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Once Upon a Wedding #1
The Fairy Tale Bride
Miranda Fenster was known as the Fairy Tale Miss during the one disastrous London season that convinced her she would never have a happily-ever-after. But when her brother's love match is thwarted by the impossibly proper Duke of Kerstone, Miranda sets off to convince the duke to champion her brother's cause for love. Unfortunately, he is too proper to consider love a suitable reason for marriage, and too proper not to marry Miranda when they find themselves compromised. Now, Miranda has a second chance for happily-ever-after, if she can uncover her new husband's darkest secret.
320 pages, ebook
First published October 1, 2000
1653 people are currently reading
3315 people want to read
About the author
Kelly McClymer
53 books202 followersUSA Today bestselling author Kelly McClymer writes fairytale-inspired romances set in Victorian England (although a few characters escape to the United States), fairytale fantasy, and mom-inspired mystery.
Kelly shares her characters’ family values: she grew up with three younger sisters and has successfully raised three children of her own. She enjoys spending time with her grandchildren.
Kelly’s first published writing was for her high school newspaper and she’s been writing fiction in many forms ever since. While she explores many genres including historical romance, mystery, young adult, and fantasy, her stories share common themes: developing inner strength, the power of love in all it’s forms, triumph of good over evil, and the strength of family connection.
Kelly shares her characters’ family values: she grew up with three younger sisters and has successfully raised three children of her own. She enjoys spending time with her grandchildren.
Kelly’s first published writing was for her high school newspaper and she’s been writing fiction in many forms ever since. While she explores many genres including historical romance, mystery, young adult, and fantasy, her stories share common themes: developing inner strength, the power of love in all it’s forms, triumph of good over evil, and the strength of family connection.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 375 reviews
April 6, 2013
First in the Once Upon a Wedding historical romance series. This installment is set in England in 1832. The couple focus is on Miranda Fenster and Simon Watterly.
My Take
Cute idea, but never make me read this melodramatic claptrap again. Talk about taking liberties with the time period. The heir would never have been in the military. That was always the second son's career path with religion set aside for the third son. Oh, please. The almost-scandal "forces" Miranda's mother to remove her from Society??
While I appreciate McClymer's creating an emancipated female in this post-Regency tale, I wish it weren't so dorky. Although, to be fair, there is very much a sense of the fairy tale merged with historical romance. Now if only McClymer had done some research and put some effort into making this a more believable tale. She certainly isn't lacking in imagination and a sense of the dramatic.
WTF? His mother knows she's unwelcome at Simon's home and at his wedding, so she shows up and then berates him for wanting a wedding night?? Has the boy no spine? Toss her out of the house... Oh, wait. Then McClymer would have to think instead of having the wicked, witchy mother for the readers to hate.
Oh please. "Was this woman evil inside, as Snow White's stepmother had been?"
And the storyline is full of these silly fairy tale references. And, yes, I'm shocked that I'm actually saying that because I do adore fairy tales. I suspect my problem with it is that McClymer has created a strong female character. Who seriously believes that life is a fairy tale.
The Story
Simon's greatest ambition is to die. To take his secret to the grave and ensure that the bloodline continues.
It's a painful choice as he had been about to make an offer to a woman he saw as more than worthy to be his duchess.
The Characters
Miss Miranda Fenster is considered plain, and she can't resist fairy tales. She also firmly believes in her own worth and her own opinions and is determined never to put herself under the control of a man. Valentine is her protective twin brother. Together they have an additional five sisters: Hero, Juliet, Rosaline and Helena are twins, and Kate. Their parents died a few years ago, and it doesn't appear to be any great loss.
Simon Watterly, the current Duke of Kerstone, is an officer in His Majesty's service, bound for India, bound by a ridiculous secret. Sinclair was the sixth duke, the man whom the world saw as his father. William is his coachman; Mrs. Hoskins is the housekeeper at his country seat; Dome is the butler; Barcus is the head groom; and, the sickly cousin Arthur is Simon's heir. Peter is the older brother who died in the wars.
Giles Grimthorpe is his venal, disgusting cousin. Celine Camberley is a duke's daughter. Watson is an American who comes to apologize to the dowager duchess. Jeanne is his youngest daughter.
Emily is the daughter of the Earl of Connaught and beloved of Valentine. Only the earl refuses his suit. Betsy is a village urchin who's gotten lost. Her mother, Katherine Lawton, is an herbalist whom Miranda hires as her lady's maid.
The Cover
The cover is a very posed couple in historical dress, totally absorbed in each other. And it looks as though they've been holding that pose for hours and are getting tired of it...
The title is too true, for Miranda believes that life is a fairy tale, and she is The Fairy Tale Bride.
