Author: Janice Thompson
Title: Picture Perfect
Publisher: Revell
As anyone who’s planned a beautiful wedding already knows, those tiny details that make the big day special don’t happen by osmosis. In fact, it generally takes what feels like a small army of very committed, very organized people to make it happen as the bride and groom envisioned it. Now with Picture Perfect, the first title in Janice Thompson’s “Wedding By Design” series, readers are given a backstage pass to the inner workings of wedding madness as they’re introduced to Hannah McDermott, a sought-after photographer who knows a thing or two about dealing with high-maintenance brides.
While Hannah handles most situations with a natural grace under pressure, she couldn’t even foresee just how demanding one of her new clients is. To say she’s a Bridezilla is actually putting a relatively generous spin on the situation. Worse yet, Hannah’s never been more desperate to impress Galveston Island’s (yes, in Texas) most popular wedding planner, and the notorious bride in question isn’t exactly helping her cause. As it turns out, a spot as the top local photographer on Bella Neeley’s is a real game-changer, and Hannah is determined to secure it. That is, if her arch rival Drew Kincaid doesn’t get in the way.
Reminiscent of the romantic comedies like 2001’s The Wedding Planner that dominated the big screen before the recent movement of much raunchier fare like Bridesmaids, Picture Perfect features a plucky heroine in a well-paced story that you can’t help but get behind. Unlike a lot of stories in this genre, there’s a surprisingly amount of takeaway value that never comes across as preachy, too. But most of all, the writer ensures that Picture Perfect is a story that make readers want to say “yes” to the dress because these characters feel so true to life. And since you can’t help rooting for them, the pages won’t turn fast enough, which is definitely a good problem to have, isn’t it?
*This Review First Published 3/19/2013