Book cover of Always the Planner, Never the Bride by TB Markinson and Miranda MacLeod
Main tropes & themes
Heat Level
Image of three flames to symbolize heat level 3

Always the Planner, Never the Bride

An anonymous night. A secret wedding. A woman she was never supposed to see again.

Pippa Nelson is an up-and-coming event planner who specializes in making other people’s happiest days look effortless. Trained as an English butler in a family steeped in royal service, discretion is practically in her blood. So when she’s hired to plan a top-secret wedding between an A-list actor and the daughter of an American political dynasty, she knows exactly what she’s signing on for.

Until the mother of the bride walks in.

Lieutenant Governor Abigail Thorndike is cynical about true love, puppies, and everything else that turns normal people to mush. Trapped in a political marriage of convenience, she permits herself exactly two kinds of women: strangers she’ll never see again and friends who want nothing from her.

Pippa Nelson is neither.

Five years ago, Pippa was a one-night stand with no last name. Now she’s planning Abigail’s daughter’s wedding at the family compound on Martha’s Vineyard.

In other words, she’s entirely off limits.

At least until three spoiled Pomeranians conspire to throw them together, and an inconvenient amount of chemistry makes it impossible to keep apart.

Keeping their affair secret is vital to protecting Abigail’s political future. But Pippa has been someone’s secret before. And she swore she’d never be one again.

Can a woman who’s spent her life planning other people’s happy endings ever get one of her own?

Don’t miss this steamy age-gap, ice-queen, second-chance sapphic romance featuring a forbidden affair, political intrigue, and three very spoiled Pomeranians.

Event planner Pippa Nelson, trained as an English butler, returns to Martha’s Vineyard five years after a one-night stand with Lieutenant Governor Abigail Thorndike. Now planning Abigail’s daughter’s wedding, Pippa is officially off-limits.

Three Pomeranians conspire to reunite them. Chemistry flares, secrets threaten Abigail’s political future, and Pippa vows never to be someone’s secret again.

Can a woman who plans others’ happy endings find her own?

A steamy age-gap, ice-queen, second-chance sapphic romance with forbidden love, political intrigue, and three very spoiled dogs.

Main tropes & themes
Heat Level
Image of three flames to symbolize heat level 3
About this book

Genre

Contemporary Romance

Author(s)

Miranda MacLeod & TB Markinson

Length

344 pages

Formats

ebook, paperback

Release date

September 8, 2026

Series

Standalone

What readers say
Fran Sappharc
★★★★★

For all I have smiled at many well turned lines in this book I cannot believe how tense I am as the plot strands come together and I fear turn out to be the wiring for a plot bomb.
Dressed to impress at 87% and I have such a stupid grin on my face!
Well colour me delighted!

Christine Reid
★★★★★

Wow phenomenal story, I loved the main characters their chemistry shined throughout their one liners had me laughing out loud their connection formed with so much depth making you feel apart of their life’s I couldn’t put it down definitely must read.

Looby Lou
★★★★★

This is another winner from the dynamic duo and the best is it has not one, not two, but three dogs. Three! Perfect number imo with three floofballs myself too.
Full of humour and with a great storyline this book is perfect for the coming autumn, snuggling under a blanket to read

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