Campanadas de boda

Abandoned at the Altar #3

by Laura Lee Guhrke, Laura Lee Guhrke, Grupo Editorial Planeta (Editor)

Lo último que Annabel Wheaton está buscando es amor verdadero. Sabe por experiencia que sólo conduce a la angustia. Así que casarse con un conde interesado en su dinero a cambio del acceso a las altas esferas de la sociedad le parece una excelente opción. Pero no cuenta con un pequeño problema: Cristian Du Quesne, quién cree que esta a punto de cometer el mayor error de su vida y está dispuesto a hacerla cambiar de parecer, sobre todo cuando la familia de la novia le ofrece una interesante suma de dinero para que logre que la boda se cancele. Para Cristian esta parece ser una tarea fácil sin embargo, enamorarse de Annabel no parecía ser parte del plan. 

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook, Regency

343 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

From the publication of her very first historical romance, Laura Lee Guhrke has received numerous honors and critical acclaim for her novels and her writing style. She has been honored with the most prestigious award of romance fiction, the Romance Writers of America Rita Award, and she has received additional awards from Romantic Times and All About Romance. Romantic Times has proclaimed her, “One of the most natural voices in historical romance to be found today”. Her books routinely hit the USA Today Bestseller List, and Guilty Pleasures has been honored with the Romantic Times Award for Best European Historical Romance of 2004. Among her publishing credits are twelve historical romances, including her latest, And Then He Kissed Her, now available from Avon Books.

Laura is currently hard at work on her thirteenth historical romance for Avon Books. She has also written articles for various publications, including the Romance Writers Report, The British Weekly , and the Irish-American Press.

Reviews

[Nelly S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

“She now had everything. A handsome, charming, titled husband, estates on two continents, wealth, position, power, and fame. Everything a white trash girl born in a tin-roof shack on a Mississippi backwater could want. Everything but love.”

[willaful · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical romances were my first love, but lately I've been noticing how much they snore, and wishing they'd take the damn garbage out. The last one I tried to read has been getting rave reviews up the wazoo; I got to page 280, realized there were still 100 more pages left, and groaned out loud. (I'm not going to identify the book, since my current weird state of mind might have contributed to how little I was enjoying it.) Thank goodness Trouble At the Wedding came along before I decided to cart my entire historical TBR to the library. It would have cost a lot in gas.

It's not that Trouble at the Wedding is the most gorgeous, deeply characterized historical ever, but it doesn't have to be. It's sharp and fresh and tightly written, with distinctive characters and an engaging situation. Set during the Edwardian era, it's -- unsurprisingly -- a story about an American heiress set to marry an titled Englishman. Nothing else ever happened back then, apparently. But Annabel is no ordinary American heiress: for most of her life she was dirt poor, "white trash" from Mississippi, and the pain of rejection drives her fiercely. Her titled Englishman, unfortunately, is very much an ordinary titled Englishman: stuffy, controlling, and unfaithful.

Luckily for Annabel, her uncle has hired Christian, yet another impoverished titled Englishman, to put a spanner in the works. Only Christian's inconvenient liking for the openhearted and outspoken Annabel might cause problems:

"He looked at her in dismay. This was going to be more difficult that he'd first thought. In agreeing to take this on, he hadn't appreciated that there might be deeper reasons for her ambition than mere social climbing, reasons that stemmed from old wounds. To succeed with this, he'd have to open those wounds, use her own insecurities to plant doubts in her head. And he was tempted, suddenly, to walk away and let the chips fall.

But then he remembered Rumsford winking at him in the House with the Bronze Door, a memory that revolted even his calloused soul. She did not deserve to be chained to an ass like that for the rest of her life, and he decided he was justified in making her see it by whatever means necessary."

Annabel's Southern way of speaking is a refreshing change of pace from Regency misses (aside from a puzzling, squirm-inducing mention of Christian having "a touch of the tar brush" *) and she's an awesomely tough, yet vulnerable woman, who fights for what she wants without being appallingly ruthless about it. I admired how long she sticks to her guns and resists Christian. Christian fits more into a type, a guilty widower determined never to marry again, but his pain and conviction felt real. When the book started to go down some well worn paths, I was disappointed and expected the worst -- but even that came off in an satisfying way, by the end.

Trouble at the Wedding is third in Guhrke's "Abandoned at the Alter" series, but I haven't a clue how it relates to the previous books, if it does. (Guhrke's website is not helpful in this regard.) In any event, you don't have to have read them to enjoy it, though the second in the series is also quite good.



* I wasn't quite sure what to think of this term as used here; as a racial slur, I suppose it's historically accurate, but Annabel didn't seem to be using it as one. I guess we can take it as positive that thinking it doesn't seem to put her off Christian in any way. It still made me squirm, though.

ETA: I've been told this didn't have racial implications at that time.

[Océano de libros · Rating 5 out of 5]

Annabel Wheaton es una rica heredera que desea una posición social y casarse (aunque sea sin amor) con un conde, le parece una buena manera de lograr reconocimiento, lo que no espera es que Christian Du Quesne, duque de Scarborough esté tan dispuesto a que no lo haga y es que Christian tiene otros motivos ocultos y es que la familia de la novia quiere evitar el matrimonio.

