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Necklace Trilogy #1

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Η Βικτόρια ξέρει πως για να σώσει την αδερφή της από τον βαρόνο Χάργουντ, τον έκφυλο πατριό τους, πρέπει να την πάρει μακριά του. Έτσι, κλέβει ένα πολύτιμο οικογενειακό κειμήλιο, ένα περιδέραιο που ο θρύλος λέει ότι μπορεί να φέρει απίστευτη ευτυχία ή μεγάλες συμφορές, και το σκάει με την Κλερ για το Λονδίνο. Εκεί, με το φόβο πως ο βαρόνος θα τις καταδιώξει, η Βικτόρια κρύβει την ταυτότητά της. Και μπαίνει ως απλή οικονόμος στην υπηρεσία του γοητευτικού Κορντέλ Ίστον, κόμη του Μπραντ, γνωστού για τις πολλές του κατακτήσεις...

Η Κλερ είναι πλέον ασφαλής. Αλλά η ομορφιά και η εξυπνάδα της Βικτόρια τραβούν την προσοχή του κόμη κι ανάμεσά τους αρχίζει ένα επικίνδυνο παιχνίδι σαγήνης. Ώσπου ο βαρόνος ανακαλύπτει τα ίχνη των κοριτσιών... Ο Κορντέλ συνειδητοποιεί εμβρόντητος ότι έχει εκθέσει την κόρη ενός ευγενούς και κανονικά τώρα πρέπει να την αποκαταστήσει. Αλλά η Βικτόρια τον εξαπάτησε κι έπαιξε μαζί του. Θα δεχτεί, βάζοντας στην άκρη την πληγωμένη περηφάνια του, να την παντρευτεί και να την προστατεύσει; Ή θα πνίξει τα αισθήματά του για κείνη και θα την αφήσει στο έλεος του αδίστακτου Χάργουντ;

336 pages, Paperback

First published December 28, 2004

188 people are currently reading
1751 people want to read

About the author

Kat Martin

188 books3,170 followers
Kathleen Kelly Martin (aka Kathy Lawrence, Kasey Mars)

Kathleen Kelly was born on 14 July 1947 in the Central Valley of California, USA. She obtained a degree in Anthropology and also studied History at the University of California in Santa Barbara. She was a real estate broker, when she met her future husband, Larry Jay Martin. A short time after the two became acquainted, Larry asked her to read an unpublished manuscript of an historical western he'd written. Kat fell in love with both the book and the author! Then, after doing some editing for him, she thought she'd try her own hand at writing. She moved on to become a full time writer.

Published since 1988, she signed her books with her married name, Kat Martin, but she also used two pseudonyms: Kathy Lawrence for a book in collaboration with her husband Larry Jay Martin, and Kasey Mars for her first contemporary romances. The New York Times bestselling writer, among her many awards, has won the prestigious RT Book Review Magazine Career Achievement Award. To date, Kat has over eleven million copies of her books in print. She has been published in seventeen foreign countries, including England, South Africa, Spain, Argentina, Germany, Italy, Greece, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Bulgaria, China, and Korea.

Currently residing with her husband, a Western-writer and photographer, in Missoula, Montana, USA. But when they are not writing, they also enjoy skiing and traveling, particularly to Europe.

"I've always loved books. I was an avid reader, with any number of my own stories rolling around in my head. Writing them down seemed a logical step."

"I love anything old," Kat says. "I love to travel and especially like to visit the places where my books are set. My husband and I often stay in out-of-the-way inns and houses built in times past. It's fun and it gives a wonderful sense of a by-gone era."

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5 stars
1,099 (32%)
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3 stars
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50 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews
Profile Image for kris.
1,060 reviews223 followers
March 16, 2018
Victoria "Tory" Whiting and her too-beautiful-to-live sister Claire escape the clutches of their evil stepdad and end up employed by the mercy-boners of Cordell "Cord" Easton, Earl of Brant. When he discovers the truth about Tory and Clair, he yells and proposes marriage and has himself some very turgid erections. Then there's a whole thing where he thinks Tory is cheating on him with some dude named Julian Fox which makes him RAGE and FEEL FEELINGS and also makes his boners cry. :( Then there's a confrontation with the evil stepdad, additional stabbings, and the WORST HEA EVER.

(1. WORST HEA EVER because even though Tory repeatedly and with great emotion tells Cord that she DID NOT BETRAY HER HUSBAND with the sly Julian Fox, Cord refuses to believe her until his bff Rafe shows up and announces Julian's homosexuality and THEN SUDDENLY HE BELIEVES SHE WAS FAITHFUL. UM EXCUSE ME, DICK, BUT THAT'S NOT HOW ANY OF THIS WORKS!! SHOVE IT IN YOUR EAR YOU GODDAMNED SWINE.)

