One and Only

**I received a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher** One and Only was my first Jenny Holiday book, but I can assure you it will not be my last! I highly enjoyed this fun, entertaining wedding romance. Jane Denning is part of the "bride squad" for one of her best friends Elise, who has turned into somewhat of a bridezilla. Her DIY projects are off the charts and all of the bridesmaids are growing weary. Jane has always been known as the responsible friend and so when it comes time to divvy out the role of babysitter to the grooms "wild" brother, Jane jumps at the chance realizing this will be better than any arts and crafts project that the rest of the group will be working on. Cameron MacKinnon has just returned from deployment overseas and it didn't end at all the way he expected it to. Not with the service and not with his girlfriend, or now ex-girlfriend, when he returned home and caught her with someone else. Getting home early meant he'd be able to attend his brother's wedding, but the plans he had for himself to get drunk, have sex and just enjoy himself are thwarted when Jane shows up at the airport to pick him up. Or as he quickly realizes to babysit him. Jane and Cameron totally get off on the wrong foot. She's trying to make sure he doesn't do anything reckless and he wants to just live. What was great about these two characters is in the end they really balanced one another out and brought out the best qualities in each other. Cam made Jane be more adventurous and Jane made Cam realize that kindness abounds. When the sparks flew, they flew and it was a pleasure to witness. Together they ended up being one another's missing piece. Another thing I really loved about this book was the friendships between the girls. They held each other up, encouraged one another and were there for one another when they needed it. It was empowering and I loved it. I can't wait to see what these bridesmaids get into next!

AudioBook Review: Stars: Overall 3 Narration 3 Story 3 This is a fun series, set up with four friends who are sharing their weddings, and being bridesmaids for one another. In this book, Jane, the YA Fantasy writer, a bit more sedate and quieter from her friends, not breaking the rules, and generally the best ‘time manager’ they have in their group. She’s also more than willing to support her friend Elise and her groom-to-be Jay, with everything. From hand stenciled invitations to cocktail inventions, the DIY aspect of the wedding day all seem to play into her fears, and she wants to help, but hates crafty things. Fortunately, there is one problem, Jay’s younger brother Cameron and his ‘wild child’ reputation, back from a stint in the Army that didn’t end well, and discovering his girlfriend is having an affair – it’s slowly shown that his reputation may not be entirely of his own making. And, who better to keep him on the straight and narrow but Jane. Responsible, steady and always good in a crisis Jane. It doesn’t hurt that at first, Cam just sees Jane as yet another ‘girl’, and not one he’s interested in. But quickly the lightness of the story is blended with several issues of more import, with Jane’s own childhood guilts that keep her contained and constrained, with Cam’s PTSD and his grief, both from the war and from his relationship exploding, not to mention he really does feel guilty about the disappointment he thinks he’s brought to his family. Slowly, after dealing with Cam’s outright dickish behavior, these two start to come to grips with the situation they’ve been thrust into, and as their acquaintance grows, their trust and communication follows. Soon, the quiet and reliable Jane is doing very un-Jane-like things: standing up for herself, taking chances, being more adventurous, and, you guessed it, falling for Cam. The writing here developed both characters with a HUGE twist shared at the end from Jane, the story felt plausible and carried some depth with the fun. And, bonus points for setting it in Toronto (if you’ve not been – go – it’s a lovely city) with lots of ‘touristy’ moments that just shine. Narration for this story is provided by Angéle Masters and it was a solid performance without overworking moments, emotions or humorous moments. There were plenty of characters that added to the story, from the friends and the laughs while crafting, sly moments of teasing (that bordered on pushy and obnoxious) Jane about her ‘steadiness’, and some lovely moments where both Cam and Jane open up and share difficult events and emotions, allowing their relationship to develop and grow. I received an AudioBook copy of the title from Hachette Audio for purpose of honest review. ( was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Weddings, bridesmaids and love. Jenny Holiday takes the best aspects of romance and creates a comedic masterpiece. Jane is no rule breaker. In her mind there's a time and place for everything. Cameron has never met a rule he won't break. After a stressful deployment, this playboy is on the prowl. What happens when uptight meets footloose? Uncontrollable fun. Let the good times roll with this laugh out loud funfest. Courtesy of Night Owl Reviews