Hi there!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
Today, we're joining the RELEASE WEEK celebration for the latest from author Carolyn Brown via Montlake Romance. It's a Contemporary Romance with...well...some romance, of course, but also A LOT of humor you never saw coming. Now, it being the week of release, we've got a jam packed post of awesomeness for you with everything from a review to a Guest Post from the author herself, an excerpt AND a giveaway! So if you'll be so kind as to join me for a stroll down the proverbial aisle, let's welcome today's book of choice...
by
Carolyn Brown
Montlake Romance
Release Date: April 16th, 2019
About the book...
In the small town of Celeste, Texas, Mitzi Taylor has never quite fit inside the lines. Nearly six feet tall, flame-haired, and with a plus-size spirit to match every curve, she’s found her niche: a custom wedding-dress boutique catering to big brides-to-be with big dreams. Taking the plunge alongside her two best friends, she’s proud they’ve turned The Perfect Dress into a perfect success.
In the small town of Celeste, Texas, Mitzi Taylor has never quite fit inside the lines. Nearly six feet tall, flame-haired, and with a plus-size spirit to match every curve, she’s found her niche: a custom wedding-dress boutique catering to big brides-to-be with big dreams. Taking the plunge alongside her two best friends, she’s proud they’ve turned The Perfect Dress into a perfect success.
Just when Mitzi has it all pulled together, Graham Harrison walks back into her life, looking for bridesmaid dresses for his twin daughters. A still-strapping jock whose every gorgeous, towering inch smells like aftershave, the star of all Mitzi’s high school dreams is causing quite a flush.
For Mitzi, all it takes is a touch to feel sparks flitting around her like fireflies. She can just imagine what a kiss could do. Graham’s feeling it, too. And he’s about to make that imagination of Mitzi’s run wild. Is it just a hot summer fling, or are Mitzi’s next designs for herself and seeing her own dreams come true?
For Mitzi, all it takes is a touch to feel sparks flitting around her like fireflies. She can just imagine what a kiss could do. Graham’s feeling it, too. And he’s about to make that imagination of Mitzi’s run wild. Is it just a hot summer fling, or are Mitzi’s next designs for herself and seeing her own dreams come true?
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~~~ EXCERPT ~~~
Mitzi rushed back to the sewing room, where the hum of two sewing machines filled the air. “Graham Harrison just came in the shop to set up an appointment for his two daughters. He said they only live a few houses up the street from us. He looked like a bull in a china shop sitting on that pink sofa. And of course he didn’t even recognize me, but I sure knew him the minute I laid eyes on him.”
At the mention of that name from the past, work jolted to a halt.
“All the girls in high school swooned over him, including Mitzi, but she hasn’t told us if he’s still as sexy as he was back then.” Jody took a bowl of salad from the fridge along with a plate of vegetables that she stuck into the microwave to heat.
“He’s aged very, very well, and I’m having cookies,” Mitzi said.
“Smart girl,” Fanny Lou said. “Life is short. Eat dessert first. So you had a little crush on Graham?”
“Everyone did,” Mitzi answered.
“Not me. I was always in love with Lyle,” Jody said.
“Well, according to what I heard at the church bake sale today, Graham moved his daughters here to Celeste because they were being fat shamed down in Greenville. One of them knocked a girl on her butt, blacked both eyes, and bloodied her nose with one punch. It was the last day of school and they said they were going to suspend her for the first two weeks of next year for fighting,” Jody said.
“She should get a medal, not suspended,” Mitzi fumed.
Fanny Lou took a gallon jug of sweet tea from the fridge. “Who all wants a glass?”
Three hands went up.
She filled four glasses with ice and then tea and carried them to the table. “I remember when he went to work for his dad at the Cadillac dealership—right after he and Rita got married. His dad gave him a job on the lowest level, and he had to work his way up. Rita was furious because she thought they’d get a big house and a new Caddy every year. Stupid woman figured since his folks had money that he had an open bank account.”