2. That said: this was a soapy romp. Like, it's just ridiculously packed full of nonsensical drama: the missing adopted brother! The bastard friend! The going undercover as a housekeeper! The sex on a boat in route to FRANCE! The jewelry heist! The angsty sex in a closet at a ball! The rescue mission in France! The close-call annulment! The gun standoff that devolves into a SABRE FIGHT in an ABANDONED HOUSE that the HERO IS SECRETLY BUYING FROM THE VILLAIN?? OH YES AND A PREGNANCY!! I kept checking my status and was just gobsmacked every time I realized that I still had so much book left to go!

3. Tory was ... stock heroine. She's just ambitious and "great" and beautiful and the perfect lusty lady for the hero to crave without feeling like a pervert or whatever. I didn't dislike her, but I also didn't really...connect in any great way because she was going to be fine!! OF COURSE SHE WAS!!! She's got SPUNK.

4. Cord was a dick who only knew how to use the brain in his pants. Like, without any real reason he's absolutely convinced that Love is the absolute worst thing that could ever happen to a man. It's garbage: he's a REAL MAN and REAL MEN don't do FEELINGS omg.

And he's got the whole "If I only pay attention to my lady in the NIGHTTIME, everything will be GREAT because the SUN WILL KILL MY FEELINGS!! VIVA LA BONERS!" and it's absolute horse shit. It's so expected and boring and obnoxious to read about because IT NEVER WORKS FEELINGS ARE LIKE ATHLETE'S FOOT: IF YOU GOT IT IN THE NIGHTTIME, YOU GOT IT IN THE DAYTIME TOO. GTFO.

5. I'm yelling a lot but that's because this book was just patently RIDICULOUS which was kind of wonderful? I couldn't stop reading it and I kind of didn't want to because what kind of nonsense was around the corner OH YES MORE POWERFUL AROUSALS AND DIAMOND-TIPPED BREASTS! JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED.
Profile Image for Erika ♥OwlwaysReading♥.
389 reviews154 followers
April 23, 2019
The HERO in this one gave me the Heebie Jeebies >.<

Like…


Yeah... not pleasant!

The story begins with Victoria Temple being awakened by a soft creak in the hallway outside her bedchamber. The sound coming from her stepfather’s footsteps as he makes his way to her “beautiful” sister’s bedroom door. The baron, who had been lusting after his youngest stepdaughter, has picked tonight to act on his one-sided desire.

“Stay away from me,” Claire pleaded.
“I won’t hurt you. Just lie still and let me do what I want.”




We’re off to a rapey start.
Instead of an evil stepmother, you have an evil stepfather. And HE is YUCK YUCK YUCK!!!

Luckily, the sisters escape, cherries intact, and take their family’s heirloom necklace as part of their plan to escape to London. The beautiful diamond-and-pearl necklace, being worth a small fortune, will fund their escape… Or so they thought. The Bride’s Necklace, is said to either bring it’s owner untold happiness, or unbearable tragedy.

The necklace, unfortunately, didn’t provide them with the financial cushion they so desperately needed. The sisters find themselves needing creepy Lord Brant’s employment for food, a roof, and income.

And what does Cord do???

…Creepily lust/stare after the younger sister Claire!
He even sets up a situation to corner Claire in his bedroom, which Victoria swiftly cockblocks!



It was gross because Claire was described as being very childlike, and our H a very adult/older man.

And as soon as I started to warm up to being “ok” with the H, he goes and has these kinds of f@cked up thoughts.

“Perhaps if Victoria were waiting for him at night, he could fulfill his obligations—and marry himself a wealthy wife.”

Story goes on. I try to tell myself forgive, forget, and move on… BUT NOPE! Not happening.

“He thought of Constance Fairchild, the wealthy woman he had thought to wed. She was blond and pretty, young and pliable. She would have well served his purpose.”

And Cord and Victoria are married and consummated at this point!

I’ve read two of Kat Martin’s books Beyond Control (Texas Trilogy #3) by Kat Martin Heart of Fire (The Heart Trilogy) by Kat Martin , and really enjoyed them. This was a BIG NO NO for me.



With 2,706 ratings & 3.93 STARS, I find myself the odd man out with the unpopular opinion. You might like it if you like HR, and are more forgiving than I am, but I just didn’t see the chemistry and couldn’t get over his disgusting POVs.

If you found this review useful, entertaining and learned something new please “like” and comment below. Would love to chat w/ you.

