Page Links

Home      About      Reviews      Contact     

24 May 2014

Blog Tour: 'Undertaking Love' by Kat French (2014)


Marla’s chapel in the sleepy Shropshire countryside has become a nationwide sensation, but the arrival of Funeral Director Gabriel Ryan threatens everything Marla has worked for. She can picture the scene: wedding limos fighting for space in the street with hearses; brides bumping into widows; bouquets being swapped for wreaths.

Marla’s not going down without a fight. She enlists a motley crew of weird and wonderful local supporters, and battle lines are drawn. But, as soon as Marla meets her nemesis, she realises just how much trouble she’s in. His rugged good looks and Irish lilt make her stomach fizz – how is she supposed to concentrate on destroying him, when half the time she’s struggling not to rip the shirt off his back?

Today I'm honoured to be part of the blog tour for Kat French's exciting new release, 'Undertaking Love'! The e-book version of the book was released on the 22nd of May and the paperback version will be available from the 19th of June. I immediately loved the cute cover of this book and the description attracted my attention as well; a wedding chapel (whenever a wedding is included, I'm excited) and a funeral home, battling it out in a small English town? Count me in!

Marla loves her job as the owner of a successful wedding chapel within the small Shropshire village Beckleberry. She is very passionate about helping people have the best day of their lives, and she has some great colleagues who help her with that. However, Marla sees the future of her business instantly collapsing when Irish funeral director Gabriel Ryan appears and opens up a funeral home next door to the wedding chapel. Marla knows grief-stricken widows and glowing happy brides-to-be will not mix well together, so she declares war. Yet, things get slightly more tricky when Marla finds it more and more difficult to stay focused on her business instead of the obvious spark between her and Gabriel...

This book was just as amazing as I initially hoped it would be! I thought the main plotline, involving a wedding chapel and a funeral home and the relationship between the two owners, was quite an original and fascinating one, and Kat French managed to turn it into a thoroughly enjoyable story I honestly couldn't get enough of. I loved Marla, the American-born and sassy owner of the wedding chapel, and I'm sure I'm not the only female reader who developed a serious crush on Gabe (the description of his Irish accent was already enough for me)! I really enjoyed the scenes in which Marla and Gabe ran into each other, and the lust between them simply sparked off the pages!

I think I enjoyed the brilliant supporting cast of characters maybe even more than the two main characters: charming Dan, wonderfully extravagant Jonny, the totally adorable elderly couple Ivan and Dora, and Marla's fluffy dog Bluey (I just wanted to jump into the novel to hug and play with him). I also really enjoyed the fact that the story was told from multiple points of view, and that it focused on several storylines, such as the relationship between Marla's best friend Emma and her husband Tom. The novel made me feel all kinds of emotions; it made me laugh, shout, and even wipe away a tear every now and again. 'Undertaking Love' is an absolutely wonderful, funny, contemporary romance read that I'd like to recommend to any chick lit fans. I truly adored this novel and sincerely hope Kat French will let us travel back to Beckleberry sometime in the future, fingers crossed!

Rating:
      9,5
/10
 
For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads 
  
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
 


Get to know the heroine of 'Undertaking Love', Marla!

I'm really glad to announce the lovely Kat French has taken the time to write a special post for this blog tour to introduce all of you to the main character of 'Undertaking Love', Marla!   

Marla Jacobs
 
Marla's an all-American girl displaced to a sleepy Shropshire village after her mother moved them both to the UK some years ago to marry her sixth husband. Marla stayed on in England after her mother fled back to sunnier climes, and she's now the proud owner of the UK's first Las Vegas style wedding chapel. She's worked hard to build it up into a countrywide sensation, and she's furious when it's threatened by the arrival of a funeral parlour right next door.
A feisty redhead with a penchant for vintage dresses and skyscraper heels, Marla's not the kind of girl to go down without a fight. Her business is her lifeblood.
She's never hankered after life's usual trappings- a husband, or kids, or roses around the door. In fact, for a wedding co-ordinator, some might call her marriage-phobic.
She just wants her own four walls, her wedding chapel, and her huge Great Dane, Bluey. A quiet, secure and successful life. It was all going so well, right up to the moment Gabriel Ryan rolled into town with his Irish lilt and a van full of coffins...
 
Marla's quick fire answers:
 
Favourite colour - White
Favourite song - American Girl, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. It reminds me of home.
Favourite book - Thomas Harris, Silence of the Lambs
Favourite word - Serenity
Favourite food - Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches
Favourite season - Autumn
Favourite TV show - Mad Men
Favourite Author - James Patterson
Favourite animal - Bluey, my Great Dane.

No comments:

Post a Comment