Dictatorship of the Dress

by Jessica Topper

As the dress-bearer for her mother’s wedding, Laney Hudson has a lot more baggage than the bulky garment bag she’s lugging from New York to Hawaii. Laney is determined to prove she’s capable of doing something right, but running chores for her mom’s fairytale nuptials is proving to be a painfully constant reminder of her own lost love.
 
So when she’s mistaken for the bride and bumped up to first class, Laney figures some stress-free luxury is worth a harmless white lie. Until the flight crew thinks that the man sitting next to her is Laney’s groom, and her little fib turns into a hot mess.
 
The last thing Noah Ridgewood needs is some dress-obsessed diva landing in his first-class row. En route to his Vegas bachelor party, the straight-laced software designer knows his cold feet have nothing to do with the winter weather.
 
When a severe storm leaves them grounded in Chicago and they find themselves booked into the last available honeymoon suite, Laney and her in-flight neighbor have little choice but to get better acquainted. Now, as her bridal mission hangs in the balance, perhaps the thing Laney gets right is a second chance at love.

• ISBN10: 0425276252
• ISBN13: 9780425276259
• Publish Date: 6 January 2015
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Berkley Publishing Corporation,U.S.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 368
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780425276259

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

Coffee dates with Dictatorship of the Dress

First Date: We meet Laney Hudson at the airport, toting her mother’s wedding gown. Right away, I liked this snarky, outspoken comic book artist. Laney clearly has some hang-ups and I slipped right into the tale. Things are going wrong which seems to typical for Laney, but as luck would have it she is mistaken as a bride to be and bumped up to first class where she finds herself seated next to successful, dressed to impress, Noah Ridgewood. Noah is on his way to Vegas for a weeklong bachelor party. His own but Noah has cold feet and is beginning to wonder how he got himself into this mess. The banter as these two engage is hilarious and I felt their connection.

Second date: Planes, weather and delays equal a shared honeymoon suite. Far-fetched? Perhaps but Topper made me believe. Things could have taken a wrong turn here, especially with Noah engaged but instead we receive a wonderful story…a budding friendship, a little sexual tension and two souls sharing their life stories. I laughed, got misty eyed, and genuinely loved every minute.

Third Date: Breakfast, a tour of the city and a little magic have me giddy, but than a misunderstanding has the two parting without a good-bye. Topper did a wonderful job of creating just enough tension and angst without overdoing it. We see personal growth from both characters, and I loved how the author handled messy loose ends before bringing it all home and making me smile.This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer