It gives me enormous pleasure to be joining Amy Lynch in celebrating the book birthday of her novel Bride Without A Groom which has just turned one! You can buy Bride Without A Groom in paperback and e-book on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

You can read my review of Bride Without A Groom here, but just so that you can see why Bride Without a Groom has been so successful, Amy has kindly provided a short extract for you to read here today.

Bride Without A Groom

Single, coupled-up or married, this laugh-out-loud summer read is the perfect anecdote for the wedding season!

Rebecca has chosen the most luscious, five tiered, wedding cake. The engagement ring that she has selected is celebrity inspired. The wedding singer is on speed dial. He doesn’t usually do Michael Bolton, but as it’s for a first dance he’ll make an exception. Father Maguire is checking dates for the parish church as we speak. The deposit on the white sand honeymoon is paid for in full on Barry’s card. She has fallen for an ivory lace couture gown that is to die for. The down payment may require her to sell a left kidney, but it will be worth it. Isn’t that why you have two?

There’s one teeny tiny problem. It’s nothing, really. No need to panic! It’s just that Barry has yet to propose. Says he’s not ready! He can be a bit of a kill joy that way. In fact, he’s gone away on a business trip and says that he needs some space. Meanwhile, Barry’s tie loosens, the Tiger beer is flowing, and his colleague Shelley is providing more than a shoulder to cry on. Back in Dublin, Rebecca worries, putting Operation Win Back Barry into action. But who is the mysterious dark haired woman that is so keen to talk to her, and what is it that Barry wants to get off his chest?

An Extract From Bride Without A Groom

Speed date number three is now beaming at me, white teeth sparkling all in a neat row.

‘Rebecca. Hi. So…’ This is starting to feel like a job interview.

‘What do you do, Brian?’

Yes, I know, unoriginal. Shush!

‘I’m a solicitor. And yourself, Rachel?’

‘It’s Rebecca…’

‘I’m a solicitor’, my mind plays on a loop as my heart pangs. A solicitor. Just like Barry. A sneaky thought takes shape. This man could be a stand-in, you know? A little switcher-oo. He could be like an understudy in a play. People might not even notice! Sure, I could call him ‘Barry’ as a pet name. He’d grow to love it. The wedding plans could still go ahead, just with one minor substitution. I could still keep the ‘B&R’ monogrammed bath towels I have ordered. He could be Barry version 2.0. Not quite the original model, I’ll grant you, but a toothier, sexier upgrade.

‘I work for a PR firm, Brian. Sloan Publicity?’

‘Oh? You might know my brother, he works in PR too? Our surname is Ramsbottom?’ Brian continues.

‘Oh.’ I try hard not to snigger, really and truly I do. But you must understand that Malibu makes me decidedly giddy. It’s like dosing an orang-utan with laughing gas.

Mrs Rebecca Jane Ramsbottom. Dear Lord! The deal is off. I couldn’t possibly marry someone with that kind of surname. My friends laugh at me enough as it is. I’ll have to call the Actors Casting Agency, and tell them that I no longer require their boyfriend substituting services. Anyway, he might have straighter, whiter teeth than Barry, and he might fill that suit very nicely indeed, but I think I prefer the original, crooked-toothed Barry. Don’t ask me to explain it.

We’ve stopped for a halfway break, so good old Pam has ordered me a tequila slammer, and a pint of Guinness. That should help things along nicely. As I sit at the bar, I picture myself balanced on a stool next to Cilla Black in a special edition of the TV show Blind Date. ‘Say hello to our Becky, all the way from Dublin,’ the permed Liverpudlian grins as the audience cheers. ‘Our Becky enjoys wine, OAP makeovers and planning weddings. And now, here’s our Graham with a quick reminder.’

Graham sums it up during the theme tune. ‘Well, Cilla, behind screen number one is Dan. He likes surfing, but you’ll have to … wave… goodbye to a two-way conversation with this one!’

The audience claps with glee.

‘Behind screen number two is Brian. He’s a solicitor, but it’d be a …crime… to take that surname!’

The audience howls with laughter. I’d forgotten how witty ‘our Graham’ could be.

‘Behind screen number three, it’s Farmer Fred. Fred has a cattle farm. But will Becky be …moo-ved… by him?’

Cilla is beaming at me, and wants to know which one I choose. She wishes me a ‘Lorra lorra luck, chuck.’ I try to explain that none of them measure up to Barry.

About Amy Lynch

Amy Lynch is an Irish author of humorous romantic women’s fiction, but not always with fairy tale endings! She has been working in the charity sector for many years, is married and has two young children. When she is not writing, she can be found juggling school runs, packing lunch boxes, tackling the laundry mountain and walking two large rescue dogs who stare at her until she walks them. Talk about multi-tasking!

Her debut novel Bride Without a Groom is a laugh out loud Bridezilla comedy, was published by Avon, Harper Collins in May 2015.

You’ll find Amy on Facebook and you can follow her on Twitter. You can also visit her website.