My Take
Cute idea, but never make me read this melodramatic claptrap again. Talk about taking liberties with the time period. The heir would never have been in the military. That was always the second son's career path with religion set aside for the third son. Oh, please. The almost-scandal "forces" Miranda's mother to remove her from Society??
While I appreciate McClymer's creating an emancipated female in this post-Regency tale, I wish it weren't so dorky. Although, to be fair, there is very much a sense of the fairy tale merged with historical romance. Now if only McClymer had done some research and put some effort into making this a more believable tale. She certainly isn't lacking in imagination and a sense of the dramatic.
WTF? His mother knows she's unwelcome at Simon's home and at his wedding, so she shows up and then berates him for wanting a wedding night?? Has the boy no spine? Toss her out of the house... Oh, wait. Then McClymer would have to think instead of having the wicked, witchy mother for the readers to hate.
Oh please. "Was this woman evil inside, as Snow White's stepmother had been?"
And the storyline is full of these silly fairy tale references. And, yes, I'm shocked that I'm actually saying that because I do adore fairy tales. I suspect my problem with it is that McClymer has created a strong female character. Who seriously believes that life is a fairy tale.
The Story
Simon's greatest ambition is to die. To take his secret to the grave and ensure that the bloodline continues.
It's a painful choice as he had been about to make an offer to a woman he saw as more than worthy to be his duchess.
The Characters
Miss Miranda Fenster is considered plain, and she can't resist fairy tales. She also firmly believes in her own worth and her own opinions and is determined never to put herself under the control of a man. Valentine is her protective twin brother. Together they have an additional five sisters: Hero, Juliet, Rosaline and Helena are twins, and Kate. Their parents died a few years ago, and it doesn't appear to be any great loss.
Simon Watterly, the current Duke of Kerstone, is an officer in His Majesty's service, bound for India, bound by a ridiculous secret. Sinclair was the sixth duke, the man whom the world saw as his father. William is his coachman; Mrs. Hoskins is the housekeeper at his country seat; Dome is the butler; Barcus is the head groom; and, the sickly cousin Arthur is Simon's heir. Peter is the older brother who died in the wars.
Giles Grimthorpe is his venal, disgusting cousin. Celine Camberley is a duke's daughter. Watson is an American who comes to apologize to the dowager duchess. Jeanne is his youngest daughter.
Emily is the daughter of the Earl of Connaught and beloved of Valentine. Only the earl refuses his suit. Betsy is a village urchin who's gotten lost. Her mother, Katherine Lawton, is an herbalist whom Miranda hires as her lady's maid.
The Cover
The cover is a very posed couple in historical dress, totally absorbed in each other. And it looks as though they've been holding that pose for hours and are getting tired of it...
The title is too true, for Miranda believes that life is a fairy tale, and she is The Fairy Tale Bride.
February 14, 2016
Simon was too stubborn....Miranda too stupidly naive...and the constant reference to fairytales over done....there were some good scenes but mostly an unsatisfactory read!
September 4, 2012
I thought this was OK. The author definitely shows promise in terms of imagination and writing skill, but I felt at times that there were too many sub plots involved, plus too many repeat incidents of Simon, the Duke of Kerstone (our hero)wanting to teach our heroine (Miss Miranda Fenston)a valuable lesson about the danger of always thinking the best of people. That said, the writing did improve as the story progressed, although I believe it could have benefited from a bit more plot editing - too many unnecessary incidents that seemed to slow the pacing. But, like I said, the author does show promise, so I'd be curious to read the sequels to this book. Plus, I would like to know what happens to the other characters =)
For a FREE copy (August 2012) please click the link below:
http://www.amazon.com/Fairy-Tale-Brid...
Blurb:
Miranda Fenster was known as the Fairy Tale Miss during the one disastrous London season that convinced her she would never have a happily-ever-after. But when her brother's love match is thwarted by the impossibly proper Duke of Kerstone, Miranda sets off to convince the duke to champion her brother's cause for love. Unfortunately, he is too proper to consider love a suitable reason for marriage, and too proper not to marry Miranda when they find themselves compromised. Now, Miranda has a second chance for happily-ever-after, if she can uncover her new husband's darkest secret.
For a FREE copy (August 2012) please click the link below:
http://www.amazon.com/Fairy-Tale-Brid...
Blurb:
Miranda Fenster was known as the Fairy Tale Miss during the one disastrous London season that convinced her she would never have a happily-ever-after. But when her brother's love match is thwarted by the impossibly proper Duke of Kerstone, Miranda sets off to convince the duke to champion her brother's cause for love. Unfortunately, he is too proper to consider love a suitable reason for marriage, and too proper not to marry Miranda when they find themselves compromised. Now, Miranda has a second chance for happily-ever-after, if she can uncover her new husband's darkest secret.
