I don't think I can rate this, because I don't typically read romance but I am trying to read 5 books outside of my usual genres this year. The main character is a chef and all the female characters knit, so I figured at least there will be something to keep me interested? Anyway, as far as romances go this one was fine. I can certainly see the appeal of the genre.

I really liked this book through the first half. There was a lot of potential to the story.

I enjoyed most of these characters. I liked Jilly O'Hara and the health issues that derailed her life seemed different to me. A set of problems that it would be interesting to explore, especially when it came to the culinary empire she was trying to build. The same goes for Walker Hale and all of the issues he had after returning from Afghanistan where he did two tours as a Marine until he and his amazing chocolate lab, Winslow (who truly steals the show), were injured.

The two of them navigating these issues, while trying to forge a relationship, not to mention geographic differences could have been enough drama and plot for the entire book. Yet, in the second half of the book we kind of forget all of this for this incredibly silly fake-real wedding they have solely to comfort an old woman before she goes into the hospital for tests. Er, okay. Why focus on this other woman's health problems when our Heroine has severe health problems that could present a problem? And even though it was silly and I rolled my eyes too many times to count, if they were going to do this farce of a wedding why in the hell did it have to be an actual, legally binding marriage? That makes absolutely no sense. And really the repercussions of it being legal aren't explored beyond a single point that kicks off my next issue with the book.

Then we're given contrived drama in the form of a seriously lame, clichéd plot that, again, had me rolling my eyes. Of course he is. Of course. A conversation is overheard. Giant, stupid, unsupported assumptions are made. People forget that they've only known each other maybe a week. Childish actions are taken. More nonsensical character actions and decisions are made. And an ending that leaves a bunch of questions unanswered or dangling.

The book could have been really compelling if it kept on the track it was on in the first half. A lot could have been done with Jilly's health problems. That could have provided the drama. Instead, it became a mess of lame story we've seen over and over and dropped pretty much all of the promising plot elements that got me invested in the story. I just don't understand why this was the route taken. Or why the title and synopsis make it seem like the wedding was a big part of the plot when really it didn't come until after the first half of the book and was kind of just a blip event that the story moved beyond pretty quickly.

The book still gets three stars for how much I liked the beginning and for Winslow who I fell in love with just as much as Jilly. ( )

The Accidental Bride by Christina Skye
ISBN: 9780373776597
Jilly O'Hara runs her own restaurant and is very happy with the
progress it's made since she opened its doors. Caro MacNeal and
Grace Lindstrom were worried as they'd not heard from Jilly in
some time. They were in the knitting shop on Summer Island,
Oregon. They were restoring an old house to bring it back to
its glory as an old landmark on the island. After Jilly has a
heart emergency and is told to take things easy, no more cooking,
her 3 best friends set up a cooking retreat for her in Wyoming.
Problem is things are not what they seem... At the small airport
she met a man, Walker Hale and his service dog, Winslow but he
was difficult to get much out of their conversation. She is quite
taken with him and his dog and learns how the town has never
forgotten the hero he is although he was never given a parade
or any other recognition for saving many lives. She is starting
to knit now and accepts dinner from Walker and as things get
heated he gets many phone calls about the trip he's taking in
the morning but she hears things that make it sound dire, so
desperate he has to leave that night. She has agreed to watch
the dog til he gets back... It's suggested to raise the morale
of the owner of the retreat that they get married... He's kept
a lot of secrets from her and she's kept many from him and they
all come out eventually and it's interesting to see how they
handle the truth... Love the knitting and the references to
their relationship with one another. A series where the other
woman have their own story, super! Many references to everything
taught in this book are noted at the back. Can't wait to get the
rest of the series. ( )

While this book was enjoyable, it wasn't outstandingly memorable. For a light read, though, it did manage kept my interest for a few days, even if I did find parts of it to be a bit much. I liked both the leads, Jilly and Walker; however, I have to say that Walker's dog, Winston, was by far my favorite character. Maybe because he is just so amazingly well-behaved when compared to my dog? Not sure--still, he was fabulous.

Walker is the perfect blend of hunky, ex-military loner-ness. I found him to be a likable hero, and my biggest complaint where he is concerned is just that the town's hero-worshipfulness of him seems to be a tad bit over the top. Even when he explains it--sort of--it feels out of proportion. Jilly is a fairly standard workaholic heroine, married to her job and missing what she doesn't have but too busy to do much about it--until she collapses in her restaurant's kitchen. Like Walker's hero status, though, Jilly's illness also felt forced. It appeared to jump up and be noticed when needed for a plot point, but tucked itself neatly away when the crisis was over. As someone who lived a good chunk of my life with a person with a heart condition, it just didn't feel genuine to me.

I guess my main problem with this book is that even though it's a fairly lengthy book for the genre (close to 400 pages), just about every problem seems to get solved far too easily. Witness Jilly's near-phobia of knitting: her close friends have tried to get her to learn the craft for years, to no avail. A few lessons from new friends at the retreat, though, have her making a full-size afghan in no time. Most of the conflicts in this novel had a similar feel, and were either not terribly convincing as a real problem, were resolved far too quickly, or both. It all left me feeling vaguely unsatisfied. This was my first book by this author; so far she's on my "I'll give her another try" list. ( )

The Accidental Bride – Christina Skye
This was such a romantic book, not filled with the usual sexual tension we have come to expect from this genre. This book is simply a wonderful story told well. If you are looking for a story filled with hot sex and passion, then this most likely will not be the book for you. Not to say that there is no passion in this book, it is just that the fans of passion are not really flamed until after the wedding!

Jilly is a young orphaned woman just finally making a go at her career. She won her own restaurant and even has a line of salsas and chipotle sauces that are gaining in popularity. Until one day while in the middle of cooking for her restaurant she experiences chest pain, nausea and blacks out. Now she must make some changes in her life and to help her think and to put things into perspective her two best friends send her off on a vacation in Wyoming.

Walker is a near recluse in this Wyoming town, that is until he meets with Jilly as she is getting off her plane in Wyoming. They interact as she drops her suitcase that has an abundance of snack cakes and chocolate and some sparks fly.As Walker finally starts coming more and more out of his shell they realize that things might progress. And things seem to be going well until under special circumstances they agree to a ‘staged’ yet perfectly legal wedding.

This book was realistic and the characters are so well drawn and fleshed out that it was almost like reading about some of my own friends. I rooted for Jilly, Walker, and his dog Winslow! If there is one complaint I had with this book it would be that it ended too soon and the epilogue didn’t give me the follow-up information on their lives that I really wanted.

So as I said, if you are looking for a sweet non sex packed romantic novel with a truly good story, this may be something well worth your reading time. ( )