A review by javalenciaph
Wedding Favors by Anne Tenino

5.0

Check out my full review on Bookaholics Not-So-Anonymous.

Note: This ebook was provided by Riptide Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Wedding Favors, written by Anne Tenino, is the seventh novel in the multi-authored Bluewater Bay series from Riptide Publishing. This is one of my favorite series and one of the best things about it is that the books are written by different authors and can be read as standalones but still feel connected to one another. Book six has a prequel entitled Helping Hand and is about what happened between Lucas and Gabe twelve years ago and can be found in the Valentine's Day anthology entitled Lights, Camera, Cupid.

Having read Lucas and Gabe's beginning in the anthology, I'm glad I finally got to find out what happened to them afterwards, even if there is a twelve-year gap between the prequel and this novel. I always felt there was more than meets the eye when it came to these two and that Gabe had his reasons for doing what he did back then. Every person they had been with since that time couldn't quite measure up to not just the memory of each other but the possibility of what life could have been had things gone differently.

Lucas and Gabe seem like two different people. Lucas has always wanted to experience life away from Bluewater Bay, especially since he leaned more toward the arts and didn't see how he could flourish in the small town. Gabe has never seen himself leaving Bluewater Bay and has a strong connection to both his family and the land. But they also both like to work with their hands and are passionate about the work they do. Lucas and Gabe were meant to be together, even if it did take a dozen or so years for it to happen.

This was a great story about second chances with the person you shared a lot of firsts with, about true friendship going beyond gender, and about family being able to surprise you. It's also about learning to look back and truly seeing with an open mind and heart where you came from and appreciating it. Lucas and Gabe, along with Audrey, Zach, Seth, and their respective families, were characters who made me smile and swoon and left me one satisfied reader. Wedding Favors deservedly gets five out of five stars. ♥