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Devil Riders #5
Bride by Mistake
Eight years ago, Lieutentant Luke Ripton made a hasty wartime marriage-in-name-only to protect a young girl from a forced union and left her protected in a remote mountain convent. Now, Luke is Lord Ripton, but he has been unable to obtain an annullment. Which leaves him no choice but to claim a wife he doesn't want.
For nearly a decade, Isabella has waited like a princess locked in a tower, dreaming of her handsome, dark-haired prince. Her dreams are shattered when Luke reveals himself not as a prince, but an autocratic soldier, expecting her unquestioning obedience, which is something Isabella's fiercely independent nature will not tolerate.
And while Luke and Isabella's fiery personalities clash at every turn, they remain bound to their vows, never expecting that the passionate fury they share could become passion of a different kind...
For nearly a decade, Isabella has waited like a princess locked in a tower, dreaming of her handsome, dark-haired prince. Her dreams are shattered when Luke reveals himself not as a prince, but an autocratic soldier, expecting her unquestioning obedience, which is something Isabella's fiercely independent nature will not tolerate.
And while Luke and Isabella's fiery personalities clash at every turn, they remain bound to their vows, never expecting that the passionate fury they share could become passion of a different kind...
309 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
102 people are currently reading
1443 people want to read
About the author
Anne Gracie
95 books1,534 followersI've always loved stories. Family legend has it that I used to spend hours playing in the sand pit, with a dog on either side of me and Rocka the horse leaning over me, his head just touching my shoulder, while I told them stories. I have to say, dogs and horses are great audiences, apart from their tendency to drool occasionally. But people are even nicer.
In case you imagine we were a filthy rich horse-owning family, let me assure you we weren't. The horse period was a time when my parents entered a "let's-be-self-sufficient" phase, so we had a horse, but no electricity and all our water came from the rain tank.
As well as the horse and dogs, we had 2 cows (Buttercup and Daisy and one of them always had a calf), a sheep (Woolly,) goats (Billy and Nanny) dozens of ducks, chooks, and a couple of geese, a pet bluetongue lizard and a huge vegie patch. I don't know how my mother managed, really, because both she and Dad taught full time, but she came home and cooked on a wood stove and did all the laundry by hand, boiling the clothes and sheets in a big copper kettle. Somehow, we were always warm, clean, well fed and happy. She's pretty amazing, my mum.
Once I learned to read, I spent my days outside playing with the animals (I include my brother and 2 sisters here) and when inside I read. For most of my childhood we didn't have TV, so books have always been a big part of my life. Luckily our house was always full of them. Travel was also a big part of my childhood. My parents had itchy feet. We spent a lot of time driving from one part of Australia to another, visiting relatives or friends or simply to see what was there. I've lived in Scotland, Malaysia and Greece. We travelled through Europe in a caravan and I'd swum most of the famous rivers in Europe by the time I was eight.
This is me and my classmates in Scotland. I am in the second front row, in the middle, to the right of the girl in the dark tunic.
Sounds like I was raised by gypsies, doesn't it? I was even almost born in a tent --Mum, Dad and 3 children were camping and one day mum left the tent and went to hospital to have me. But in fact we are a family of chalkies (Australian slang for teachers)- and Dad was a school principal during most of my life. And I am an expert in being "the new girl" having been to 6 different schools in 12 years.The last 4 years, however, were in the same high school and I still have my 2 best friends from that time.
No matter where I lived, I read. I devoured whatever I could get my hands on -- old Enid Blyton and Mary Grant Bruce books, old schoolboys annuals. I learned history by reading Rosemary Sutcliffe, Henry Treece and Georgette Heyer. I loved animal books -- Elyne Mitchell's Silver Brumby books and Mary Patchett and Finn the Wolf Hound. And then I read Jane Austen and Dickens and Mary Stewart and Richard Llewellyn and Virginia Woolf and EF Benson and Dick Francis and David Malouf and Patrick White and Doris Lessing and PD James and...the list is never ending.
This is me posing shamelessly on a glacier in New Zealand.
This is me in Greece with my good friend Fay in our village outfits. The film went a funny colour, but you get the idea. I'm the one in the pink apron.
I escaped from my parents, settled down and went to university.To my amazement I became a chalkie myself and found a lot of pleasure in working with teenagers and later, adults. I taught English and worked as a counsellor and helped put on plays and concerts and supervised camps and encouraged other people to write but never did much myself. It took a year of backpacking around the world to find that my early desire to write hadn't left me, it had just got buried under a busy and demanding job.
I wrote my first novel on notebooks bought in Quebec, Spain, Greece and Indonesia. That story never made it out of the notebooks, but I'd been bitten by the writing bug.
My friends and I formed a band called Platform Souls a
In case you imagine we were a filthy rich horse-owning family, let me assure you we weren't. The horse period was a time when my parents entered a "let's-be-self-sufficient" phase, so we had a horse, but no electricity and all our water came from the rain tank.
As well as the horse and dogs, we had 2 cows (Buttercup and Daisy and one of them always had a calf), a sheep (Woolly,) goats (Billy and Nanny) dozens of ducks, chooks, and a couple of geese, a pet bluetongue lizard and a huge vegie patch. I don't know how my mother managed, really, because both she and Dad taught full time, but she came home and cooked on a wood stove and did all the laundry by hand, boiling the clothes and sheets in a big copper kettle. Somehow, we were always warm, clean, well fed and happy. She's pretty amazing, my mum.
Once I learned to read, I spent my days outside playing with the animals (I include my brother and 2 sisters here) and when inside I read. For most of my childhood we didn't have TV, so books have always been a big part of my life. Luckily our house was always full of them. Travel was also a big part of my childhood. My parents had itchy feet. We spent a lot of time driving from one part of Australia to another, visiting relatives or friends or simply to see what was there. I've lived in Scotland, Malaysia and Greece. We travelled through Europe in a caravan and I'd swum most of the famous rivers in Europe by the time I was eight.
This is me and my classmates in Scotland. I am in the second front row, in the middle, to the right of the girl in the dark tunic.
Sounds like I was raised by gypsies, doesn't it? I was even almost born in a tent --Mum, Dad and 3 children were camping and one day mum left the tent and went to hospital to have me. But in fact we are a family of chalkies (Australian slang for teachers)- and Dad was a school principal during most of my life. And I am an expert in being "the new girl" having been to 6 different schools in 12 years.The last 4 years, however, were in the same high school and I still have my 2 best friends from that time.
No matter where I lived, I read. I devoured whatever I could get my hands on -- old Enid Blyton and Mary Grant Bruce books, old schoolboys annuals. I learned history by reading Rosemary Sutcliffe, Henry Treece and Georgette Heyer. I loved animal books -- Elyne Mitchell's Silver Brumby books and Mary Patchett and Finn the Wolf Hound. And then I read Jane Austen and Dickens and Mary Stewart and Richard Llewellyn and Virginia Woolf and EF Benson and Dick Francis and David Malouf and Patrick White and Doris Lessing and PD James and...the list is never ending.
This is me posing shamelessly on a glacier in New Zealand.
This is me in Greece with my good friend Fay in our village outfits. The film went a funny colour, but you get the idea. I'm the one in the pink apron.
I escaped from my parents, settled down and went to university.To my amazement I became a chalkie myself and found a lot of pleasure in working with teenagers and later, adults. I taught English and worked as a counsellor and helped put on plays and concerts and supervised camps and encouraged other people to write but never did much myself. It took a year of backpacking around the world to find that my early desire to write hadn't left me, it had just got buried under a busy and demanding job.
I wrote my first novel on notebooks bought in Quebec, Spain, Greece and Indonesia. That story never made it out of the notebooks, but I'd been bitten by the writing bug.
My friends and I formed a band called Platform Souls a
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 227 reviews
November 13, 2018
At one point in my HR reading life I would actively seek out new Anne Gracie novels. I remember, for example, reading her "Perfect" series and especially liking the first one, THE PERFECT RAKE.
