Pode beijar a noiva

by Patricia Cabot

Quando tudo parece estar perdido para Emma Van Court, que acaba de se tornar viúva, a promessa de uma grande fortuna lhe cai dos céus. Mas há uma condição para abocanhar a herança: ela terá de se casar novamente. Como não se especificou o noivo, todos os homens da pequena Faires, na Escócia, resolvem participar dessa corrida do ouro e passam a disputar as atenções da jovem viúva. Os competitivos pretendentes só não contavam com a presença de James Marbury, primo do falecido marido, Stuart, que chega ao vilarejo para ajudar Emma com os trâmites do inventário. No passado, os dois tiveram uma aproximação, e James ainda nutre fortes sentimentos pela, agora, viúva.

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Chick Lit, Adult

240 pages, Paperback

First published April 28, 2002

About the author

Pseudonym of Meg Cabot

Meggin Patricia Cabot was born and and raised in Bloomington, Indiana, USA, daughter of Barbara and C. Victor Cabot, a college professor. She also lived in Grenoble, France and Carmel, California (the setting for her bestselling Mediator series) before moving to New York City after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Indiana University.

After working for ten years as an assistant residence hall director at New York University (an experience from which she occasionally draws inspiration for her Heather Wells mystery series), Meg wrote the Princess Diaries series, which was made into two hit movies by Disney, sold over 20 million copies, and has been translated into 38 languages.

Meg also wrote the 1-800-Where-R-You? series (which has been reprinted under the title Vanished and was made into the Lifetime series called Missing), as well as numerous other award-winning, best-selling stand-alone books and series, including All-American Girl and Avalon High (on which an original Disney Channel movie was based), and several books told entirely in emails and text messages (Boy Next Door/Boy Meets Girl/Every Boy’s Got One).

Meg’s newest series include the tween hit Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls, the YA trilogy Airhead, and Abandon, the first book in a new paranormal series for young adult readers (the sequel, Underworld, will be in US stores in spring 2012). Insatiable, Meg’s first paranormal romance for adult readers, was followed by a sequel, Overbite, in July 2011.

Meg is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of books for both adults and tweens/teens. Meg married financial writer and poet Benjamin D. Egnatz on 1 April 1993, she currently lives in Key West with her husband and two cats.

Reviews

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

The historical romance genre is not universally known for being progressive or socially conscious. Which is odd, because from the first novels looking at marriage prospects from a female point of view, they've all of them pushed the boundaries in little ways and big. Pride and Prejudice waged war with inheritence laws that women still suffer under in the UK today. Those many novels of governesses demonstrated the dangers of depriving girls of education, money, and the ability to seek employment. It may not be beside the point of the books, but it's there, authors observing and commenting upon the lives of women, and suggesting better ways (albeit, on a personal, rather than a political or social justice level).

So I shouldn't be surprised to read a novel set in 1833 that addresses poverty, free education, infectious outbreaks, and lack of medical care, one that in addition questions church positions of the time. But I was surprised. And delighted. It's refreshing to see a character performing missionary work among people she values.

And also, it's great fun to see the hero of the piece trying to find ways to show he's worthy of her love other than just bashing bad guys about the place (although that aspect is there, too, for glorious comic effect). No man has wooed so hard since Darcy.

What I don't understand is why the cover doesn't in some way refer to the primary setting of the Shetland Isles, or to the time frame. The font, the bouquet, it all suggests something contemporary and frothy which is at odds with the text itself.

Personal copy

[Kylara Jensen · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars

A long time ago, I liked to collect books written by my favorite authors. Consequently I bought this book along with two others, because I love Meg Cabot.

SO my review of this book, Where Roses Grow Wild and Educating Caroline. Which is ok, because these three historical romances have pretty much the same plot anyway.

These books really pissed me off. Like to the point where I'm done with historical romances, (except I'll still read Georgette Heyer.)

I am just so SO sick and tired of this trope.