September 20, 2019
This is a first read from this new author Kelly McClymer and was a bit disappointed. Both main characters were nerve racking...I think Simon was overbearing and too self consumed with being bastard child in a Duke's title. Miranda appeared to be this strong willed person but at times turned into a stupid, naive, and timid woman.
Although there was some good parts of the plot but it was very undeveloped in other areas that could have brought out a bit more understanding of the hate by one character, the cousin charcter that seemed thrown into the fray, the ending seemed unrealistic and the story just dragged/or was too slow getting to the "secret".
Not sure if I will entertain the next in this series.
2-Stars
Although there was some good parts of the plot but it was very undeveloped in other areas that could have brought out a bit more understanding of the hate by one character, the cousin charcter that seemed thrown into the fray, the ending seemed unrealistic and the story just dragged/or was too slow getting to the "secret".
Not sure if I will entertain the next in this series.
2-Stars
December 24, 2012
I gave up half way through this book. By then I was way way over this grown woman's fixation with fairy tales and constantly referring to them when talking to the hero. Painfully immature. The constant belaboring the imminent end of hero's status as duke, and numerous veiled references to him being the previous duke's bastard, with no real clarification about that situation was also supremely tedious and tried my patience to the limit.
Ghastly experience, and one I won't be in a hurry to repeart.
Ghastly experience, and one I won't be in a hurry to repeart.
February 2, 2012
You know what they say about a car wreck, where it's so awful you can't look away? This book is like a car wreck that you want to look away from it, but you have to stare at it because your boss is making you.
MISTAKE
MISTAKE
February 8, 2023
I gave it about 15% of the book, then dnf'd. It didn't feel as though anything we're happening and I wasn't connected with the characters whatsoever. 2.5 stars.
June 14, 2016
1832 – a secret is being revealed and the duke is devastated. Marrying Miranda Fester isn’t possible now.
Five years later, she’s still full of dreams and ideals of love and honor and soo naïve it’s unbelievable. She always thinks the best about people and he is just a cynic.
Characters?
Really, really, really disappointing….
I was disappointed that our supposed heroine is so stupid. I am a fan of propriety and she was way too wanton for me. I can’t stand novels with female characters who don’t care about being caught with a man that are set during the regency period. I mean, gosh, don’t think about yourself if you don’t want to but you’ve got five sisters!!
And then our hero… Ach… He thinks our heroine is foolish, which she is, no doubt, but I can’t believe that he honestly teaches her lessons!! I mean, god, that’s just plain awful. He scares her, he ridicules her…
And don’t let me start on all the male statements he lets out. ‘Some things a wife is not meant to know’. He basically tells her that women aren’t supposed to do this and that and wives aren’t supposed to do this and know that… Dude… NO!
I really thought our heroine would say something against this but no, she totally accepts him being tense and cold and just plain awful with her after the marriage.
Yeah, another key word: marriage. Ahm… I can’t believe his behavior towards his wife after the marriage. Seriously, why marry her at all??
Also, I hate the whole dowager duchess thingy. My god, this woman is pure evil and I’m really, really against this whole ‘forgiving’ business. I mean, there’s no way I would ever even listen to the bitter words of this mean woman and yet, Miranda totally does and she even tells her everything she wants to know even though she kinda knows in the beginning that the Duke himself doesn’t think kindly of his own mother so why would she try to mend the relationship?
She’s been lying to him, she’s been calling him terrible names and he doesn’t turn her out? He doesn’t tell her to finally leave him alone?
Ahh, I hate this…
And then of course the big secret is revealed and I'm just like: Yeah, sooo?? She could have told her son before, she could have helped him to feel better about himself and his position.
But no, she chose to hurt her own son!
Plot?
The plot is simply ridiculous.
I hate that he forgives his mother so quickly.
I hate that he hurts his wife even though he WANTED to have her, he totally pushes her away the whole freaking book. Unnerving…
Plus, I hate that he blames her for lying but it's totally fine that he lies to her the entire time.
I hate that the ending is sooo unrealistic. Basically, I hate that the whole plot is just soo frustrating with all those lies and secrets...
Writing style?
Yeah, was good ;).
Five years later, she’s still full of dreams and ideals of love and honor and soo naïve it’s unbelievable. She always thinks the best about people and he is just a cynic.
Characters?
Really, really, really disappointing….
I was disappointed that our supposed heroine is so stupid. I am a fan of propriety and she was way too wanton for me. I can’t stand novels with female characters who don’t care about being caught with a man that are set during the regency period. I mean, gosh, don’t think about yourself if you don’t want to but you’ve got five sisters!!
