It Had To Be You

Title: IT HAD TO BE YOU
Author: Janice Thompson
Publisher: Revell
May 2010
ISBN: 978-0-8007-3344-5
Genre: Inspirational/contemporary romance

Bella is planning her own wedding now, but before she can jump full swing into that, first she has to get her Aunt Rosa and Uncle Laz married. They are planning a forties style wedding and it will really be a night to remember, especially since Uncle Laz and Aunt Rosa insist on catering their own wedding.

But when family and friends from Italy begin to arrive for the wedding, things get interesting. Uncle Laz’s brother is married to a girl barely older than Bella, (and she really believes in revealing everything), and an old mobster comes in from New Jersey. Will the mob ties and a past friend drive Laz and Rosa apart? How can Bella keep them together?

IT HAD TO BE YOU is the final book in Ms. Thompson’s Weddings by Bella series. I enjoyed reading this entire collection and learning more about Bella’s loud and boisterous Italian family in the process. I think it must be nice to have a large extended family like that.

IT HAD TO BE YOU is full of humor, well-developed characters, amusing mishaps, and colorful (in more ways than one) parrots, plus a bit of Texas gumption. Bella’s romance, and Laz and Rosa’s romance are sweet too.

If you like romance, you won’t want to miss IT HAD TO BE YOU. The closing chapter is so cute. Sister Bonnie Sue’s Top Ten Swing Dancing Tips are included at the end of the book. $14.99. 326 pages.