But since then they're a bit been-there, done-that plotwise and even that would be OK in a Regency romance because what really happened during that period in English history except for war with the French and, apparently, really handsome young dukes falling in love with really beautiful upper- or even lower-class women? So the trick of writing a good Regency HR is in the romance and character development.
At least Gracie has given us a baron, not a duke, as hero. (Guess the ton ran out of unmarried dukes.) And the heroine is Spanish and attractive rather than beautiful. And the story takes place in Spain. So there we have a bit of deviation from the usual setting and characters. And how often does a heroine in an HR have churros with chocolate for breakfast?
Unfortunately, this difference is not put to good use. The story, romance and character development is not very good. Everybody is cookie-cutter. Our baron is a whiny, petulant jerk, the heroine is immature, silly and thoughtless. Lust is the only attraction I could find between the two. Who could love either one of them? How could they love each other? And the secondary characters are no better. They're cartoonish in their characterization. Baddies and good folk alike fall on their faces in their flatness.
IMO, the love story is unbelievable and the mystery about spies is weak and somewhat silly. Really only a good read for a diehard Gracie fan and even at that it's not worth purchasing. That's what libraries are for.
But since then they're a bit been-there, done-that plotwise and even that would be OK in a Regency romance because what really happened during that period in English history except for war with the French and, apparently, really handsome young dukes falling in love with really beautiful upper- or even lower-class women? So the trick of writing a good Regency HR is in the romance and character development.
At least Gracie has given us a baron, not a duke, as hero. (Guess the ton ran out of unmarried dukes.) And the heroine is Spanish and attractive rather than beautiful. And the story takes place in Spain. So there we have a bit of deviation from the usual setting and characters. And how often does a heroine in an HR have churros with chocolate for breakfast?
Unfortunately, this difference is not put to good use. The story, romance and character development is not very good. Everybody is cookie-cutter. Our baron is a whiny, petulant jerk, the heroine is immature, silly and thoughtless. Lust is the only attraction I could find between the two. Who could love either one of them? How could they love each other? And the secondary characters are no better. They're cartoonish in their characterization. Baddies and good folk alike fall on their faces in their flatness.
IMO, the love story is unbelievable and the mystery about spies is weak and somewhat silly. Really only a good read for a diehard Gracie fan and even at that it's not worth purchasing. That's what libraries are for.
January 8, 2022
I didn't think this'd be a road romance, of all things!
And that after the midway dip, it would pick up so nicely. 3.5*
And that after the midway dip, it would pick up so nicely. 3.5*
January 6, 2016
I enjoyed this book very much. Most of that is down to Isabella. What a fantastic heroine! I liked her courage, determination, and her open heart. I particularly liked how she couldn't help but dream of better things even as she recognizes them as just dreams.
Luke was less appealing. He wasn't so much autocratic as outright dictatorial and that made him less attractive by far. Fortunately, he learned to roll with Bella's defiance (he took being forced to chase her sidesaddle very well, and that's an image that still makes me giggle in remembrance) and work with her and, eventually, respect her in ways I love to see in a romance novel. Which means he ends up very attractive, indeed.
The plot of this one was relatively basic and leaned a lot on Bella learning to match dream to reality while trying to take care of her past. This happened in mostly organic ways, though I think Gracie stretched things a line too far when . Still, I was invested in the characters enough that a minor disconnect didn't greatly affect my enjoyment.
In all a wonderful romance, if only because I fell almost immediately for Bella and remained engaged with her through the entire story.
A note about Steamy: This was pretty high, though not outside my tolerance. There were three explicit sex scenes. And though they weren't terribly long, they weren't exactly short either. And I'd have been down with that except that some of Luke's more egregious autocratic moments showed up in his pre-game plans (though fortunately never actually manifest during the event).
Luke was less appealing. He wasn't so much autocratic as outright dictatorial and that made him less attractive by far. Fortunately, he learned to roll with Bella's defiance (he took being forced to chase her sidesaddle very well, and that's an image that still makes me giggle in remembrance) and work with her and, eventually, respect her in ways I love to see in a romance novel. Which means he ends up very attractive, indeed.
The plot of this one was relatively basic and leaned a lot on Bella learning to match dream to reality while trying to take care of her past. This happened in mostly organic ways, though I think Gracie stretched things a line too far when . Still, I was invested in the characters enough that a minor disconnect didn't greatly affect my enjoyment.
In all a wonderful romance, if only because I fell almost immediately for Bella and remained engaged with her through the entire story.
A note about Steamy: This was pretty high, though not outside my tolerance. There were three explicit sex scenes. And though they weren't terribly long, they weren't exactly short either. And I'd have been down with that except that some of Luke's more egregious autocratic moments showed up in his pre-game plans (though fortunately never actually manifest during the event).
March 30, 2013
The fifth book in the Devil Riders series. Lieutenant Luke Ripton interrupted a man assaulting a young 13 year old girl and then to protect her he married her and left her in the care of a convent. Now, years later he goes to Spain to collect his bride, but Isabella is not the obedient bride he expects.
It started off pretty good and I had high hopes but it didn't quite reach them. It had it's moments but overall it was just a fair read for me. The book seemed uncertain where it wanted to go. The ending didn't sit well with me either. I expected more.
It started off pretty good and I had high hopes but it didn't quite reach them. It had it's moments but overall it was just a fair read for me. The book seemed uncertain where it wanted to go. The ending didn't sit well with me either. I expected more.
January 21, 2015
Very good book. Luke married Isabella when she was thirteen to protect her from her cousin who wanted to marry her for her fortune. It was the middle of a war, so he took her to her aunt, who was a nun, intending to get the marriage annulled when the war was over. When he finally got around to it, he found out that it could not be annulled, so he returned to Spain to claim her. He didn't want to be married, but figured he'd deal with it. Having been raised in the convent, he expected a quiet, obedient girl who would be no bother. Isabella had been left at the convent for eight years, part of that time during the war. She had been raised almost like a boy by her father, so she was intelligent and independent. She had also been waiting for Luke to come for her, dreaming of the time she would be his wife for real. She was devastated by his attitude when he did arrive. She stood up to him, insisting she wanted to return to her old home to check on her half sister. When Luke refused, she sneaked away intending to go on her own. When he followed her, they ended up doing as she wanted. As they made their trek, Luke was drawn to Isabella in a way he didn't expect. He found himself wanting to be nice to her and to take care of her. But he is tortured by memories of his wartime experiences in Spain, memories that make him feel unsuitable to be anyone's husband. I loved Isabella's independence. Her escape from Luke to go find her sisters was hysterical. I loved the way she turned the tables on him. I also liked her realistic attitudes. She had accepted Luke's statement about not loving anyone, and decided she would make the best of her new life - after she was done in Spain. I liked the way that she could see Luke's pain and wanted to help him deal with it. She wasn't whiny or obnoxious, she was simply determined. Her method of dealing with his shirt was clever and it worked. I enjoyed the way they worked together to deal with her sister's situation, and again when they met up with Luke's nemesis. The conclusion was great, and I loved the events leading up to his sister's ball.
July 15, 2012
Got 37% in and couldn't go any further. As much as I love this series and the author, I couldn't finish this one. Heroine came off as a spoiled brat (which was strange as she's lived in a convent for the past 8 years). Disregarded everything the hero told her and made several TSTL decisions. I made myself wait to read this one because I knew it would be a while before we got another book in this series and this was such a letdown. Had such high hopes for it. :(
April 2, 2012
This is such mediocre dreck. Why am I always fooled by author blurbs on the front of the book? The writing is so stilted and if I have to read one more time that the girl's eyes are GOLDEN then I will throw the book across the room.
As to why I am even bothering with finishing it, I suppose the plot is serviceable - and I really miss romance novels. BLARGH. On second thought, I think I won't bother finishing the book. I have a bunch of GOOD books in the queue so why waste time?
As to why I am even bothering with finishing it, I suppose the plot is serviceable - and I really miss romance novels. BLARGH. On second thought, I think I won't bother finishing the book. I have a bunch of GOOD books in the queue so why waste time?
