Wreathed
by Curtis Edmonds
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Pub Date Nov 04 2014 | Archive Date Jan 31 2015
Description
Wendy Jarrett is a thirty-year-old estate lawyer in Morristown, New Jersey with a massive student loan debt and no social life. She works sixty hours a week and spends the rest of her time in her condo, making up bizarre cocktails and watching real estate programs on TV. Wendy’s last boyfriend dropped her for a waitress named Hyllton the week before Valentine’s Day. Wendy is stressed, lonely, and desperate for a real romantic attachment.
Wendy’s overbearing mother Emily convinces Wendy to accompany her to a funeral of a man named Sheldon Berkman in the seaside resort of Cape May. On the drive south, Emily explains that she had been married to Sheldon, years before Wendy was born. Wendy was not aware that her mother had been married previously, and is shaken by the information. Wendy also accidentally posts Sheldon’s mawkish obituary to her Facebook page, and it manages to go viral.
At the funeral, Wendy meets Adam Lewis, Sheldon’s nephew and the chief mourner. Wendy is instantly attracted to Adam, who is phenomenally cute, with kind eyes and a firm handshake. After the funeral, Wendy accompanies Adam to a reception at Sheldon’s retirement home, and helps him load the truck with Sheldon’s belongings. Wendy wants to make a romantic overture towards Adam, but is thwarted by the sudden appearance of the attorney for Sheldon’s estate, who reveals that Sheldon has left a Victorian house in Cape May to Emily.
After the funeral, Wendy and Adam plan a date and meet for dinner. The first date proves to be unbelievably awkward after Wendy assumes the date will be a stylish affair and Adam shows up wearing an orange hoodie and filthy jeans. But after Adam confesses his past difficulties in the dating scene, Wendy agrees to a second date. The second date goes more smoothly, and Wendy agrees to Adam’s suggestion that they have sex.
The next morning, Adam shares information with Wendy about Sheldon’s estate. Wendy is surprised to learn that the Victorian house is worth substantially more than she had thought. Adam explains that the house is the only asset in the estate, and that he plans to go to court to overturn the portion of the will that gives the house to Emily. Wendy explains that she cannot continue seeing Adam as long as they are on different sides of a lawsuit. Adam is unhappy about Wendy’s decision to back out of their relationship—and although Wendy puts up a good front, she is heartbroken about losing Adam.
Wendy decides to take charge of the situation, and drives down to Cape May to assess whether the house is in fact a valuable asset. She finds that the lower floors of the house have been skillfully restored, and is surprised to find that the house may be incredibly valuable. She is even more surprised to find that Sheldon Berkman is, in fact, alive and has spent the last few weeks working on the house. Sheldon confesses that he faked his own death to re-introduce himself to Emily.
After recovering from her shock, Wendy drags Sheldon up to Adam’s house in Cape May. Wendy finds Adam hard at work in the backyard of his house, and tells him that Sheldon is alive—but Sheldon is nowhere to be found. Adam ridicules Wendy at first, but is forced to eat his words when Sheldon reappears at last. Adam and Wendy then drive Sheldon north for a confrontation with Emily, who is understandably furious at Sheldon’s ruse.
On the drive back, Adam and Wendy discuss their mutual issues regarding trusting each other. Adam decides to drop Sheldon off at a hotel for the night. Wendy and Adam go back to the house that Adam has been remodeling, and Adam shows Wendy a bedroom he has restored, complete with a roaring fire. Adam and Wendy resolve their differences and make love. In an epilogue set eight months later, Adam and Wendy announce their engagement—and find that Sheldon and Emily have re-commenced their relationship as well.
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Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9780988916364 |
| PRICE | $3.99 (USD) |
Featured Reviews
Kristin F, Educator
Wendy's life isn't turning out exactly as she planned. Instead of a top Manhattan law firm, she's eking out a living at a smaller suburban firm, drowning her disappointment in alcohol. When her pushy mother mysteriously asks for a ride to Cape May, for a funeral of a man whose obituary says spent years pining for her, Wendy agrees to go. And there is a cute guy ... who kind of seems interested ... but who is also the nephew of the corpse-slash-former-lover. Seem complicated? Yeah, it is, especially when a will codicil is found that gives the dead man's estate to Wendy's mother, not the nephew. And that pretty much shoots down a relationship (and fuels more alcoholic intake). While the premise of this book is intriguing, the budding relationship is underdeveloped, and the issues around alcohol are underaddressed. Still, this is a pleasant beach read.
Arlena D, Reviewer
Book Description..
"When Wendy Jarrett's mother dragged her to a mysterious funeral, Wendy wasn't expecting to meet the man of her dreams. But Wendy felt an immediate attraction to Adam Lewis, the nephew of the dead man. But when a fight over an inherited beach house threatens to separate Wendy and Adam, she has to take action to answer the unresolved questions about Adam's crazy uncle in order to find true love."
