A new author to my blog, Rose Amberly is sharing an excerpt from her novel The Unwanted Bride. Over to Rose …
Dear Readers,
Here’s an excerpt from one of my books, THE UNWANTED BRIDE. I loved the idea of a talented bridal designer who loves beautiful weddings but is convinced she’ll never walk down the aisle herself.
—–
Laura folded the exquisite crushed-velvet gown. It was one of her most beautiful creations: a tailored column dress in pearl grey that shimmered silver where the light caught it, perfect for a winter wedding. Perfect with her figure and colouring.
As soon as she’d packed the dress and all the accessories in the box, she picked up a thick felt-tip marker. On the lid, she wrote, in big black letters: OXFAM CHARITY SHOP, 146 YORK ST, BRIGHTON.
A sigh escaped her, quickly suppressed. Wasn’t it her own fault, anyway, for being slow to learn the lesson? She was never meant to wear a beautiful wedding dress or walk down the aisle. Obviously.
“Stop dreaming,” her grandmother had always scolded. “Who’s going to marry you? You’re born to be a spinster. No one wants you.”
After three failed engagements, three discarded wedding dresses, each break-up took a slice out of her hope and confidence. Was her granny right?
—–
THE UNWANTED BRIDE is a story about a woman who doesn’t understand why she can’t find love. The answer, though, is obvious to everyone who really knows her.
—–
“Now don’t be upset,” Joanie said, using the cinnamon stick to stir her hot chocolate. “Jacob was, er…” Joanie cast around for the English word then gave up. “Sans saveur. You know? Like cottage cheese.”
Laura suppressed a smile as she took a sip from her own cup drink. She and Joanie had bonded over their love of spicy hot chocolate. “Jacob is a good man.!
“Yes, but a small town boilerman—”
“Heating engineer,” Laura corrected.
“With no money,” Joanie continued.
“Money doesn’t matter when you love someone.”
“Did you love him or were you settling?” Joanie laid a gentle hand over Laura’s. “You need a man with more vavavoom.”
“Thank you, but vavavoom is out of my league. I can’t even hold on to a man who has just one va.”
“Okay so you know he wasn’t prince charming why did you want to marry him? You’re not pregnant, are you?”
It surprised a laugh out of her. “No, of course I’m not. It’s…” She hesitated. “If I tell you, please don’t judge me?”
“What?”
“It’s just a stupid thing. …erm…well…”
“If you don’t tell me immediately, I’m going to take away your hot chocolate.” Joanie reached for the mug.
Laura moved her cup. “Alright, alright,” she laughed in mock surrender. “I wanted to prove my grandmother wrong. There was this tarot card thing. She said, she didn’t see marriage in my future.” Laura could still taste the bitter shock in that stiflingly hot over perfumed room. “I don’t really believe in tarot cards, but with every break-up the prediction is hard to forget.”
“The woman was a vache?” Joanie mimed a cow. “You should have grabbed her cards and told her you see a prison sentence in her future.”
Laura wanted to hug her friend. Joanie was fiercely loyal and generous with her support.
“The thing is, I’ve tried really hard to make it work, but no man seems to want me. Who else has three cancelled weddings by the age of 30?”
“If you want psychic vision, I give it to you without taro cards. I think you are so scared of not finding love, you lower your expectations too much. If you shop in the discount aisle in the supermarket, you only find the bad vegetables.” She smiled kindly taking the sting out of her words. “I don’t know why you make yourself small. You” — Joanie pointed a finger at Laura — “are talented, feisty, spirited, full of personality, like a shiny green beautiful jalapeño.” Joanie kissed the tips of her fingers. “Yummy. That’s what Jacob fell in love with, but as soon as he put the ring on your finger, you were afraid of losing him and started behaving like an out-of-date salad bag, grateful he picked you up at all.”
“Joanie, why are all your metaphors food related?”
“I’m a chef, what do you expect?”
—–
I wanted a story about the women who underestimate themselves so much they attract failure and rejection. They’re afraid prince charming is out of their league so they settle in the wrong relationship, the wrong job, the wrong life. Always a square peg in a round hole.
As Laura’s old boss explains it, Laura has been working as assistant designer when she’s far too talented and experienced. The result is she’s always trying hard to not to step on colleagues’ toes or ruffle feathers. “A lion cannot play with the kittens. You’re a lion, allow yourself to aim high!”
But aiming higher doesn’t come easy, especially when the universe sends her a gorgeous man she thinks is 500 miles out of her league and who is allergic to marriage. The universe must have more faith in her than she has in herself.
About Rose Amberly
Rose Amberly started writing as a hobby while working as a therapist. But her love of a good story took over and she’s now a full time writer. She lives in London and enjoy cultivating geraniums with unusual colours.
You can find her on her website www.roseamberly.com or on Facebook at La Canette Stories
About The Unwanted Bride
Some women were born to wear beautiful wedding dresses, others were born only to make them.
Talented bridal designer Laura knows she is doomed to never walk down the aisle herself. Her last failed engagement has left her heart and her career in pieces. She desperately needs one high profile design commission to rescue her reputation, it’s the only reason she came to La Canette island.
Six weeks to make the perfect wedding gown, no time for love, no time for another heartbreak.
Adam, the handsome but allergic-to-marriage doctor is not only miles out of her league but has no interest in love. He is passing through and will be gone too soon for any entanglements with women or with this crazy interfering island community.
But as Laura herself has already discovered, the universe can have an evil sense of humour and La Canette is a beautiful place where lives can take unexpected turns.
To buy the book click here or to buy the rest of the series you can use the following links:
The Unwanted Bride is part of The English Channel Series. Five heart warming novels set in an exquisitely beautiful island full of wild flowers, stary nights and a generous but sometimes crazy small community.
The Secret House of Honey and Hope
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Summer at Lucerne Lodge published as an eBook, paperback and audio download too – Amazon Check on my Choc Lit author page for other purchasing options here
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Sunny Days at the Beach is now available as an eBook, audio and paperback – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and at Choc Lit for other options.
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Morton S. Gray - Author 