Man meets woman, they kiss. He knows he shouldn't have because it's inappropriate but he just couldn't help himself. THAT'S RIGHT, HE COULDN'T HELP HIMSELF. She was just too (beautiful, alluring, interesting, naive, frustrating, etc.)

And then the woman is all "How dare you?!" but secretly she's like that was so wonderful. He's so (handsome, commanding, masterful, manly, strong, etc.) I'm suddenly in love with him but I don't want to be with him.

They meet again. He kisses her again. She says (No, Stop, Don't)

BUT HE KEEPS DOING IT, because. This is the part that really pisses me off. BECAUSE HE KNOWS SHE LIKES IT.

Oh, no. SHe can't REALLY mean No, because I can tell she's aroused. I can tell she's really enjoying it. (Even though she doesn't know what's happening to her body, she's already said no, she knows it's inappropriate and doesn't want to be ruined before marriage.) And then the kissing gets more and more intense and beyond kissing. And she keeps protesting, but eventually accepts it.

And then the man thinks, I would stop if she said no. I'm like HELLO! SHE JUST SAID NO, LIKE 5 TIMES. Well, I would stop if she said NO and really wanted me to stop.

UGH! I hate that stupid bull crap. Who the heck would think that's ok?

These woman are just super lucky they end up marrying these men. (Or are they?)

So, I'm just done in general, with the whole genre.

[Koki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kniha má svoje čaro. Okrem zaujímavého deja a sympatických hrdinov je už od prvých stránok nabitá humorom. Autorka sa pri písaní romance určite dobre bavila, keď pre svojich hrdinov vymýšľala rôzne vtipné situácie, akým bol napríklad pád Jamesa na Emmu v kočiari, krava v chalupe alebo spoločná truhla nebohého Stuarta s Claire. Tieto, no i mnoho, mnoho ďalších historiek dáva čitateľovi možnosť ... zvyšok recenzie je tu: http://kokinakniznica.blogspot.sk/201...

[Christina (A Reader of Fictions) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I’ve finally hit the end of the Patricia Cabot era of Meg Cabot’s career. It’s been a journey of low lows and somewhat tepid highs. Kiss the Bride is the second best of them in my opinion, but it’s not particularly shippy and the quality otherwise isn’t sufficient to raise it any higher than pretty good.

Kiss the Bride has a cute premise, but it doesn’t deliver on the shippy feels. Emma Van Court married James’ cousin Stuart, a young curate. Stuart caught her eye with his intense passion for helping the poor and his devotion to his religion. Unfortunately, he wasn’t as passionate and devoted to Emma. Six months into their relationship, he died unexpectedly, leaving Emma a young widow.

Six months have passed since Stuart’s death, a year since Emma and Stuart eloped to Scotland against the wishes of both families. Emma’s now being pursued by most of the single men in town, because she has a mysterious dowry should she wed again. James shows up in town to transport the body of his cousin back home, having only just learned of his passing and not expecting Emma to still be in residence.

There are a number of delightful comic scenes in this set up, especially the ones involving animals, and this could have been a sheer delight. Unfortunately, Emma and James, while fine, don’t make a fabulous ship. James was into her before the book ever began, before the married Stuart. Emma’s feelings mostly seem to stem from her horniness and the fact that he ended up falling face-first in her lap during a bouncy carriage ride. While I like horny heroines, I’d like to see a bit more of an actual connection between these two. Also, the blurb and cover make it seem like this is a book where they’ll spend most of their time married, but actually the wedding takes place a good way into the book. It’s more about the hijinks than the ship.

The Patricia Cabot project hasn’t been the most successful. The only one I really recommend is Educating Caroline, though Kiss the Bride would be the only other I’d be willing to in any way promote. The others, even the ones I enjoyed in a crack way, I really couldn’t push on anyone in good conscience (unless that’s what they want).

