“You’re the only one I ever want to stay.”

It's rare that I devote a blog to one book, but I'm making an exception here for Don't Kiss the Bride by Carian Cole

As the graphic says, I didn't expect to love it . . . Hell, I began reading the book fully expecting to DNF it. After all, the synopsis is fairly similar to Jewel E. Ann's The Naked Fisherman, my one and only DNF of the year so far.

Before I go any further, I think it is only fair to add some full disclosure. I've always loved a good age-gap romance. When I was nineteen, I dated a thirty-six-year-old. It was my first real relationship. He was a perfect gentleman until he broke my heart. What's made me more averse to age-gap romances in recent years is the fact that I have a child quickly approaching the same age as the heroines in these books.

So, what made me stay with Skylar and Jude's story? The writing. That's not to say that The Naked Fisherman was poorly written. After all, Before Us by the same author was my first five-star read of the year. I was just turned off by the character's ultra-religious upbringing in that story. In comparison, Skylar's situation with her abhorrent home life and eating disorder was far more gripping.

"This isn't how I wanted this to go. Everything is fucked up."

This quote from Jude perfectly describes my overall feelings about this book. My messages to my Book BFF are a good indication of the emotional upheaval I went through while reading.

That last message sums up my feelings in a nutshell. But I cannot entirely blame Carian Cole for this. If I hadn't come into reading Don't Kiss the Bride, fresh off of Laura Pavlov's Always Mine which also featured a male protagonist who felt unworthy, I probably would not be as touchy about the subject. Overall, it was a good book. My only complaint is it ran a little too long and the miscommunication/feelings of unworthiness got to be a little too much towards the end.

That said, this was still a 4-star read, my highest of the month so far. Would I recommend it - Yes. Will I continue reading age-gap romances - most likely . . . But, just to put it out there to my fellow authors, can we please write some where the MFC isn't a teenager???

Cheers,

C.J.