March 11, 2012
When I started reading this book, I straightly knew I will love this book so much. This book’s story is the kind story that I love to read and the character of hero/heroine, their interaction and other thing just make this book “amazing” ;)
And here is my short review
Luke Ripton had promised that he will never ever go back to Prancis anymore – the country that he hate so much and make him remind the bitter that has changed his life but there is a mission that he has to accomplish and the mission is to take her bride away…
Isabella Ripton always dreamed about her hero who has saved her life and she adored and she believed that one day he will back for her and take her away and the hero she believed is her angel but then she realized that the fact is on the contrary especially when her hero – her husband want to annul their marriage..even so she still hope the different…
But the annul has been rejected then caused they must be bound so they both had to accept it and togother they try to make the possible married. Luke Ripton even he cant love her wife but he promised to protect, honor for marriage, be faithfull and take care of her bride and Isabella herself has to obey her husband.
So can they success especially when they both realized that they had been so close, intimated and fell in love? Do luke can open her heart and tell isabela about his past and trust her about his secret? Because isabela belived if luke trust her, there is a hope for her survival of their marriage.
The most I love from this book is isabela – not a pretty one but the one that man cant push away, a strong, smart, a kind heart and uncommon heroine that had been taught by her father how to survival life in outside world and luke – he so care with isabela, protect her, give her gift, please her but sometimes very confident especially when he told isabela that he don’t need to give a gift to isabela to seduce her, just ‘his self’ ;)
My review in Indonesia,
Ini slh satu buku yg ceritanya aku suka banget, mulai dr keseluruhan critanya, karakter hero/heroinenya, interaksi mereka dan jg crita yg diselipkan misteri yg asik buat diikuti.
Dan begini critanya
Si Luke ripton uda berjanji kpd dirinya bhw dia ngak akan pernah kembali lagi ke prancis, negara yg sgt dia benci dan membuatnya mengingat kepahitan yg mengubah hidupnya. Dulunya si Luke ini prajut perang Inggris yg dikirim ke prancis bersama dgn teman2nya : rafe, Michael dkk (yg msg2 ada bknya kecuali Michael, krn si Michael tewas). Namun ada satu misi yg harus diselesaikan yaitu membawa istri yg ditinggalkannya disebuah biara selama 8 tahun dan yg nantinya terpaksa dia bawa ke Inggris. Istrinya yg sebenarnya dinikahinya hanya utk menyelamatkan si istri dr kesulitan yg dialaminya pdhl wkt itu istrinya br 13 tahun. Pdhl si Luke mau membatalkan perjanjian pernikahan mrk, tp pengajuan pembatalan pernikahan tsb ditolak shg terpaksa dia balik ke Prancis utk membawa istrinya ke Inggris.
Istrinya – Isabela, selalu percaya bahwa suatu saat hero-nya yg telah menyelamatkan hidupnya wkt dia umur 13 thn jd wkt itu dia disakiti oleh seorg pria.. dan ini yg smpt bt aku sdkt kecewa, ouch.. masak si cewek uda g virgin, bk HR kok g virgin dan nanti ini jg yg mengakibatkan pembatalan pernikahaan si luke di tolak. Ok lanjut, bahwa si isabela tuh uda melayang2 d critanya bhw suami yg sgt baik bahkan sdh dianggap angel, blm lg ganteng dll. Tp ketika si luke dtg dan bahkan dia mengetahui bahwa si luke minta cerai, hilang sdh kebahagiaan yg dirasakan oleh si Isabela, walau dia msh tetap si berharap hal yg sebaliknya.
Dan karena mrk terikat akhirnya mau g mau si Isabela pun ikut luke balik ke inggris namun sblm dia balik, dia mengajukan permintaan agar dibawa ke vella verda utk menemui adik tirinya yg skrg tgl dgn sepupunya – ramon yg jht, yg jg penyebab bella di sakiti wkt dia umur 13 thn, dia merasa hrs memastikan bwh hidup adiknya aman, krn janjinya kpd ayahnya dl. Si ramon ini sbnrnya mau menikahi bella agar mendptkan harta warisan yg bella dpt dr ibunya dan krn tau si ramon jahat tentu saja si luke g setuju blm lg dia sdh janji sama adiknya sndr – molly, akan balik ke inggris tepat wkt utk menghadiri dan berdansa di season adiknya mencari suami.
Dan dipenginapan ini lah si Luke smpt marah bgt sama si Bella, krn ternyata si bella msh virgin, dan knp sblmnya aku blg ada hubungan dgn pembatalan pernikahan krn ulah bibinya si bella yg menjd kepala biara di tmpt bella tinggal berpkr bhw bella sdh tdk virgin wkt umur 13 thn dan dia yg memberitahu bhw dia g virgin lg, jd g mgkn ada lg yg mau nikah sama dia klo seandainya diceraikan si luke apalg klo semua org tau pernikahan mrk tdk sah krn mrk blm tidur bareng. Luke marah krn dia merasa di jebak tp untungnya dia akhirnya bs memaafkan bella krn hal ini cmn slh paham.
Dan krn si bella ini termasuk keras kepala dan nekad walo dilarang pergi sama luke ke vella verda, akhirnya pergi sndr menemui adiknya yg untungnya disusul oleh luke. Dan stlh mslh ini selesai dan adiknya memutuskan tetap bersama ramon. Dan siramon jg smpt di ancam oleh bella agar dia menikahi adiknya klo g dia bkl bw adiknya ke inggris. Maka balik lah si bella dan luke ke inggris.
Kedekatan mrk sedikit demi sedikit membuat luke makin syg sama bella dan selalu menyenangi bella terutama memberikan hadiah dan yg aku sukai waktu si luke dgn pedenya blg ke isabela kalau dia g perlu ngasih hadiah utk menggoda bella, ckp dirinya saja ;). Dan luke jg mulai membuka diri dan menceritakan luka yg dialaminya wkt perang dl, luka berbentuk bunga ros dan nama pelakunya. Walau msh ada hal yg dirahasiakan dr istrinya. Memang tdk mudah terlebih lagi jk hal tsb menyangkut nama baiknya.
Dan hadiah terakhirnya yg diberikan luke sblm mrk ke inggris adalah mengunjungi seorg tuan pemilik kastil yg baik hati dan syg sama bella, dan ternyata si lord sdh menikah lg. Dan ketika si istri menemui luke dan bella, spontan luke menarik bella dan membawa utk segera pergi dr kastil tsb.
Lalu sapa sebenarnya wanita tsb dan mengapa luke merasa hrs lari dari wanita tsb? Dan apa yg selama ini disembunyikan oleh luke? Mampukah dia melepaskan semua masa lalunya dan hidup bahagia dgn isabela utk selamanya?
Yg pasti sgt disayangkan klo melewatkan buku ini
Happy Reading ^^
And here is my short review
Luke Ripton had promised that he will never ever go back to Prancis anymore – the country that he hate so much and make him remind the bitter that has changed his life but there is a mission that he has to accomplish and the mission is to take her bride away…
Isabella Ripton always dreamed about her hero who has saved her life and she adored and she believed that one day he will back for her and take her away and the hero she believed is her angel but then she realized that the fact is on the contrary especially when her hero – her husband want to annul their marriage..even so she still hope the different…
But the annul has been rejected then caused they must be bound so they both had to accept it and togother they try to make the possible married. Luke Ripton even he cant love her wife but he promised to protect, honor for marriage, be faithfull and take care of her bride and Isabella herself has to obey her husband.
So can they success especially when they both realized that they had been so close, intimated and fell in love? Do luke can open her heart and tell isabela about his past and trust her about his secret? Because isabela belived if luke trust her, there is a hope for her survival of their marriage.
The most I love from this book is isabela – not a pretty one but the one that man cant push away, a strong, smart, a kind heart and uncommon heroine that had been taught by her father how to survival life in outside world and luke – he so care with isabela, protect her, give her gift, please her but sometimes very confident especially when he told isabela that he don’t need to give a gift to isabela to seduce her, just ‘his self’ ;)
My review in Indonesia,
Ini slh satu buku yg ceritanya aku suka banget, mulai dr keseluruhan critanya, karakter hero/heroinenya, interaksi mereka dan jg crita yg diselipkan misteri yg asik buat diikuti.
