Friday, January 8, 2016

Once Upon A Wedding by Kelly Rae

Series: One Day at a Wedding
Including: Once Upon a Wedding (#1), Anything but a Wedding (#2), When Cassie Met Thad (#0.5)
Author: Kelly Rae
Release Date: Jan 12, 2016
Find on Goodreads
Cassie Anderson, bridesmaid extraordinaire, is tired of attending her friend’s weddings either solo, or with her best friend, Thad. Finding a real date is simply too much work. Especially when she sees an old acquaintance from high school, Dan, at her friend Shelley’s wedding. After the spark shared between them, Dan has become the object of her affection. Too bad he has a nasty habit of having a date on his arm at every turn. Stealing another woman's date is against the rules, but if she could just catch him at an event alone…well, that would be fair game! Unfortunately, timing is everything, and she and Dan seem to have the worst. Always the bridesmaid, walking away with nothing more than a dreadful dress,

Cassie is committed to changing her luck and getting her man.

Dan daydreamed about Cassie Anderson through most of his high school classes. She barely knew he was alive – but that didn’t stop him from wanting her for all those years. Unfortunately, her return to his life comes at the worst time possible. As he tries to put his life back together, he keeps an eye on her, hoping to find her single at the right time. A time when it all hurts a bit less. A time when he can offer her all of the love she deserves. After three weddings of happenstance meetings, Dan finds himself to be a little more ready for everything that is Cassie. Putting himself out there, he can only hope she is everything he thinks she might be — his forever girl.


Thad never expected to find anyone who meant more to him than his best friend, Cassie. She was the one woman he loved enough not to sleep with. He was a player, but an honest one. Unfortunately, not everyone felt that balanced out his love 'em and leave 'em ways. He just didn't see a need to settle down — yet. Then, he met Brianna, who made him think about the future — a future with her — which was a new experience for Thad. Brianna is also a new kind of woman and convincing her that they have a future might just be the challenge of his life.

Brianna works through men like she works through her closet — seasonally. Any other way has always been trouble. When she meets Thad, she is thrilled. Not only does he intrigue and excite her, but he is just like her — noncommittal. He sets her on fire with his smooth talk and honest approach to dating. Even without being physical beyond a kiss, the thought of him makes her entire body hum. Except, Thad has gone and gotten attached to her in a way neither of them expected; attached in a way she simply cannot allow. Unfortunately, he won't allow their relationship to become physical until she surrenders her heart to him, which is a battle she isn’t sure she can win. The longer it lasts, the less sure she becomes of wanting it to.


Were you curious about how Cassie and Thad met? Read all about their friendship based love story. College parties, makeups and breakups – see what makes their platonic love, one of the best around. This is the perfect introduction to the One Day at a Wedding Series and it’s FREE, so you check out the stars of the series with little to no commitment, we call that Thad Style!
From Anything But A Wedding –
Her lips were her slightly open, lush and painted with a bright shade of pink. He immediately thought about all of the places he wished those lips would touch—from his own lips, to his neck, and just about everywhere else on his body. He wanted to know what this woman tasted like. He wanted to know everything.
“Is there something about my lips that you find fascinating?”
“Yes.”
“Oh,” Brianna giggled, “honesty is a lovely trait. I expected you to deny it and make a smooth transition. You seem more, well…smooth, than honest.”
“I can be honest,” he said, once again looking into her eyes. “You just tell me to what degree you want it, my honesty that is, and I’ll follow.”
“There are degrees?” Bri’s eyebrows curved up, as did her lips.
Thad nodded.
“Give me an example and I’ll let you know which I prefer.” Thad enjoyed the smartass smirk on her face. This woman could not only keep up with him, but also possibly keep him on his toes. He could feel the potential danger pulsing through his veins at the mere thought of them together.
“Let’s see,” he placed his hand on the small of her back, guiding her off to the side of the gallery, where they had a bit more privacy, “level one would be the smooth answer you expected, mysterious and flirtatious. Something similar to ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I am just absolutely taken with your smile, I got a bit lost for a moment.’ Level two, is more honest and direct. But let’s face it, I’m always smooth.”
Brianna put her hand on his cheek, smacking it lightly with a grin upon her face. “Your smoothness is not at all in question. Not for a moment.”
He grabbed her hand quickly. Her breath caught in a hitch and her eyes darted to his as he kissed the inside of her palm. Thad left behind a bit of moisture—his idea of a sweet hint.
“Now, where was I? Oh yes, level two. Level two would sound a bit more like, ‘My apologies, Brianna. For a moment there, I couldn’t help but wonder how your lips might feel against my own. Now, level three. Most people cannot handle level three. In fact, I haven’t met a single woman who could.”
“Oh, no. Mr. Carlmont, did you just dare me? That sounded akin to a dare.”
“That was no ordinary dare. It was a double-dog dare ya.” When she smiled, her eyes lit up, as perfect as Christmas trees dressed in all white. He liked it; he liked her.
“I never turn down a challenge and I certainly never back down from a dare, so by all means, hit me with your best stuff!”
Thad moved in closer, while Brianna stepped back against the wall a bit. She had nowhere else to go, exactly what Thad wanted. He placed his hands against the wall on either side of her head and leaned in to whisper against her throat, just below her ear, hoping she would feel his warm breath.
“Okay, here is level three truth, I hope you’re ready.” He breathed and she shivered, but did not say another word. “Brianna, just a moment ago, when I couldn’t take my eyes off your lips…in my mind, I already had this little dress of yours off. In my mind, your lipstick had already been kissed right off those luscious lips. I stared at them, simply wondering, if they—if you—could possibly taste as good as I suspect you must.”
“Oh, my,” Brianna whispered.
Kelly Rae is mom to an amazing young man. Everything else is just a way to keep busy between laughs with her son, or a way to pay for his sports equipment and growing feet. When she was twelve years old, she hit the big leagues by winning a Young Authors Award (okay, okay, it was only within her school district. Shh.) Although she has been unable to duplicate this success in her adult writing, she is giving it her best shot. Kelly, her son, their chocolate lab and new kitten, live in the Pacific Northwest. Here they enjoy the sun when it shines and the snow when it falls. When they aren't dancing in the rain or singing at the top of their lungs in the car, they are planning their dream vacations...which they might even get to take some day. 

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