Over the course of Ashton Lee’s Cherry Cola Book Club series, librarian Maura Beth Mayhew has come a long way. She’s gone from a timid librarian who allowed Councilman Darden Sparks to bully her to an outspoken advocate for the new library that’s scheduled to be built in Cherico, Mississippi. Now, it’s time for Maura Beth to make changes in her personal life as well, but she’ll still have to fight for her happiness in The Wedding Circle.
Maura Beth wants to marry English teacher Jeremy McShay right there in her beloved Cherico, with all of her local friends around her. But, Maura Beth’s mother is determined to see her only daughter married in her hometown of New Orleans, in a celebration fit for a socialite. It may break her heart, but Maura Beth may have to use all of the manipulative skills she learned in dealing with Councilman Sparks in order to handle her mother.
Maura Beth isn’t the only one, though, to have to deal with family opposition to a relationship. Jeremy knows his sister, Elise, an outspoken professor at the University of Evansville in Indiana, won’t come to the wedding.Two seventy-year-olds find their plans thwarted by adult children, while Maura Beth’s best friend, Periwinkle Lattimore, has to contend with her ex-husband. In other words, life is normal in Cherico, Mississippi.
The latest Cherry Cola Book Club novel, The Wedding Circle, isn’t quite as dramatic as previous books. Instead, it’s a charming wedding story that includes recipes. There might have even been a tear or two during the wedding scene. And, the family members introduced in this book are fun, particularly Cudd’n M’Dear. But, there’s still tension. And, you can bet Councilman Sparks will still be scheming in the next book in the series. Maura Beth just has a feeling.
Ashton Lee can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ashtonlee.net
The Wedding Circle by Ashton Lee. Kensington Books. 2015. ISBN 9781617733413 (paperback), 242p.
*****
FTC Full Disclosure – The author sent me a copy of the book, hoping I would review it.
