You know how I have that little quirk (which one, right?) that makes it impossible for me to start a series from anywhere but the beginning? Well, I'm proud to say I overcame that bit of OCD in order to read The Wedding Letters by Jason F. Wright. I'm running out of time to read all the Whitney finalists, especially since I have to cram them in among all my other reviewing

responsibilities, so I skipped The Wednesday Letters and dove right into its sequel. I wouldn't suggest doing it that way, though. Like always, I recommend reading a series in order. This time (only!), it's a does-as-I-say-not-as-I-do kind of thing.

Anyway, the story starts when Noah Cooper, a senior at George Mason University and a budding artist/illustrator, runs into Rachel Kaplan. Literally. As he tries his best to make up for hitting the grad student with his truck, he finds himself falling deeply in love with her. She doesn't seem to mind. Noah figures

taking her to meet his family will seal the deal forever—everybody loves Malcolm and Rain Cooper, as well as the charming B&B in rural Virginia where they live and work. Not only does Rachel fall for the Cooper Family, but she agrees to become one of them. Noah couldn't be happier.

It doesn't take long, though, for the wedding plans to go awry. Even though Rachel adores the family's "Wedding Letters" tradition, reading them brings up a dark secret in her past, a secret that could stop the wedding forever. Malcolm and Rain are also keeping a secret, the announcement of which will no doubt shock their children. As Noah tries to keep his whole life from imploding, he'll learn a thing or two about family, forgiveness and the fortitude to fight for the things—and people—he loves.

The Wedding Letters is predictable, of course. Cheesy, too, although not quite as much as I expected it to be. As you would guess, the short novel's also warm, positive and uplifting. The great romance between Noah and Rachel falls a little short for me, as it feels a bit spark-less, but I really grew to like the Cooper Family as a whole. I enjoy the fact that they aren't a perfect family, but that their love for each other comes through to the reader loud and clear. Speaking of the Coopers, I did get a little confused over who was who and what was what as far as relationships and such go, but I'm sure that's mainly due to not having read The Wednesday Letters. All in all, though, I enjoyed this read. Wright's books are kind of hit and miss for me, so I was glad to discover that this one was more of the former than the latter.

(Readalikes: The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright; Wright's books also remind me of those by Richard Paul Evans and Nicholas Sparks)