Sunday 16 March 2014

A March Bride

I review for BookLook Bloggers

I love Rachel Hauck's writing, so, yet again, I leapt at the chance to review her novella A March Bride. It is a sequel to Once Upon A Prince, where American Susanna Truitt meets, falls in love with and is wooed by Prince Nathaniel of Brighton. This story tells of their wedding.

Prince Nathaniel had convinced Parliament to amend the Marriage Act of 1792 which forbade marriage  between foreigners and royals in line to the throne. We meet Susanna, now living in Brighton and trying to learn Brighton law, tradition, customs...and how to be the wife of a king. But Susanna is missing her family and the warmth of Georgia, while Nathaniel seems busy, preoccupied, apparently less in love with her: and she begins to have doubts.

Misunderstandings creep in. Parliament throws difficulties in their way. Susanna's homesickness begins to get the better of her. Her family need her...and so she goes home for a 'visit'.

Susanna has many doubts to overcome and we walk with her through different encounters as she comes to realise that yes, she does love Nathaniel enough to endure the rigours and responsibilities of royal life. And, in turn, he proves once again how romantic he can be...

This was a light and enjoyable read but I must confess I was a little disappointed. It was all just rather too predictable: we know -the girl ends up with her prince. It felt too much like a Disney fairytale: perfectly saccharine sweet with few surprises for the reader. But then, Once Upon A Prince was a hard act (too hard perhaps?) to follow...

This was a Booksneeze review copy I received for free: I have enjoyed all the other books by Rachel Hauck, but this is the first one I wouldn't have bought. (That doesn't mean I'll give up on her, though: she crafts beautifully written books!)

Thursday 13 March 2014

Book review: A February Bride

I review for BookLook Bloggers
Lighthearted romance is an easy way - for me - to switch off, so when Booksneeze emailed me with the possibility of a  free review copy of another novella in the 'A Year of Weddings' series, I was pleased to accept. What's not to like about a free book, anyway? I had already read A January Bride and A December Bride, too, which I enjoyed.

So, this was a girl-leaves-boy-meets-boy-again story. Marcus and Allie had been a couple for years and it was a foregone conclusion that they would, in time, marry. We begin reading at their wedding - only to find Allie leaving just as she is about to walk down the aisle: literally. Wearing the dress which has been worn for many family weddings - not least, by her mother through several marriages - Allie notices a tear in the fabric. That is enough to trigger an all out panic attack and she leaves, convinced that the dress is cursed and that it would only be a matter of time before her marriage, too, would be doomed. Because 'Andrews women break hearts before theirs get broken' she believes that wearing the dress will make her ruin her own marriage, too. She loves Marcus too much to let that happen, so she walks out...

Four months of avoiding Marcus and his family later, and Allie's best friend Hannah, who also 'happens' to be Marcus' sister, gets engaged - and Allie has to be bridesmaid. Thrown together again, the romance rekindles, even though Allie is convinced that Marcus is better off without her. She is still full of fears and 'what ifs'. Dare she risk it?

If this all sounds a bit ridiculously full of convenient relationships, meetings and coincidences, well, yes it is. It was almost impossible to believe that Allie would walk out of her own wedding and not see her fiance to explain - or even send him a letter.  But Betsy St Amant weaves a convincing tale which drew me in and I eagerly read on to the predictably happy-ever-after ending.

Of course. And thoroughly enjoyable.

Sunday 2 March 2014

A January Bride (A 'Year of Weddings' Novella)

I review for BookLook Bloggers

When Booksneeze offered me the chance to read and review A January Bride (for free!), I jumped at the chance. I had already read A December Bride, a gentle romance and this one did not disappoint.

Madeleine Hunter, novelist, has temporarily moved into her sister's house in the small town of Clayburn, Kansas, to housesit while the house is undergoing renovation and finish writing her latest book. The chaos makes writing difficult, so her elderly neighbour Ginny offers the use of a friend's house. This 'house' is, in fact, an inn, closed for the winter season. 'Annabeth's Inn' is a beautiful haven, which Maddie has to herself while the owner, a widower, is out at work during the day.

And so the romance begins. Arthur Taylor, whose young wife Annabeth died of cancer three years previously, leaves a welcome note for Maddie. She replies, and a sweet correspondence begins during which the two start to form a deep friendship. However, each assumes - erroneously - that the other is elderly since they both know that the other is a friend of Ginny's. Deborah Raney weaves a fabric of charming misunderstandings back and forth until, half way through the book, Arthur realises that Maddie is the same beautiful young woman he has already met and been attracted to at the local post office. He introduces himself to his visitor and the two begin their romance.

Yet Arthur is still grieving for Annabeth. We walk with Arthur and Maddie as they examine their feelings for each other, wondering if they can risk possible rejection and hurt. There is, of course, a happy ending for the two of them together.

I enjoyed this charming book - reminiscent of Jean Webster's classic 'Daddy-Long-Legs' - and found it almost too short. Yes, I know it is a novella, so what else could I expect, save that I did not want to leave Maddie's world so quickly. Now, it is onto 'A February Bride'...