A Holland Reads: Love, Lace and Minor Alterations by V. Joy Palmer

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review

Published: June 15, 2016

Number of pages: 300

Genre: Christian Romance

Isabel “Izze” Vez, bridal consultant extraordinaire, has been helping brides find The Dress for years. She loves nothing more than helping make wedding dreams come true…but sometimes the happy endings grate on her. How many times can a girl discover someone else’s gown without dreaming of the day it’ll be her turn to wear one?

When James Miles Clayton walks into her life, he represents everything Izze can’t handle: change. He’s determined to bring the Ever After Bridal Boutique into the black…and to prove to Izze that she should give him a chance.

But if there’s anything Izze handles worse than change, it’s trust. She may have a few issues—fine, she knows she does. But will they keep getting in the way of any chance of her own Happily Ever After? She wants to trust God to give her those dreams of love and lace, but that’s going to require some…minor alterations.

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This is a fun feel good type of book. The story line read rather quickly and just makes you feel good. I enjoyed the characers and thought they were fun to get to know. In fact Izzy the main character is someone you would love to be friends with. I found myself smiling while reading about her story. The author's writing style flowed off the pages making the story read quickly. I enjoyed the setting of the wedding shop and what a better place for a romance to kindle then there. There is also an inspiring message in this book but it is not in your face which I like. This was a good first book by a new author and I am looking forward to more books by her.

V. Joy Palmer is an avid blogger and is co-founder of Snack Time Devotions. She is a youth leader at her church, and loves acting crazy and drinking coffee with the teens. When Joy isn’t urging the elves that live in her computer to write, she’s hanging out with her husband, their adorable baby girl, and their two socially awkward cats. This is her debut novel.

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1. What do you want readers to take away from Love, Lace, and Minor Alterations?
I really hope readers know all the way to the core of their souls that they can trust God. Life, drama, and fear can make it so hard for us to fully trust Him, but God has beautiful plans for us. I love it when readers tell me how God used truth nuggets to touch their hearts. So I really, really just want God to touch your heart. That’s what makes me happiest. :)

2. What inspired the idea for Love, Lace, and Minor Alterations?
I’ve always been obsessed with weddings, and at the time, I was single and frustrated with the man who is now my husband. I started venting writing, and all of a sudden I just heard Izze in my head. The idea of a single woman in the wedding business who wanted to get married and was fed up with the leading man fascinated me.

3. What authors do you enjoy? Are some of these that inspired your own writing?I love SO MANY authors! And I will read pretty much any genre if there’s a romance in the story. However, some of my favorites who also inspired my writing would be Robin Jones Gunn, Erynn Mangum, Janice Thompson, Jenny B. Jones, and Lori Wick.

4. What is your current WIP (work in progress)? What details from this project can you share with us?
All I can tell you about my current WIP is that while I love these character, I kind of want to shake them while sobbing hysterically. ;) Your worth in God and the things that define you are big themes.

5. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? Did becoming an author ever cross your mind?
Well, there was that brief period where I wanted to be a bus driver…

I always loved telling stories, writing songs, and reading. I started and stopped writing several stories while growing up, never showing them to anyone. I filled notebook after notebook with songs I had written. I wanted to be a singer/songwriter, but fear held me back. However, God is awesome because He took that dream and helped me fully realize another dream. In my senior year of high school, I realized I actually liked writing assignments. They made me downright giddy. Yeah, I’m a weirdo, but that’s when I knew I wanted to be an author.

6. When you are not writing, what other hobbies do you enjoy?
Um, does eating chocolate or watching Gilmore Girls count as a hobby?

I love hanging out with my husband, and our baby girl keeps me bouncing and laughing all day. I’m also a youth leader at my church. I read as much as I possibly can and even review some books on my blog.