And then our hero… Ach… He thinks our heroine is foolish, which she is, no doubt, but I can’t believe that he honestly teaches her lessons!! I mean, god, that’s just plain awful. He scares her, he ridicules her…
And don’t let me start on all the male statements he lets out. ‘Some things a wife is not meant to know’. He basically tells her that women aren’t supposed to do this and that and wives aren’t supposed to do this and know that… Dude… NO!
I really thought our heroine would say something against this but no, she totally accepts him being tense and cold and just plain awful with her after the marriage.
Yeah, another key word: marriage. Ahm… I can’t believe his behavior towards his wife after the marriage. Seriously, why marry her at all??
Also, I hate the whole dowager duchess thingy. My god, this woman is pure evil and I’m really, really against this whole ‘forgiving’ business. I mean, there’s no way I would ever even listen to the bitter words of this mean woman and yet, Miranda totally does and she even tells her everything she wants to know even though she kinda knows in the beginning that the Duke himself doesn’t think kindly of his own mother so why would she try to mend the relationship?
She’s been lying to him, she’s been calling him terrible names and he doesn’t turn her out? He doesn’t tell her to finally leave him alone?
Ahh, I hate this…
And then of course the big secret is revealed and I'm just like: Yeah, sooo?? She could have told her son before, she could have helped him to feel better about himself and his position.
But no, she chose to hurt her own son!
Plot?
The plot is simply ridiculous.
I hate that he forgives his mother so quickly.
I hate that he hurts his wife even though he WANTED to have her, he totally pushes her away the whole freaking book. Unnerving…
Plus, I hate that he blames her for lying but it's totally fine that he lies to her the entire time.
I hate that the ending is sooo unrealistic. Basically, I hate that the whole plot is just soo frustrating with all those lies and secrets...
Writing style?
Yeah, was good ;).
February 26, 2018
1.5*
This was so bad, not even getting it for free made up for it.
I thought my book had parts missing, we would jump from one thing to another, I had to reread sections over and over to make sure it was me that had not skipped something.
This was extremely inaccurate for the time period, and the twist and turns got more ridiculous with each chapter.
#13 A book with a plot centered around a secret
This was so bad, not even getting it for free made up for it.
I thought my book had parts missing, we would jump from one thing to another, I had to reread sections over and over to make sure it was me that had not skipped something.
This was extremely inaccurate for the time period, and the twist and turns got more ridiculous with each chapter.
#13 A book with a plot centered around a secret
did-not-finish
September 5, 2023DNF at 10%.
Authors, if you're going to write a series with each book featuring a different couple, you still have to make it so someone can read one of the books and not be completely lost as to the backstory.
So there's that.
But also, this story makes no sense. The heroine proudly talks of reading Mary Wollstonecraft and then is dropping allusions to Cinder Ella and her Price Charming left and right. Gag me.
Authors, if you're going to write a series with each book featuring a different couple, you still have to make it so someone can read one of the books and not be completely lost as to the backstory.
So there's that.
But also, this story makes no sense. The heroine proudly talks of reading Mary Wollstonecraft and then is dropping allusions to Cinder Ella and her Price Charming left and right. Gag me.
November 2, 2018
3.5 Stars
The Fairy Tale Bride features a sweet romance between a woman who believes in happily ever after and the man who holds the key to hers.
Miranda Fenster truly believes there is a fairy tale romance out there for everyone and she's on a mission to help her brother get his back on track. The one thing standing in her way? Simon Watterly, Duke of Kerstone. Simon thinks anyone claiming happiness is putting up a facade and believes Miranda's claims of fairy tale love are laughable at best. Simon's plan is to ensure his cousin Arthur is able to take his place as heir to the dukedom for in six months he plans to "die" wherein he can retreat to America, never forced to put up with society and its falsities again. If only Miranda hadn't thrown herself in his path again tempting him as the one woman he thought to change everything for five years ago.
Miranda is one of seven children, six girls and one boy, whom upon her parents death has cared for her siblings as she is the eldest along with her twin brother. Miranda is fond of fairy tales and has a knack for story telling, something she does quite frequently. Miranda is worried about her brother since his return from war and upon his relationship with a woman falling apart when the woman's family would not consent to their marriage.
Simon always knew he would one day inherit his father's title only for his world to be turned upside down on the night of his father's death. Now Simon wants nothing more than to get rid of his title and plans to fake his death since he didn't manage to get himself killed serving as an officer in His Majesty's service. Simon has a deep sense of what is and is not honorable and refuses to let himself hold a title he doesn't believe he deserves.
Miranda and Simon's relationship doesn't start on the best of terms as after they're forced to seek shelter alone together, he does the honorable thing and informs her brother resulting in them getting married despite Miranda's objections. Both Miranda and Simon are immediately attracted to one another but they can never seem to agree with one another to find common ground long enough to advance their relationship. I did find myself frustrated with Simon at times because his keeping so much from Miranda really puts a strain on their relationship and I wished he'd fessed up sooner.