Overall Rating → 2 “There you go and f@ck it up again” STARS
Price is Right? →
Cheating? →
Heat/Language Level: Rated G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17 →
HEA →
Page Turner? → Nope
Would I recommend? → Nope
Would I re-read? → HELL NO!
Would I read more from this author? → yes

December 13, 2025
Kept my interest till the end

While this author is very prolific, this is my first time trying her.


࿔*:・ The plot



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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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Profile Image for Justin Chen.
637 reviews571 followers
December 22, 2022
2 stars

Emotionally stunted, this is my first time reading from Kat Martin, and I hope it is not a reflection of her repertoire, because The Bride's Necklace is one of the least engaging HR I've read this year, despite it being densely packed with multiple threads happening simultaneously (and I'm one who loves a densely plotted story!).

At no point was I convinced of the romance. The hero and heroine are so challenged emotionally, it becomes frustrating to read from two people who simply can't communicate; so we end up with a heroine whose first response is always deceit or disobedience, and a hero who is so scared of feelings (the reason given is extremely flimsy), the only thing he can offer is good sex, then jumps straight to rage when rumor about his wife's infidelity circulates. Not to mention the heroine's 'I'll make my husband jealous to prove his loves me' tactic—a trope that always has me facepalming real hard when implemented poorly (it's such a cheap and recycled way to build a third act conflict). If there was some on-paper chemistry and levity, it might've soften the blow, but their interaction is so stiffly written, I constantly wonder why am I reading about two individuals who are so clearly ill-fitted to one another.

I'll give The Bride's Necklace credit for managing to pack so much plot into this novel: we have the heroine going undercover, a mission to find/rescue the hero's cousin, a murder mystery to solve, and even a substantial secondary romance regarding the heroine's sister. It has all the ingredients of what I enjoy (reminds me very much of an Amanda Quick HR), but way they weave together fail to create any narrative peak and valley—we are given the setup, and then quickly follow by the result, glossing over the process in the middle, which is where the suspense and intrigues really exist. It's like getting a sandwich with just the top and bottom, then at that point it's just plain bread.

The Bride's Necklace is one of the later historical romance from Kat Martin, perhaps she has reached a writing fatigue at that point, because the story definitely comes across very dispassionate and disinterested of itself, and even slightly cynical. Not fully given up on this author yet, but will try picking up an earlier work to see if it's any better.
Profile Image for Galadrielė.
298 reviews155 followers
July 23, 2019
Vasara. Birželis. Žiauriai karšta. Namų lentynose pilna įvairių milžiniškos apimties klasikos ir kitų sudėtingų kūrinių. Pats laikas aplankyti biblioteką ir išsirinkti lengvą meilės romaną. Prieš akis šis viršelis su teiginiu "Istorinis meilės romanas". Puiku. Parsiboginu namo, kartu su kitom knygom. Pradedu skaityti. Ir žiū: tokia meilė, kad net seilės varva (gaila, bet ne mano, o kvailos pagrindinės veikėjos), seksas, aistra, stovintis ******, kaistančios paslėpsnys (gal net ne taip parašiau??! Bet kažkas panašaus, galit įsivaizduoti), ir jos minimos kas trečioj pastraipoj, vėrinys, kuris paminėtas knygoje gal penkis kartus ir, nors yra visiškai nereikšminga detalė, gavo nemažai dėmesio pavadinime. Nepamirškim ir tipiško siužeto, jog stulbinančio grožio grafas įsimyli pagrindinę veikėją, nes, nors ir netobulo grožio, ji vidumi tiesiog žiba. Dar pridėkim labai cringy detalę, jog jos pora metų jaunesnė sesuo visiškai iš kito pasaulio ir net nenutuokia kaip veikia gyvenimas, tame tarpe ir ką gali veikti vyras su moterimi kartu, pasislėpę nuo nereikalingų akių. Vos nepamiršau, iškrypėlis/pedofilas patėvis, gal net ir žudikas, niekada neatmeskim tokios galimybės. Mirę turtingi tėvai. Pridėkim kažkelinto ten amžiaus Londoną ir jo apylinkes, grafo titulą, porą tarnaičių ir ūkvedžių, karietų ir arklių, korsetų ir kitokių mums, šiuolaikinėms moterims, niekada nedėvimų rūbų, ai ir karą tarp Britanijos ir Prancūzijos - tai štai jums visas "ISTORINIS" meilės romanas.