Title: Wreathed Author: Curtis Edmonds Publisher: Scary Hippopotanus Books
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean Rating: 4
Review:
"Wreathed" by Curtis Edmonds
What I liked about this novel....
This was one of those reads that once you start reading you will find in hard to put down this quick read until the end being so full of romance and humor. I found the story line unique that the main characters meet while attending a funeral sparks seem to come about for Wendy and Adam. Then the story will take off from there with many twist and turns and in the end you have a fantastic read. Be ready because there will be some mystery and romance along in this unique read. The characters for the most part ...Wendy, her mom, sister, Adam and uncle along some others who were very well developed, believable, well portrayed and let's not leave us the humor. The author really gives the reader a very creative , interesting well written story line with some unpredictability and a good outcome. "Wreathed" is the read that I would recommend to you as a good read.
Shelagh M, Reviewer
Wreathed is full of plot twists and funny moments and had me guessing what was next to come from the first few pages. I didn't always like lead character Wendy, but i found myself cheering her on as the book progressed. She seems to know her stuff legally however i found that to be at odds wirh her drinking and social media habits, which i would have thought more fitting for an airhead.. I think the book was a little bit longer than it needed to be, however it was very tidily completed with all the loose ends tied up. If you're looking for a light hearted romance, a few good belly laughs and an unusual plot this could be the book for you.
s j, Reviewer
Lead character, Wendy Jarrett, is an attorney, a lover of Chardonnay and various alcohol laced concoctions; is driven crazy by her Mom, and filled with a sarcastic wit and … quirky charm? Adam Lewis, a handsome young man who Wendy meets as he is grieving the death of his uncle and may have some quirks of his own. While Wendy clearly finds him attractive, whether he finds her the same is undetermined. As the circumstances of a funeral and attending to his uncle’s estate have them working together a little bit, they take a step in their relationship and agree to go out on a date, followed by another. Although awkward at first, they eventually fall into a comfortable conversation, and then some. He isn’t everything she is looking for in a man or relationship, but there is just something about him that she can’t quite turn away from either. The story takes some interesting turns that shows Wendy and Adam aren’t the only two quirky characters in the story, and Wendy’s college nemesis makes life hard for her. The epilogue brought some satisfying closure in a couple of the storylines.
While I never really loved the character of Wendy (it seemed like she thought awfully highly of herself and much less so of pretty much everyone else, and she seemed obsessed with alcohol) and was concerned about getting through a book with a main character that I didn’t connect with, I actually did end up enjoying the book and wasn’t overly distracted by my feelings about Wendy. In fact, there were several times that I really did LOL while reading. Overall the story was a good one and, combined with a satisfying ending, I would recommend it to other readers who enjoy a romance with some witty charm.
Thank you to the publisher and author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Patricia M, Reviewer
This is a double love story loosely based on a Country and Western song. One story had started 50 years previously and the second was in the present time. It is an amusing story with lots of character interactions and a fairy tale ending. Enjoyable, light read.
Connie N, Reviewer
WREATHED – Curtis Edmonds
RELATIONSHIPS – 4 stars
Plot – 4.5 stars – Wendy is coerced into accompanying her mother to a funeral for someone from her mother’s past. It turns out there’s a close family relationship she never knew about. And not only that, she is attracted to the dead man’s nephew and wants to develop something with him. Until the will is read, and then there are major problems, putting them on opposite sides of the fight. Further complications occur when the funeral gets the attention of the media, and a former college friend of Wendy’s starts stalking her. Unlikely setting for a romance, but it works in an amusing and entertaining way.
Writing – 4 stars – The story moves forward quickly and captured my attention, despite my misgivings at first about the characters and their initially contentious relationships. Although Wendy has a bit of an alcohol problem and a mildly sharp tongue, she is a warm and romantic person who grows on you as you get to know her better. She’s feisty but with a good head on her shoulders.
Characters – 4 stars – The characters start out slowly, showing overly antagonistic feelings toward each other. Wendy is a single moderately-successful attorney and her relationship with her mom seems very sarcastic at first, but then we see that there’s a lot of love there too. Spending time together on the ride to and from the funeral allow us to view their relationship in a more congenial light. Adam is shadowy at first too, but then we get to know him a little better and he becomes much more relatable. Secondary characters of Wendy’s mom and sister are entertaining.
Title – 3 stars – I’m still not sure what the title has to do with the story. There is a funeral wreath that is mentioned twice, but it didn’t seem significant enough to qualify for the title. Too subtle for me.
Cover – 3.5 stars – The cover is attractive and certainly matches the title, plus including some key elements, like a wine bottle and shoes, apparently representing Wendy.
Overall – 4 stars – This turned out to be a very cute romance, with a bit of a twist, some well-timed comedy, and nicely-developed characters.
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