Overall The Fairy Tale Bride was an enjoyable read and I hope to pick up future books in the series in the future.
The Fairy Tale Bride features a sweet romance between a woman who believes in happily ever after and the man who holds the key to hers.
Miranda Fenster truly believes there is a fairy tale romance out there for everyone and she's on a mission to help her brother get his back on track. The one thing standing in her way? Simon Watterly, Duke of Kerstone. Simon thinks anyone claiming happiness is putting up a facade and believes Miranda's claims of fairy tale love are laughable at best. Simon's plan is to ensure his cousin Arthur is able to take his place as heir to the dukedom for in six months he plans to "die" wherein he can retreat to America, never forced to put up with society and its falsities again. If only Miranda hadn't thrown herself in his path again tempting him as the one woman he thought to change everything for five years ago.
Miranda is one of seven children, six girls and one boy, whom upon her parents death has cared for her siblings as she is the eldest along with her twin brother. Miranda is fond of fairy tales and has a knack for story telling, something she does quite frequently. Miranda is worried about her brother since his return from war and upon his relationship with a woman falling apart when the woman's family would not consent to their marriage.
Simon always knew he would one day inherit his father's title only for his world to be turned upside down on the night of his father's death. Now Simon wants nothing more than to get rid of his title and plans to fake his death since he didn't manage to get himself killed serving as an officer in His Majesty's service. Simon has a deep sense of what is and is not honorable and refuses to let himself hold a title he doesn't believe he deserves.
Miranda and Simon's relationship doesn't start on the best of terms as after they're forced to seek shelter alone together, he does the honorable thing and informs her brother resulting in them getting married despite Miranda's objections. Both Miranda and Simon are immediately attracted to one another but they can never seem to agree with one another to find common ground long enough to advance their relationship. I did find myself frustrated with Simon at times because his keeping so much from Miranda really puts a strain on their relationship and I wished he'd fessed up sooner.
Overall The Fairy Tale Bride was an enjoyable read and I hope to pick up future books in the series in the future.
April 20, 2019
Not satisfying as a romance, a period piece, or even a fluffy piece of escapism.
Our heroine Miranda definitely qualifies as Too Stupid to Live. She makes some of the worst decisions about her health and safety a woman of her era could make and manages to come through mostly unscathed, though at times there were references to some scandal in her past that didn't really seem to be talking about the encounter she had in the prologue, because didn't that get effectively covered up? I was confused. (Not a point in the book's favor that the plot, weak as it was, could be difficult to follow at times because of apparent inconsistencies.)
Our hero Simon is not quite The Worst, but he's pretty bad. Since Miranda was such a blithering idiot, Simon continuously felt it necessary to "teach her a lesson," and those lessons included nearly seducing her, in an early scene that was, in modern-day terms, clearly sexual assault even if he stopped short of deflowering her; later he follows her in disguise, assaults her again in a less sexual way, and robs her of the trinkets she'd intended to pawn. From these incidents and a few other more minor ones, she's supposed to learn to not be a naive girl and put herself into compromising positions, because what if the next man wouldn't stop! Gross, gross, gross.
As if that weren't enough to make me throw my hands up in despair, these two morons never actually fall in love. Simon's horrible secret prevents him from asking for Miranda's hand five years ago, but it's never really established that it's a love match rather than any other sort of engagement, and we don't have any time to see them being fond of each other. In the present of the story, they treat each other like garbage and I simply don't believe their behavior ever equates with love, no matter what their words (or their horny, horny bodies) might say.
Our heroine Miranda definitely qualifies as Too Stupid to Live. She makes some of the worst decisions about her health and safety a woman of her era could make and manages to come through mostly unscathed, though at times there were references to some scandal in her past that didn't really seem to be talking about the encounter she had in the prologue, because didn't that get effectively covered up? I was confused. (Not a point in the book's favor that the plot, weak as it was, could be difficult to follow at times because of apparent inconsistencies.)
Our hero Simon is not quite The Worst, but he's pretty bad. Since Miranda was such a blithering idiot, Simon continuously felt it necessary to "teach her a lesson," and those lessons included nearly seducing her, in an early scene that was, in modern-day terms, clearly sexual assault even if he stopped short of deflowering her; later he follows her in disguise, assaults her again in a less sexual way, and robs her of the trinkets she'd intended to pawn. From these incidents and a few other more minor ones, she's supposed to learn to not be a naive girl and put herself into compromising positions, because what if the next man wouldn't stop! Gross, gross, gross.