[Aline Damasceno]

A história é boa, envolvente, mas o final não me convenceu nem um pouco. Acho que os segredos em torno do Stuart foi muito fútil e pouco plausível, e o que aconteceu com a Clara muito menos convicente. Senti também falta de química entre o casal principal. Mas é uma leitura boa para passar o tempo :)

[Natha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Berharap agak terlalu tinggi dengan buku ini, hingga ketika membacanya dan tidak mencapai yang aku harapkan, hasilnya kecewa. Entah mengapa, kisahnya tidak membuatku tersentuh dan agak terasa kurang chemistry. Terlebih lagi setting lokasinya yang bukan di London dan perubahan hati tokoh utama wanita membuatku kecewa dengan Emma. Masa baru ditinggal meninggal oleh suami, mendadak langsung jatuh cinta begitu saja dengan sepupu lelaki suaminya? Walaupun mereka berdua sudah saling mengenal sejak lama, tapi perubahan seperti itu terlalu cepat (mereka menikah lagi enam bulan setelah kematian suami Emma).

Alasan yang mengharuskan keduanya menikah memang bisa ditolerir, tapi tetap saja kurang nampol buatku. Aku lebih suka buku yang menceritakan tentang Hugh MacLean yang kubaca setelah buku ini selesai. Sulit untuk tidak membandingkan keduanya dan memutuskan lebih menyukai salah satunya. Dan aku, suka yang satu lagi. :))

[ChloeLeeNH · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this was more of a 3 1/2 but I just felt that there was a lot of internal thought and not a lot of action... I just kept waiting for things to happen... but it a lot of it seemed to be inside not out. Cute... I want to try her Educating Caroline so maybe that will get a better feeling for me of this author.

[FlibBityFLooB · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5 stars. This one wasy just okay for me. I've read much better by Ms. Cabot, so I suppose that's why I'm grading this one so harshly. I thought the story started out pretty interesting, but it really dragged for me throughout the last 1/2 of the book.

[Nasty Lady MJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it. Honestly, there was nothing remarkable though. But it was a good book to read during a blog break. Note, I probably won't actually write a full review for this one.

[Fernanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://www.segredosemlivros.com/2016/...

[Jo Reads Romance]

Enjoyable but not her best
3 stars

Kiss the Bride is the story of Emma Van Court, a young lady who elopes with Stuart Chesterton, with whom she has had a long time infatuation. Despite both families being against the match Emma and Stuart marry and head for Scotland where the pair live as an impoverished curate and his wife in the small village of Faires, Shetland. When Stuart dies, his cousin, James Marbury, Earl of Denham, who was the most vocal against the marriage, comes to Scotland to fetch Stuart's body home, not realising that Emma would still be there. The pair have to face up to their feelings for one another while dealing with many interesting problems in the village.

This book was a very enjoyable read and although not a great book like some of Ms Cabot's others, it is still a good book and well written.

The conflict between the characters is believable as is their inability to voice their true feelings for each other when they become aware of them. As well as the interesting twists to the story there are various amusing and colourful secondary characters that add to, and bring life to the story.

However, unlike Ms Cabot's other books I found that this one tended to be much slower paced and the love scenes not up to their usual high standard which detracted from the book somewhat.

Another point which irritated me greatly was that throughout the story they refer to Shetland as being in the Hebrides. It is only a minor point (except, you know, geographically!) but it is one which had me cringing whenever it was mentioned.

Despite this I would still recommend this novel as it is a very good story with likeable characters and a different plot than the usual regency romance. I would also highly recommend other books by this same author especially Educating Caroline and She Went All the Way which are both very enjoyable reads.

[Macy · Rating 5 out of 5]

📚#7 in My Meg Cabot Read Through
The last book written under Cabot's pen name, Patricia Cabot. After this book, Cabot also shifts to contemporary YA and adult novels. She does venture into historical fiction here and there, but only Ransom My Heart [a book within a book] was written in the same style as her Patricia Cabot books. Kiss the Bride is a great follow-up to Educating Caroline. I really enjoyed the romance aspects of both books. Cabot has most certainly found her voice as a writer by this book.

