Written by Aimee Brown
My thanks to publisher Aria for inviting me to take part in this Blog Tour .. I’m only sorry I couldn’t manage to read and review.
Description
Emi Harrison hasn’t been feeling particularly lucky lately.
Ever since her ex-fiancée, Jack Cabot, successfully shattered her heart into a million pieces. She’s managed to avoid him for a whole year, but all that’s about to change at her brother Evan’s wedding…
She will have to face Jack, Jack’s sister, Jack’s parents, and Jack’s new girlfriend: a mean girl that just won’t quit. What could possibly go wrong?
With her lucky dress on, all bets are off, and maybe Emi will find her happily-ever-after at last?
Perfect for fans of Anna Bell, Jo Watson and Sophie Kinsella.
Purchase Links
Amazon: getbook.at/TheLuckyDress
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2Kq3dsG
iBooks: https://apple.co/2NldJ2c
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2z8UZzW
Extract
The Break Up
Nine months ago.
Portland, Oregon
“I’m doing a final alteration because I’ve lost another five pounds, Lil. If you’re free today do you want to come with me?” I ask her before she can even say hello into the phone. That’s our relationship, we start conversations in the middle and expect the other to keep up.
“Sure. My classes today were canceled due to some flooding issue at the school, so if you promise to let me drink the champagne this time, I’ll come.”
“You might have a problem, ya know?” If only she could hear my eye roll through the phone. “It’s a fitting. I don’t think they serve champagne at the fittings. We’re not in Beverly Hills. They likely save the champagne for the initial dress consultation when you need a little buttering up to spend thousands of dollars on a dress you’ll only wear for one day.”
“It’s Friday, I have an unexpected day off, and if I want to drink at 9:30 in the morning I’m gonna,” she laughs into the phone. “I’ll meet you there in twenty.’
Thirty minutes later and I’m walking into the bridal salon. Lily is reclined on the couch waiting for me.
“Sorry, I’m late. I planned on being early but you know me.”
She nods her head in agreement. “What was it this time? A pair of shoes you couldn’t leave behind?” she glances at my worn old vintage Doc Martin boots. “A coffee shop you hadn’t been to before, then?” She waves her hand in the air as if there is a never ending list of excuses I use when I’m late.
The list isn’t exactly never ending because I’m not always lying. At times it does take me a while to come up with a believable story for why I’m late. That is not the case this time.
“Neither. Lara’s husband just called and she fell on her way into work this morning and shattered her ankle. She’s on her way into surgery now and he wanted to let me know that she can’t be a bridesmaid,” I heave a sigh, trying to hold back the tears hesitating just behind it. These kinds of things are not supposed to happen two days before your wedding. “How in one day am I going to find someone who can fit into her tiny dress to replace her?”
I went to college with Lara and she is quite possibly the sweetest woman I’ve ever met. She works as an editor in a small publishing company based here in Portland, and she is one of those girls who refuses to use a red pen on her clients’ work because she doesn’t want to seem too harsh. Having to drop out of the wedding via a phone call from her husband is probably killing her.
“Ugh, Em, I don’t know. That’s not good news on such short notice,” Lily frowns, her irritated that I’m late attitude melting away into something a tad less harsh.
“Emi!” Glenda (the woman who’s done all my fittings) excitedly pulls me in for a hug. “It’s almost here, are you excited?”
“Sure,” I try to hide the disappointment in finding out I now have only a Maid of Honor and no bridesmaid which throws off the total balance of the entire wedding party.
“Uh-oh… What happened? I’m sure there’s a fix.”
“My bridesmaid, Lara, just dropped out at the eleventh hour.” I wipe away an escaped tear rolling down my cheek. I don’t know what it is about planning weddings but they seem to bring out a woman’s emotional side, even when she didn’t exactly know she had one.
“She didn’t drop out,” Lily corrects me. “The girl is injured and in surgery. That’s hardly dropping out.”
“Oh no. The tiny one?” Glenda suddenly side eyes Lily with a forced smile. Lily glares over at us for basically just calling her the big one, even though she’s still smaller than me.
“Yes! Who could possibly fit into that dress?”
“Hmm…” Glenda taps her foot on the ground. “What about the young woman that was here for your fitting? The gorgeous blonde one?”
“Hannah?” Lily scrunches her face in disapproval. She’s never loved Hannah quite the way I do, even though they spend a lot of time together.
In Lily’s defense, Hannah was kind of an add on to our friend circle mostly because I was dating her brother Jack. We are all close to the same age and Hannah was always the girl to invite herself to anything Lily and I, or Jack and I for that matter, were doing. After a while, you just start to assume that she’ll be anywhere you are. The only thing is, Hannah always seems to be trying to pinch Lily’s BFF title. It’ll never happen, but that doesn’t mean Hannah won’t continue to try.
“You think?” I ask Lily, who’s still shaking her head.
“No way. She’s the most annoying woman on the planet. Nothing is ever up to her standards. Plus, she’ll probably try to squeeze me out of Maid of Honor spot since now she’ll ‘officially’ be family.”
Meet the Author
Aimee Brown is a writer of romantic comedies set in Portland, Oregon, and an avid reader. She spends much of her time writing, raising three teenagers, binge-watching shows on Netflix and obsessively cleaning and redecorating her house.
She’s fluent in sarcasm and has been known to utter profanities like she’s competing for a medal.
Aimee grew up in Oregon, but is now a transplant living in cold Montana with her husband of twenty years, three teenage children, and far too many pets. She is a lot older than she looks and yes, that is a tattoo across her chest.
Aimee is very active on social media. Stop by and say hello!
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