Bed Of Roses by Nora Roberts

Title: Bed Of Roses
Author: Nora Roberts

Type: Contemporary Romance
Series: Book 2 in the Bride quartet
Published: 2009

Blurb: As little girls MacKensie, Emma, Laurel, and Parker spent hours acting out their perfect make believe "I do" moments. Years later their fantasies become reality when they start their own wedding planning company to make every woman's dream day come true. With perfect flowers, delicious desserts, and joyful moments captured on film, Nora Roberts's Bride Quartet shares each woman's emotionally magical journey to romance.

In Bed of Roses, florist Emma Grant is finding career success with her friends at Vows wedding planning company, and her love life appears to be thriving. Though men swarm around her, she still hasn't found Mr. Right. And the last place she's looking is right under her nose.

But that's just where Jack Cooke is. He's so close to the women of Vows that he's practically family, but the architect has begun to admit to himself that his feelings for Emma have developed into much more than friendship. When Emma returns his passion-kiss for blistering kiss-they must trust in their history...and in their hearts.

Why: Duh.

Thoughts: I enjoyed this one as much if not more than the first, Vision In White. Because this is Nora Roberts, there is little left to say on characterization, prose, strength of storyline, etc. It's all good. As it always is. However, I can talk a bit about Emma and Jack, point out the one thing that didn't totally work for me and throw out a couple of thoughts sparked by this book.

I liked Emma's "normal." Great family, great friends, great job. No hang-ups here, just a true romantic who is crazy passionate about her job. And apparently she is stunningly beautiful. I loved how Roberts conveyed that...with the jokes about Emma's never-ending line of men (when she wants them) and with the male viewpoints about Emma's gorgeous Mom (with only hints at the beauty she passed to Emma). So not an outright point of discussion or internal thought, just a few well-placed jolts to let readers know she's all that and a bag of chips.

Jack is the one with the baggage. Divorced parents add up to committment issues for him. Other than that, he is a fun-loving guy, with great friends and great job. To me, he was as likable as Emma. He was not a "project" in my mind, didn't need saving or enlightening. He was just a guy living free and single for now. I figured he had plenty of time left to outgrow his aversion to committment; or that he would overcome it (without too much fanfare) when he fell for Ms. Right.

Jack and Emma share history. They are friends, fixtures in each others' lives. The conflict is a simple one--she's a romantic believer in marriage, he's not. Because Roberts masterfully balanced conflict with romance (the unfolding of it), I began and finished the story in total relax mode. Well...not entirely true. I'd had a hell of a bad day and, unable to sleep, I picked up Bed Of Roses and read it straight through. That it relaxed me, diverted my attention from personal troubles, says much for Roberts. Like I said, it was balanced. I tingled at the sexual tension, then fell in love and finally, accepted that it was time for Jack to get over it. It was all pretty smooth. And honestly, very enjoyable.

That last bit however, is the one thing that didn't totally work for me. I have never been overly romantic about marriage--not when I was young and single and not now, after 13 years of marriage. I believe in it, sure. I'm just a practical sort and can point to lots of practical reasons why folks should wait a bit on marriage. In Bed Of Roses, I wanted marriage for Emma and Jack. HEA, duh. However, I didn't totally accept Emma's anger and her friends' unwavering support of her position when Jack failed to cast off his fears and commit for the long haul. They dated for months, not years--not even A year. What in the hell was the rush exactly? I understood her feelings about wanting in his personal space. Those were fair. But wanting or viewing those things as some measure of long-term committment? Didn't completely buy it. And thought her a little immature or pollyanna for it. Although...not necessarily while in the story. Like I said, I really, really enjoyed this book. It was after putting it down that I gave thought to this little piece of unreasonableness.

One more comment before I digress to the 'sparked thoughts.' Roberts got me good with the sequel baiting for Laurel. Got. Me. Good. That one promises to be very, very sexy.

Ok, stray thoughts. First, the book itself. Just gorgeous. Almost too pretty to read. Don't know where this bit of marketing genius originated, but Wow these books are just so beautiful. Straying further...have you noticed the new squared look of book cover images online? Look at the most recent Writerspace-news email touting November releases. Look at the image of Bed Of Roses I copied from Barnes And Noble. The book cover images are squaring up. And I don't like it. Which is strange because that kind of thing rarely blips on my radar. But somehow, to me, they look less like books and more like CDs or something. Don't care for it.

Second, I did notice Roberts' inner gardener in here. In her gardening trilogy a couple years back, I thought there was far too much of the science behind gardening. In her Bride quartet, thus far, there is quite a bit about the business of weddings, including the floral arrangements. Here though, it all feels balanced and necessary to the act of immersing myself in the lives of her characters. I mention it because I followed Bed Of Roses with Jasmine Haynes' Show And Tell. In that one, I didn't have nearly enough context and it bugged. Made me think back to an example of 'work detail' that served the characters well. An example Roberts easily sets with Vows.

Without looking, I'm sure we'll get the baker's story next. Then the conclusion, featuring the group's leader, Laurel. There's an interesting question in that sequence, raised by Jessica this week. I tend to agree with her on this.