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A Rather Charming Invitation
C. A. Belmond
Her work has been hailed as “a return to the golden
age of romantic suspense,” and Belmond is back with
her beloved characters and their search for a missing bridal
tapestry.
Wedding bells are ringing for Penny and Jeremy—but
where will the wedding be? While heiress Penny’s
newly-discovered French relatives insist that the wedding be
held in the South of France, Jeremy’s kin won’t
have it anywhere but England. Either choice might just
re-ignite the Hundred Years’ War.
Meanwhile, Penny is feeling a tad skittish, not only about
all the superficial hoopla that surrounds modern weddings,
but also about the impact that marriage itself will have on
her treasured relationship with Jeremy. Everyone’s
telling her it’s simply inevitable that the thrill
goes out of marriage after a few years. So, with her usual
earnestness, Penny acts as a “bridal
anthropologist” seeking evidence that it is
possible to “tie the knot” without unravelling
the love that brought her and Jeremy together in the first
place.
Then, in a family château high above the perfume fields of
Grasse, Penny’s French cousin offers her the loan of
an ancient bridal tapestry with a highly intriguing history.
Does it contain clues to eternal true love—or is it
merely an outdated relic from oppressive past traditions?
Penny has barely begun to crack its perplexing imagery
before a series of strange events unfold, threatening to
derail the wedding. Now Penny and Jeremy must set off on an
astonishing romp around Europe to catch a thief—while
simultaneously trying to figure out what’s best for
the future of their love.
From a nostalgic stop at the opulent Train Bleu restaurant
and a visit to a mysterious ballerina in Paris, to a masked
ball at a multi-billionaire’s secret chalet on Lake
Geneva, to London’s hidden vaults of medieval
artifacts, and a winner-take-all gamble in Monte Carlo,
Penny and Jeremy embark on another thrilling adventure...
and all the while, they can hear the tick-tock of an antique
clock as it counts down the very minutes until they say,
“I do.”
Will they crack this case and still make it to the altar on
time? Come see for yourself.
You’re invited! Bride or groom’s side?
NAL Trade, February 2010
ISBN-10: 0451229088 ISBN-13: 9780451229083 464 pages Trade Size $15.00
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