Tercer y último libro de esta serie “Plantadas en el altar” que en general para mí ha ido de menos a más, esta última novela es mi favorita y por eso le he dado las cinco estrellas y todo a pesar de que no es de larga extensión, pero aun siendo así tiene todo lo que me gusta encontrar en una novela romántica.

Annabel Wheaton es una rica heredera americana que a pesar de tener todo lo que podría desear no tiene un título y los beneficios que ello conlleva, por eso su mejor baza es casarse con un conde aunque no haya amor de por medio. La familia de Annabel (su tío Arthur) está en contra del enlace y cree que el novio es un cazafortunas por ello contrata al duque de Scarborough y le encomienda la tarea de romper el compromiso. Christian Du Quesne, duque de Scarborough está ocupando el puesto de su hermano mayor, pero su título viene acompañado de deudas y por eso decide aceptar el encargo de la familia de Annabel y piensa que será relativamente fácil, lo que no espera es que empiece a sentir algo por la joven.
Sigue leyendo en el blog: https://oceanodelibros.blogspot.com/2...

[Tabitha (Bows & Bullets Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The review is also available on my blog, Bows & Bullets Reviews

Annabel Wheaton is determined to marry a titled peer to get the respect she has always deserved, so when the Earl of Rumsford proposes, she thinks her prays have been answered. She knows he is marrying her for her ample fortune and is completely okay with it because she is mainly marrying him for his title. A week before the wedding, everything is going divinely, save her uncle constantly nagging her to put more thought into this decision before she makes a big mistake, when Christian Du Quesne, Duke of Scarborough shows up and turns her world upside down. Not only does she feel an instant attraction to him but he starts planting doubts in her mind that weren’t there the week before. The morning of the wedding she must choose, follow the path to become a countess which she has worked so hard to achieve or call off the wedding for a tryst with Christian who is not the marrying kind of man. Sounds like a simple choice, right? But it never is.

Christian is almost out of options. His brother died unexpectedly leaving him to take over as Duke, a job he is far from suitable for, and as soon as the title is changed he learns that they are completely run into the ground. Every property not entailed is mortgaged and the rest don’t earn enough to break even annually much less pay off massive debts. Determined never again to marry for money as he did 12 years ago, he goes to America to try to make his fortune because that seems to be where all men make it big but having no capital to invest in new ventures, he cannot really do much. So when Arthur, Annabel’s uncle, offers him half a million dollars to dissuade his niece from marrying that pompous ass, he accepts immediately. A week before the wedding his insinuates himself into Annabel’s life and starts covertly planting doubts in her mind and mocking her intended.

All this culminates in a passionate kiss the night before the wedding leaving them both off balance. Annabel’s marches on and still makes it to her nuptials fully intending to become the Countess of Rumsford despite Christian’s best efforts and then he shows up and objects to the wedding in the middle of the ceremony, implying that something has happened between Annabel and himself. So what happens next? How do they salvage her possibly ruined reputation? Well, that is one spoiler I won’t give away, and no it isn’t the simple she marries the duke immediately to avoid the scandal approach.

I seriously must be going to a phase of some sort because it seems like I am drooling over every male character I read right now.

St Clair from Anna And The French Kiss, Mr Darcy from Pride And Prejudice, Colin from 20 Times A Lady, Alec from Forbidden, Peeta from The Hunger Games, Loki from Switched, the list goes on and on and on (and on and on and on and on and on). I LOVED Christian. He was cocky and confident and handsome and had a sense of humor and a hiding sense of honor and just DAMN.

…wait, he is fictional and I am married….fuck…ANYWAY, he is the perfect historical romance hero.

Annabel was pretty good too, stubborn and hard headed and kind of the typical American Heiress which I am good with.

I have yet again proven to myself that historical romance novels (written by the proper authors, naturally) are the balm to my soul and I strive to read more of them. Especially when so many YA novels right now end with horrid cliffhangers and have stupid love triangles and have idiot heroines that anger me to the point where.....



.....well you get the picture.....

But that’s a bit off topic. This novel is well written and will definitely make you laugh and probably cry and hope the happily ever after that seems impossible. It was nearly perfect. My only real complaint is that the ending felt rushed. I could have used an extra chapter (or even few paragraphs) to see that they were settled properly before finishing the novel.

[Carol Cork *Young at Heart Oldie* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved everything about this book!

Setting - I adore the Regency period but it's refreshing to have a book set during the Edwardian era (1904)

Hero & Heroine - totally fell in love with both of them and the chemistry between them positively sizzles.

Love scenes - HOT!!!

Dialogue - sparkling and totally hilarious at times.

Overall - DELIGHTFUL

[Debby *BabyDee* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read the first two in this series, I thought LLG did an excellent job with this story. The heroine at times was a bit annoying but overlooked that and was finally glad that Annabel and Christian finally hooked up...a bit slow going though. What did this for.me was the outstanding performance by Anne Flosnik as narrator...superb job.

[Jen Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Annabel is a Mississippi girl, who comes from poverty. But when her dad hit pay-dirt in an Alaskan goldmine, her family became wealthy beyond their wildest dreams. They moved out of their small Southern town to an uppercrust area of New York. But they were never accepted. New money didn't mean much in society.

Now Annabel has a chance to change things for her family. She is getting married to a British peer --and that means respectability. It's no matter that they aren't in love. Annabel thinks that a marriage based on cordiality and respect will be just fine. Until she meets Christian. He is passionate and sexy --and determined to talk her out of marrying her intended. At first, that's because her uncle hired him to do it, but eventually, because he becomes enamoured of the feisty beauty.