Dan begini critanya
Si Luke ripton uda berjanji kpd dirinya bhw dia ngak akan pernah kembali lagi ke prancis, negara yg sgt dia benci dan membuatnya mengingat kepahitan yg mengubah hidupnya. Dulunya si Luke ini prajut perang Inggris yg dikirim ke prancis bersama dgn teman2nya : rafe, Michael dkk (yg msg2 ada bknya kecuali Michael, krn si Michael tewas). Namun ada satu misi yg harus diselesaikan yaitu membawa istri yg ditinggalkannya disebuah biara selama 8 tahun dan yg nantinya terpaksa dia bawa ke Inggris. Istrinya yg sebenarnya dinikahinya hanya utk menyelamatkan si istri dr kesulitan yg dialaminya pdhl wkt itu istrinya br 13 tahun. Pdhl si Luke mau membatalkan perjanjian pernikahan mrk, tp pengajuan pembatalan pernikahan tsb ditolak shg terpaksa dia balik ke Prancis utk membawa istrinya ke Inggris.
Istrinya – Isabela, selalu percaya bahwa suatu saat hero-nya yg telah menyelamatkan hidupnya wkt dia umur 13 thn jd wkt itu dia disakiti oleh seorg pria.. dan ini yg smpt bt aku sdkt kecewa, ouch.. masak si cewek uda g virgin, bk HR kok g virgin dan nanti ini jg yg mengakibatkan pembatalan pernikahaan si luke di tolak. Ok lanjut, bahwa si isabela tuh uda melayang2 d critanya bhw suami yg sgt baik bahkan sdh dianggap angel, blm lg ganteng dll. Tp ketika si luke dtg dan bahkan dia mengetahui bahwa si luke minta cerai, hilang sdh kebahagiaan yg dirasakan oleh si Isabela, walau dia msh tetap si berharap hal yg sebaliknya.
Dan karena mrk terikat akhirnya mau g mau si Isabela pun ikut luke balik ke inggris namun sblm dia balik, dia mengajukan permintaan agar dibawa ke vella verda utk menemui adik tirinya yg skrg tgl dgn sepupunya – ramon yg jht, yg jg penyebab bella di sakiti wkt dia umur 13 thn, dia merasa hrs memastikan bwh hidup adiknya aman, krn janjinya kpd ayahnya dl. Si ramon ini sbnrnya mau menikahi bella agar mendptkan harta warisan yg bella dpt dr ibunya dan krn tau si ramon jahat tentu saja si luke g setuju blm lg dia sdh janji sama adiknya sndr – molly, akan balik ke inggris tepat wkt utk menghadiri dan berdansa di season adiknya mencari suami.
Dan dipenginapan ini lah si Luke smpt marah bgt sama si Bella, krn ternyata si bella msh virgin, dan knp sblmnya aku blg ada hubungan dgn pembatalan pernikahan krn ulah bibinya si bella yg menjd kepala biara di tmpt bella tinggal berpkr bhw bella sdh tdk virgin wkt umur 13 thn dan dia yg memberitahu bhw dia g virgin lg, jd g mgkn ada lg yg mau nikah sama dia klo seandainya diceraikan si luke apalg klo semua org tau pernikahan mrk tdk sah krn mrk blm tidur bareng. Luke marah krn dia merasa di jebak tp untungnya dia akhirnya bs memaafkan bella krn hal ini cmn slh paham.
Dan krn si bella ini termasuk keras kepala dan nekad walo dilarang pergi sama luke ke vella verda, akhirnya pergi sndr menemui adiknya yg untungnya disusul oleh luke. Dan stlh mslh ini selesai dan adiknya memutuskan tetap bersama ramon. Dan siramon jg smpt di ancam oleh bella agar dia menikahi adiknya klo g dia bkl bw adiknya ke inggris. Maka balik lah si bella dan luke ke inggris.
Kedekatan mrk sedikit demi sedikit membuat luke makin syg sama bella dan selalu menyenangi bella terutama memberikan hadiah dan yg aku sukai waktu si luke dgn pedenya blg ke isabela kalau dia g perlu ngasih hadiah utk menggoda bella, ckp dirinya saja ;). Dan luke jg mulai membuka diri dan menceritakan luka yg dialaminya wkt perang dl, luka berbentuk bunga ros dan nama pelakunya. Walau msh ada hal yg dirahasiakan dr istrinya. Memang tdk mudah terlebih lagi jk hal tsb menyangkut nama baiknya.
Dan hadiah terakhirnya yg diberikan luke sblm mrk ke inggris adalah mengunjungi seorg tuan pemilik kastil yg baik hati dan syg sama bella, dan ternyata si lord sdh menikah lg. Dan ketika si istri menemui luke dan bella, spontan luke menarik bella dan membawa utk segera pergi dr kastil tsb.
Lalu sapa sebenarnya wanita tsb dan mengapa luke merasa hrs lari dari wanita tsb? Dan apa yg selama ini disembunyikan oleh luke? Mampukah dia melepaskan semua masa lalunya dan hidup bahagia dgn isabela utk selamanya?
Yg pasti sgt disayangkan klo melewatkan buku ini
Happy Reading ^^
September 4, 2019
Cerita diawali oleh pencarian Luke ke Spanyol utk mencari pengantinnya yg ditinggalkan selama 8 thn. Bella, si pengantin yg ditinggalkan di Biara Malaikat Patah sdh nyaris putus asa mau minggat dr biara tsb, namun untunglah keburu dijemput oleh Luke. Bella awalnya marah krn merasa spt bingkisan yg sdh terlupakan dan baru diingat kembali utk diambil.
Dan sepanjang perjalanan, Bella merepotkan Luke, sehingga Luke hrs bertindak tegas pada gadis ini (walaupun mengakibatkan pembatalan pernikahan semakin tidak mungkin). Bella bersikeras ingin bertemu dgn adik tirinya, Perlita yg ada di bawah cengkeraman sepupu jahatnya, Ramon yg menginginkan warisan Bella. Tadinya Bella mau membawa pulang Perlita ke Inggris tetapi apa boleh buat krn Perlita lebih suka menjadi simpanan Ramon yg tidak jelas masa depannya.
Ternyata Luke juga memiliki rahasia kelam di masa lalu dan selalu dihinggapi mimpi buruk itu. Untunglah dengan kelugasan dan ketegasan dr Bella, Luke akhirnya mau juga menceritakan masa lalu gelapnya.
Karakter Bella ini memang menarik dan humanis. Bella adalah gadis tomboy pemberani, sudah terbiasa mandiri dan bertekad sehingga Luke yg gak kenal-kenal amat dgn pengantinnya ini kewalahan utk menghadapi Bella. Sebenarnya isi ceritanya tidak kelewat istimewa-istimewa banget, tapi karena sinergi tokoh utama di novel ini yg kuat chemistry nya menjadikan ceritanya menjadi berjalan menarik. Dan tokoh yg tadinya diperkirakan antagonis (Ramon-Perlita) digambarkan scr humanis dan logis.
Mungkin kekurangannya justru di endingnya yg spt buku sblmnya yg kubaca...terlalu happy end... semua pihak dgn mudah menerima hubungan mereka. Tapi utk penggemar HR dan SAM, buku ini pasti memikat hati.
Dan sepanjang perjalanan, Bella merepotkan Luke, sehingga Luke hrs bertindak tegas pada gadis ini (walaupun mengakibatkan pembatalan pernikahan semakin tidak mungkin). Bella bersikeras ingin bertemu dgn adik tirinya, Perlita yg ada di bawah cengkeraman sepupu jahatnya, Ramon yg menginginkan warisan Bella. Tadinya Bella mau membawa pulang Perlita ke Inggris tetapi apa boleh buat krn Perlita lebih suka menjadi simpanan Ramon yg tidak jelas masa depannya.
Ternyata Luke juga memiliki rahasia kelam di masa lalu dan selalu dihinggapi mimpi buruk itu. Untunglah dengan kelugasan dan ketegasan dr Bella, Luke akhirnya mau juga menceritakan masa lalu gelapnya.
