Vision In White

Well, I hadn’t read any Nora Roberts, and felt that was a shame, being a romance lover and having heard of her books being talked about in glowing terms. So, when I found a second-hand copy of Nora Roberts’ Vision In White at a recent visit to Blossoms, I didn’t hesitate to buy it. I finished reading it yesterday, and I LOVED the book. I was charmed by it, in fact.

Vision In White is the story of Mackensie, Mac to her friends, a childhood friend of Emmaline, Laurel and Parker. The four girls have always loved playing the ‘Wedding Wedding’ game since childhood, and decide to convert their passion for weddings into business when they grow up. The foursome set up a wedding planning company called Vows, where each girl has a distinct part to play. Parker is the brain behind Vows, who ensures that everything keeps running smoothly. Emma provides the ‘heart and romance’ in the weddings that Vows arranges – that is, the flowers. Laurel is the expert baker, who creates the magnificent wedding cakes and savouries that their clients love. Mackensie, who was given a camera by her father when she was too young for it, in a sudden epiphany, discovers her calling as a photography. Mac becomes official photographer for Vows, capturing beautiful moments on film and preserving them for ever.

Mac has not had a happy childhood. Her father and mother separated, and even Mac loses count of the number of marriages that they have gotten into. Her parents have never been around for Mac whenever she needed them. What’s more, her mother considers it her right to demand unreasonable amounts of time and money from her daughter, in her everlasting quest for ‘love’. The emotionally hurt Mac, as a result, has become wary of relationships. One fine day, Mac bumps into Carter, a guy she went to high school with. The crush that Carter had on Mac back in high school returns – in full force – and Mac is overwhelmed. Little boy Carter is now a teacher in the local high school, and has Mac entranced. What happens between them then  – I leave it to you to find out.

As such, the story is nothing great – it is quite a predictable romance. But the way Nora has filled the story with little, precious moments is commendable. I loved the heartwarming way the story has been narrated, and had a smile on my face throughout.

I loved the way Mac does her job; it’s more than a job for her, in fact. I loved the way Nora has brought that out in the form of conversations throughout the book. Take this conversation between Mac and a nervous would-be bride, for instance:

“I didn’t expect to feel this way. I’m so happy. I’m so in love with Rod, so ready to marry him. But there’s this little clutch right here.” She rubbed her fingers just above her heart. “It’s not nerves.”

“Sadness. Just  a touch. One phase of your life ends today. You’re allowed to be sad to say good-bye.”

I loved that the women in this book are not brainless bimbos, they do their job well and know it too.

I loved the romance between Carter and Mac. I loved the way they adored each other. I loved this one part in particular:

She walked out, and over to the couch to pick up the coat draped over the arm. “I’m ready if you are.”

“Sure.” He crossed to take her coat. As he helped her into it, she glanced back over her shoulder. “Every time you do this, I wish I had longer hair, so you’d have to pull it out of the collar.”

The book is all about love, weddings, flowers, cakes and beautiful moments. Being the lover of Christian marriages that I am, I loved all of it. I just adored and drooled over the cover. I couldn’t help thinking about the little moments in my marriage as I read through this book. 🙂

Oh, and I loved Carter. He’s darn cute, with a C. He’s a man who talks to their family dog like this –

He stepped in, turned out of the foyer to glance into the big parlor where Chauncy, the family cocker spaniel, curled on the sofa.

He wasn’t allowed on the furniture, and knew it, so his sheepish expression and hopefully thumping tail were pleas for silence.

“I didn’t see a thing,” Carter whispered, and continued on toward the great room, and the noise.

….  a man who rescues a cat from an accident and names it Triad, because it is left with only three legs now,

….. a man who loves to teach and changes the lives of the students he teaches,

…. a man who loves to read the classics and gets all the more cute the moment he puts his glasses on to read them,

…. a man who thinks like this about his girl –

She didn’t eat like a horse in Carter’s estimation, but she didn’t pick her way through a lonely salad for ninety minutes either. He liked the way she gestured with her wineglass or with her fork as she talked. And the way she stabbed a bite of his sea bass from his plate to try it without asking if he minded.

He wouldn’t have, but not asking was… friendlier.

…. a man who feels so much –

She filled the car. It’s how he thought of it. Her scent, her voice, her laugh. The simple reality of her. As strange as it was, his nerves calmed.

… how can such a man not charm you off your feet?

The only grouse I had with this book is the character of Mac’s mother. I don’t think any mother can be so mean, so self-obsessed to use her own child the way she uses Mac. Other than that, I loved the way the other characters are real-life and down-to-earth.

I am so, so, so happy I read this book. It’s a simple, light-hearted romance, and a good one at that. It’s the kind of book that leaves you with warmth and smiles, and makes you feel good from within. Highly recommended for those who love fluffy, light romances.

Vision In White is the first book in The Bride Quartet – the other three books are Emma, Laurel and Parker’s love stories, and I so want to pick them up, like, NOW!

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