Friday, March 20, 2020

Review: Dictatorship of the Dress by Jessica Topper

Dictatorship of the Dress by Jessica Topper
Series: Much “I Do” About Nothing, Book 1
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance
ISBN: 9780425276259
Source: Goodreads Giveaway
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo

As the dress-bearer for her mother’s wedding, Laney Hudson has a lot more baggage than the bulky garment bag she’s lugging from New York to Hawaii. Laney is determined to prove she’s capable of doing something right, but running chores for her mom’s fairytale nuptials is proving to be a painfully constant reminder of her own lost love.

So when she’s mistaken for the bride and bumped up to first class, Laney figures some stress-free luxury is worth a harmless white lie. Until the flight crew thinks that the man sitting next to her is Laney’s groom, and her little fib turns into a hot mess.

The last thing Noah Ridgewood needs is some dress-obsessed diva landing in his first-class row. En route to his Vegas bachelor party, the straight-laced software designer knows his cold feet have nothing to do with the winter weather.

When a severe storm leaves them grounded in Chicago and they find themselves booked into the last available honeymoon suite, Laney and her in-flight neighbor have little choice but to get better acquainted. Now, as her bridal mission hangs in the balance, perhaps the thing Laney gets right is a second chance at love.

Air travel is unpleasant on a good day, so having travel plans go awry isn’t the scenario you’d think of for a classic “meet-cute.” Yet that’s exactly what happens in the utterly charming Dictatorship of the Dress. Jessica Topper’s first Much “I Do” About Nothing is a fast-paced, engaging read featuring two loveable characters brought together by chance.

Laney and Noah were so easy to adore. Laney is a former comic book artist and she’s so creative and fun that I wish she were real just so we could be friends. She’s had a hard time lately after losing a loved one, not to mention the pain and hardship that lead up to that loss (if I’m being vague, it’s to avoid spoilers). She also has a tumultuous relationship with her mother and being the dress bearer for her mother’s wedding (not to mention having her travel plans go awry) is bringing those family problems to the forefront. Laney is a wonderful mix of vibrancy and vulnerability and I so wanted her to get a happily ever after of her own. And Noah… Oh, Tech-Boy. He’s in over his head with a fiancée he doesn’t love who is constantly changing wedding plans without his consent, stomping over his feelings, and having her dear daddy try and bully him. Noah comes across as straight-laced, but meeting Laney opens him up, helps him find the person he was that has been lost over time. The two of them seem like opposites, but they fit so incredibly well. Their romance was so fun to watch unfold and I practically devoured Dictatorship of the Dress because I couldn’t wait to see how things would work out for them.

One thing I was concerned about going into Dictatorship of the Dress was the possible cheating element and I’m sure that’s a concern for others. Noah is engaged and his fiancée being a total nightmare (which she is) isn’t an excuse to cheat in my book. Fortunately it isn’t in Noah’s either. I can’t say how things play out or I’ll spoil the whole story, but suffice it to say Ms. Topper makes it work perfectly.

Dictatorship of the Dress is both tons of fun and deeply emotional. What other story would give you moving past grief, finding love, and encounters with a pack of Elvii? I adored this book from beginning to end.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free in a Goodreads giveaway. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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