MOTHER OF THE BRIDE

This humorous romantic comedy warms the heart with its zany yet believable characters and snappy dialogue. When Cydney Parrish's 19-year-old niece, Bebe—whom she has raised for the last 15 years while her globe-trotting sister took Pulitzer Prize–winning photos—gets engaged to the nephew of famous mystery writer and social recluse Angus Monroe, Cydney drives herself over the edge organizing the hasty nuptials and helping Angus overcome his aversion to the union. The only stable member of an eccentric family, Cydney, an aspiring mystery writer herself, has long idolized Angus, but she doesn't let her feelings stop her from putting him in his place when he implies that Bebe is a gold-digging flake. Angus considers his 21-year-old nephew too immature to marry, but in the process of trying to upset the wedding plans, he finds himself first in the hospital, and then, when the wedding party decamps to his home, injured on a regular basis. In the midst of the mayhem, Angus falls headlong in lust with Cydney, but their opposing views on the wedding keep them at odds. At times, Angus and Cydney's romance plays second fiddle to the wedding hijinks, but Michaels's (Nightwing) keen sense of comic timing and oddball characters never fail to entertain. (June)

Forecast:The summer wedding season is fast approaching, and this book's timely release and cutesy cover illustration (featuring a many-tiered wedding cake) should catch the attention of bridesmaids and bride-hopefuls.