Always a Bridesmaid by Jana Richards

 Will she shed the ugly duckling and emerge into a swan—or conform to the wishes of others?

 About the Book: With a short, sturdy frame, larger than ‘pert’ nose, and overly large breasts, in a family of swans Dani DiPietro has always considered herself the ugly duckling. She’s the bridesmaid her friends always count on; but men never consider a bride. To protect her heart, and keep secrets—her own and others—she plays the funny girl. Lonely, unfulfilled, wanting more.

When Zach Morrison was dumped at the altar, Dani was there to help him pick up the pieces. A year later, he comes to her needing help. Will she pose as his girlfriend to help him fend off the unwanted advances of the former dumper-fiancé?

The two play their roles too well and make believe rapidly morphs into reality. In the face of ‘maybe this is the one for me’, old hurts, old wounds and unanswered questions collaborate to sabotage this couple’s finding a forever life.

 Our Review: In keeping with previous stories in this unique, entertaining series, we expected a fun, laugh out loud romp. Boy, were we wrong.

Author Richards shows her skill for delving into long standing and repeated hurts and humiliations—and the effect they wreak on a person’s decision making. Dani is a proud woman, super loyal to family and friends, often to her detriment. She keeps her secrets and promises—often to great personal loss. Her refusal to betray a friend’s most personal secret causes Zach, whose repeated misuse and abuse by the spoiled, selfish former fiancé, to doubt her and break things off.

          But the story doesn’t end there. Just as it looks like these two might have their acts together, Dani’s most important secret rears its head, and is sure to strike a personal chord in many readers. Watching her battle the mis-guided and mis-informed opinions of those who matter the most, demonstrates loud and clear that our own peace of mind and personal approval is what deserves attention. This is a beautiful piece of writing and should not be missed.

Based on a scale of 1-5, Always a Bridesmaid merits an 8.

  Kat Henry Doran, Wild Women Reviews