Captain Fawley's Innocent Bride

The Fawley's #2

by Annie Burrows

You met battle-scarred Captain Fawley in "His Cinderella Bride", you saw how he learned to come to terms with his half brother Lord Walton in "The Earl's Untouched Bride" - now read his own story of how he captures the heart of his own Innocent Bride

Genres: Historical Romance, Historical, Romance, Regency, Harlequin, Regency Romance, Harlequin Historical

216 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 15, 2008

About the author

I've been published by Mills & Boon since 2007..but I'd been making up stories in my head for as long as I can remember. It was a long walk home from school, and there were no ipods in those days to keep you amused! When I wasn't daydreaming, I had my nose stuck in a book. My parents used to take me to the library every Saturday, until I was old enough to get there on my own, and my house was always full of books.

During school holidays, the whole family loved to visit stately homes and castles. As soon as we got home, my older sister and I would either dress up as lords and ladies, and romp around the garden, or, if it was raining, retreat to our bedroom where we would draw intricately detailed plans of our very own imaginary stately home, complete with secret tunnels, dungeons, and usually, a maze in the extensive grounds.

When I was old enough to go to university, I studied English literature, with Philosophy. I was not sure what I wanted to do after that, but meeting a handsome student of maths, who was the owner of a very powerful motorbike helped me make up my mind. Reader, I married him.

For many years I felt it was important to stay at home to raise our two children, but one day, when the youngest had gone to senior school, I began to wonder if all those stories I made up to occupy my mind whilst attending to mundane chores, would interest anyone else.

I started to write some of them down, and eventually decided that one of them was "deep" enough to merit attention from publishers. It took me almost two years to complete, mainly because I kept tearing it up and starting all over again. And having to keep going out to work to help pay for school fees, then university tuition, slowed progress down as well.

Needless to say, this masterpiece was rejected by every single publisher I sent it to, but by this time, writing had become an addiction.

Four more stories got rejected, before Mills & Boon bought "His Cinderella Bride", a regency romance.

I do have some other interests, besides writing! I love spending time pottering in my garden. And recently I've taken up ballroom dancing as a way to try and keep fit (and keep the romance alive in my marriage!)

Reviews

[Eliza · Rating 2 out of 5]

The MC/hero of the book was a douche nozzle with zero redeeming qualities. Now I read A LOT of romance books that feature some terrible hero’s (*cough Lemonade cough*) so it is not like I was put off by the blurb. I love me some villain romances! This character, however, was just mean and was giving me strong roid rage vibes Lol! Like, it was not PTSD that made him angry- it was that he had a small wiener and took it out on everyone else. You feel me?

I could have really made it past all of that if the heroine wasn't constantly making excuses for him. She came across as battered housewife (which she kind of was). Lot’s of “oh he didn’t mean it- he is going through a lot”. It was pathetic and I did not want to keep waiting around for her to stand up to him. She saved his ass, he was ungrateful, and she let him be a dick to her 24/7. I don't have time for weak backbones and little man syndrome.

[Maura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Deliciously angsty read. Loved that about it.

The characters though... Captain Falwey is pretty much an ass to the heroine from the start. Sure he's got his insecurities and his jealousies, but they make him treat her like absolute shit. And she takes it and forgives him nearly every time because she's supposedly in love with him, even though she doesn't really know him. And by the time she finally gets some backbone and has had enough of it, I felt that he'd just done too much to be forgiven without some SERIOUS grovelling. And of course he didn't have to do any. But then the heroine is just as insecure as the hero - so the misunderstandings just snowball until you've got two people who don't even talk to each other (and how are we supposed to solve problems that way?)

[Océano de libros · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lee la reseña completa en: https://oceanodelibros.blogspot.com/2...
Esta segunda novela forma parte de la serie “The Fawley´s” y se puede leer sin problemas, no hay nada que necesitemos de la primera para seguir esta historia.
Por algún lado vi que esta novela la pintaban como muy buena y eso fue lo que me animó a leerla. Si añadimos una nueva autora para mí pues mejor que mejor porque ya sabéis que me ha dado por leer no siempre a las mismas.
La historia es atrayente por el motivo de que su protagonista masculino no es el adonis perfecto y con dinero que suele predominar en la romántica histórica. Robert Fawley es un capitán que ha sufrido heridas de guerra que le han hecho perder una pierna, una mano y desfigurar una parte de su rostro; todo ello le hace difícil encontrar una mujer que se enamore de él.
La novela no es muy extensa no pasa de las trescientas páginas pero la encontré bastante aceptable. La autora tiene un estilo muy particular en cuanto a cómo presentar la historia y como caracterizar a los personajes. La falta de comunicación y las malas interpretaciones están a la orden del día y es lo que hace que la relación entre Robert y Deborah se complique...