As if that weren't enough to make me throw my hands up in despair, these two morons never actually fall in love. Simon's horrible secret prevents him from asking for Miranda's hand five years ago, but it's never really established that it's a love match rather than any other sort of engagement, and we don't have any time to see them being fond of each other. In the present of the story, they treat each other like garbage and I simply don't believe their behavior ever equates with love, no matter what their words (or their horny, horny bodies) might say.
September 12, 2019
Simon is a duke but sure that he's a bastard and not worthy of the title. For some cockamamie reason he marries a woman who love fairy tales and brings them up in all situations. He pretends he's going to die in 6 months and refuses to consummate their marriage to prevent making any heirs to the dukedom that would inherit from him, to ensure that someone "truly" related to the dukedom will inherit after he "dies." Of course his impending "death" and refusal to consummate the marriage torments his naive wife, but secretly he loves her so it's ok! In the end some very unlikely twists convince Simon to retain the dukedom.
At first this book didn't bother me, but Simon gets progressively crueler and nastier with every page. Not 10 pages go by without him randomly choosing some new woman to slutshame for no clear reason. The baddie who's been causing all their troubles is insanely obvious from the start, and it was infuriating how long it took for anyone to catch on. Miranda is so completely unworldly and foolish that I found her completely unbelievable. The only people I didn't hate in this book were bookish, continually almost-assassinated Arthur, and the tightly controlled dowager duchess.
At first this book didn't bother me, but Simon gets progressively crueler and nastier with every page. Not 10 pages go by without him randomly choosing some new woman to slutshame for no clear reason. The baddie who's been causing all their troubles is insanely obvious from the start, and it was infuriating how long it took for anyone to catch on. Miranda is so completely unworldly and foolish that I found her completely unbelievable. The only people I didn't hate in this book were bookish, continually almost-assassinated Arthur, and the tightly controlled dowager duchess.
February 2, 2020
So I read fully up for 29% of this book and then skimmed ahead (heavily) as this was giving me a headache. The plot was very disjointed and the hero’s motivations made no sense. His blaming of his “evil” mother and general attitude irked me. However, I’ve read romance novels where the hero is one in name only - basically an alpha-ass-hat in sheep’s clothing. Usually it’s the heroine who saves such books for me. Here her dialogue and references to Cinderella - sorry Cinder Ella - made me pull my hair out.
Maybe one day I will muster the courage to finish this. They say suffering is good for your soul after all.
Maybe one day I will muster the courage to finish this. They say suffering is good for your soul after all.
July 23, 2016
I liked Simon in the beginning but when he returns 5 yrs later I didn't like him at all. His character flaws were too pronounced with not enough to make him likable despite them. His ability to lie and trick her into marriage but couldn't handle even the slightest deception on her part without any internal dialogue that he felt any remorse for making her think he was dying and the dressing up and stealing her valuables. I couldn't reconcile myself to such deception from someone so it was hard to read it. Yes this character needs some major personal growth. His attitude towards making her a decent wife was hard to swallow too. So I gave up half way through and decided I just didn't want to push myself to the end. As for the fairy tale allusions I found they stuck out like a sore thumb and made the heroine a bit of a conflicted character. On one hand she believed in happy endings but was giving up on a happy ending for herself by spurning marriage. Also she's expecting too much of him accosting him in the abandon bldg, using his secreted pouch as something to prove he doesn't love or trust her.
April 23, 2013
Although the plot was quite well thought through, unfortunately the writing didn't quite live up to it.
Don't get me wrong, it wasn't terrible writing, just mediocre.
I found that I become a bit annoyed with both the Hero and Heroine. He for his self-pity and her for her (it seemed) endless quoting of fairy tales.
As far as the jeopardy portion of the plot was concerned, the villain did come across as a little implausible.
All things considered a 3 star read. I wouldn't let me so-so review put you off, give it a try. I will certainly be reading more by this author to see if this was just below her usual standard, or all she the standard she can achieve.
Note: Free Kindle Download (see my blog www.toodlesbookclub.blogspot.com for daily selections of free downloads).
Don't get me wrong, it wasn't terrible writing, just mediocre.
I found that I become a bit annoyed with both the Hero and Heroine. He for his self-pity and her for her (it seemed) endless quoting of fairy tales.
As far as the jeopardy portion of the plot was concerned, the villain did come across as a little implausible.
All things considered a 3 star read. I wouldn't let me so-so review put you off, give it a try. I will certainly be reading more by this author to see if this was just below her usual standard, or all she the standard she can achieve.
Note: Free Kindle Download (see my blog www.toodlesbookclub.blogspot.com for daily selections of free downloads).
September 29, 2020
Absolutely no redeeming qualities - badly written, not researched so there are numerous historical inaccuracies and it's boring. The hero is a spoiled nitwit and the heroine goes through life constantly talking about how events are similar to those in fairy tales - it's not cute - it's annoying and silly. I finally gave up even trying to make sense of the all characters' actions and skimmed to the end just to see how it ended. A total waste of my time. The only redeeming factor is that it was free.
