The Key to Happily Ever After

Marcelo (West Coast Love) charms in this feel-good story about three Filipino sisters, the Alexandria, Va., bridal boutique they inherit from their parents, and their bumpy roads to happily-ever-after. Mari de la Rosa is the oldest at 32, and the most type-A of the bunch, immediately minting herself as CEO of Rings and Roses; Jane, 30, is an even-keeled single mother to a young son and takes charge of the shop’s books; and 26-year-old Pearl is creative but incapable of showing up on time. The story toggles between Mari’s point of view and Pearl’s as Pearl asks for more responsibility and Mari is reluctant to comply. After Pearl brings in a coveted local bride, a wealthy socialite, she and Mari have a bitter fight about Mari’s rigidity and Pearl’s fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants nature. The layered plot, which includes a dark period in Mari’s past that places roadblock to finding love in the present, and the cast of colorful supporting characters, particularly sassy shop seamstress Amelia, are a treat. Fans of Jill Shalvis and Jane Green will particularly enjoy this. (May)