Review: A Lowcountry Bride by Preslaysa Williams
Returning to Charleston presents this fashion designer with business—and personal—prospects she may not be ready for.
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Contemporary Fiction | Women’s Fiction*
A Lowcountry Bride by Preslaysa Williams
Description
Living with a serious illness is a huge part of what pushes Maya in her career as a fashion designer. She aims to land a prestigious promotion within a famous bridal gown company in New York, but her plans stall when she goes back to South Carolina to care for her injured father. In Charleston, a bridal boutique and its owner—Derek, a military veteran and widowered father—present Maya with some business and personal prospects she may not be ready for.
My Thoughts
So! What did I like most about this novel featuring a Blasian (Afro-Filipina) heroine down south? The sense of history and family legacy that permeates the story is compelling, from both Maya’s side and Derek’s. Along with that is the novel’s theme of authenticity, illustrating the challenge and need to be true to oneself in one’s purpose, goals, relationships… It really spoke to me.
While the two main characters didn’t have the kind of charisma or dialogue that draws me into the romantic side of a story, I appreciated seeing their respect for each other. Overall, there are places where the novel’s style could have been sharper with more originality and fewer repetitive phrases, actions, and explanations.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed this inspiring read about people holding on to their stories and finding ways to tell them. And I adore the novel’s lovely cover, which also shares a message of authenticity.
*Additional notes: While this book is officially categorized as contemporary romance, I feel like the romance is a part of the overall story rather than the huge, central element the whole plot hinges on. So I personally classify the book as women’s fiction, or contemporary fiction in general.
Fans of gentle reads should be advised that the (off-page) Charleston church shooting of 2015 is a part of the backstory in this novel.
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