Always A Bridesmaid

I grew up in a small town and love the dynamic of that sense of community that comes along with everyone being in your business. Always a Bridesmaid is part of the Getting Hitched in Dixie series, about a group of friends who grew up in a tiny town called Uncertainty, in Alabama. 

When I first pitched Always a Bridesmaid, I called it 27 Dresses meets Sweet Home Alabama. You’ve got the small town, the heroine who’s the mayor’s not-so-dirty-little secret, and a firefighter who also trains search & rescue puppies. Violet’s been a bridesmaid seven times and just knew her wedding would be next. Which is why she’s got a binder full of wedding plans. Only when her longtime boyfriend leaves her for someone else does she decide to head to Uncertainty, a place she swore she’d never go again. But her half-sister needs someone to help renovate her bakery. As she’s helping, there’s a fire, which is how she meets Ford McGuire. 

Ford’s in the middle of training a new litter of German Shepherds and not interested in a relationship. What he does need a little help with is being his best friend Addie’s Best Man/Dude of Honor. Since Violet has a lot of experience in that department, he asks her for help. Soon they’re training puppies together and wedding planning together and a whole lot of sparks are flying. 

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ALWAYS A BRIDESMAID: an excerpt

“For the bridesmaid dresses, I’m thinking super-low-cut tops with short skirts,” Ford said as he flopped on his couch for the first wedding-planning meeting of what he’d been informed would be many. “Not short enough that I’ve gotta tuck my junk, but I want to show off the muscular thighs my firefighter training has given me.” 

Addie, one of his very best friends and the bride-to-be, giggled. 

Lexi blushed. 

The three German shepherd puppies that’d been delivered to him earlier this week ran amok. 

A lot of life-changing events had happened within his tight-knit group of friends last fall. His buddy Shep had married Lexi, the blond debutante currently tilting her head at Ford. Then, in the middle of all the pre- wedding activities, two of his other closest friends had gone and fallen in love. 

At first, Ford had hated the idea of Tucker and Addie. But once he’d seen how hard Tucker worked to win over the girl beside him, how good they were together, and—most importantly—realized the group wasn’t going to be split by their merger, he got on board. 

Now they were soon to be hitched. 

When Murph, known as Addison Murphy to the rest of the town, had asked him to be her bridesdude/ man of honor, of course he’d said yes. He’d do most anything for his friends. 

Lexi, one of the other bridesmaids—along with Addie’s sister, Alexandria, who was lucky enough to get out of wedding planning on account of living the next state over—withdrew a giant binder and a few thick magazines from her bag. She tossed them on his coffee table next to the dog toys and the remotes, where they starkly contrasted the pile of Alabama Outdoor News. 

“This should get us started,” she said, notebook and a pen at the ready. 

“Started?” Addie blinked at the stack. “Are we startin’ a fire? ’Cause that’s what that pile of nonsense makes me wanna do.” 

Lexi sighed and crossed one leg over another, the skirt of her red dress flaring with the motion. 

Like he said, he’d do anything for Murph, who’d always been one of the guys, but wedding planning tiptoed mighty close to the line. Her brown eyes were as wide as he assumed his were, though, and they’d sworn long ago to never leave a man behind. 

Since he was the best dude and Addie didn’t know the first thing about being a girly girl, Lexi was the only one experienced in everything a wedding entailed, so here they were. 

Staring at a color-coded binder. 

Addie reached for the six-pack of Naked Pig Pale Ale beer. After taking a large glug from her bottle, she hesitantly lifted the binder off the table. 

Give him a fire to fight, a lost hiker to find, or a destructive force of nature to contend with, and he’d jump right in, no fear. But wedding to-do lists filled with line upon line of gibberish? Well, he was about to cry for his mommy. 

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Cindi Madsen is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance and young adult novels. She sits at her computer every chance she gets, plotting, revising, and falling in love with her characters. She loves music and dancing and wishes summer lasted all year long. She lives in Colorado (where summer is most definitely NOT all year long) with her husband and three children. She and her family also take their Marvel addiction very seriously, as their one-eyed cat, Agent Fury, and their kitty named Valkyrie can attest.

Find out more about Cindi on her website http://cindimadsen.com/

 

ALWAYS A BRIDESMAID

Violet Abrams may have been a bridesmaid no less than seven times, but her wedding day was near―she could feel it. Until her longtime boyfriend left her for someone else. That’s just fine―she has her photography and a new project redesigning her sister’s bakery to keep her happy and fulfilled. Fast-forward to the day of his wedding, though, when Violet might have accidentally, totally not on purpose, started a fire. And… Officially the worst day ever.

Firefighter Ford Maguire thought he’d seen it all. Until he’s called out because someone tried to set the local bakery on fire…with a wedding magazine? The little arsonist might be the cutest woman he’s ever seen, but he’s too career-focused to consider something serious. Still, Violet seems like a great person to help him navigate his upcoming “man of honor” duties in his best friend’s wedding.

Pretty soon, not only is Violet giving him lessons on all things weddings, she’s helping him train his latest rescue-dog recruit puppies and weaving her way seamlessly into his lone-wolf lifestyle. But forever is the last thing on Ford’s mind, and if there’s one thing a perpetual bridesmaid knows, it’s the importance of a happily ever after.

Each book in the Getting Hitched in Dixie series is STANDALONE:
* Just One of the Groomsmen
* Always a Bridesmaid

BUY THE BOOK HERE

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Category: Contemporary Women Writers, On Writing