Review: The Bride Says No by Cathy Maxwell

 

“I was probably expecting more from it, but it was a nice intro to the series. ” ~ Under the Covers

Forbidden and scandalous romance, here we come!  Aileen falls for her sister’s fiance!  Did that catch your interest yet?  As much as that caught my interest and I was sort of …. intrigued by the execution.  I think this could’ve been a little more.

This book does something different in comparison to other traditional historical romances.  There are several POVs in the story and the main couple is not necessarily the main focus of the story.  Some may think that there’s too much else going on and being focused on that it detracts from the connection between our hero and heroine.  It is probably one of the reasons I can’t rate this book higher.  Although I see the need to highlight some of these other events.

See, Aileen and Tara’s father is a gambler.  The dowry he’s getting for Tara’s hand in marriage is going to go a long way to help him stay out of ruin.  But Tara is a bit conceited and in her own way is looking for her one true love.  So she’s going back and forth between marrying her intended and calling off the wedding.  In light of that, Blake, the fiance who needs her good reputation for his own interests, comes to find Tara to convince her to marry him.  That’s where he meets Aileen.  She’s been married, her reputation has been tarnished a bit.  And the connection between Aileen and her sister’s fiance starts blossoming from there.

While this is a good story, and told by a talented author, I couldn’t fully connect with or care for any one character.  Whose happy ending where we really wanting to see?  Obviously Aileen and Blake.  But then there’s also the triangle of Jane/Ruary/Tara.  See Tara is in love with Ruary while engaged to Blake.  Blake loves Aileen.  Ruary is engaged to Jane.  It’s just a bit much.

And then my other one dislike that would’ve made this story better had it not been there, Tara.  LOL  I know, I don’t mean take the character out but she is SO childish and selfish, like one of the mean girls.  She has no concern for anyone else around her except herself, her feelings, her reputation, her happiness, her her her. I can’t say I have much desire to read the next book about her when I was so annoyed by her in this book.

Overall, this is a quick and fun read.  I was probably expecting more from it, but it was a nice intro to the series.

 

 

 

[about-author author=”Cathy Maxwell”]

 

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