August 9, 2011
Just okay for me. Simon was too annoying with his unbending attitude, and plan to divest himself of his title.
I thought Miranda was too understanding for too long. She did everything for her family and then took too much abuse off her cranky husband--even though during those times that was what women did. Still I like my heroines to have some spunk!
I thought Miranda was too understanding for too long. She did everything for her family and then took too much abuse off her cranky husband--even though during those times that was what women did. Still I like my heroines to have some spunk!
November 17, 2018
Enjoyed the character and their struggle to find their happy ending. Enjoyed the suspenseful aspect, and talk about sexual tension, incredible. At times, the tension did create quite a bit of angst, though. Happy reading!
October 17, 2012
Not a clean read! I am getting more and more hesitant at starting "free" books even after reading all the reviews. I better stick to the books those I trust have already read.
April 26, 2021
This is an enjoyable historical romance. It's a bit spicy but not over the top. Like many love stories, there is an initial attraction between our hero and heroine, but a plethora of misunderstandings and miscommunication along the way that keep them apart — even after they've tied the knot!
August 28, 2023
Lightweight and entertaining Regency romance with a sincere, sympathetic heroine who is love with a lying, manipulative man who comes up with some of the most outrageously foolish plans—he should be horsewhipped—or maybe this author should run her plot lines by a commonsense editor.
September 25, 2019
❤
It's not wrong to believe in fairy tales. It's not wrong to hope for a happily ever after and trust in love and happiness. This novel is a great remainder that if our hearts desire then we all need to do is trust.
It's not wrong to believe in fairy tales. It's not wrong to hope for a happily ever after and trust in love and happiness. This novel is a great remainder that if our hearts desire then we all need to do is trust.
September 18, 2023
Slow
Very slow read until the last 3 chapters. More interaction with characters in the beginning and not about how things looked in houses would have been nice.
Very slow read until the last 3 chapters. More interaction with characters in the beginning and not about how things looked in houses would have been nice.
May 25, 2022
This book was so bad it was almost laughable. None of the characters are remotely likable. The hero is a total selfish a** and the heroine thinks she can solve everyone’s problems that it becomes annoying. Even the side characters aren’t necessarily nice people. There is a lot of hiding issues and secrets which is what drives the story and it is just isn’t well done.
The narrator was fine but there is a white noise in the background that makes the technical aspect of the recording that gives it an echoing feel.
The narrator was fine but there is a white noise in the background that makes the technical aspect of the recording that gives it an echoing feel.
August 13, 2016
At first I was on the fence and a little confused. I have never understood the different titles in England which did not help me at all. The beginning was a little confusing for me but as the author and narrator took me through the book I grew to understand a little better. If one takes into fact the year this book was written about it all come together nicely.
There is passion not so much of what we see into today’s writing but more of how it would have been if the book was written back in time. This is a pretty clean read which I feel adds to the delivery of the book. The one thing I adore above everything was the British accent, it adds so much to this story. I was so in shock over the accent that it took me awhile to get into the story. I so love the accent that I wasn’t listening so much to the words as the voice which was truly amazing and lovely. However the beginning of the audio does have some buzzing in it which I found to be annoying but it did clean up to be a very joy able listen.
I found Bushra Laskar as a narrator to be a delight with a wonderful easy flowing voice that I could listen to all day. Her British accent added so much to the book, it was smooth and flowed easy. I did not hear to many character changes, there were a few that I thought were lovely but I did not notice many. In no way did that take away from the story.
When I picked my kindle up to listen I thought it would be more of a fairy tale kind of a repeat of old stories with a twist. That was not the case, the stories Miranda told were of old childhood stories we were told, the book was not a remade of fairy tales. Most people thought Miranda a little off but she stuck to her believes in a HEA. For me the narrator had me hooked even through the beginning with the confusion.
I would have liked to have seen a little more to the ending but the ending was a nice one with lots of HEAs for everyone. The authors writing style at the beginning is a little confusing but as you go along it is easy to follow and flows easily. I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to listen or read to more from this author. I did download another audio and the box set of the Fairy Tale Brides.
May 11, 2015
I DIDN'T GET THAT SOPHISTICAL ROMANCE FEEL TO THE STORY
The Fairy Tale Bride was just OK. It need a lot of editing to to put the sequence of the story in a better order. The Characters and back story were under developed. I didn't get that Historical Feel. The author failed to put us in the period. The cover of the book looks like a contemporary romance book and not historical romance.