[Χρύσα Βασιλείου · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤❤

[Sweet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am between 1 star and 5 stars.
See, the book is very well written. The Deborah is a sweetheart.
But Robert was just dreadful without a cause to be so. I would assume he woul treat her so badly if his mother was a bad woman with explicit relationships..etc so he would have had a solid reason to be a woman-hating man.
Hence the 1☆
But then again, he was so well written as a bad guy (with a HEA of course..it is a romance afterall) that you do hate him. Which makes the writer a good one.
So the 5☆ for a well written one.

So in the end because in my opinion, he had no reason at all to be the way he was, not even his battle scars are enough for that, so I gave it 3☆.
But it was a very good read on the whole.

[Kirsti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here we find a character from the previous book, Robert, and he is just as emotionally stilted as before. He is harsh, cruel and angry, not the perfect hero most romance books betray. But his new bride loves him, has loved him despite his physical imperfections. His damage, not to his body, but to his mind, makes him almost incapable of seeing himself as begin worthy of her love, and he starts to plot all kinds of reasons why she sticks around.

I love the confusion, the uncertainity, and the lack of trust both characters had for themselves. Their low self esteem could have brought them down, and instead brought them together. My favorite book so far!

[Natalija · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think I've ever read a better example of the miscommunication trope. Everything in this book is based on various misperceptions. As for the main characters, Robert's military background made him look somewhat unlikeable because of the way he barked out orders. Deborah had constant ups and downs due to her mistaken beliefs. The air gets cleared at the very end, which means there was no time to enjoy them as a genuine couple. Bottom line, my first introduction to this author left me unimpressed.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A more stilted story than the previous book by the author . I found I didn't connect with the characters as well this time and they felt too disjointed in their relationship.

[T from Istria 💛💚 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 very very angsty (which is good, love angst!) but can’t abide horrible man and doormat heroine

[☽ Rhiannon ✭ Mistwalker ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much excellent angst! I loved the misunderstandings and insecurities, and lord knows the hero was a tortured asshole that broke the heroine's heart over and over, even if it wasn't quite on purpose (which is being generous - he really does treat her like shit). I have loved a veteran with a lot of mental and emotional scars, so Robert's tendency to lash out and hurt the people around him felt very familiar to me, and likely makes me way too forgiving for the hero's behavior. I just wish that there had been a bit more groveling at the end! I didn't really like how the heroine "suddenly" understood everything and pushed the hero to admit he loved her. And why the hell did she randomly become so confident of the hero's unspoken love for her in the middle of their last conversation??? I would put this on my recurring reads shelf if any of the resolution had been about smoothing over her hurt and fears and insecurities, instead of all about his. Lost a half star or so based on this, and the abrupt ending - I needed an epilogue! Or at least some proper groveling.

[AMP · Rating 1 out of 5]

not a romance. Hero offensive and mean to heroine. All the misunderstanding and miscommunication made for a very frustrating read. Disappointed because I read other books by this author and they weren't this bad.

[Nenya · Rating 1 out of 5]

{from my text review file}Captain Fawley's Innocent Bride: Too traumatic (that's what I remember). Turned a sweet character from other books into a jerk (or the other way around).

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shocking but clever

I had to mull over my thoughts about this book as my initial reaction was one of revulsion towards Robert. Then I realised Annie Burrows had written a very clever, untraditional Regency romance.
Let me explain…
I read this in one sitting, glued to the page, and feeling increasingly violent towards Robert, a self-centred, arrogant arse who treats Deborah quite appallingly.
Deborah tries her best to understand him, believing herself to be a drab boring person unlike her friend Susannah.
Once married his treatment of Deborah is cruel & nasty. On their wedding night he treats her like a whore. Later in the book he calls her a slut. After her ordeal he doesn’t go near her as she recovers.
What a hero!
And there is the crux of the matter. Robert, hero of the Peninsular War, a scarred amputee, is in fact the anti-hero. His cruel behaviour, his blunt, insulting speech, his dreadful selfishness, hide the fact that he tries to do what he thinks is right.
I found the ending to be far to be disappointingly brief. After Robert’s behaviour, there should have been much more to their reconciliation, not Deborah’s almost instant forgiveness.

