Gaele Hi
Off the coast of England, near the Isle of Man sits little Edelweiss Island, named after the flower known to many from the song in The Sound of Music. Wildflowers, hardy and reasonably rare, these high-altitude, chocolatey-scented white feathery flowers grow in some reasonably obscure and hard to reach places. But, the mysteries of Edelweiss island are far deeper than the carpet of flowers – known as the Little Wedding Island, and famed for its no-divorce history, no web presence, no advertising and a cliquish group of residents famed for their ability to frustrate reporters there to uncover the island’s secrets. So, of course it would be the setting for a story to save two competing magazines: a wedding themed publication and a publication aimed at men, with a star columnist that is vehemently anti-wedding. Bonnie is everything wedding: a hopeless romantic who believes that love overcomes all works for a small magazine dedicated to weddings. She’s got her ‘perfect’ dress on a payment plan, uses that as her profile photo, can’t help but fall in line with the romance and hope in a wedding day, and is embroiled in a flame war with the columnist RC Art, after a column mocking a May-December wedding got her so frustrated she lost her mind in a series of responses hoping to show him the error of his ways. Of course, arguments on the internet do no good, and Bonnie discovers she’s being sent on assignment to Edelweiss Island to get a scoop and save the failing publication. What she doesn’t know is that similar punishment is being doled out at the competing magazine. Meeting on the ferry, a very seasick Rohan Carter is desperately hoping to survive the crossing, but still generous enough to notice Bonnie’s shivering and lack of coat. Of course, she’s interested in his lovely eyes and looks, but her kindness speaks louder, and she takes charge of Ro, seeing him through the journey and off the boat. Of course – Bonnie isn’t thinking that this man could possibly be her arch nemesis despite his snaky, although funny, commentary on the island, the people and the myths. Soon enough, his nom de plume and purpose are revealed, and the two find that while the people are pleasant enough, at first, there isn’t a way to get to the story unless they pretend a couplehood, soon morphing into a pretend engagement, and use the wedding-besotted residents joy in making their ‘day’ perfect to get to the truth. Such fun – from Bonnie’s utter belief in love and the magic of the island to Ro’s obvious issues and lack of belief in love. Oh – he’s gloriously wonderful and caring, as long as it doesn’t require his own belief in what everyone else sees. And, who can resist little Puffin, the vicar’s black pug who thinks Ro is a treat and treasure combined, but Ro’s own ability to see himself as others do is barricaded behind walls of hurt. Bonnie, for her part, is finally experiencing love: although she’s rapidly brought up short by Ro’s constant reminders of the limits to their ‘relationship’ and the story yet to come This is a special read: wonderful for the characters on the island, their determination and belief in Bonnie and Ro as a couple, and their one-themed island that seems to have some sort of magical powers derived from the setting, the people and something undefinable in the history of the island’s success rate. From the first page to the last, the story grabs your heart and has you ready to book an island getaway – whether or not a wedding is in your future. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