Paula took the ham and cheese containers from the fridge while Mitzi pulled a loaf of bread from the cabinet. “You eating with us, Granny?”
“I’ll eat with you and Paula, but I don’t want any of that stuff Jody is having. I don’t eat fake meat. I’ll eat what I want and die when I’m supposed to. Slice some of them tomatoes I brought in here earlier. And I’d rather have bologna instead of ham and mustard instead of mayo,” Fanny Lou answered.
“Me, too,” Paula said. “I want one like hers.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” Mitzi set about making three sandwiches.
So Graham was divorced and raising girls on his own. Bless his heart for getting them away from a school that bullied them because of their size. Mitzi could relate to the girls. But then, so could Jody and Paula. She’d always figured that Jody adopted her own modern-day hippie style to combat those feelings of insecurity. Paula had retreated into superstition. Mitzi had just plowed her way through emotions and other kids, spending a lot of time in the principal’s office for fighting.
She pushed all that to the back of her mind, put the sandwiches on plates, and carried them to the table. “Y’all know that this job for Ellie Mae could turn into a big thing. I bet her older sister will be the maid of honor and her mother will want a fancy dress.”
“That’s what you’re in business for, isn’t it?” Fanny Lou said. “Man, this brings back memories. Friday night was bologna sandwich night when I was a kid.”
“Why?” Jody asked.
“Because Mama always cleaned house on Friday, and she didn’t have time to make a big meal,” Fanny Lou answered.
“Funny how an hour of beading takes forever and our noon hour goes so fast.” Jody pointed to the clock.
“Good Lord!” Fanny Lou finished off her sandwich and grabbed a cookie. “I’ve got an appointment with my CPA at one and it’s a fifteen-minute drive to Greenville. See you girls later. You have my permission to flirt with Graham, Mitzi.”
Mitzi’s cheeks began to burn. “I had a teenage crush on him. I’ve grown up since then.”
Fanny Lou winked as she headed for the door. “Paula, since you live with Mitzi, I’m putting you in charge of being sure she takes her birth control pills every morning.”
Mitzi felt even more heat in her cheeks. “Granny!”
“When you get old you get to say whatever the hell you want to.” Fanny Lou closed the door behind her.
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So, are you excited?
I thought you might be...
...and now it's time for me to share MY excitement as well!
💝 First off, that cover! 💝
Gorgeous, is it not? I mean, the dress looks lovely, but the overall effect with the color palette chosen, the font, the small details...it definitely adds to the books appeal.
Next up, the story!
Okay, so at first read...I was actually worried it was going to be one of THOSE books. You know the ones...where the he/she lead and supporting cast is SO hung up on size that quite literally EVERY other sentence has something to do with them being bigger/smaller, or the hard times they faced because of their size, or how awful the world is in general thanks to their waistline or lack thereof. I'm not saying those things don't exist, but in my own reading, I don't look for a curvaceous heroine or a slim vixen, a robust hero or six-pack Adonis. When I'm reading, I create a general picture in my head from what the author gives me and POOF...I'm off and running, err, reading! Now, admittedly, there is quite a bit of talk regarding weight/size here, but it's done in such a way that it's not overbearing to the story...it's in addition to it...and at some points THE actual story itself, like the bullying the girls faced, both past AND present...so readers like myself don't feel bogged down in the details.
Time to meet...the characters!
Okay, can I just say that I love Fanny Lou's character? I mean seriously...she is a hoot! Now don't get me wrong, there are many to love and not-so-love in here, but really, you won't be able to deny this lady! Now, moving forward, I was really loving these girls, individually and as a fearsome threesome (sometimes more-some!)! Paula is so strong and self-assured, and in the face of what's in store for her, she's gonna need that strength, but also the ability to lean on others. Joy...OMG...what Lyle did is UNFORVGIVEABLE...and let's just say if we met face to face, someone would have a new pair of earrings, while the other would be in A LOT of pain! Mad props to the twins for their "performance" ...BRILLIANT! Mitzi has definitely got some good juju coming her way, as long as she doesn't let herself second guess it to a halt before it even gets started. I was definitely ready to see the sparks fly between her and Graham. The twins were excellent examples for their generation, their father a stand up sort of guy with a good head on his shoulders, the land buyer was certainly more than a walking money grubber, and I could go on and on. Of course, there's also the OTHER side of the characters spectrum with Rita, Lyle, Colin, and...yeah, I'm gonna stop right there because they need no more notoriety than they've already gotten.