Annabel ends up ignoring the misgivings Christian inspires, but he manages to spoil the wedding anyway, nearly ruining her reputation. So he must redeem himself --and her social standing, by helping her find a suitable new husband.

It took a while for me to warm up to the story. Maybe because the first 1/3 of it was told in flashback from the events of the prologue. We know from the first few pages that Christian's plans would fail and that mad it hard for me gain much interest in his machinations. Another point of contention: Annabel is rich and gorgeous. I just can't believe she had so much trouble finding a husband before aligning herself with Christian and his sister. Then, once our hero and heroine begin to have feelings for each other, I just couldn't see any real obstacle between them. What took them so long to finally embrace their feelings (and by that I mean the very last page or two) --is beyond me.

The sex was ok. The relationship was ok. The conflict was minimal. A little more than 3 stars.


*ARC Provided by NetGalley

[Books Mom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originall posted at http://its-raining-books.blogspot.com...

I started reading Trouble at the Wedding by Laura Lee Guhrke expecting it to be just another historical romance – a genre a love, but one that can be occasionally predictable. Boy, was I wrong! It stands on its own unique merits, and had me hooked from the very beginning.

I really enjoyed it, and couldn’t put it down once I started it. I only found out it was part of a series after I finished it, so can definitely attest that it stands alone quite nicely.

When I met the heroine, I really liked her, and enjoyed finding out what type of person she was. The author introduced me to her seamlessly, with a well written description of her past, her plans for the future, etc., all neatly integrated into the story.

Then I met the hero, and loved him from the start. He was a well defined character, completely three dimensional and perfect for the heroine – if only they both realized that!

As the plot unfolded, I kept thinking I knew what would happen, but each time I was pleasantly surprised. The story line was extremely clever and there were lots of unexpected occurrences as it went on.

The story showed a lot of the good in human nature, but also the bad. This was important to the story and really made the plot deeper than many romances.

There are a couple of erotic scenes that were not just thrown in for impact or to titilate, but were extremely important to the plot and were very tastefully written.

I have to say that I really loved this story, far more than I was expecting to. It was interesting, exciting, and fun reading from the beginning to the end.

[Jess the Romanceaholic · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit The Romanceaholic.

Expected Release Date: December 27, 2011 (Available Now!)
Publisher: HarperCollins
Imprint: Avon
Author’s Website: http://www.lauraleeguhrke.com/
My Source for This Book: Gift From the Publisher
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 3, Abandoned at the Altar
Series Best Read In Order: Worked well as a standalone
Steam Level: Steamy

Having risen from the depths of poverty into the upper echelon of society by an inheritence, Annabel Wheaton knows what it’s like to be looked down upon by society. Shunned as “new money”, she craves the respectability and acceptance that comes with holding a powerful position in society, and more than that, she’s desperate to secure those things for both her younger sister and any future daughters.

Marrying an impoverished earl seems like the perfect solution, despite the fact that it is a match of convenience, completely devoid of love. After all, she tasted love once in her youth, only to end up brokenhearted and ruined, so a match based on mutual respect is perfectly desirable to her.

When Annabel’s family approaches the disreputable Christian Du Quesne, Duke of Scarsborough, with the task of convincing her to break off the wedding in exchange for a small fortune — one desperately needed to repair the bankrupt estate Christian’s brother left to him upon his death — he accepts. After all, his own marriage was a dismal failure that has left him with no small amount of guilt and plenty of cynicism about marriage in general.

Things are never so simple, however, and when Christian meets Annabel he’s completely enraptured by the beautiful and determined woman, and begins to want her to avoid this marriage more for herself than for the fortune it will net him if she does. When Christian makes a horrible blunder, humiliating Annabel and destroying not only her hopes of marrying the earl, but also of moving in polite society, she comes up with the perfect scheme to restore her reputation. Now, all they have to do is manage to keep their hands off of each other…

The beginning and middle of this story were fantastic. I absolutely adored Annabel, which surprised me since I don’t typically enjoy “experienced” heroines in my historicals. She was smart, lovely, and not nearly as naive as many historical romance heroines. Christian, too, grew on me fairly quickly, and I enjoyed watching him go from the man who was merely trying to fulfill a bargain that would net him quite a bit of money, to a man who truly despised the idea of Annabel marrying for convenience and having her inner spark dimmed and snuffed by English society.

However, towards the end, it truly felt as though Christian was more talking himself into “loving” Annabel, and making up for how terrible he made life for his first wife, rather than truly falling head over heels in love. Sure, he said the right words, and did the right things, but it seemed to me that things were told, rather than shown. Add to that Annabel’s recklessness despite her insistence that acceptance into the staid London society was her ultimate goal, and I was a bit let down overall. While certainly enjoyable, I really didn’t feel that this one lived up to my expectations from the author.

3.5/5 Stars

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

America heiress Annabel Weston is determined to marry a titled gentleman to help provide a better coming out for her younger sister, following her own humiliating episode. Even though Annabel is beyond wealthy, everyone still thinks of her as 'white trash' from the backwaters of Mississippi and Annabel dreams of a better life in England and just knows a title will do that. She meets the Earl of Rumsford and believes all her hopes are coming true much to the dismay of her uncle who sees Rumsford as the fortune hunter he is. Her uncle concocts a plan with the help of the dashing Duke of Scarborough, Christian De Quesne who also happens to be in great need of funds but has no desire to marry again after his disastrous first marriage. But Annabels uncle makes too good of an offer to Christian that he can not refuse and he reluctantly agrees to board the ship bound for England and try to stop the wedding.

