GRR Reviews Barefoot in Lace (Barefoot Bay Brides) by Roxanne St. Claire

Barefoot in Lace started as one of those "no way these two people would meet in real-life" meetcutes, but managed to pivot into the character exploration very deftly as both characters are dealing with deep issues that are more than typical "jilted / betrayed".

Destination wedding planner Augusta "Gussie" McBain has a crisis... Her wedding photographer just quit a week before the wedding. When she ran into famous photographer TJ Demille, she had to ask him to help. But TJ does not do weddings... he's a high fashion photographer. Gussie was surprised when he said yes... If she will agree to one thing in turn: keep his niece entertained. // Tom "TJ" Demille prefers to be alone, after having his heart broken by circumstances beyond his control. When his sister died and left the care of her 12-year old daughter to Tom, he is lost. When Gussie came to ask him for help, and his niece took to Gussie like a duck to water, Tom agreed to the unthinkable: be a wedding photographer (and deal with bridezilla and her mother, among other things). As he gets to know Gussie, he found that Gussie's wigs conceal scars from an old injury. When he needed to take a job in France, he needed to take his niece with her, but she refused to go unless Gussie can come along too. And Gussie agreed. Tom and Gussie had fallen for each other, but he believed he hurt people around him, after losing his parents, then his sister. Gussie thought her own stupidity lead to her injury that drove her brother away and broke up her family. Can these two get past their own wounds, forgive themselves, and learn to love again?

The pivot after the initial story (be wedding photographer) to the subsequent story (lets all go to France) was nicely done, as Gussy gained confidence in her style and beauty, while additional serendipitous developments resolved yet another aspect of her life that she had regrets in (no spoiler!) All in all the extra polish and balanced plot (half about him and half about her) made for a very enjoyable reading

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Woman needing a photographer found a photographer needing some help with a niece he had to raise alone...

Tropes: resort, wedding planner, photographer, scars, single parent, family secrets

Overall Rating:  5/5