Sequins & Snowflakes by Jane Linfoot (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

Friday 56 (share from the 56th page or 56% mark) is hosted at Freda's Voice (today page 56 of the epub) 
& Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader

Amazon Description

‘Just like the perfect wedding cake…beautifully crafted and wrapped in romance’ Heidi Swain, bestselling author of The Cherry Tree Café

The snow is falling around Brides by the Sea, Cornwall’s cutest little wedding shop, and wedding dress designer Seraphina East is in her cosy studio designing exquisite dresses to make even the most demanding bride’s dreams come true.

Unless the bride is her big sister Alice of course. Saying that the two sisters don’t always see eye to eye is an understatement. Alice hasn’t even asked Sera to design her wedding dress. But when an absent groom and ill-fitting dress threaten to ruin Alice’s happiness let alone her big day, Sera’s determined to give her sister the winter wedding of her dreams – even if that means keeping not one but two irresistibly gorgeous best men under control…

Is Sera going to end up being the maid of dishonour…Or will repairing her frozen relationship with Alice be the icing on the wedding cake?

There’s sequins, snowflakes, and plenty of romance in this gorgeous love story. The perfect romance to curl up by the fire with this Christmas! Perfect for fans of Carole Matthews and Milly Johnson.

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RAMBLE BELOW

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STOP NOW IF YOU'RE ONLY 

HERE FOR THE TEASING

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I absolutely adored the first Jane Linfoot book set at Brides by the Sea, Cupcakes & Confetti. In fact, I adored it so much so that I teased and rambled about it twice (here and here)! I had even pre-ordered the sequel, Sequins & Snowflakes, but I'm quite lucky and incredibly spoiled in that Jane sent me an advanced read so I wouldn't have to wait as long. 

I really wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did Cupcakes & Confetti but, as it turns out, I may even have loved it a wee bit more!

This time the main focus is on Sera -- the shop's gown designer. She appeared a little bit in passing in the first story so I was already aware of her scattered beach bumness. She's in a bit of a design funk, but has other things to occupy her mind during the holidays. Her sister, Alice, is pretty much the exact opposite in finesse and demeanor and is planning a huge complicated wedding nearby. When Alice gets delayed with work for a few days, she puts Sera in charge of a great deal of the preparations -- with help from her ginormous book of plans and two best men.

Of course, things never work out exactly as planned in spite of big binders of plans. We're left wondering quite a lot of things for a bit:

* Will Sera get her creative groove back?

I'm a beachy girl, and that's where I do my best work. The designs flow much more easily when I'm flat out on the sand. Add in the crippling worry that I'm never going to be good enough again after designing for a celebrity, and I haven't been able to draw a thing. (4%) 

* Will Alice drive Sera and everyone else completely crazy with her demands and moods before the wedding? 

Seriously. The girl is a bit hard to stomach at times:

She sticks out her chin and glares at me. 'If you're going to turn up looking like a beach bunny who lost the wave, I'm going to have to uninvite you.'

'For  fuck's sake, Alice.' What's the obsession with beach bunnies? (36%)

(And that's one of her milder moments!)

*Will there even be a wedding?

'Some days I feel like the wedding is bigger than the relationship. As the wedding grew, it strangled the love. Like I'm marrying a stranger.' (50%)

Then, of course, is probably my favorite wonder of them all:

* Would either best man be the best man for determined-to-stay-single Sera? 

  Best Man 1?

As I close my eyes and lean into his body, suddenly in my head we're running along the shoreline, hand in hand. Jeez. I can't quite believe I'm thinking this. But the more I try to blank it, the worse it gets. We're muffled against the cold, in matching scarfs, dodging frothing breakers as they roll up the beach. Really? (39%) 

Or Best Man 2?

One second we'll be chatting about something completely innocuous, the next it's toxic. Sentences begin by being cosy and safe and then move somewhere excrutiatingly uncomfortable. And all without warning. (45%)

I know ... it seems like it's definitely Best Man 1, right? Well ... Best Man 2 and our dear Sera have a long history and there are times when rekindling what once was doesn't seem like the worst idea ever had ... but I'll let you fill all of that in for yourself when you read the book. I've given myself a five quote pre-50% limit (not counting the meme, of course). Anything beyond that is up to you!

It's not necessary to have read Cupcakes & Confetti before reading Sequins & Snowflakes, but I highly suggest that you do. Not only will you get an introduction to Sera, but little bits and various characters will make so much more sense if you do -- like the history behind Daisy Hill Farms, Poppy and Rafe, Immie and Chas, Jess and Henrietta. It's nice having all of them involved again and seeing how things have changed for various ones between the two books. I'm already going a bit crazy wondering who we'll see the most of in the third book and I'm definitely going a bit crazy knowing that Goodreads says it's not due out until July!