The Bride Says No (Brides of Wishmore, #1)

by Cathy Maxwell

He is the bastard son of a duke, arrogant, handsome, a little bit dangerous, and, of course, one of the most sought-after bachelors in London. He is also about to be publicly jilted by some chit of a girl! Blake Stephens refuses to be humiliated, so he charges after his bride to the wilds of Scotland. He is promised to the woman, but discovers his soul stirred by ... the chit's sister! Lady Aileen's reputation was ruined ages ago, but her fiery spirit and bold beauty threaten to bring Blake to his knees. And now Blake must choose: marry for honor or marry for love.

• ISBN10: 141046542X
• ISBN13: 9781410465429
• Publish Date: 12 March 2014 (first published 28 January 2014)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 26 March 2022
• Imprint: Thorndike Press
• Edition: Large type / large print edition
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 375
• Language: English

Reviews

[Berls]

This review appeared first at Fantasy is More Fun.

The Bride Says No was a book club selection that I ended up loving. After finishing The Bride Says No, I almost immediately picked up copies of the other two books in the series.

As much as I like Victorian historicals, I'm a sucker for the regency era. So already The Bride Says No was at an advantage. And even though the story was somewhat predictable, I loved the characters and breezed through The Bride Says No in just a few sittings.

When we meet Aileen, she's leaving her small Scottish town and her sister Tara for London to spend a season in search of a groom. She's young and idealistic, planning to find love and return home happy. We skip ahead several years, to a new Aileen - one who has lost her belief in love. We don't know all the details off the bat, but my heart immediately went out to her. Its so relatable - even if you haven't been burnt by love, I think most of us know something about disappointment as we grow older and dreams don't quite work out the way we would have liked.

I so wanted Aileen to find happiness, especially as I got to know her. She's a genuinely good person, so incredibly self-sacrificing. You see it in the way she cares for her sister, the things she would give up, and the way the servants care for her. She's not weak either - the things she's lived through could have crushed a weaker woman (in ANY time, but even more so back then) but she's remarkably resilient.

I admit, I got really fed up with Aileen's sister Tara. How Aileen could be so incredibly selfless and have such an incredibly selfish sister confounded me for a while. But as The Bride Says No unfolded, I started to understand Tara better and, while she's not my favorite character YET, I did see growth and see the potential for lots more as the series progresses. Like her sister, Tara is a strong woman and that quality could take her a long way yet.

Maxwell is a contradiction of sorts. On one hand, he behaves very much like I would have expected of a Regency Lord. And yet he's an illegitimate son - raised and treated as a bastard until he made his own way in the world. He has a lot he thinks he needs to prove and marrying Tara is the next step. Too bad she doesn't love him - hence the title The Bride Says No.

I really enjoyed seeing this tangled web get messier and messier, wondering when and how it would fix itself. It was a fun romance and it ended on a bit of a twist, so I'm eager to see what happens next!

[kimbacaffeinate]

The Bride Says No is the first book in the Brides of Wishmore series by Cathy Maxwell. I have read a few of Maxwell’s earlier works and enjoyed them. The Bride Says No is the story of two sisters and while it visits some familiar tropes I consumed this in a single afternoon and rather enjoyed the escape. Mini review: a heartwarming forbidden romance, with growth, love and lessons set against a small Scotland village during the Regency Era.

The Bride Says No takes place in the Scotland village of Loch Tay and features two sisters. When Lady Aileen comes of age their father, a drinker and gambler brings her to London to arrange a marriage to fill his coffers. Filled with hope of love and happy days Lady Aileen soon finds herself divorced and disgraced. She is now living in Loch Tay. Her younger sister Tara is in London and will wed, Blake Stephens, the bastard son of a Duke. Imagine Aileen’s surprise when Tara shows up at home declaring she doesn’t want to marry him. Her father and the rejected groom soon appear and let’s just say the countryside is no longer quiet. Aileen finds herself attracted to her sister’s betrothed, Tara is interesting in someone else, and their father only cares about lining his pockets….oh the game is afoot.

Maxwell has given us a hero and heroine to adore. Both have seen hardship and overcome making them independent. They both believe love is a thing best kept in fairy tales. Aileen is strong, kind, protective, and her story will touch you. Blake known as the Bastard by those of the ton is wedding because his father expects him to, and Tara’s good breeding will help secure his place in society. Blake is a strong character and a self-made businessman. He has overcome adversity and yet he isn’t jaded but honorable and sensitive to others. Tara is at times exactly how you would expect the baby of the family to act. She is beautiful, a romantic and perhaps a little naïve and selfish. Of all of the characters, she undergoes the most growth and my feelings for her changed as she transformed. Their father is a jackanapes and all the worst attributes of men in this period he possesses. Villagers and other side characters add to the storyline. Even Blake’s valet was an interesting character who made me giggle.

The Bride Says No embraces a few tropes including arrangements, forbidden romance and the auctioning off daughter bit, but Maxwell made them her own. She gave me characters that I could connect with as she added obstacles towards our HEA. The romance was sweet, maybe a little fast, but she made it feel genuine, and the romantic gestures were sweet. The delicate balance between love and sisterhood was addressed making me comfortable and accepting in a situation that might otherwise have made me throw my shoe in their general direction. We see how the towns dynamics work, and deal with two complicated romances and five hearts. The tale wrapped up nicely and even had a few giggles. There is an epilogue which set the stage for book two and left me anxious.

Copy received in exchange for unbiased review​. Full review originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer​​