offers her a place to hide from the media. Vancy becomes a surrogate mother to Matt's nephews. She loves the charming twins despite their propensity for mischief, and she loves her domestic role. She realizes that her wedding to Alvin was just a wedding and not a true marriage. Matt realizes he loves Vancy but feels it's too soon after her failed wedding to make a move. Their families think otherwise and wonder if Vancy and Matt will ever realize their feelings for each other. Perhaps if they help things along a bit it will happen and Vancy will break the family curse. This is a light, fluffy novel that can be read in one sitting and promptly forgotten. I expected more of a family comedy but it's more of a 1950s domestic story than anything else. The dialogue is terrible and the introspective moments are too soon and too frequent. Vancy and Matt are stock characters and I could not relate to her or like her much at all. Likewise, Matt is too saintly to be realistic. The romance is sweet though. If you like clean, sweet romances and heartwarming stories more than a well-written book, this one is for you.
What do You think about Everything But A Groom (2007)?
I thought this was a cute story and cute plot. A quick read. Rating 3.5
—Liskabee
