Fools Rush In A Novel: A Novel (Weddings by Bella, #1)

by Janice Thompson

Bella Rossi may be nearing thirty, but her life is just starting to get interesting. When her Italian-turned-Texan parents hand over the family wedding planning business, Bella is determined not to let them down. She quickly books a "Boot Scoot'n" wedding that would make any Texan proud. There's only one catch--she's a country music numbskull because her family only listens to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Where will she find a DJ on such short notice who knows his Alan Jackson from his Keith Urban?

When a misunderstanding leads her to the DJ (and man) of her dreams, things start falling into place. But with a family like hers, nothing is guaranteed. Can the perfect Texan wedding survive a pizza-making uncle with mob ties, an aunt who is a lawsuit waiting to happen, and a massive delivery of 80 cowboy boots? And will Bella ever get to plan her own wedding?

Book one in the Weddings by Bella series, Fools Rush In is fun, fresh, and full of surprises. Readers will love the flavorful combination of Italian and Tex-Mex, and the hilarity that ensues when cultures clash.

• ISBN10: 0800733428
• ISBN13: 9780800733421
• Publish Date: 1 September 2009
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
• Imprint: Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[ladygrey]

A part of me wants to give this book three stars and a part of me can't quite bring myself to do it. It's a cute enough story and DJ is sweet and the conceit is pretty fun.

It's the sort of book that isn't bad, really, but I just found too annoying to really enjoy.

Part of the annoyance was that I kept wanting to take a red pen to it here and there. She has the exact same sentence four lines apart. And the book keeps reaching these sort of climax moments but then just keeps going on. But, I think mostly, that it was just a whole lot of telling which bothered me more as the story progressed. Maybe because it was a cute story with cute characters and so I wanted more from it. And also because she was telling me things about the characters that didn't make sense.

Like the Monday morning Bella wakes up completely shaken by the sermon she'd heard on Sunday and spends the entire chapter mulling over it when it didn't connect at all to anything she'd been dealing with thus far in the book. It was like this whole new conflict that rose up out of no where, pierced Bella to the core and then disappeared by the end of the chapter. Or the boot debacle. That was just annoying in so many different ways. And the way Bella is so fatalistic - every time anything goes wrong she's convinced no one will ever want to speak to her again. ugh.

To be fair, there were other things that didn't seem to make sense that [a:Janice Thompson|118456|Janice Thompson|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1361561353p2/118456.jpg] then gave history and context to explain which I appreciated. But it was still a lot of telling and not a narrative the drew me into the story and the characters.

And they were fun characters. Guido at the rehearsal made me laugh and there were other funny moments. I think my review would be much more positive if I had read it with my book club because then I would have vented out loud and not felt the need to write things down so I'd remember what I thought of the book.

[cherryblossommj]

Review is below the image.


Contemporary Romantic Comedy is the genre that author Janice Thompson's new series Weddings by Bella falls within and boy does she know how to write it well. "Fools Rush In", book #1 is a heart beating, goosebump raising, giggles under cover read. I was able to read this in less a day, which considering my teething, growth spurt experiencing, 3 month old daughter is quite the feat. *wink*

Bella Rossi is a New Jersey Italian relocated with her whole family to the shores of Galveston, Texas and she never envisioned falling for a true to earth eastern Texan cowboy, but that might just be what God has in store. The pages of this novel are grin cracking fun. I was amused by so many segments that I would re-read them aloud to my husband. If you are in the mood with something contemporary with a romantic pulse and an under your breath chuckling in the corner of the bookstore comedy then I suggest you pick up this story immediately. Within the first few pages you'll have a taste and know what type of book is in store and that's not even to mention the delving into yourself spiritual elements as well to boot!