A prologue sets up the events of the book. Emma Van Court is a young orphan whom lives with her aunt, uncle and cousin before marrying penniless curate Stuart, the cousin of James Marbury, the Earl of Denham. The Earl is vehemently opposed to the marriage as are Emma's aunt and uncle. The young couple elope to Scotland, where Stuart is later murdered. A year later in 1833, James arrives to retrieve Stuart's body and finds Emma, whom has been willed ten thousand pounds from her husband's murderer. The catch is that she can only procure the money if she marries. I love the set up, and several details and revelations are held back until just the right moment.

As the heroine, Emma is a quintessential Meg heroine. She's a little too on the stubborn side, but considering her emotions and mitigating factors, it's reasonable. James is a solid love interest. He's a tad too much "tell" instead of "show" at times, especially in the latter half of the book. However, I still really liked him overall. He's never forceful with Emma, which is a huge must imo. There's a lot less romantic scenes than in Meg's previous books. Some people might not like this, but I don't think it would've been appropriate narratively for any such scenes to occur earlier.

In Kiss the Bride, Meg plays around with POV more than in Educating Caroline. It often shifts from Emma's to James's POV from paragraph to paragraph. We are often given insight to minor character's POV as well, usually for a bit of humor.

After loving Educating Caroline, I was pleasantly surprised by liking this book almost as much. I'll miss Meg's historical fiction books, but I'm looking forward to moving on to her The Princess Diaries series which have always been my favorite series of hers.

[Katherine 黄爱芬 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emma Van Court adalah gadis keras kepala yang cantik. Meskipun pernikahannya dgn Stuart ditentang banyak pihak keluarga, tidak menggoyahkan pasangan ini untuk kawin lari.

Tetapi malang tak dapat ditolak, Emma menjadi janda dalam usia pendek pernikahannya. Stuart mati dibunuh dan pembunuhnya mewariskan harta sepuluh ribu pound kepada Emma dgn syarat Emma menikah kembali.

Jadilah Emma janda kembang yang dirubungi banyak kumbang di daerahnya yang terpencil. Hingga kedatangan James, Earl of Denham mengubah kehidupan Emma. Rencana semula James adalah memindahkan makam Stuart ke London di pemakaman keluarga. Emma menentangnya. James tidak tahan pada pria-pria yang mendekati Emma hingga menantang salah satunya utk berduel. Untunglah ada hakim yg memberikan solusi, bhw Emma harus memilih salah satunya utk dinikahi.

Emma terpaksa menerima tawaran pernikahan palsu dari James, yang dengan persuasifnya mengatakan uang wasiat tsb bisa digunakan Emma utk membangun sekolah. Yang Emma tidak sadari bhw sejak kebersamaannya dgn James, dia semakin sulit utk melepaskan pesona kharisma Earl ini.

Ide ceritanya sebenarnya bagus, gabungan hate to love dan fake arrangements trope adalah salah satu favorit trope saya. Sayangnya jalan ceritanya kebanyakan angsty alias menggalau. Saya suka karakter James yang gigih dan persuasif, tetapi tidak segan utk menggunakan kepalannya jika perlu, atau menyingsingkan lengan utk membantu Emma. Banyak kejadian lucu juga di novel ini seperti sapi yang ditaruh di dalam pondok kediaman Emma.

Untuk karakter Emma sebenarnya juga unik. Rasa empati Emma terhadap orang-orang dan hewan-hewan di sekitarnya sangat luar biasa. Tetapi entah bagaimana "radar"nya hilang saat berhadapan dengan James. Mungkin krn mereka lebih sering berantem mulut. Dan seperti biasa, endingnya simple saja, tidak menawarkan sesuatu yg WOW, tetapi lumayan menghibur.