When Annabel and Christian first meet the sparks fly right away but Annabel shoves them away as she believes her fiance is perfect. But the more little snippets that Christian feeds to her about how 'perfect" Rumsford is, the more her cold feet start to show up until on the day of her wedding she is seriously considering crying off. She bucks up though and the resulting actions are quite funny and put Annabel and Christian in quite an awkward position. As they move forward with their lives and try to put the scandal to rest, their feelings deepen and they try to ignore them but fate has other ideas naturally.

Laura Lee Guhrke has written another excellent, unique story set in the fascinating time period of the early 1900's. When our couple was traveling on the ship to England, I loved the little attentions to details (lips on bookshelves so the books won't fall out) that really made me feel like I was traveling with them. The inclusion of the motor car is again fascinating and leads to a very happy, somewhat drunk on moonshine, experience. I adored Annabel and all her Southern goodness. Ms Guhrke wrote her in such a way that you always knew she was from the backwaters of Mississippi (lots of y'alls and sugars) and it was a delight to read but never felt like all the twangy goodness was overpowering. When Annabel complains about her accent, Christian is right there to defend it and tell her how much he loves it. Together, our couple have quite a few hurdles to overcome. Christian is a bit jaded as his first wife was also an heiress and he refuses to marry for money again and has a hard time even thinking of Annabel due to her wealth. Annabel is stubborn and determined to do what is right but is closely guarding her heart as she just wants to be truly loved. Together, Annabel and Christian push through these barriers and find happiness with Ms Guhrkes trademark humor, passion and wonderful attention to details. If you are looking for a slightly different historical romance that reads easily and will have you laughing and sighing, this is a great book for you! 4 stars

I received this ebook from Avon via netgalley.com.

[Lady Wesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've truly enjoyed all of LLG's works that I've read thus far, and I plan to read more. Her late Victorian/Edwardian settings make it possible for her to create female characters who are believably more modern than the standard Regency miss, and Annabel Mae Wheaton is a perfect example. She was born poor in Mississippi, but her late father left her stupendously wealthy from his gold mines in Alaska. She moves to New York expecting to enter Society, but Society wants nothing to do with her. When an impoverished English earl proposes marriage, she sees an opportunity to force her way into the upper class and ensure that her young sister never has to face the insults that have come Annabel's way.

Annabel is smart, strong, determined, and optimistic, even as she contemplates marriage to a man she doesn't love and who does not love her. I liked her a lot. When her wedding is ruined by the drunken ravings of the rakish Duke of Scarborough, she cleverly figures out a way to minimize the attendant scandal and force the duke to make amends. Of course, she falls in love with him, and when he begins pushing eligible bachelors in front of her, she takes drastic action.

Christian, the duke, is an engaging character, but I didn't "fall in love" with him myself. This is definitely Annabel's book.

I must say, though, that when the scene switches from London to Scarborough, the action feels rushed. I would have enjoyed seeing more development of the characters' feelings and motivations. And the ending is downright abrupt.

And now a word about Annabel's accent. I though it was fine that she used American slang and expressions, but stop it with the droppin' of the endin' "g"s. It was distracting and done inconsistently; she would drop the 'g' off of three words in a paragraph and leave it on in two other words. I'm a Southerner native born, and have dropped plenty of 'g's, but it just doesn't work on the written page.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe I need to cool it for a bit on the historical romances, because I have been in the middle of a string of historical's that I just cannot seem to get into. Guhrke wrote one of my favorite historical romances, Guilty Pleasures, but so far the other books of hers that I have read have not measured up. It is probably because Guilty Pleasures was the first book of Guhrke's that I read and therefore is what I compare the rest to. I just don't seem to connect to the characters of her other books as much, but that does not mean it will not be thoroughly enjoyable to other historical romance lovers. I will definitely keep reading Guhrke's books, as I do enjoy them, but they just can't compare to my favorite of hers.

[♡Karlyn P♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4+. Wonderfully romantic with a great H/h. If your in the mood for an enjoyable historical romance without a lot of heavy angst, drama, and misunderstandings, this is a great choice. I loved Christian and Annabel, they made a great match. Her American heritage as 'white trash' added so much character to her personality. The chemistry between H/h was enjoyable and made me laugh often. The ending was sweet and perfect. I'm not sure how this fits in with the series, so I will add this is definitely a stand alone read.

[Riz · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Stars

Bukan salah di konten bukunya, gua aja yang bosen sama tema yang tipikal gini.

[Mary Gramlich · Rating 4 out of 5]

TROUBLE AT THE WEDDING by Laura Lee Guhrke
Abandoned at the Altar Series #3
HarperCollins Publishers - 12/27/2011 - Mass Market Paperback, 384 pages

At what point do we cease with all these rules of engagement?

At the turn of the 20th century having old money was treated with respect, but having new money put you in a state of being caught between the world you came from and not accepted in the one you long to be part of. For Miss Annabel Wheaton a newly moneyed Southern Belle the only way out of this rut is to marry a titled English man. No one thinks this is a good idea but Annabel is a determined steel magnolia who knows how to get her way.

