BOOK REVIEW: The Bride Quartet

Last week the weather and a bug put me on the couch for several days. The only thing I could do was lie there and read. I had been waiting for all four of Nora Roberts’ Bride Quartet to be published  -- and for time to read the four books together. This was my time.

Four little girls, Parker, Emma, Laurel, and Mac, loved to play Wedding Day. They took turns being the bride, the groom, the best man, the maid of honor, the clergy, etc. If needed, they married the kittens, puppies, and big brothers. Sometimes the latter were part of the game under protest.

Years later, Parker formed a company called Vows that brought each of her friends’ unique talent to the business. Each friend’s story is highlighted in one of the four books.

When the girls were still very young, Mackenzie had been given a camera as a birthday gift. She discovered that she takes great pleasure in capturing the right moment. Laurel can turn out the most fantastic cakes, Emma has a way with flowers, and of course, Parker is almost anal when it comes to details. Vows quickly becomes The Place to hold weddings in that part of Connecticut.

The special thing about a series is that the characters become familiar and we are given four books to get to know these women and their families. Roberts has always been excellent at developing people, especially her male protagonists. Each person in these books comes alive.

What I liked best about this series was the portrayal of friendship. The girls had grown up together and over the years their relationship had helped each of them to overcome personal problems and to become stronger women. The books are worth reading for this angle alone.

VISION IN WHITE, BED OF ROSES, SAVOR THE MOMENT, and HAPPY EVER AFTER take us back to Nora Roberts, the Romance writer. In recent years she has become as well known for her futuristic mysteries and her supernatural novels. The Bride Quartet shows us how this bestselling author got started.