[Angellika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patricia Cabot erzählt in einem flüssigen Stil mit viel Humor und einigen romantischen Momenten eine schöne Liebesgeschichte. Dabei beschreibt sie das frühneuzeitliche Leben der Menschen in London und derjenigen auf einer kargen Insel Schottlands mit einer gewissen Leichtigkeit und dennoch mit historischen Korrektheit.

Die Figuren habe ich schnell lieb gewonnen, da sie sympathisch und zugleich realistisch wirkten. Emma ist eine nette junge Frau, der das Leben ihrer Mitmenschen wichtiger ist, als der eigene Luxus. Die Liebe zu dem Cousin ihres verstorbenen Mannes sieht sie skeptisch, was ihr etwas echtes gab. Zusätzlich erfährt man die Geschichte aus Sicht von James, mit dem man nur mitleiden und mitfiebern kann.

Es ist einfach ein schöner Liebesroman, den ich jedem, der gerne in die Geschichte abtaucht, empfehlen kann. Jedoch kam mir das Ende etwas zu abrupt, es hätten einige intimere Momente zwischen Emma und James eingebaut werden können, die den Zwiespalt hervorgehoben hätten.

[Laysa Fernandes · Rating 3 out of 5]

O livro começou bem, fiquei bem interessada no que aconteceria com os protagonistas, e eu até gostei do romance. Mas me incomodou muito o quanto Emma foi perseguida por “pretendentes”, de olho em sua herança, e como a população do vilarejo em que ela morava achava que tinha algum direito sobre a vida dela.

[Kitty M Raja · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I have a new favourite. Lighthearted and comedic, this was a delight to read.

If you’re looking for a quick HR read, this is it. I devoured this book.

Be warned though, the author’s writing style is long-winded. But Patricia/Meg Cabot has always written wonderful stories that I find myself forgiving her long sentence structures.

PS: 3rd person narrative

[Diandra Fernandes · Rating 3 out of 5]

15/08/2014 100% (238 de 238)
"Não achei o segredo de Emma grande coisa, bom para passar o tempo." Nota: 3

14/08/2014 50% (119 de 238)
"James sempre tratou Emma muito bem e apenas um ato a desagradou, ele já pediu desculpas e ela fica sempre na mesma tecla, isso irrita!" Nota: 3

[Arlete Tury · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uma história divertida. Com uns momentos que te fazem rir mais pelo pensamento dos personagens do que pela própria cena.
Claro, uma comédia romântica com um final esperado, sem muitas supresas, mas com um percurso engraçado (e apimentado coff coff) que não deixa tudo monótono nem entediante.

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I forgot to put this here when I actually read it, and all I remember is that there was some religiosity/morality/righteousness to the characters and I didn't really get into it. But I may be mixing this up with another story.

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pure escapist fantasy. This book was exactly like eating a box of chocolate truffles on the beach.

[Ketilin Alves · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muito, muito divertido!

[Susana Filipe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um romance leve que se lê bem, no geral gostei, tem diálogos divertidos, drama e romance. Por isso, recomendo mas só se estiverem à procura de uma leitura rápida, despretensiosa e tranquila.

[Kimmy 2012 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute. there's no such thing as a bad Meg Cabot book. Just varying levels of enjoyment. :)

[Maria Eduarda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorei a história! Só não dou 5 estrelas porque senti que tudo terminou muito rápido, acho que dava pra desenvolver mais...

[Alyssa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cozy fluff, if you like that sort of thing.

[Andrea Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple, predictable, yet entertaining.

[Stefanie Jones]

""

[Laney Noska · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can never go wrong with a Meg/Patricia cabot book. They are seriously unmatched giving you all the feels and then some

[Larys Sa · Rating 1 out of 5]

MUITO devagar (uma coisa que tá na sinopse do livre só acontecer em 60% da leitura é absurdo) e enrolado, fala fala fala mas nada interessante acontece. A mocinha é um saco