Wedding Dashers

The journey to a destination wedding hits some turbulence in McBreen’s entertaining debut. Ada Gallman is dreading her sister’s wedding in Ireland partly because of their strained relationship, but mostly because she’s flying solo while on a three-month “break” from her long-term boyfriend. After her connecting flight from London is canceled, she wanders into the nearest hotel—but she’s too broke to afford a room for the night. Jack, a handsome stranger at the hotel bar, offers to share his room—but Ada’s too committed to her not-quite-ex to agree to a one-night stand. Still, the two get to talking and eventually realize they’re headed to the same wedding, where Jack’s the best man, the guy Ada’s sister has warned her is the ultimate playboy. With no other flights available, they work together to come up with new travel plans—encompassing trains, cars, boats, and multiple shared hotel rooms along the way. The more time they spend together, the more Ada learns about herself, and she starts to wonder whether her long-term, on-and-off relationship is healthy or just habit. Meanwhile, Jack begins to heal from his own recent heartbreak. The romance burns slow, but McBreen makes it clear that these two are a good match through emotional heart-to-hearts. Their unexpected and realistically complicated path to a happy ending is sure to move readers. Agent: Kim Lionetti, BookEnds. (Jan.)