Annabel’s uncle is determined to stop a relationship doomed for disaster and hires a rake to make it all go away. The idea was for Christian du Quesne, the Duke of Scarborough to use his charm and make the wedding come to a screeching halt. What no one expected was for a complete explosion. Christian may be desperate to fill his family coffers but not enough to marry and yet here was Annabel now seeking a husband due to his action, which Christian is remiss to explain even to himself. Neither of them wants to depend on the other but the resolution to the issue appears to be the road of most resistance from both of them. Annabel and Christian will walk the correct path but where it will lead is the question right now.

Christian knows he should never love again but perhaps Annabel will be the salve to heal his heart and set him free. If wishes were hopes than the one answer both of them is seeking shall be found.

This is a wonderful combination of the still under development American life with established English culture. This book is a reflection of changes that happened in the colonies but still show the problems and how class order issues remain regardless of your side of the pond. Annabel is the best of what women have become and Christian is a man who knows change is coming and looks to embrace it.

[Lena's Version · Rating 4 out of 5]

2ª novela que leo de esta autora, y ha vuelto a conquistarme.
La narración está completamente adecuada a la época que recrea, algo que se aprecia en especial a través de sus personajes, por lo bien definidos que están con su hipocresía ante la vida social, su ingenuidad personal y al mismo tiempo unas personalidades fuertes. Annabel y Christian tienen unos diálogos tan pícaros y al mismo tiempo tiernos, que, si bien se ve venir cómo terminará su historia, en ningún momento decae el ritmo porque nos mantiene pegados a sus páginas para saber cómo se desarrolla esta.
Recomendada para los amantes del género de época, con su romanticismo y clasicismo social, sin muchas más pretensiones.

[Lori ◡̈ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was just OK for me. It seemed to me that the girl was constantly moaning and groaning about her childhood. It was annoying too how much she wanted to be accepted into a society that she acknowledged hating. It wasn't until the last couple chapters that she and Christian finally hook up :( and I personally don't like the setting of the early 1900s, although the author did a good job with the details of this time. (I just like the setting a bit more into the 1700 or 1800s)

[S · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, I gotta admit, I thought this book was gonna be a total snoozefest at first. I mean, who doesn't love a plot about a guy who's hired to stop a wedding? It's like the ultimate in dramatic irony, right? But then, things started to get interesting. Turns out, our hero here isn't just a hired gun – he's also a hopeless romantic. And let me tell you, his journey from 'I'm just doing my job' to 'I'm totally in love with the bride' is a hilarious rollercoaster. I mean, can you imagine trying to ruin a wedding and then realizing you want to be the groom? Classic.

[Desi · Rating 4 out of 5]

**4 estrellas

Me gustó, me gustaron las personalidades de Christian y Annabel y como se enfrentaban entre sí.... aunque sentí algo apresurada la historia de amor entre ellos... todo sucedió como muy rápido.... pero en general me agradó bastante el libro, su trama y sus personajes.

.....Y me faltó un epílogo... no entiendo cuando dejan una historia así como esta... cuando uno quiere saber más de nuestros protagonistas tiempo después!!

[Sennen Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun, I suppose, but not nearly as fun as Scandal of the Year. Christian was a can’t take anything seriously hero that I didn’t like! Can you believe it! It felt like it was going one way and then went another entirely and I wasn’t hugely keen. When he mentioned Trathen I was like [taylor swift voice] that’s my man.

[lol]

i’ve enjoyed all of laura lee guhrke’s book (with the exception of one) & i just knew that this one wasn’t gonna get a higher rating than a 2 star & i didn’t want to put myself through that so dnf at 35%

[Isa Sulistyorini]

Review Soon!

[Eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gue memulai baca buku ini dengan alasan yang sangat salah. Sangaaaaattt... salah. Semua karena tokoh utamanya Christian dan Annabel. Terdengar seperti Christian dan Anastasia (setidaknya suku kata 'anna' yang pertama.) Dan gue penasaran apakah ada pengarang yang sanggup mengubah imej gua akan namesake 'Christian' yang ternodai sama seperti 'Edward'.
Lebih ancur lagi, ternyata gue mendapati nama lengkap Christian, Christian Du Quesne yang membuat gue deja vu dengan nama2 vampir di Interview With The Vampire. Dammit... wtf.

The thing is... karakter Christian di sini entah kenapa jauh lebih hidup ketimbang Annabel. Dengan Annabel gue merasakan cewek keras kepala yang menolak mendengarkan saran dan terlalu berambisi untuk meningkatkan status sosial. Sebenernya ini cukup menarik, semenjak Annabel tidak malu2 dengan ambisinya untuk mendapatkan respek di kalangan borjuis dimana dia bergaul sehari2. I like her guts. Masalahnya, cukup membosankan mendengar dia mengulang2 hal yang sama macam radio rusak; untuk respek, untuk masa depan. Untuk adik perempuanku. Untuk respek. Again and again.
Dan sorry to say... tekadnya untuk menggapai status sosial yang respectable menurut standarnya itu bukan hal yang bener2 bisa gue nikmati. Okay, gue suka dengan keberaniannya dan pragmatismenya, tapi hell... a sycophant is a sycophant, no matter how many sugary sweet you're putting.

