#BookReview :: A February Bride (A Year of Weddings #3) by Betsy St. Amant

Happily ever after guaranteed. Allie left the love of her life at the altar—to save him from a lifetime of heartbreak. When a Valentine’s Day wedding brings them back together, she struggles against her family’s destructive history. Can Allie ever realize that a marriage is so much more than a wedding dress? History repeats itself when Allie Andrews escapes the church on her wedding day—in the same dress passed down for generations and worn by all the women in her family—women with a long history of failed marriages. Allie loves Marcus, but fears she’s destined to repeat her family’s mistakes. She can’t bear to hurt Marcus worse. Marcus Hall never stopped loving Allie and can only think of one reason she left him at the altar—him. When the two are thrown together for his sister’s Valentine’s Day wedding, he discovers the truth and realizes their story might be far from over. Can Allie shuck expectation and discover who she is as a bride and in the Bride of Christ? And if she ever walks down the aisle, what dress will she wear?

I recently read the Silver Linings Series – a series of romance novellas, and though I am not particularly a romance buff, I rather enjoyed the short and sweet novellas. So, when I saw this series up for grabs on netgalley, I decided to give this series a try too.

Given her family history, Allie is sure that her marriage is doomed and that she is bound to hurt Marcus. And so, she runs away jilting the love of her life at the altar. According to her she was sparing both of them a lot of heartbreaks and sufferings. Marcus on the other hand still loves Allie, even after being jilted at the altar. Their love for each other is apparent, but Allie’s fear keeps them apart until another wedding brings them together. Will their very apparent love for each other finally bring them together or will Allie’s fear win?

Allie, otherwise a very strong woman, lets her fear rule her heart. I get her point of view to a stage. Having seen numerous failed marriages and a band of men walking out on her mother, aunt and grandmother, any girl would feel insecure. Or at least have limited faith in the institution of marriage. Marcus is a charming man, who love Allie with all his heart and tries to win over her fears with it. I enjoyed reading about these two characters as their personalities are so different yet they form a complete picture together. I liked Hannah too. She could have easily blamed Allie for her brother’s heartbreak, yet she stands by supporting her friend too.

Overall, this was a fun read even though the ending seemed a bit rushed. But I guess the author had her word limit to work with and the characters itself make up  for the rushed ending.