All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by this one in many ways. From the story slant to the drama, the powerful friendships to the relationships, the characters to the memorable moments, there's something around every page turn to watch for, follow, or belly laugh it out with. If you're a fan of Contemporary Romance, you'll certainly want to make room on your summer reading list for this one!
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...GUEST POST...
Carolyn Brown's Real Life Inspiration
for Writing
THE PERFECT DRESS
Hello, everyone and thank you for inviting me to your site today!
My granddaughter is getting married this fall, and she’s not one of those size six girls who can walk into wedding dress store, try on a dozen dresses and find the perfect dress—especially when she has her heart set on a black lace dress for her wedding. When we began to shop for her dress, I wished for a custom wedding shop that catered only to women who wore a size fourteen or larger. So I created one called The Perfect Dress and set it in the little town of Celeste, Texas. This summer I plan to bring my old Singer sewing machine out of retirement, and make my granddaughter’s black lace wedding dress—just the way she and I will design it!
The Perfect Dress is not a real place so don’t go to the local doughnut shop in Celeste and ask about it, but the town, the characters and the shop were all very real to me while I was writing about it.
Speaking of characters let me introduce you to Mitzi. She’s and her two plus sized friends, Paula and Jody, have dreamed of putting in their own plus-sized wedding dress shop for years. Now it’s a reality. They’ve bought an old two story house at the edge of Celeste and hung out their shingle.
Jody is a thin vegetarian now, but when the girls were in high school, she was a big girl just like her friends. She’s living proof that a woman will do anything for love, but when love goes awry, she’s sure glad that she’s got Mitzi and Paula to support her.
Paula is carrying a big secret. The three women have shared everything since they were little children, but she can’t talk about her secret, not when both her friends are in the middle of drama themselves. She has to be the strong one to share Jody’s sorrow and Mitzi’s happiness.
Fanny Lou, Mitzi’s grandmother, is an eccentric old gal with lots of advice that she’s not one bit shy about spreading around. She’s the mother role for all of them, constantly popping into the shop with a box of doughnuts, or the local gossip.
Lately Mitzi has been feeling like maybe her ‘perfect family’ is missing someone... perhaps the perfect man. She hasn’t seen him since high school, but that doesn’t mean that Mitizi’s heart doesn’t go pitter-patter for this awesome single dad. Graham towers above Mitzi, who is almost six feet tall. He has twin girls, who are also plus sized. He feels the sparks, too, but questions whether Mitzi could ever love some big guy who already has teenage daughters.
There is definitely a gap between the teenager girls, who help out in the shop, and Fanny Lou, the granny, and the three best friends. But true friendship knows nothing about age—it’s love, support, and unflinching loyalty towards each other, no matter what the age.
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About the author...
Carolyn Brown is a New York Times, USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and a RITA finalist with more than ninety published books. Her genres include romance, history, cowboys and country music, and contemporary mass-market paperbacks. She and her husband live in the small town of Davis, Oklahoma, where everyone knows everyone else, knows what they are doing and when . . . and reads the local newspaper every Wednesday to see who got caught. They have three grown children and enough grandchildren to keep them young.
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Your chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card PLUS a digital copy of The Perfect Dress!
CLICK HERE to access the Rafflecopter form to enter!
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Special thanks to Morgan at Pitch Lit for the chance to bring this promotion to you as well as the eARC for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title celebrated its BOOK BIRTHDAY April 16th, 2019, so click on over to your favorite online retailer to order your copy today!
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
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