The Bridesmaid’s Baby Bump

 Have you ever had a lovely, smart, loyal friend who never seems to have a lot of luck with men? She's always the bridesmaid, never the bride - or if she is the bride, it doesn't end well?
 

Party planner Eliza Dunne is that girl. She’s the heroine of my next book from Harlequin Romance, TheBridesmaid’s Baby Bump (July 2016).

My inspiration for Eliza was beautiful actress Alexis Bledel

 The great thing about being an author is I was able to create for her the perfect man in gorgeous billionaire Jake Marlowe. Don’t you wish it was that easy in real life!

Both Jake and Eliza have appeared in the preceding two books in the Sydney Brides trilogy: Gift-Wrapped in Her Wedding Dress (November 2015) and Crown Prince’s Chosen Bride (March 2016). As I wrote those books, I was getting to know Eliza and Jake and looking forward to writing their love story.

Their fictional friends in the first two books are invested in getting Eliza and Jake together. But both Eliza and Jake are complex characters with secrets and hidden hurts. Although there is a little matchmaking going on—they’re best man and bridesmaid at two weddings—they have issues to sort out all on their own on the way to their happy-ever-after ending.

I have a soft spot for matchmakers—my husband and I were introduced by a mutual friend. I’ve also had success as a matchmaker myself. What about you? Have you ever been helped by a matchmaking friend or done some matchmaking yourself? Please make a comment—I’d love to read your thoughts!

If you’d like to be in the draw for a paperback copy of TheBridesmaid’s Baby Bump, include your email address and I’ll send the winner of the draw a copy as soon as I get one from my publisher! 

The three Party Queens books are published by Harlequin Romance in North America as the Sydney Brides mini-series. (Mills & Boon Cherish in the UK; Mills & Boon Forever Romance in Australia and New Zealand.)

The Bridesmaid’s Baby Bump will be released on July 1, 2016 and is available for pre-order now.

Kandy Shepherd is an award-winning author of contemporary romance and women’s fiction. She lives on a small farm in the Blue Mountains near Sydney, Australia, with her family and a menagerie of four-legged friends.

Visit Kandy at her website

www.kandyshepherd.com

Connect with Kandy on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest

The Sydney Brides Trilogy - Kandy Shepherd

Do you enjoy reading connected stories in romance? I'm a fan. I love catching up with characters from previous books and anticipating when favorite secondary characters will get their stories. I really like reading connected stories—and I’ve discovered I like writing them too!

My most recent connected stories are about three friends who run a party planning business called Party Queens. Each heroine brings her own strengths to the business—and each falls for a very different hero. Not only did I love creating a deeply emotional romance for each hero and heroine, I also enjoyed writing the strong, supportive friendships that developed between the three heroines over the arc of the three novels.

 Each book is a stand-alone that can be enjoyed without reading the other two.

I’ve only just seen the cover for The Bridesmaid’s Baby Bump and am sharing it here.

The first is Andie and Dominic’s story, Gift-Wrapped in Her Wedding Dress (November 2015); the second gives the stage to Gemma and Tristan in CrownPrince’s Chosen Bride (March 2016); and the third and final in the series, The Bridesmaid’s Baby Bump (July 2016) is Eliza's and Jake’s story and—and brings readers up to date with what is happening with the first two couples too.

I feel a bit sad to say goodbye to these lovely, spirited heroines and the gorgeous heroes who win their hearts. But the good thing about being a writer is I’m totally involved now in the characters for my next book!

The three Party Queens books are published by Harlequin Romance  in North America as the Sydney Brides mini-series. (Mills & Boon Cherish in the UK; Mills & Boon Forever Romance in Australia and New Zealand.)

Do you enjoy a connected series in romance? Do you prefer a complete romance in each book or one that develops over a series? What are your thoughts on cliffhangers? I’d love to read your comment!

Gift-Wrapped in HerWedding Dress and CrownPrince’s Chosen Bride are on sale now.

 The Bridesmaid’s Baby Bumpwill be released on July 1, 2016 and is available for pre-order now.

Kandy Shepherd is an award-winning author of contemporary romance and women’s fiction. She lives on a small farm in the Blue Mountains near Sydney, Australia, with her family and a menagerie of four-legged friends.

Visit Kandy at her website

www.kandyshepherd.com

Connect with Kandy on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest

Dressing the bride - Kandy Shepherd

 My twenty-two-year old daughter looked over my shoulder at my computer screen. “Why are you looking up all these wedding dresses?” she asked. “That’s a long way ahead for me.”

“They’re not for you, darling,” I replied. “They’re for the heroine of my latest book. She’s going to look so beautiful on her wedding day.” (Okay, so maybe I’ve imagined my daughter in some of those dresses too. Sigh…)

I just love planning fictional weddings! I love organizing the dress, the veil, the shoes, the flowers, the bridesmaid dresses, the venue. Ah, the hours of pleasant research (some might say procrastination!) on Pinterest. I have a board just for wedding ideas: Wedding inspiration. So many gorgeous images!

It’s not giving away any spoilers to say there’s a wedding in my November release for Harlequin Romance as there’s a bride on the cover and the title is Gift-Wrapped in Her Wedding Dress. Andie, the bride, dresses in a slightly “boho” style—a touch vintage, a touch seventies. The dress on the cover of the book isn’t quite the same but it’s gorgeous too, and so is the veil. I’ve started Pinterest boards for all of my novels and Andie and Dominic have one of their own.

It’s important the dress suits the personality of the bride and the venue. Andie is married to Dominic in a lovely garden. Her friend and business partner in their party planning business Party Queens, Gemma Harper, also gets married on the page. Again, I’m not giving any spoilers as her book is called Crown Prince’s Chosen Bride and is out in March of 2016. I don’t have a cover yet to share with you. But as you can imagine the marriage of a Crown Prince involves more than a touch of formality!

My first wedding cover was my December 2014 A Diamond in Her Stocking. I planned a gorgeous wedding on the beach for Lizzie and Jesse in that one.

A Diamond in Her Stocking is the third book in my trilogy of linked but stand-alone set in the beachside town of Dolphin Bay. Harlequin is having a sale for U.S readers, and all three of the e-books are on sale for a limited time from November 10 for just $1.99 each, starting with The Summer They Never Forgot and The Tycoon and the Wedding Planner (a beach wedding there too!) Look out for them at the usual e-retailers.

Have you ever planned a wedding? Your own or someone else’s? Were there any memorable moments? Disasters? I’d love to hear about it! Make a comment if you'd like to be in the draw for a mass market paperback copy of Gift-Wrapped in Her Wedding Dress. Please include your email address.

Kandy Shepherd is an award-winning author of contemporary romance and women’s fiction. She lives on a small farm in the Blue Mountains near Sydney, Australia, with her family and a menagerie of four-legged friends.

Visit Kandy at her website

www.kandyshepherd.com

Connect with Kandy on Facebook and Twitter