Masalah Christian sebenarnya juga tak kalah pelik. Dia bangkrut. Meskipun dia seorang duke, gelar itu datang dengan hutang bertumpuk dan tanggung jawab yang sebelumnya selalu dia ingin hindari. Tapi disinilah bedanya Christian dan Annabel. He actually can be funny as hell regarding his situation, where Annabel just keep repeating 'for respect, for respect'. Plus untuk wanita dengan ambisi status sosial, Annabel seakan terlalu naif dan dibutakan romantisme Anglophilia, which is membuatnya makin menyebalkan karena dia juga keras kepala.

Dammit, Girl... the hell are you thinking??

Anyway... cerita ini mulai mendapatkan nyawanya ketika paman Annabel, memanggil Christian dan menawarkannya 500 ribu US$, untuk menggagalkan pernikahan Annabel dengan Earl of Rumsford. Sebab dia yakin sang Earl adalah manusia brengsek yang cuman mengincar harta warisan Annabel.

Sigh... pernahkan lo membaca sebuah buku dan mengharapkan hal yang berbeda dari ceritanya, dan ketika lo sedang membaca, lo terbayang2 plot yang lo buat sendiri dan semakin lama semakin kecewa?

Itu yang terjadi pada gue dan buku ini. I kinda... disappointed, terutama pada babak keduanya. Pengarang mendadak mengubah haluan buku ini menjadi tipikal tropes The Pygmalion Story-a guy took a girl under his wing in honorable way and they are ended up falling in love. Gue tidak menyambut baik hal ini, menurut gue perubahan ini nongol mendadak. Totally random banget.

Can we stick with the old idea? You know, the one with a desperate duke wanting 500 thousands US$ price money in exchange of halting a wedding?
Gue mengharapkan komedi romantis dimana seorang duke miskin mati2an berupaya menggagalkan pernikahan seorang wanita super keras kepala yang kekeuh mau kawin sama orang yang jelas2 niatnya busuk, dengan segala cara. I mean... do something ridiculously fun! Gue mau ngeliat absurditas Christian dan kekonyolan yang rela dia buat demi 500 ribu dollar. Itu jelas2 lebih lucu ketimbang Pygmalion Story. The thing a guy do for money, and a very beautiful girl?

Say what you want, tapi gue mengharapkan Christian Du Quesne sebagai cowok yang wisecrack, street smart, dan penuh akal bulus dengan pengalaman cowok badung yang dia lewati. You know... like, Aladdin?
Hey... Aladdin dan Jasmine adalah dua karakter yang masing2 terperangkap dalam status sosial mereka. Sama seperti Christian dan Annabel, keduanya desperately ingin keluar dari situasi mereka.

Gosh... gue ingin cerita ini lebih terfokus pada Christian ketimbang Annabel. Buku ini bergantian menceritakan narasinya dari sudut pandang kedua orang ini. Tapi gue jauh lebih menikmati narasi Christian. I enjoy his cynical retort, his wisecracking jokes, his struggles, his cocky manner, his chemistry with his widowed sister. He's more alive as a character!
Christian is an ass, but a likeable one. He's sure a better protagonist than Annabel. Lagipula ada apa dengan historical romance yang menjadikan karakter prianya sebagai protagonist, apakah ada sejenis peraturan tak tertulis yang menentang itu?

Anyway... gue bosan setengah mati pada babak ketiganya. So here we are... no more than three stars, dan gue tergoda memberikan dua, hanya saja gue suka dengan ide paman putus asa yang rela menyewa duke supaya menggagalkan pernikahan keponakannya yang keras kepala tapi dodol.

[María José]

Este tampoco lo he leído porque la sinopsis no me convence y después de leer el primero de la serie no me ha apetecido nada empezar este. Insisto en que las novelas de esta autora me gustaban muchísimo pero últimamente han dejado de parecerme interesantes. Una pena.

[SidneyKay · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a nice beginning for 2012!

Spoiler's ahead. If you are a fan of Laura Lee Guhrke, Trouble at the Wedding will not disappoint. This story takes us to one of my favorite time periods - Edwardian - love - love - love the clothes from that period. Thank goodness we do not wear the swan-bill corset anymore, although I think the Gibson girl silhouette is interesting. This is also the era of the so-called "dollar Princesses." A time period when English estates were having financial troubles and one of the solutions was to marry wealthy American heiresses to replenish their coffers. If you're interested, Jennie Jerome (Churchill), Consuelo Vanderbilt, Mary Leiter, Cornelia Martin, May Goelet and Nancy Langhorne Shaw (Astor), were some of these women. And, in most cases their marriages were not happy, both partners finding interest elsewhere, if you get my drift. This habit was also responsible for lovely weekend parties of discreet door knocking.