I did like Miranda Fenster the H. Simon the Duke of Kerstone was just OK for me. All the other characters in the story needed more descriptions and development. I liked all the surprising twist and turns in the story. You know who the villain is without any doubt, but its never really clear why how he was in the line of the Dukes succession. The story gets a little muddled at times. But it did have a fairy take ending. I am grateful this book was free!! Its not quite good enough for me to pay money for. The sex scenes were nothing to mention and I don't know why a reviewer would give it a negative comment about the sex scenes. They were not descriptive at all. Quickly done may only in 2 lines. Boring at best!!
The Fairy Tale Bride was just OK. It need a lot of editing to to put the sequence of the story in a better order. The Characters and back story were under developed. I didn't get that Historical Feel. The author failed to put us in the period. The cover of the book looks like a contemporary romance book and not historical romance.
I did like Miranda Fenster the H. Simon the Duke of Kerstone was just OK for me. All the other characters in the story needed more descriptions and development. I liked all the surprising twist and turns in the story. You know who the villain is without any doubt, but its never really clear why how he was in the line of the Dukes succession. The story gets a little muddled at times. But it did have a fairy take ending. I am grateful this book was free!! Its not quite good enough for me to pay money for. The sex scenes were nothing to mention and I don't know why a reviewer would give it a negative comment about the sex scenes. They were not descriptive at all. Quickly done may only in 2 lines. Boring at best!!
July 8, 2011
2.5/3.0
Miranda is a young lady out for her first London season, made fun of because of her propensity to relate everything to one fairytale or another.
The Duke of Kerstone is smitten with her and plans on offering for her hand in marriage when he finds out some disturbing news and decides to go off to war instead.
Five years later the Duke returns, Miranda is still unmarried and he still wants her, but refuses to marry because he plans on giving up the dukedom. It turns out he's illegitimate (seriously, what is WITH this theme in Regency Romance?!) and he doesn't take it well. He plans on faking his own death and giving over the title to a distant cousin he was able to find.
The story was kind of convoluted. The Duke is illegitimate, he plans on faking his death, he gets married to Miranda, but then won't touch her for fear of her getting pregnant before he "dies," she thinks he's ill and only has 6 months to live...
Sheesh. Could have been better. Could have been worse.
Miranda is a young lady out for her first London season, made fun of because of her propensity to relate everything to one fairytale or another.
The Duke of Kerstone is smitten with her and plans on offering for her hand in marriage when he finds out some disturbing news and decides to go off to war instead.
Five years later the Duke returns, Miranda is still unmarried and he still wants her, but refuses to marry because he plans on giving up the dukedom. It turns out he's illegitimate (seriously, what is WITH this theme in Regency Romance?!) and he doesn't take it well. He plans on faking his own death and giving over the title to a distant cousin he was able to find.
The story was kind of convoluted. The Duke is illegitimate, he plans on faking his death, he gets married to Miranda, but then won't touch her for fear of her getting pregnant before he "dies," she thinks he's ill and only has 6 months to live...
Sheesh. Could have been better. Could have been worse.
June 2, 2012
It's hard to decide what to give this book, so I'm giving it a 3 since that's the average. (I was fluctuating from 2-4 and couldn't decide).
Some parts were really interesting and very enjoyable, but others were just so hard to believe. In the end it was a cute story, but I'm glad that it was a book I purchased for free on Amazon for my Kindle. I don't think I'll be reading future books in this series, since some scenes were more graphic than I had thought they'd be.
If The Fairy Tale Bride sounds interesting to you, you can still get it for free on Amazon and B&N.
Some parts were really interesting and very enjoyable, but others were just so hard to believe. In the end it was a cute story, but I'm glad that it was a book I purchased for free on Amazon for my Kindle. I don't think I'll be reading future books in this series, since some scenes were more graphic than I had thought they'd be.
If The Fairy Tale Bride sounds interesting to you, you can still get it for free on Amazon and B&N.
October 1, 2017
This book was, in a word, exasperating. I understand that the misunderstanding is a tried and true method of introducing conflict into a romance, but there's such a thing as taking it too far. I finished the book but I was honestly so frustrated with everybody in it by the end of it that I was just glad to be done. I don't think it was terribly written. I suspect that for some people it would be a very enjoyable story, but it didn't work for me.
I didn't really get attached to any of the characters, the heroine was stubborn in all the least helpful ways. The hero needed someone to box his ears. The dowager duchess and that whole mess should have been interesting and maybe somewhat emotional, but by the time it was all explained to me I'd rather stopped caring about any of it.
I didn't really get attached to any of the characters, the heroine was stubborn in all the least helpful ways. The hero needed someone to box his ears. The dowager duchess and that whole mess should have been interesting and maybe somewhat emotional, but by the time it was all explained to me I'd rather stopped caring about any of it.
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