I have read most of what Nora Roberts has written and I enjoy driving up to Maryland from North Carolina for her books signings. I really am a fan. That said, this was boring. I'm used to a many layered plot and this is straight forward. Girl meets Boy. Girl has commitment problems (ok, I guess that counts as a twist). There are good reasons, but you know from the beginning that those problems will have to be resolved. The only interesting bits are the wedding disaster stories, which are enjoyable. The hero is a nice guy, the heroine a nice woman, the supporting characters fairly supportive, the mother a hag, but there are no real surprises. I know Ms Roberts said that she was going back to her romance roots but even back in the Silhouette days there was usually more substance to the stories than this. This is just a nice story, and I've come to expect more. I will definitely buy the second book, because I have to believe that this is a fluke, and I hope that Bed of Roses is good enough to increase my excitement over the rest of the series. Still, I don't mind having to wait until December for book 2 after reading book 1.
Just as an aside, I got the audio download version and the reader does nothing to improve the story. Emily Durante isn't as bad as Marie Caliendo but Brilliance Audio has a fine list of narrators, and usually a Nora Roberts book gets one of the best. Durante's reading is fairly flat and doesn't do anything to improve the story experience.
Not to say don't read it, but maybe wait until your local library has a copy available.
Buy Vision in White (The Wedding Quartet, Book 1)!