Anyway, that's what we have in this tale. We have our extremely wealthy American heiress, Annabel, who is about to marry an aristocratic chinless English earl. Now, there is a catch with the heiress. She may be rich, but she does not fit in with Mrs. Astor's elite 400. No siree, she's from the backwaters of Mississippi. Her daddy just happened to strike gold. And, even though this is a work of fiction, one can only imagine what her life would have been trying to break into the New York elite snob society of the day. (Probably not too much different than today.) This vulnerability is one of the strong components in the story, and it's also one of the reasons I loved Annabel so much. She is a smart, strong woman, but she's been hurt in the past. She wants to fit in s-o much, however, she is a little bit blinded to what it is she is trying to fit into. It just takes Annabel some time to realize that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. I was little puzzled as to why she decided that she would be more accepted in English aristocracy than she was in American so-called aristocracy. After-all, her background isn't exactly upper-crusty. Which brings me to something else I liked in this book. I was pleased with Miss Guhrke's portrayal of Annabel's background. Yes, she's from the Mississippi backwaters! Yes, she says "sugar" and drops her consonants. But at no time did I feel the need to laugh at her because of where she came from. In fact, the southern/backwater theme was very nicely written. I was glad that Ms. Guhrke didn't fall into the "let's make fun of the country yokel because they're yokels" writing. I'm not fond of stereotyping, unless, of course, it's the elite we're poking.

Then, we have Christian, our hero. He's a duke and he needs money. And, in this book, he almost plays second fiddle to our heroine. Now, he has numerous weights he's carrying around. He was married before and for some reason, he blames himself for her death. Didn't quite understand that, but I excuse him for being so young when he was married. However, you would think after a few years he would shed some of his guilt. Evidently not. Anyway, as I said before, he needs money - fast! So, he is hired by Annabel's uncle to break up the wedding between Annabel and her chinless earl fiance. Being the scoundrel that he is, Christian agrees - then, he sees Annabel - and falls for her immediately. I chose to believe he falls in love with her immediately, however, his love for Annabel isn't always that convincing. I'm not going to go into too much detail except to say that there are some twists and turns in the plots. Some things I didn't see coming. There is a nice balance of poignancy and humor. In fact, the first wedding scene is both funny and sad at the same time.

This is a delightful addition to the Abandoned at the Altar series, with an especially strong heroine who has a very vulnerable side. Usually, I am drawn to the heroes in the book. While I found Christian to be delightful and I enjoyed his humor, it was Annabel who stole the show. There was also a point when I wanted to knock their heads together, and tell them that they loved each other - but I didn't. When all is said and done, if you have been enjoying this series, you won't want to miss this Trouble at the Wedding. Great addition!!!

[Lover of Romance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Annabel grew up with not much money, but when her father lands a gold mine, but then dies suddenly she has a fortune in her possession. All Annabel has ever wanted for her life was to get married and have a family, and she has a chance to have a good life in England, to land a title and she knows he isn't the type to demand her heart on a platter, just her money. Annabel only wants to be happy, but doesn't need love in her life, at least that is what she thought until Christian, the Duke of Scarborough came into her life. Christian, has just become the Duke of Scarborough when his older brother passes away suddenly, after losing most of everything they had to gambling. Christian has been gambling most of his life, but unlike his brother, he knows the game well, and has the greatest luck to have never lost a fortune to it. When Annabel's uncle comes to him with a proposition, if he can convince her to cancel the wedding, he will give Christian half a million, which is enough to start to rebuild what his brother lost in a card game. What Christian didn't expect was to find love or a woman that would break the ice around the walls of his heart.

I was really excited to get my hands on this newest addition to Laura Lee Guhrke's books. I have just loved every one of her stories, they always capture my attention from the beginning. Even though this wasn't my favorite of hers, I still enjoyed it quite a bit, and before I knew it I was done with it, so it did fly by pretty quick, and was a easy engaging read. Set in the early 1900's which is a bit different from her other books, but I liked the era she chooses which is the Edwardian Era, which is a later era than she usually does. However I found I enjoyed the set of the scene in the beginning. It starts out in New York City, then progresses onto a ship headed for England, and it only gets better. There was a instant chemistry between this couple that I found sizzling yet tender at times as well. There was enough steam to fog your windows in the classic way that Guhrke writes her books. The story line was fun and definitely had some shocks that will fire up your nervous system. Christian is handsome, total rake, and doesn't deny it, he is proud of it except for the fact that he hides who he really is behind that facade. Christian has certain vulnerabilites that just sung to me in a real way, my heart just broke for him, he won me over almost instantly. Annabel is very spirited and knows what she wants, she also has certain weaknesses at well, that only appealed to me. I did find her a bit over the top at times, but overall I tended to like her. She definitely stirs things up and I liked how she puts Christian off kilter in such a delightful way that was very amusing at various times throughout the story.

Overall I found Trouble At The Wedding, a great additon to a full of life series that just steals your breath away. Charming characters, sensual chemistry, endearing set of cirumstances and a plot that will take you on a adventure that spans from New York to London. A breath of fresh air and I couldn't help but adore this story. A WINNER in my book!

Favorite Quote
I'm not talking about love. I'm talking about something else, a feeling I'd wager my life Rumsford has never given you."
"What feeling is that?"
He let go of her arms and cupped her face in his hands. "This one," he said, and he kissed her.

[Fangirl Musings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here's the progression of this book, in short: Interesting, good, getting better, even better, fun, best, wow, wow-wow-WOW, HOLY-COOL-PEAK, rushed scenes, resolved ending, The End. Yep, that about covers it.

Laura Lee Guhrke has a weird talent for making books oddly unique and different. She's a writer who creates interesting plots that either start off wonderful, get better, and end awesomely, or instead she creates wonderful buildup with too-hurried endings. Sadly, Trouble At The Wedding was just such a book; excellent exposition and a great first act, but an epic Dropped Ball in the final chapters.