Karakter Bella ini memang menarik dan humanis. Bella adalah gadis tomboy pemberani, sudah terbiasa mandiri dan bertekad sehingga Luke yg gak kenal-kenal amat dgn pengantinnya ini kewalahan utk menghadapi Bella. Sebenarnya isi ceritanya tidak kelewat istimewa-istimewa banget, tapi karena sinergi tokoh utama di novel ini yg kuat chemistry nya menjadikan ceritanya menjadi berjalan menarik. Dan tokoh yg tadinya diperkirakan antagonis (Ramon-Perlita) digambarkan scr humanis dan logis.
Mungkin kekurangannya justru di endingnya yg spt buku sblmnya yg kubaca...terlalu happy end... semua pihak dgn mudah menerima hubungan mereka. Tapi utk penggemar HR dan SAM, buku ini pasti memikat hati.
January 19, 2016
I didn’t like this book as much as the others by this author. I still enjoyed reading it, but the number of irregularities kept me off-key, and some of the events of the story towards the end seemed artificial and unnecessary.
The plot develops along the usual regency romance lines. During the war on the Peninsula, then a nineteen-year-old lieutenant Luke Ripton, a charming, sunny-natured boy, married a thirteen-year-old Spanish orphan Isabella to save her from a hateful marriage. He delivers his new wife to a convent and leaves to continue with his war. He thinks he would either die in the war or annul the marriage after it ends.
When eight years later, now Lord Ripton, a hard and disillusioned man, applies for an annulment, his application is denied. He has no choice but to travel to Spain from London to retrieve his wife. After eight years of no communication, both of them are different people.
Their journey together from the Spanish convent to London constitutes the majority of the novel. Through some sad misunderstandings and funny situations, poignant encounters and painful memories, these two strangers learn to respect and love each other. In the beginning, both are lonely, hiding inside their protective shells. It takes the chemistry of love to dissolve the shells and warm their lonely souls, to show them that together is infinitely better than apart. To demonstrate that they can’t live without each other.
A sweet regency love story with a few sex scenes to spice up the narrative, it reads easily and swiftly, and the protagonists star throughout the tale.
Recommended despite its flaws.
The plot develops along the usual regency romance lines. During the war on the Peninsula, then a nineteen-year-old lieutenant Luke Ripton, a charming, sunny-natured boy, married a thirteen-year-old Spanish orphan Isabella to save her from a hateful marriage. He delivers his new wife to a convent and leaves to continue with his war. He thinks he would either die in the war or annul the marriage after it ends.
When eight years later, now Lord Ripton, a hard and disillusioned man, applies for an annulment, his application is denied. He has no choice but to travel to Spain from London to retrieve his wife. After eight years of no communication, both of them are different people.
Their journey together from the Spanish convent to London constitutes the majority of the novel. Through some sad misunderstandings and funny situations, poignant encounters and painful memories, these two strangers learn to respect and love each other. In the beginning, both are lonely, hiding inside their protective shells. It takes the chemistry of love to dissolve the shells and warm their lonely souls, to show them that together is infinitely better than apart. To demonstrate that they can’t live without each other.
A sweet regency love story with a few sex scenes to spice up the narrative, it reads easily and swiftly, and the protagonists star throughout the tale.
Recommended despite its flaws.
January 14, 2022
Mi spiace dirlo, ma con questo quinto volume la Gracie ha concluso in modo un po' sciapo una serie che invece sinora mi era piaciuta parecchio (in particolar modo i volumi 2 e 4).
Dopo ben cinque coppie così diverse ma sempre affiatate, con personaggi sia maschili che femminili che avevano lasciato un ricordo positivo, mi aspettavo altro.
Non dico un romanzo corale, anche se, a fronte di tante vicissitudini e con le guerre napoleoniche ormai finite, sarebbe stato anche auspicabile un incontro conclusivo con le varie famiglie formate; inoltre Luke Ripton era l'ufficiale più schivo e ribelle del gruppo, quello che ti dava l'idea di celare chissà che esperienze dolorose non ancora rimosse.
Invece qui scopriamo che in Spagna (non è uno spoiler, lo trovate in trama ed è il primo fatto comunicato nel libro) Luke si era addirittura sposato. E qui incomincia la prima incongruenza: come può un uomo che ha salvato una ragazzina dal disonore e che si è ben guardato dallo sfiorarla a causa proprio della giovanissima età, attendere otto anni - dicesi otto - per ricordarsene?
Ok, forse si era convinto di poter annullare il matrimonio, ma è plausibile che un barone, giovane e ricco e buono, lasci passare otto anni per sincerarsi che la poveretta stava bene e non avesse qualche necessità? Uno straccio di lettera per una ragazzina che ti vedeva come un eroe, un assegno ogni tanto per una sposa che cresceva in un paese devastato dalla guerra, magari un carico di viveri posto che la stessa ha letteralmente patito la fame?
Sarò pure cinica, ma in me si è fatto strada il dubbio che lord Ripton quasi si augurasse che la poverina morisse di stenti o malattia, troncando in modo naturale la seccatura del matrimonio.
Ed è veramente poco romantico.
Ma tutto il resto del libro sembra non avere una strada precisa da seguire: è una sorta di racconto on the road, con un nobile inglese (ricco di mezzi e possedimenti, non guasta ribadirlo) che, da solo, si porta via la sposina a dorso di cavallo/mulo, che dorme in locande di fortuna o nei prati, che un attimo prima si rammarica per l'innocenza di lei e che un attimo dopo è travolto dall'impulso di consumare il matrimonio.
Anche qui è veramente tutto poco romantico.
Da ultimo, c'è tanta carne al fuoco, ma la trama viene cotta con superficialità.
Un romanzo con cui non sono entrata in sintonia e che ho concluso con un certo sconcerto, perché di solito scelgo quest'autrice a occhi chiusi. Forse era l'idea di rinunciare a questa serie, chissà.
Dopo ben cinque coppie così diverse ma sempre affiatate, con personaggi sia maschili che femminili che avevano lasciato un ricordo positivo, mi aspettavo altro.
Non dico un romanzo corale, anche se, a fronte di tante vicissitudini e con le guerre napoleoniche ormai finite, sarebbe stato anche auspicabile un incontro conclusivo con le varie famiglie formate; inoltre Luke Ripton era l'ufficiale più schivo e ribelle del gruppo, quello che ti dava l'idea di celare chissà che esperienze dolorose non ancora rimosse.
Invece qui scopriamo che in Spagna (non è uno spoiler, lo trovate in trama ed è il primo fatto comunicato nel libro) Luke si era addirittura sposato. E qui incomincia la prima incongruenza: come può un uomo che ha salvato una ragazzina dal disonore e che si è ben guardato dallo sfiorarla a causa proprio della giovanissima età, attendere otto anni - dicesi otto - per ricordarsene?
Ok, forse si era convinto di poter annullare il matrimonio, ma è plausibile che un barone, giovane e ricco e buono, lasci passare otto anni per sincerarsi che la poveretta stava bene e non avesse qualche necessità? Uno straccio di lettera per una ragazzina che ti vedeva come un eroe, un assegno ogni tanto per una sposa che cresceva in un paese devastato dalla guerra, magari un carico di viveri posto che la stessa ha letteralmente patito la fame?
Sarò pure cinica, ma in me si è fatto strada il dubbio che lord Ripton quasi si augurasse che la poverina morisse di stenti o malattia, troncando in modo naturale la seccatura del matrimonio.
Ed è veramente poco romantico.
Ma tutto il resto del libro sembra non avere una strada precisa da seguire: è una sorta di racconto on the road, con un nobile inglese (ricco di mezzi e possedimenti, non guasta ribadirlo) che, da solo, si porta via la sposina a dorso di cavallo/mulo, che dorme in locande di fortuna o nei prati, che un attimo prima si rammarica per l'innocenza di lei e che un attimo dopo è travolto dall'impulso di consumare il matrimonio.
Anche qui è veramente tutto poco romantico.
Da ultimo, c'è tanta carne al fuoco, ma la trama viene cotta con superficialità.
