BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge: Elly in Love – Colleen Oakes

The much anticipated sequel to the bestselling novel, Elly in Bloom, is finally here!

Curvy wedding florist Elly Jordan has had quite a year. First, she had to design her ex-husband’s wedding to the mistress who split them up, and then she broke up with the hottest musician this side of St. Louis. Three months have passed since then, and now Elly is primed for what promises to be the best wedding season of her life.

Helped by her loyal friends, Elly is on the verge of opening a chic flower boutique uptown when BlissBride, a popular wedding reality show, asks her to design the wedding of a famous—make that infamous–celebrity. Elly is about to get everything she’s ever wanted, when a stranger shows up at her store with a request that changes every aspect of her life–including her budding relationship with deli owner Keith. As she struggles to stay calm in the midst of growing chaos, Elly will learn the true meaning of love and sacrifice.

Filled with the heart, humor, and horticulture that made Elly in Bloom a bestseller, Elly in Love welcomes readers back to Elly’s big, beautiful, and messy life.

Series: The Elly in Bloom #2
Release Date: June 24th 2014
Publisher: SparkPress
Source: NetGalley
Reviewer: Karen
Rating:

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Reviewer’s Thoughts

ELLY IN LOVE is a sweet, clean romance about Ellie Jordan the owner of Posies Florist.  Elly’s a voluptuous woman who lacks self esteem and is still recovering from her cheating ex-husband.  Currently Elly is dating Keith the owner of a deli located a few doors down from her flower shop.  Keith is sweet, kind and thoughtful, which is something Elly deserves and has never had in a relationship.  Even though Keith is a good guy, Elly’s afraid to trust him completely because she feels he is hiding something.  Elly’s life is in an uproar because Posies Florist has an opportunity to be selected for a reality show called BlissBride.  If her shop is chosen, Elly will supply the flowers for a major Hollywood celebrity’s wedding and it will be filmed on national TV, which would be great exposure for her florist shop.  Along with everything else happening, there’s also a mysterious teenage boy who keeps popping up into Elly’s life.

This is a sequel to ELLY IN BLOOM, but it’s a stand-alone and you don’t need to read the first book to understand the story.   I admired Elly she’s resilient and never lets anything get her down.  Elly has a lot going on in her life, but through all the ups and downs, she still manages to make the right decisions and stay optimistic.  Elly is cautious with Keith, she’s afraid to give her heart and take the chance of being hurt again and that’s understandable, because she’s has had a few hard knocks in life.  One thing that bothered me while reading this book was Elly’s assistant, who plays a large part in the story, is only referred to as snarky teenager.   I still don’t know her name and honestly, I’m not sure what point the author was trying to make, but after a while, it was annoying.  I enjoyed reading this entertaining story by Colleen Oakes and I thought the characters were down to earth and easy to relate to.