Dictatorship of the Dress

Starred review from November 3, 2014
In this riveting and pitch-perfect contemporary, first in the Much “I Do” About Nothing series, Laney Hudson learns that appearances can be deceiving and that love can come when least expected. Beautiful but insecure Laney must transport her mother’s wedding gown to Hawaii and has been given strict instructions not to let it out of her sight. Assumed to be the bride, she is upgraded to first class and seated next to a good-looking but rigid “tech boy” who is then mistaken for her groom. When their connecting flights are canceled and the airline staff reserves the last hotel room for the “couple,” Noah and Laney go with it. As they slowly reveal aspects of their lives to each other, a gradual buildup of attraction and appreciation creates a palpable and dynamic tension. Topper develops Laney and Noah as individuals through their recollections of significant events in their lives; Laney’s struggles with the baggage of her past and Noah’s battles to make the right decisions in his are chronicled with an honesty and charm that is heartwarming and spellbinding. Topper’s tale of loss and love is a winner.

November 15, 2014
Two strangers in transit share plenty of baggage in Topper's (Louder Than Love, 2013) second romance.Former Marvel Comics illustrator Laney Hudson isn't thrilled about having to transport her mother's wedding gown from New York to Hawaii as carry-on luggage. Naturally, though, when people see a woman lugging a wedding gown, they're going to assume she's the bride, which Laney uses to her advantage to get bumped to first class on the first leg of her journey, from New York to Chicago. Seated next to her is Noah Ridgewood, a software designer with an acute fear of flying and a demanding socialite fiancee who's giving him a serious case of cold feet. When a flight attendant mistakenly announces Laney's and Noah's pending nuptials with a champagne toast, they have no choice but to ride out the charade until they land in Chicago. From there, they will surely go their separate ways. His destination is Vegas, where his bachelor party is already underway, and she has miles to go before she can watch her mother get married on Waipouli Beach. Fortunately, a bad storm grounds both of their connecting flights, giving Laney and Noah more time to get to know each other. Their interactions evolve in a typical arc, starting with faintly antagonistic banter and ending with intimate epiphanies, but Laney and Noah are unique, likable characters worth rooting for as they fall in love and try to overcome the complications of their situation. At the end of their magical layover, Noah still needs to contend with his fiancee, Sloane, who is also the boss's daughter, and Laney still has to face her own romantic past: a turbulent relationship with her rock drummer boyfriend who suffered an untimely death. And let's not forget Laney's mother, waiting in Hawaii for her wedding dress. Though sometimes the language isn't as witty or romantic as it's trying to be, Topper makes good use of the dress as a plot device and infuses enough fun and suspense into the rollicking storyline to make it a satisfying read.

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May 15, 2016

Lainey Hudson is on a mission to deliver her mother's wedding dress to Hawaii. A flight attendant assumes that Lainey is the bride and sits her in first class--next to Noah Ridgewood, a straight-laced software designer en route to his Vegas bachelor party. The two play up the assumption that they're the engaged couple, but when weather forces the plane to land in Chicago, they're stuck with each other longer than expected. VERDICT Topper's delightful rom-com features laugh-out-loud dialog, surprising twists, and a couple unable to grasp how perfect they are for each other.

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