Coffee dates with The Beauty BrideFirst date: Lady Madeline is the oldest unwed sister of Alexander, the new Laird of Kinfairlie. The coffers are running low and he must see them all wed. Madeline is refusing even though her beloved is believed dead. She holds out hope for his return and asks for more time. Alexander arranges of all things an auction to sell the first of his rarest gems to the highest bidder. Men he believes worthy have been invited to bid for her hand. Oh lordy, Madeline is none too happy. We see a little magical element here as the youngest sister sees a fairy and I immediately found her to be a kindred spirit. Rhys FitzHenry an uninvited guest manages to win the bid. Madeline is drawn to him but fearful and quickly decides to run away. Accompanied by her groomsmen she flees in the middle of the night.Second date: At dawn, all hell breaks loose as we learn Madeline’s long lost love has returned and that she and Rhys are missing. Things are about to get interesting. Delacroix shares another relationship in the castle and I am curious to know more. I adore how her female characters are strong, and speak their mind. Madeline is in great peril but thankfully unbeknownst to her Rhys isn't far behind. Rhys is not a trusting soul and keeps his emotions in check. It is obvious he has a thing for Madeline despite his declarations that he needs her to secure his keep. The man is sexy but rough around the edges and lordy is he stubborn. His use of stories to communicate his feelings was sweet and I loved when he spoke in his native tongue. *swoon* Kidnapping, king’s guards, secrets and quibbles had me listening intently. Ruined, Madeline takes a leap of faith.Third date: Ah, I want to bash the man’s head in. Rhys needs to let down his guard and trust Madeline. I understand as the author has done a splendid job of sharing his past with us. As they make their way across the countryside, they get to know each other and I could not help but laugh at their bickering and wicked banter. These two have no problems communicating while lying down but put some clothes on them and they get stupid. I enjoyed the way Delacroix allowed the relationship to build slowly as they began to understand each other. This final date has them being pursued as they make their way to his keep in Wales. Twists, betrayals, confession and revelations had me entranced as we made our way towards happily ever after.The Beauty Bride followed familiar tropes but mixed in strong characters and twists, and I found myself swept up in the story. Saskia Maarleveld did a fine job with the narration, although I struggled at first getting use to Rhys’s voice. Her accent added to the story and I loved her interpretation of Madeline. The Rose Bride and the Snow White Bride will feature the other sisters of Alexander. I look forward to their adventurousness romances.Audio provided by publisher/author This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer
The Beauty Bride is a bewitching tale of love, adventure, and the treasures of the heart. It is an outstandingly well written novel that has me eager to read the rest of this series! Madeline is a heroine that is easy to love. She is graceful, daring, charismatic, and speaks her mind with dialogue that will leave the reader laughing out loud as she banters with the other characters in this novel. She has recently lost her betrothed, a kind hearted musician, who died in battle in France after being pushed to go to war by his father. Broken hearted, she has determined not to wed. After nearly a year of morning however, her prankster brother, Alexander, has decided to take matters into his own hands. Eager to ensure a good match for Madeline and money to support the younger siblings, he decides to auction her off to a carefully selected group of bachelors. When the situation goes awry and Madeline finds herself wedded to a tall, mysterious stranger, she takes matters into her own hands and flees into the night.Rhys Fitzhenry has a dangerous reputation. Marked as a traitor by the king, he must run for his life from the King's men. Eager to protect the land he feels is his, he steps out from behind the walls that keep him safe to claim a bride and sire an heir to keep his kingdom. When he hears of the auction for the jewel of Kinfairlie, he cannot resist. Rhys is humble, protective, strikingly handsome, and can tell a tale with extraordinary skill. He is an excellent match for the beautiful and quick witted Madeline. The writing for this novel is exceptional. The details make the scenes come to life and fairly jump off the pages. The characters have depth with realistic flaws and strengths that make them memorable. I was especially impressed by the creativity in the tales Rhys tells. From the witty dialogue, to the intriguing side characters, to the plot that makes this novel impossible to put down, The Beauty Bride is a must read!I listened to the audio version of this book, narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. Her range of voices is impressive. The reading is smooth, the flow is even, and her skill with both narration and dialogue add to the novel. The audiobook version is outstanding!For any readers who enjoy historical romance, Claire Delcroix is a must-read author and The Beauty Bride is a novel you'll remember long past the final pages!
What do You think about The Beauty Bride (2012)?
Well, this was yet another freebie Kindle Download that worked really rather well.I was out of my comfort zone a little as this was based earlier than my usual Georgian era.There was also the surprising addition of a little fairy jiggery-pokery written in.I found it to be very lyrically written, and even the inclusion of the fairy seemed to work. In fact, I would love to have heard more of the mischief she could unleash.The characters were believable and worth investing in, and I look forward to adding the others in the series to my wish list, and would even be prepared to pay for them.This is not a book that I would have felt cheated if I'd actually paid good money for it rather than gathering it into my reading fold as a freebie, and it did earn it's 4 stars well.Note: Free Kindle Download at the time (see my blog www.toodlesbookclub.blogspot.com for daily selections of free downloads).
—Kay Bolton
I found this for free through amazon kindle. I don't own a kindle, however I installed the pc software so I could read a few other interesting books I also found for free. As a full time student I've found it impossible to buy books over the last year and expect another year before I can afford to buy one. I was expecting this book to be just a bit of a time killer during my study breaks, but instead quickly found that I was skipping through my study to find time to read this. It was a fun read, with really passionate and interesting characters. Despite the predictability of certain events, I still found it wonderful to read with an interesting world I know nothing of. This was my first time reading any kind of romance novel, as I'm usually a fantasy/young adult reader, but by having the anonymity of reading it on my computer it was definitely a great step into the genre.Also, I loved the way Madeline and Rhys fight (though that's probably more to do with the fact my partner and I are much the same), plus the banter between siblings.
—Sarah
3.75 stars. A fun and mindless read. Just something that wasn't overly intense which is something we all need every once in a while. I enjoy being whisked away by a book and that was the case with this 1st book in Delacroix' trilogy. I like a strong minded heroine. Even though this is a historical romance, women can be strong while still adhering to the characterization of the times. Madeline was strong in several ways. Though she did her duty, she made her thoughts on the matter clear.Rhys was your typical hero. Strong, smart and had no idea what was coming to him.Their personalities set off a spark that burned slowly but brightly and it was fun to see it unfold.
—Gils
