Review: Wedding of the Season - Laura Lee Guhrke

I had the pleasure of the opportunity to get an early read of the first two books in Laura Lee Guhrke's New Series: Abandoned at the Alter.  The first is Wedding of the Season.


Wedding of the Season is the story of Lady Beatrix Danbury and the Duke of Sunderland, Will Mallory.  Will and Trix have known each other their whole lives and the story begins as we learn that their wedding is called off a week before the big event and that Will has taken off for Egypt.  An archaeologist at heart, Egypt has always been Will's dream.  Trix, on the other hand, is left back in England to deal with the broken engagement, society, and moving on with life.

The story picks up again six years later as Will returns to England...and as Trix is about to get married to the Duke of Trathen.  The story follows the next few months, focusing on the relationships between Will, Trix,  Trathen, and Trix's cousin, Julia.  Even as Will and Trix realize they still have feelings for each other, the real issues between what each other want out of life remain the problem, with Will planning to return to Egypt and Trix wanting to remain in England. 

There's something about Guhrke's writing style that I just really, really enjoy.  It feels real, like reading conversations that you think you might actually have or overhear.  Now, maybe that means that things are necessarily historically accurate and the characters talk a bit too modern, but that I can't say.  I can say that it makes for a very enjoyable read!  I also love that the series itself it set in a slightly later time than many of the others in this genre that I read.  I think that helps with the dialogue, but it's also great to see a more "modern" time period, with cars and women starting to be much more independent.  Overall, I really enjoyed the book and the story.

Looking back on it, a few parts bother me here and there.  I feel like the background on Trix's parents was glossed over, and the more I think about it the more I'm left a bit unsatisfied with the ending.  I'm hoping some of those questions and points of concern will be taken care of in some of the other books of the series.  All in all, it's a very fun, very enjoyable read.  Guhrke's characters are believable and enticing, and I was definitely left wanting more and looking forward to the next in the series - Scandal of the Year.