Un romanzo con cui non sono entrata in sintonia e che ho concluso con un certo sconcerto, perché di solito scelgo quest'autrice a occhi chiusi. Forse era l'idea di rinunciare a questa serie, chissà.
March 31, 2017
Eh, another dud for me. It actually took me quite awhile to get the image out of my head that the heroine was not a 13 year old anymore, like when the couple first met while the hero rescued her (and married her and left her in a convent for her safety). Besides that image of her being 13 yrs old in my head, (when she was really 21 yrs old now or around there), the only other imagery I had of her was her golden eyes (you are told about them often), her overly big nose, how unattractive she was compared to the other beauties around her (again you are reminded of this often). I lost count in the first half of the book of how many times she is referred to as being not attractive. But the hero... he was perfect as perfect could be in the appearance department. Besides being wishy-washy with his general direction in life, he had some supposed trauma in the past that made him hate himself, we are reminded many times how he hates when women cry because it makes him feel helpless (twice on one page at one point) and he was constantly getting hard just by looking at her during some of the stupidest scenes in the beginning. Like it didn't even make sense why he was getting aroused. I mean they just got finished describing her big ass nose. Maybe he had a thing for golden eyes, I don't know. But it all came off as ridiculous and I lost interest in what would happen next and gave up. I honestly didn't like either character at all and couldn't even imagine them having chemistry together. On to the next book....
September 29, 2019
2.5 stars
Like most historical romance books I read, this one was not bad, but it wasn’t great either. It was just okay. The things I look out for in an m/f HR novel are:
1. Is the guy an asshole?
2. Do I like the female character?
3. Are they compatible with each other?
4. Is there a believable plot?
So running Luke and Isabelle past this criteria:
1. While Luke is not completely an asshole, he didn’t spark my interest either. He’s kind of misogynistic at times (Does the era excuse such behaviour? Um, no.) Even with all his night terrors and war stories, he was as boring as cardboard.
2. Isabella is an amazing MC. She speaks up for what she wants, refuses to obey her spouse’s words, knows what she wants to do.
3. I genuinely think Isabelle was too good for Luke. She was full of chutzpah and life, and was an independent thinker. Luke wanted a wife who would be subservient to him, and Isabella was like, “Hell, no.” (Which is a good thing, but I disliked Luke all the more for that. While he believed that women should have their own right to property, he still wanted to be obeyed by his wife.”
4. Plot was fine, but nothing remarkable. Isabella’s thoughts on her convent upbringing were interesting, but Luke’s POVs were just me going, “AAARGH, stop being boring please.”
Something which made me furious is how right from the first chapters, we’re made to believe that she’s a rape victim, but later, it’s revealed that she wasn’t assaulted sexually in any way, and was just another “untouched blushing bride”. There are so many things I want to say about how that makes angry, but I don’t have the energy to rant.
This is my second Anne Gracie book. Maybe if I try a few more, i’ll find out if I’m actually compatible with her as a reader.
Like most historical romance books I read, this one was not bad, but it wasn’t great either. It was just okay. The things I look out for in an m/f HR novel are:
1. Is the guy an asshole?
2. Do I like the female character?
3. Are they compatible with each other?
4. Is there a believable plot?
So running Luke and Isabelle past this criteria:
1. While Luke is not completely an asshole, he didn’t spark my interest either. He’s kind of misogynistic at times (Does the era excuse such behaviour? Um, no.) Even with all his night terrors and war stories, he was as boring as cardboard.
2. Isabella is an amazing MC. She speaks up for what she wants, refuses to obey her spouse’s words, knows what she wants to do.
3. I genuinely think Isabelle was too good for Luke. She was full of chutzpah and life, and was an independent thinker. Luke wanted a wife who would be subservient to him, and Isabella was like, “Hell, no.” (Which is a good thing, but I disliked Luke all the more for that. While he believed that women should have their own right to property, he still wanted to be obeyed by his wife.”
4. Plot was fine, but nothing remarkable. Isabella’s thoughts on her convent upbringing were interesting, but Luke’s POVs were just me going, “AAARGH, stop being boring please.”
Something which made me furious is how right from the first chapters, we’re made to believe that she’s a rape victim, but later, it’s revealed that she wasn’t assaulted sexually in any way, and was just another “untouched blushing bride”. There are so many things I want to say about how that makes angry, but I don’t have the energy to rant.
This is my second Anne Gracie book. Maybe if I try a few more, i’ll find out if I’m actually compatible with her as a reader.
October 3, 2018
Endearing pair of characters, lovely change of pace with the Spain setting, it felt very steeped with history and such vivid descriptions of the landscape, factions and impact of war. The gypsy dance was intense and almost a visual, it was so vividly described.
This book had so many detailed accounts of food and delicacies that I was constantly feeling hungry for things I couldn't have while reading in the am hours.
I also liked the portrayal of all the side characters who somehow did not seem one dimensional. It started a bit slowly/cheesily but it was well worth the time. Only complaint I have is that the ending was a wee bit pat.
I mean seriously did we have to tie everything up so very neatly? Things from the past were dredged up and placed in the most unlikely proximity for the most fake overly convenient denouement possible.
The author ripped out curved seams, forcibly restitched them straight, double stitched for strength, zig-zagged and overlocked the edges. Talk about overkill.
Not everything needs to be that neatly aligned, the whole castle sequence could have been skipped and the book stronger for it. She even got rid of his traumatic past token reminder. Smh.
Still a fun read. And I enjoyed how much time they spent together with no interruptions from outside forces or persons. It remained engaging and entertaining throughout.
Even with its unscheduled stop at Crazytown Station.
This book had so many detailed accounts of food and delicacies that I was constantly feeling hungry for things I couldn't have while reading in the am hours.
I also liked the portrayal of all the side characters who somehow did not seem one dimensional. It started a bit slowly/cheesily but it was well worth the time. Only complaint I have is that the ending was a wee bit pat.
I mean seriously did we have to tie everything up so very neatly? Things from the past were dredged up and placed in the most unlikely proximity for the most fake overly convenient denouement possible.
The author ripped out curved seams, forcibly restitched them straight, double stitched for strength, zig-zagged and overlocked the edges. Talk about overkill.
Not everything needs to be that neatly aligned, the whole castle sequence could have been skipped and the book stronger for it. She even got rid of his traumatic past token reminder. Smh.
Still a fun read. And I enjoyed how much time they spent together with no interruptions from outside forces or persons. It remained engaging and entertaining throughout.
Even with its unscheduled stop at Crazytown Station.
April 14, 2018
I think I’m just too picky. For once I’d like to have a story that features two MCs that are equals. Equals in looks, wealth, intelligence, and all that. In this story, the h is wealthy, smart, but plain. Really plain. Why must the h be a homely thing with little to no self esteem while the H is a dark haired angel? The h’s ugliness is mentioned so often that I wanted to scream.
There were too many things that I didn’t like in this one. The dismay and humiliation experienced by the h in the beginning were hard to read and hard for me to get past. She was too forgiving, too willing to make do, and too kind. She stood up for others, but stunk at standing up for herself. I didn’t want her to be a harpy, but I wanted so much more for her.
I didn’t like the H much. The separation of eight years (though it made sense given the young age of the h) was too long and I didn’t like that the H was busy sowing his wild oats while the h was stuck in a convent. For eight years. Seriously. If Anne Gracie wasn’t such a good storyteller, I would have DNFed this one.
There were too many things that I didn’t like in this one. The dismay and humiliation experienced by the h in the beginning were hard to read and hard for me to get past. She was too forgiving, too willing to make do, and too kind. She stood up for others, but stunk at standing up for herself. I didn’t want her to be a harpy, but I wanted so much more for her.
I didn’t like the H much. The separation of eight years (though it made sense given the young age of the h) was too long and I didn’t like that the H was busy sowing his wild oats while the h was stuck in a convent. For eight years. Seriously. If Anne Gracie wasn’t such a good storyteller, I would have DNFed this one.