The start of the novel was unquestionably interesting, opening with the Prologue of the heroine, Annabel, smack dab in the middle of getting married to someone Not-the-Hero. What made this book such a grab for me, personally, was the shocker that Chapter One didn't jump ahead in time to a single-heroine-zone, but rather, reversed course and retreated seven days prior to the wedding ceremony of the Prologue. Essentially Annabel and our hero, Christian, are juxtaposed in an interesting dynamic for the first half of the novel, and every page of this plot-part is a phenomenal read.

...Until Part One is resolved. As Annabel and Christian enter a new scenario, the feel of the book seems as if the author suddenly realized she was running short on pages and had to rush a bunch of scenes together. While such writing device previously went unused in the story, all of a sudden major time-jumps are occurring, almost within every chapter. The emotions and realism of the characters were seemingly sacrificed on the alter of Spliced Editing, and as the reader sees less "real time" scenes, the story almost appears to fall apart.

Ironically, despite this big-time Let Down, I still found myself desiring to see the outcome of the plot. Even while watered-down, I did care enough about the characters to reach the HEA, and enjoyed the wry humor of the fact that the novel opens with a wedding, and ends with a wedding. Overall, I enjoyed the uniquely refreshing qualities to this book, its timeline and plot-time construction, its initial on-the-seas setting and so forth, but realistically, the story was as much a let down as it was entertaining. Likable, though not remarkable.

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally posted at: http://www.longandshortreviews.blogsp...

Annabel Wheaton is new money. After her father hits it big in goldmines, she is thrust into a world of riches that were never thought possible. Growing up dirt poor in a tin roof shack, the idea of more money than she could spend in a lifetime is almost impossible to imagine. But she is learning money can’t buy you class, and it sure can’t buy you love. All money can buy you at the end of the day is heartache and an air of falsehood. With one broken heart and a failed marriage under her belt will the idea of giving love a second try be worth gambling on or is this a sign that she needs to cash in her chips?

Christian Du Quesne, Duke of Scarborough, is living a life that he never planned. After the death of his older brother he must step into the role of Duke and it has left a bitter taste in his mouth. Being a notorious rake, gambler and all around bad boy is something Christian has relished in, but now he has to grow up overnight. After one look at Annabel, Christian knows that he must possess her. There is something about her that calls to the real Christian, and not this man he has had to become.

This was a wonderful book and it was a pleasure to read. The characters were really well thought out and the story line moved at a nice, believable pace that really worked with the time period of this tale. I would have liked to see how things turned out for Christian and Annabel after the wedding, i.e. babies, Dinah’s coming out party, etc. But outside of those possible hanging details (which could make for a follow up story to this book) I truly enjoyed this read. I have read Laurie Lee Guhrke before and this book just reaffirms my thoughts that she is an author to follow and that nothing of hers will disappoint a reader. This is a book that would be great to reread and recommend with friends looking for a new author.

[Evie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trouble at the Wedding by Laura Lee Guhrke is absolutely fantastic. It is a five of five stars read. This is a story worth reading a thousand times over, and one will only fall in love again and again with Christian Du Quesne, Duke of Scaraborough and Annabel Wheaton.

Annabel is one of the most astute women characters I’ve ever read. Oh my, how she fixes her way out of ruination and makes Christian sign a contract as her Trustee is the BEST turn of events in the story; any reader can expect anything and everything, but this little twist is short of marvelous. If Christian thinks no one can ever outsmart him, he just met his match for all he’s worth. I can literally hear Annabel’s beautiful honey sweet southern drawl… (not exaggerating really…).

The attraction and foreplay between Christian and Annabel captures the reader’s attention wholly. Christian is the unattainable Duke, who’s sworn never to marry again. His vow only holds true until Annabel comes around and he admits second chances are allowed. This second chance does not right his wrongs but rights his life.

My favorite parts of the book are:

1. When Annabel’s uncle hires Christian to talk her out of marrying Rumsford. I can’t seem to get out of my head when her uncle says, “oh God no, that’d be like trading a toothless horse for a lame one” (I think that’s what the book says…)

2. When Annabel refuses Christian’s offer for a fake engagement, and tells him, “Duke or not, I wouldn’t have you on a silve platter.” That is such a good blow to his pride.

3. When they admit to each other, they truly love one another.

This book is so great that I need to read it over because I couldn’t get enough of it the first time. I’ve read tons of books, and out of all those I have very few that are simply unforgettable, and re-readable a thousand times over.

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 out of 5. A very captivating read, set in the early 20th century, when American industrial giants with bulging bank accounts were seeking social prominence in the world by marrying either themselves or their children to English aristocrats who were in dire need of funds. This novel features a young American heiress--actually an almost accidental heiress--who has found herself to be in possession of massive amounts of money due to the mining successes of a father she never knew. Now she wants to finally achieve some social acceptance, not only for herself but for her younger sister who she desires will never have to put up with the slurs that are commonly thrown to "poor white trash" or those who are seen as social "untouchables." Her fiance is an starchy British aristocrat who treats her nicely (for now) in the hopes of gaining her control of her fortune. Her uncle is not happy about the union, knowing that the Brit is a scoundrel in "sheep's clothing." This is a well-written, well-researched historical novel set in a period that is not as often utilized as a background for historical romance as the Regency period. The cast of characters is colorful and personable, full of the bluster and falderol common to the so-called upper class and rife with all the dos and don'ts of the society of that time. Just a really fun read.