The first of a four book series entitled THE BRIDESMAID CHRONICLES, Karen Kendall's FIRST DATE starts it off with a bang! To be followed by Kylie Adams with FIRST KISS, continued by Ms. Kendall with FIRST DANCE, and finished up with Julie Kenner and FIRST LOVE, this series is sure to be a hit.

Harried and overworked Sydney "Syd" Spinelli isn't at her best when her father demands her to leave Princeton, New Jersey, and come home to South River to evaluate his accounting books. Already angry at having to jump at her father's demands, and worried about the absence of her father's bookkeeper, Betty Lou-not to mention the money that disappeared right along with her-it's no wonder she doesn't take her younger sister's email very well. It seems that Julia, whose always seemed to be the incompetent one, regardless of her job as manager of the smallest hotel in the Marv's Motor Inns motel chain, is in an even greater bind this time-she's getting married to Roman Sonntag, a man she's dated for-gulp!-one entire month.

Hightailing it to Fredericksburg, Texas, is the last thing Syd wants to do, but when Julia fails to take her sister's worry seriously via email and telephone, she knows that she's the only one who can make her sister see reason. Being irresponsible is one thing, but ruining your life by marrying a virtual stranger is, most definitely, something else entirely.

There's only one problem with Syd's plans-one best man by the name of Alex Kimball. After all, the best man's job is to make sure the wedding goes off without a hitch, right? So there's a redheaded sister-of-the-bride who wants to string him up by his boot heels on his case-Alex is sure he can handle whatever she throws his way. What neither of them bargained for was a red-hot dose of passion that makes Julia and Roman's month-long courtship look like a ten-year engagement.

Funny, witty, and sizzling, FIRST DATE is a book sure to tickle your funny bone and zap your romance button. If the following three books in THE BRIDESMAID CHRONICLES are all like this one, you'll need to make room for more books on your keeper shelf. ( )

When Sydney gets word that her younger sister Julie is planning on marrying a man she has known for only one month, she heads to Texas to stop her.

Alex Kimbell is determined to keep Sydney from interfering with Julie and her fiancé—who happens to be his best friend and whom he knows loves Julie deeply. However, as they get to know each other, Sydney's understanding of Alex's mother's illness (and ability to cope with the woman's eccentricities) and his attraction to her has him feeling something other than anger for Sydney.

The first installment in The Bridesmaid Chronicles, First Date, is a fairly lighthearted romance that tackles some serious issues. Though at first it is unclear why Sydney would be so against her sister's marriage, it is made clear as the story progresses. The hero's difficulty in dealing with his mother's illness is poignantly done and the scenes between his parents are heart-warming. This story is a well-balanced mixture of serious and funny elements.