December 6, 2015
Debated between 3 and 4 stars for this one so since I'm feeling generous I went with 4. Anne Gracie does such a good job with setting her stories firmly in their time periods and places that I enjoy them even if other elements might not be so strong. There was nothing particular that I disliked but I felt the romantic relationship lacked something some depth. It was all rather easy maybe?
December 10, 2016
"Love isn't pain, Mama," she whispered, "It's joy."
I was excited to read at first and then I got bored....
I was excited to read at first and then I got bored....
July 16, 2018
Started off with gusto, kept up the tempo and then ended a tad flat.
April 30, 2022
Enjoyed the book....
March 19, 2019
A very soft 3. But feel free to add a star if unattractive heroines with huge noses and rude and whiny hero's with huge egos are your thing.
January 11, 2015
Queria algo de romance y sensualidad y creo que tengo la satisfacción de a verlo encontrado, bueno como siempre ya les había dicho que en estos meses no pude reseñar nada, o lo hacía de muy pocas palabras porque no me concentraba por los estudios y creo que ahora puedo estar más relajada.
Así que vamos!
El sabado me surgio la necesidad de leerme el genero romance, ya hace tiempo no leía este tipo, y encontre este libro, al principio vi la portada y me encanto, me gustan las portadas simples, y esta para mi fue bonita, entonces leí la sinopsis, a mi por lo general no me gusta leer sinopsis por que es como si te dieran spoilers sobre lo que vas a leer algo así como los trailers de las películas, que casi te pasan toda la pelicula completa, y pues entonces ¡TAAN! me encanto de que iba la historia, soy tan random cuando se trata de libros que voy a empezar después de un tiempo que no leo, y me engancho después de las 3 páginas, todo se entiende en que espacio va la historia y debo de decir que las historias antiguas de tiempos antiguos, me gustan, me agradan, me hacen sentir que estoy en esa epoca, y esa historia es de esos tiempos donde van a caballo por los pueblos, y además es en Inglaterra (uy, desde 2012 que me gustaría conocer por allá) y en España, se centra en riquezas, poder y todo eso...
Isabela es la heredera de valle verde las riquezas de su familia, su padre muere y Ramon su primo a como de lugar quiere casarse con ella, para que el tambien reciba del dinero de la heredera Isabela, entonces ella huye, en esas epocas habia hombres llamados "bandidos" que robaban y violaban, Bela huyo cuanto antes de valle verde, ella no queria a ramon, cuando ella huye un bandido la ataca, ella grita pero el la desnuda Bela tiene 13 años y el bandido la quiere violar asi que Luke que en ese entonces tenia 19 la oye gritar y va por aquella muchacha que se oye aterrorizada, el caso es que el la salva entonces le platica todo y el decide casarse con ella para liberarla de su primo pero ella no sabe que después el se convertiria en lorde, pero para protegerla la lleva al convento de su tia que es monja y allí queda por 8 años, ella siempre soñaba que un día luke ripton iria por ella al convento todas las compañeras del convento se burlaban de ella por que decian que era imposible que tal hombre existiera, hasta que pasaron esos años y por fin luke aparecio pero un conflicto se dio cuenta que el habia querido anular su compromiso cundo ella cumpliera 21 también se dio cuenta que el no la queria tanto como ella pensaba, se entero que tenia que ir al baile de su hermana Molly y tenia que ir con ya alguien acompañado eso le habia dicho su madre, pero cuando luke le conto a su mamá ella casi se desmaya por que eso habia sido en la guerra y ella no se habia dado cuenta de que se habia casado, pero despues de todo eso luke e isabela se llevaron de lo mejor.
Al final pasn muchas cosas y esta emocionante hay acción, romance, sensualidad y comedia, al menos me hizo sentir todo eso a mí y como ya había dicho antes hace mucho que no leía este genero, que aveces me empalaga un poco jé, les dejo las frases que más me gustaron :)
Así que vamos!
El sabado me surgio la necesidad de leerme el genero romance, ya hace tiempo no leía este tipo, y encontre este libro, al principio vi la portada y me encanto, me gustan las portadas simples, y esta para mi fue bonita, entonces leí la sinopsis, a mi por lo general no me gusta leer sinopsis por que es como si te dieran spoilers sobre lo que vas a leer algo así como los trailers de las películas, que casi te pasan toda la pelicula completa, y pues entonces ¡TAAN! me encanto de que iba la historia, soy tan random cuando se trata de libros que voy a empezar después de un tiempo que no leo, y me engancho después de las 3 páginas, todo se entiende en que espacio va la historia y debo de decir que las historias antiguas de tiempos antiguos, me gustan, me agradan, me hacen sentir que estoy en esa epoca, y esa historia es de esos tiempos donde van a caballo por los pueblos, y además es en Inglaterra (uy, desde 2012 que me gustaría conocer por allá) y en España, se centra en riquezas, poder y todo eso...
Isabela es la heredera de valle verde las riquezas de su familia, su padre muere y Ramon su primo a como de lugar quiere casarse con ella, para que el tambien reciba del dinero de la heredera Isabela, entonces ella huye, en esas epocas habia hombres llamados "bandidos" que robaban y violaban, Bela huyo cuanto antes de valle verde, ella no queria a ramon, cuando ella huye un bandido la ataca, ella grita pero el la desnuda Bela tiene 13 años y el bandido la quiere violar asi que Luke que en ese entonces tenia 19 la oye gritar y va por aquella muchacha que se oye aterrorizada, el caso es que el la salva entonces le platica todo y el decide casarse con ella para liberarla de su primo pero ella no sabe que después el se convertiria en lorde, pero para protegerla la lleva al convento de su tia que es monja y allí queda por 8 años, ella siempre soñaba que un día luke ripton iria por ella al convento todas las compañeras del convento se burlaban de ella por que decian que era imposible que tal hombre existiera, hasta que pasaron esos años y por fin luke aparecio pero un conflicto se dio cuenta que el habia querido anular su compromiso cundo ella cumpliera 21 también se dio cuenta que el no la queria tanto como ella pensaba, se entero que tenia que ir al baile de su hermana Molly y tenia que ir con ya alguien acompañado eso le habia dicho su madre, pero cuando luke le conto a su mamá ella casi se desmaya por que eso habia sido en la guerra y ella no se habia dado cuenta de que se habia casado, pero despues de todo eso luke e isabela se llevaron de lo mejor.
Al final pasn muchas cosas y esta emocionante hay acción, romance, sensualidad y comedia, al menos me hizo sentir todo eso a mí y como ya había dicho antes hace mucho que no leía este genero, que aveces me empalaga un poco jé, les dejo las frases que más me gustaron :)
El pasado determinaba quien eras. No era sano darle vueltas, pero habia que aprender a vivir con el.
No eran mariposas lo que revoloteaba en el estómago: eran gorriones
bandadas enteras, que daban vueltas y bajaban en picado.
April 20, 2013
Eight years ago Luke Ripton married a thirteen year old girl that would be forced to marry at such a young age, so he offered her his protection in matrimony and left her in a convent in Spain. Now he has heard news that his offer for annulment from the church has been rejected, so he has no choice but to claim her and bring her to England. When he arrives in Spain he expects to find a meek and biddable young woman that is very obedient and more than willing to be claimed. What he doesn't realize is that his wife is full of passion and zeal and seems intent on disobeying whenever the need arises, and it stirs his blood like no other. Bella has been in a convent for eight years forced to sew and has always felt like a prisoner among the walls of the convent. She yearns to be free and through the years has constantly done what she could to test her boundaries. She has dreamed of her handsome soldier of a husband, but feels less than adequate when she sees him again. Even though Luke and Bella wills seem to fight against each other constantly, a fiery desire also builds between them until it can no longer be denied.There were quite a few aspects I enjoyed about this wonderful conclusion to a adventurous series by Anne Gracie. Bride By Mistake is Luke's story, and in the past books we see him as a scoundrel and famous among the ladies. Luke is a full blooded male, a fierce protector, tortured past, and determined to claim his wife when annulment is no longer available. Isabella, is the type of heroine I fell in love with from the beginning. Even though she cares for Luke, she has had to do things to survive. She has alot of passion and wildness about her, she has a longing for adventure. There was such a sense of fun and playfulness between these two. I lost count the number of times I burst out laughing. There was such a spark between these two. I loved how Isabella treats Luke, she isn't a meek mouse, and takes him on a adventure. We see how she starts to have him wrapped around her finger---which is always great to see when the hero is too arrogant for his own good. There was alsoa enriching story full of emotion and sensuality to charm you. A beautifully crafted tale of love, exciting plot, adventure and an irresistable romance!!! Definitely "Choclate and swoon" worthy of a read.
