I received this book via NetGalley.

The Wedding Gift is a short story about Darla and what happens when you are about a week from your wedding an your ex rolls back into town. Darla thinks that his could be the one who got away and is trying to convince herself that the wedding is what she wants.

Roxie, Darla's grandmother, tells Darla the story of her and Darla's grandfather over the period of a few days. She shows Darla that she is being bride tested and that sometimes, there is a reason behind every test.

Fun, charming story with cute characters and lovely family relationships. Wished it was longer than a novella. Love the small town vibe.

"The Wedding Gift" by Carolyn Brown is a delightful journey into the tumultuous days leading up to Darla McAdams' wedding. The novel artfully weaves a tale of love, self-discovery, and the wisdom of generations, making it a charming read for anyone who appreciates a good romantic comedy with a touch of sage advice.

The plot takes an unexpected turn when Darla's first love, Andy, resurfaces just a week before her wedding to Will Jackson. The story's premise, while seemingly cliché, unfolds in a unique and entertaining manner. Darla's internal struggle and the chaos ensuing from Andy's return keep the reader hooked from start to finish.

What sets this book apart is the inclusion of Granny Roxie, a wise and sassy character whose reminiscences provide a touch of nostalgia and invaluable insights. Carolyn Brown beautifully captures the essence of intergenerational wisdom, adding depth to the narrative. Granny Roxie becomes the beacon of reason in the midst of Darla's pre-wedding chaos, offering a delightful blend of humor and sagacity.

The writing style is engaging, and the pacing is well-executed. Brown's ability to balance humor and heartfelt moments creates a story that is both entertaining and emotionally resonant. The bonus novellas that celebrate the seasons add an extra layer of charm, making the book a perfect read for those who enjoy tales of love, family, and the timeless lessons passed down through generations.

In summary, "The Wedding Gift" is a heartwarming and uplifting novel that successfully combines romance, humor, and wisdom. Carolyn Brown's storytelling prowess shines through, making this book a recommended choice for readers seeking a feel-good narrative with a sprinkle of old-fashioned wisdom.

Three delightful novellas, including a fresh release and two previously published works, make up this collection of charming country tales.

In "The Wedding Gift," Darla's impending marriage to Will Jackson is shaken when her old high school flame returns, prompting second thoughts. Granny Roxie and Grandpa Claud offer sage advice, guiding her toward clarity.

Following is "A Slow Dance Holiday," a standalone Christmas romance from the Honky Tonk series. Jorja trades her dull Nashville job for a half partnership in a Texan Honky Tonk, only to discover her business partner, Cameron, is a lanky cowboy with dreams of bar ownership and ranching.

Concluding the trio is "Summertime on the Ranch," a standalone from the Spikes and Spurs series. Becca, a former Nashville singer, now works at a winery, resisting the charms of cowboy Dalton. A canine matchmaker brings them together after six months of Becca's initial reluctance.

Each novella offers a unique setup and romantic plot, infused with author's down-to-earth humor and sweet, slightly spicy cowboy romance. Overall, it is a delightful blend of laughter, music, and love in the ranch country read to me.

This is a good book. This book has three stories in it. Each of the stories has 2 different types of people falling in love with each other. It is about people working together to work through their issues to fall in love.

Dara and Will are back to her small home town to celebrate her grandmother’s birthday. It’s a very short time till their wedding and when Dara’s old flame returns and comes to the party, sparks fly.. Grandmother Roxie gives Dara a surprise when she shares the story of her own romance with her husband. Set in Oklahoma, where Carolyn Brown sets many of her books, the small town is exactly what one expects, everyone knowing everyone’s business. This is a short novella, there are three in the book..This is a reprint, originally published in 2020. A nice sweet romance.

3 easy, fast read stories. I am starting to like this author. The storylines and characters are not run of the mill. Fun, heartfelt dialogs make the story heartwarming and interesting.

Highly entertaining, fun filled, emotional journey with witty banter, engaging charters, heart racing twists and emotional turns. Great reading from beginning to end and so hard to put down.

Three stories, The Wedding Gift, A Slow Dance Holiday & Summertime on the Ranch. I enjoyed the first two and wasn’t excited about the third. I always try to read a Carolyn Brown book. I prefer a book with one story that I can get into the setting, characters and issues. These were easy fast reading stories. Enjoyable yet not what I wanted. But if you are a Carolyn Brown fan you will want to read.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for a honest review.

I was a little disappointed at the length of this book. I thought it would be very different.
If you want a quick read, then give this one a try.

Three novellas set in Texas and Oklahoma, full of wedding bells, honky tonks and cowboys. Darla is having second thoughts about her upcoming wedding when her old flame returns to town, and she'll have to pass the wedding test. Jorja and Cameron are both given co-ownership of a bar in rural Texas and find being away from family isn’t so bad when you start new traditions together. And Becca McKay has to decide if she can trust the charming, bad boy cowboy when he claims he’s left his wandering ways behind and wants her to be his lady.

Nobody does cowboys like the unparalleled Carolyn Brown, and every story is full of sass, southern heat, and love. These stories are just the thing to give you a taste, if you’re not familiar with her vast collection of work. They're perfect for when you only have a short amount of time for your reading escape but need your next cowboy fix. With strong, big-hearted heroes and fiery heroines, you won’t want to miss these charming, delightful stories.

It’s a Carolyn Brown release so of course I was going to snatch it up. Three light and entertaining, novella-length country charmers which appear to be one brand new release and two previously released novellas gathered into one place.