[Leonora · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't realize until I was about 60% of the way through that this is the sequel to The Earl's Untouched Bride which I read a few years ago and disliked. I like Annie Burrows, generally and sometimes a lot, and I like MLs who are dumb-dumb idiots and have to repent their sins but given the treatment of the FL in this one the groveling was not nearly enough. There needed to be like another 20% added to the book that is the ML being the most repentant person to ever beg for forgiveness.

[GG · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at the halfway point. Robert is dealing with horrendous battle wounds on the outside, and PTSD on the inside. He was introduced in his brother's book The Earl's Untouched Bride. I didn't care much for him then either. Deborah felt that her love could redeem him, but it didn't seem to be working. When it got to the point in the story that I no longer liked her, it was time to move on.

[Marina · Rating 1 out of 5]

horrible!!!!
Heroine was weak and meek and just the biggest doormat alive.
Hero was honestly a loser with a bad temper.
The whole time he spent insulting her and her making excuses for him over and over again.
I would have walked out on him with the second insult because clearly it's a pattern!
do yourself a favour and dont bother with this book or this author

[Lou Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I've found a "hero" I dislike more than Sir Richard Kenworthy.

[Brenda Jaeger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amo que las confusiones intervengan tanto en el hilo de la historia.
Una novela muy entretenida y muestra que no solo lo físico es lo importante.

[Gabbe · Rating 4 out of 5]

It made me feel so saaad. Like, communication is everything, the key to the sucess in every relationship.

[Krita · Rating 3 out of 5]

3

[Seema · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only redeeming feature about this book was the heroine who was too good to be true. The hero was a villain and the worst part was the end.

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book although the hero, Captain Robert Fawley is a very dark tortured soul,
Disfigured in mind and body and unable to believe that any woman could love or desire him.
The heroine, Miss Deborah Gillies, loved him on sight and was not the least bit put off by his injured body.
They enter into a marriage of convenience, he to gain an inheritance, she because she loves him (although this is not apparent to him in the beginning).
I found myself disliking him and pitying him in equal amounts.
I loved the way Ms Burrowes creates two, less than perfect characters, who completely misunderstand the motives of the other. They have a passionate, sexy relationship but still mistrust each other through a series of silly, jealous mistakes.
Eventually all works out for the lovers, I am pleased to say.
A beautiful, thought provoking love story, where two, less than perfect characters eventually find true love.

[June · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book from Annie Burrows that I've read, and I think I quite enjoyed it, for the most part. Ms Burrows does have a way with word. However I didn't like the lead characters all that much. Both hero and heroine in this book were very insecure, Captain Fawley with his scarred face and body and disability, and Deborah with her supposed to plain face and shy nature. Its rather frustrating read their misunderstanding. Also, I think Ms Burrows a bit inconsistent with her characters, I couldn't decide whether Deborah a compassionate woman who put others' happiness above hers, or was she just a bitter woman who secretly envy her more beautiful and richer friend.

[Carly · Rating 3 out of 5]

this story was a lesson in non-communication. they held almost everything within and assumed so much but rarely actually communicated anything. it was sort of heart-breraking. and the ending a bit abrupt. maybe it was more the end of the sad and hurtful part of their lifes and the begining of a happy one.

[Gina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Free kindle download. I've had this in my TBR pile for a while after downloading it free on my kindle (now expired limited promotion). Very promising first 30 pages or so but nothing but down hill from there...and not in a smooth ski run way but in a trapped in a massive avalanche way. Almost a DNF but managed to plod through.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this. I really did. It was good paced and both characters were likeable and you could understand their point of views and how they were treating each other with the results. It was a quick read and well worth it. Annie Burrows is a very good writer. Can't wait to read more of hers.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read. The scarred hero is a little fixated on insisting a particular beauty dance with him, and doesn't notice the shy, not-so-beautiful heroine thinks he's wonderful. It's a sweet, enjoyable story with a good dose of angst.

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, sweet, and entertaining read.

[Annie Burrows]

first published in paperback in the UK - now for the first time Captain Fawley's Innocent Bride is available in the US as an ebook.

[Katrina · Rating 1 out of 5]

No

I gave this book one star because I do not understand how the Heroine fell in love with the hero I mean it was just no romance he basically insulted her throughout the book