Favorite Quote
"I don't need gifts to seduce you"
Favorite Quote
"I don't need gifts to seduce you"
January 9, 2012
Author Anne Gracie has given us two unique personalities who have survived the devastating effects of war yet still maintain the courage of their convictions. As with any good romance hero Luke has secrets that have not only changed him but have also locked away his ability to forgive himself. Isabella is a heroine who is strong, capable and alluring in her straightforwardness. There are no ‘big misunderstandings’. Rather, in Bride by Mistake, we have a heroine who is clear in what she wants as well as accepting of the life she has been dealt. No histrionics, no I Love Lucy – let me figure out how to trick Ricky into giving me what I want antics. Isabella is as far from Lucy as you can get. Her ability to live life passionately and yet deal with situations in a way that is logical to her is what makes her the perfect heroine for Luke. However Luke doesn’t quite see it that way. He’s married to a woman who grew up in a convent; she should be docile and obedient; after all he is her husband and his word is law. Mixing her passion and unique logic with Luke’s dictatorial Regency mind set gives us that ‘sweet spot’ in this romance. That place where the romance begins to bubble just under the surface and the magic between the hero and heroine comes alive.
With strong characters, snappy dialogue and a story that unfolds with such tender, sweet and exciting moments, Bride by Mistake is a marriage of convenience that sometimes simmers and sometimes boils with passion, romance, humor and grace.
If you're interested my complete review can be seen at the B&N Heart to Heart blog: http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t...
With strong characters, snappy dialogue and a story that unfolds with such tender, sweet and exciting moments, Bride by Mistake is a marriage of convenience that sometimes simmers and sometimes boils with passion, romance, humor and grace.
If you're interested my complete review can be seen at the B&N Heart to Heart blog: http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t...
November 7, 2012
When I first read the description of Bride by Mistake I was truly intrigued. I dove into it immediately and finished it in a day. It’s not a huge novel so it didn’t prove hard to do and I really didn’t want to put it down once I started. The story is about a Lord Luke Ripton, an attractive ex-military Lietenant that was positioned in Spain during a war time and under stressful circumstances he made a hasty marriage to a young girl named Isabella Mercedes Sanchez y Vaillant. The heroine’s name itself is enough to fill a whole line in the story. After the marriage they never saw or spoke to each other again until eight years later when Luke finds out he cannot just have the marriage annulled. He returns to Spain from his home in England to claim his wife. This of course is against his personal desires because after a horrible experience during the war he had vowed never to return to that country. Eight years later he finds that the young girl he married in haste is now a young woman who is strong willed and attractive. The story tells of their journey while in Spain and the progressive bond and love that grows between them.
The characters in Anne Gracie’s book were lovable to say the least. The storyline was delivered very well and kept my interest peaked. I can’t say there was much about the story I didn’t enjoy except for maybe a confrontation toward the end when Luke comes face to face with the person that had haunted his dreams for so long. That even in the story seemed somewhat rushed and over with rather quick for all the pain that it put the hero through. Overall I enjoyed the book very much.
The characters in Anne Gracie’s book were lovable to say the least. The storyline was delivered very well and kept my interest peaked. I can’t say there was much about the story I didn’t enjoy except for maybe a confrontation toward the end when Luke comes face to face with the person that had haunted his dreams for so long. That even in the story seemed somewhat rushed and over with rather quick for all the pain that it put the hero through. Overall I enjoyed the book very much.
September 30, 2012
Anne Gracie manages to put a slight twist on your usual Marriage-of-Convenience story here and I thought it worked well. The characters were engaging, but neither was perfect, which made things more interesting in that they were both stupidly pig-headed at times and calm and understanding at others. Both of them had massive insecurities - she that she was unattractive, and he that he was responsible for the death of a close friend - and those insecurities were shown to affect Luke and Isabella's relationship in different ways.
I always enjoy a romance better when the characters are driving the story, and when the characterisation is strong, so the reader is never left scratching their head thinking "hang on - surely X would never have done that?".
If I have any quibbles, it's with the final section of the book, where Luke's inner demons are dispatched (I felt) unrealistically quickly; but then I suppose had that not been the case, the story would have had nowhere to go, so I can chalk that up to the demands of dramatic license.
I believe this is the final book in a series of five. I haven't read the othes (yet - but I intend to do so), but it isn't necessary to have read the preceeding titles in order to enjoy this one.
I always enjoy a romance better when the characters are driving the story, and when the characterisation is strong, so the reader is never left scratching their head thinking "hang on - surely X would never have done that?".
If I have any quibbles, it's with the final section of the book, where Luke's inner demons are dispatched (I felt) unrealistically quickly; but then I suppose had that not been the case, the story would have had nowhere to go, so I can chalk that up to the demands of dramatic license.
I believe this is the final book in a series of five. I haven't read the othes (yet - but I intend to do so), but it isn't necessary to have read the preceeding titles in order to enjoy this one.
June 1, 2023
I love forced proximity stories where the couple gets to know each other while traveling together. It’s easier to believe that emotional intimacy will develop quickly if people are spending 24/7 with each other. I thought the premise of their marriage was unique and I thought the he revealed his trauma to her at the appropriate time in their relationship.I also appreciated that while he did struggle with it, it wasn’t drawn out to long, unlike the scenes in her childhood home. That whole situation got old, fast. At the end of the day, they brought out the best in each other and were super cute and bubbly together once everything was settled.
June 26, 2013
The blurb of this story instantly drew me in as it kind of reminded me of my fav series, The Wife Lottery by Jodi Thomas and it was unputdownable as soon as I started it.
I really love the story and the characters. They were so fiery, interesting and engaging. It was really well written but the reason I subtracted a star was because of how Luke's greatest affliction was resolved. I thought it was done too quickly, before I knew it, Luke's nemesis was already gone and done for.
Overall, this was a story worth investing and losing sleep over.
I really love the story and the characters. They were so fiery, interesting and engaging. It was really well written but the reason I subtracted a star was because of how Luke's greatest affliction was resolved. I thought it was done too quickly, before I knew it, Luke's nemesis was already gone and done for.
Overall, this was a story worth investing and losing sleep over.
November 22, 2015
I love Anne Gracie. Merridew sisters will always be my favorite and Devil riders were too until this book. I liked Luke from the start he was way too promising, he was supposed to be a fallen angel,tragically beautiful. But somehow his story got beaten up treatment and his character lacked depth. It is so upsetting, i was looking forward for Luke's story.Somehow this story wasn't as deeply touching as it ought have been.
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July 12, 2024Sono una fan di Anne Gracie da anni ormai e neanche questo libro mi ha ovviamente delusa! Bellissimo, intrigante, pieno di passione e di sentimenti… mi ha catturata fin dalle prime righe e me lo sono letteralmente divorata!
November 11, 2018
Interesting story about an English Lord and soldier that ends up marrying a 13yo Spanish girl to protect her from a mean cousin. He then leaves her in Spain and returns to England planning to get an annulment.
Fast forward eight years and he finds out the annulment is not possible. He then goes to Spain to recover his wife from the convent he left her with her aunt that was a nun.
Instead of finding a shy and biddable wife, he discovers a brave and opinionated woman that had different plans from his.
I liked both MC’s and enjoyed the Spanish background.
3,5 stars rounded up to 4.
Fast forward eight years and he finds out the annulment is not possible. He then goes to Spain to recover his wife from the convent he left her with her aunt that was a nun.
Instead of finding a shy and biddable wife, he discovers a brave and opinionated woman that had different plans from his.
I liked both MC’s and enjoyed the Spanish background.
3,5 stars rounded up to 4.
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