Book Review- Gone with the Groom

We don’t review many items here at Flaming Tulle unless you count wedding favor ideas. So when author Janice A. Thompson’s PR people asked if I would like to review her latest book, Gone with the Groom, I thought- Whew! A post topic I don’t have to come up with myself. Ha. Really, I thought what a wonderful idea! I love reading and I love weddings so a book about a wedding mystery might be fun!

First things first, don’t read the acknowledgements. I did and I quickly figured out the story line and outcome of the book. I also noticed that all the chapter titles were song titles and that this book is serious on sap. There’s lots of ‘feel the love’ goodness as well as ‘I love you, you love me, we’re a happy family....’ stuff going on here. Annie the main character and MOB (mother of the bride) is quite possibly the most laid back MOB I’ve ever heard about. She is the quiet in the storm when the groom goes missing and the wedding plans begin to fall apart just like her daughter Brandi falls apart. A bride would be hard pressed to find a better MOB than Annie. I enjoyed the little tidbits of advice she gives to other MOB’s throughout the book a lot. All of it is very good and accurate.

This Christian-based book is high on fluff and good feelings. I struggled with how some parts of the book seemed unrealistic, but overall the book’s pace is quick and the writing is good. I read a lot of mysteries and I’ve read books by bigger authors (Patterson) whose characters become mythic in proportions as the writing goes downhill with each formulaic twist and turn. Gone with the Groom does not do that. The plot is fun and the characters are enjoyable and it will easily pass your time. Gone with the Groom is the second installment in Thompson’s collection of Annie Patterson mysteries. Her books remind me of Diane Mott Davidson’s a bit and I found myself liking Annie purely based on the fact that she reminded me a lot of Davidson’s mystery solving caterer Goldy. I devour those books like candy so Thompson is in good company creating a character akin to Goldy.

Gone with the Groom is a fun, easy read. It’s engaging and might help a bride or two relax and take a breather from all her own planning hullabaloo. I recommend picking up a copy if you like mysteries on the light side of things.

You can purchase this book and other wedding books here.