The Wedding Gift is the new standalone piece. Shortly before her wedding to kind and handsome Will Jackson, Darla’s old high school bad boy old flame blows back into town and causes second thoughts. Then Granny Roxie and Grandpa Claud share their earthy wisdom and memories with her which helps her see clearly what is best.

A Slow Dance Holiday, a standalone Christmas romance from the Honky Tonk series comes next. Jorja is given a half partnership in a bar so chucks her boring job in Nashville for small town Texas and an old Honky Tonk. She makes the mistake of thinking her business partner is a woman, but Cameron is all long and lanky cowboy. Cameron wants to own a bar and have a ranch so he leaves working a tiki bar in Florida to partner with some guy named JJ.

And, lastly, there is Summertime on the Ranch, a standalone from the Spikes and Spurs series. Becca followed her dreams of singing professionally to Nashville and now a decade later, she’s resetting her life back home working at a winery and trying to deny the attraction to a good-timing cowboy. Dalton works on the ranch where the winery is located and fell for Becca when he first saw her, but it has been six months and she hasn’t given him the time of day until his dog does a bit of matchmaking and gets him a chance with her.



I thoroughly enjoyed each of these with a slightly different set up and romance situation, but loaded with Carolyn Brown’s earthy everyday folk humor and sweet with a pinch of spice cowboy romancing. I hadn’t read any of these novellas in a previous release, which I caution readers to check on first, but, if not, rope them in for a good time of laughter, music, and love in ranch country.

I am a huge Carolyn Brown fan, newer to her as an author but quickly became one of my favorites. However, this title I'm on the fence with how I feel about it. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. It took a while to get through, kept putting it down and revisiting. It won't stop me from reading other novels but most likely this is a one and done for me.

I really like how this book started, but I felt like it was missing the last half of the book... I loved the characters, and how they interacted, but I felt the ending was very abrupt. I feel like it wasn't finished. Or it should be a novella.

The Wedding Gift, by Carolyn Brown, is a collection of three of her novellas, the titled one, A Slow Dance Holiday, and Summertime on the Ranch. Each is set in landscapes in Texas or Oklahoma abutting the Red River. The Wedding Gift tells about the weeks approaching the marriage of Darla Marshal and Will Jackson and how each is tested. A Slow Dance is the story of Jorja Jenks and Cameron Walsh when they are each gifted with half ownership in a Honky Tonk and how they make it work. The third, Summertime on the Ranch, relays how wannabe singer Becca McKay, who will not compromise her standards just for a contract, and rancher Austin O’Donnell bond over her Irish Grammie and watermelon wine. Each of these stories is fun filled and quick and easy reads. I did enjoy this anthology and do recommend it!

A short but sweet story about wedding jitters. Both the bride to be and groom to be get visits from past loves before the wedding. Will they be tempted to return to a past love and start over or will they choose to go forward with the wedding as planned?

Their families help them decide and along the way you'll hear stories that will make you laugh and cry along with the prospective bride and groom. A little disappointed it was a novella Andover way too quickly.

Although I received a free ARC ebook from Net galley and the publisher, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The story starts with Darla, her grandmother Roxie, and grandfather Claud get ready for their sixtieth-anniversary party. Darla needs some advice from Roxie but has to wait until after the party. In the meantime, she's faced with trying to stave off Andy's innuendo-filled comments and remind herself that she loves Will. When she she hears the problem, Roxie knows what she has to do. I loved Darla's fiancé, Will. He adores her and intends to give her the best life possible. His little romantic touches are sweet and remind Darla why she loves him. An unexpected twist at the end showed they had more in common than they knew. I loved that they learned early on that trust is vital in a happy marriage.

The Wedding Gift is a collection of three short stories. In the first story, Darla is having doubts about marrying Will. How does a girl know that her man is the right man? This is a sweet story about two nice people learning that sometimes there are challenges getting to the alter. They have wonderful families that support them. It is a really sweet story.

Story two is A Slow Dance Holiday. Jorja quits her job when she gets the chance to own half of a bar in Mingus, Texas. She knows full well that her family isn't going to approve or understand but she feels like this is the change she's been waiting for. Cameron is excited to finally own his own bar even if he is going to have to share the bar with someone he's never met. They butt heads at every turn but quickly realize that maybe fate brought them together for a reason. This is a story about opposites attracting.

Story three is Summertime on the Ranch. Becca took a chance at getting a singing career but now she's moved back to live with her grandmother and make watermelon wine. Dalton has big plans for his future. For now he's working hard and making plans. Becca doesn't want to be attracted to Dalton but the more time they spend together the more it's obvious that they belong together. Grandma is a really good matchmaker! This is a sweet, slow burn love story about two people that just needed a little time to realize they belong together.

I'm a fan of this author. Her writing is sweet and "down home". I like the rhythm of the stories. If you are looking for a little something to read and you want a fast read, give these short stories a try. I will read more from this author in the future.

Not exact what I was expecting as this is 3 separate stories in one book. Each one interesting and sweet and has its own love lessons included. Not my favorite of Carolyn Brown stories but overall a good read. I was provided an advanced reader copy and was under no obligation to provide a review. The opinions expressed are my own. Thanks to the auhor, publish and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

The Wedding Gift, A Slow Dance Holiday and Summertime on the Ranch are the three novellas in Carolyn Brown’s new anthology. Each novella is a stand-alone story with the same feel good happily ever after feel. They are perfect for a quick read but left me wanting to know more. I always hate to come to the end of a Carolyn Brown story. Thank you NetGalley Sourcebooks Casablanca and Carolyn Brown for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.