Žodžiu, jau galit įsivaizduoti kur link suku. Taip, erotinių romanų aš tiesiog nevirškinu. Logiškas meilės scenas su nemėgėjišku rašymo stiliumi priimu ir man jos tinka. Svarbu, kad būtų į temą. Čia, deja, viskas yra mėgėjiška. Rašymo stilius tragiškas, sekso scenos apgailėtinos, kaistantys paslėpsniai ir stovintys grafo daiktai kelia gailestį, nors kai kam tai labai patiko, matom iš knygos pabaigos. Intrigos tokios šiek tiek juokingos. Akis vartaliojau n kartų, gerai, kad žvaira nepalikau. Moterys vaizduojamos kaip skudurai nusivalyti kojoms. Ir joms tas tinka. Aš net nekalbu apie likusias trilogijos dalis. Neduokdie tokios kančios kažkam. Niekam nelinkėčiau.

Aš tikiu, jog Svajonių knygų leidykla leidžia ir geras knygas. Jau matau iš šių metų naujienų. Ne viena yra mano planuojamų skaityti sąraše. Šįkart tiesiog nepataikiau, tiksliau apsigavau.
Profile Image for Yumru.
139 reviews15 followers
February 2, 2014
İlk olarak kitap inişli çıkışlı bir hikaye ve sinirimi bozan karakterler bir araya gelmiş ,tam bir birlerini bulmuşlar tencere kapak misali.

Konuya gelirsek kitaplarda kız kardeşlere ilk başta kafayı takan erkek karakterlere uyuz oluyorum.Hepte güzel olur ablasından ve birazda salak olur bu kızlarda ,erkeklerde salak olduklarını anladıklarında ablaya bir yönelme sözkonusudur.Erkek bir bakarki aman Allahım ablası daha iyiymiş Birde saçları açık gördüklerinde kendilerinden geçiyorlar nedense...Bayan karakter yalancının çobanı ,dersin master yapacak gerçi gerekte yok.Sayfalar ilerledikçe bir sevgi seli bekliyorsun ama nerde herşey yine oldu bittiye gelir tabi.
Kitapta sevdiğim yere gelirsek şu araştırmalar onlarda olmasa ne yapardım bilmiyorum.Bu yazarın diğer ortaçağ kitabı daha iyiydi bu bende hayalkırıklığı yaşattı doğrusu.Bir çok kitabın konusu bir birine benziyor diyeceksiniz onlarda niye bu kadar takılmadın derseniz 1.karakterler yüzden 2.akıcı olsaydı belki bukadar eleştirmezdim.Umarım sizler seversiniz...
Profile Image for Jacqueline L..
20 reviews
June 24, 2011
This book had alot of twists and turns. The characters had to alter their personalities based on their various situations, but never detered from their true selves. If you like a lot of angles, then this is the historical romance for you.
Profile Image for Christi (christireadsalot).
2,793 reviews1,431 followers
December 22, 2022
The Bride’s Necklace is the first book in Kat Martin’s Necklace trilogy and was my first time reading one of her books. I picked this one up for a book club read and I didn’t end up liking it. This was one of her later published historicals (early 2000s) which I have heard aren’t as loved as her earlier historicals. Which I still do plan on diving into some of her earlier historicals instead.

This premise was intriguing for this one and it did jump right into it in the prologue with an almost-sexual assault of the heroine’s sister and their stepfather. Victoria wakes up when she hears their stepfather, a Baron, entering her sister Claire’s room. She attacks him, grabs her sister, steals his most prized possession (a beautiful diamond and pearl necklace), and they flee! The two sisters take off with the “The Bride’s Necklace”, which seems to have its own legend around it. Both sisters start working in an Earl’s home as housekeepers and Tory (Victoria) is very much the protector of her sister Claire.

The hero wants Tory for his mistress, first she says no, then she later comes to him wanting him. She ends up confiding in him what happened to her sister and the stealing of the necklace and fleeing, she just doesn’t tell him who they are (he doesn’t realize she’s a peer’s daughter). After they sleep together, he finds out about their stepfather, the Baron, and ends up offering marriage to the heroine because of who she is and being compromised.

This was just blah, the story never pulled me in, I wasn’t rooting for these characters to be together, and I just didn’t believe in any romance/relationship. It didn’t help that there was just so much going on in the story as well: a murder mystery, undercover action, a missing person, and an entire secondary romance for the heroine’s sister. The hero was not it, he starts off wanting to bed the heroine’s sister until he spends time around them under his employment and realizes he’d rather be with the heroine. Just a lot of ick guys and cringe moments regarding the sister of the heroine in general in this story.
Profile Image for Ns.
193 reviews
March 7, 2011
The Bride's Necklace has a "Cinderella-like" premise to it. Gently-reared sisters, Victoria and Claire Temple Whiting are in dire straits and running away from a lecherous stepfather. The slipper is a pearl and diamond necklace, dubbed the Bride's Necklace which is said to be cursed. If the beholder has a pure heart, he or she will experience happiness and good fortune, whereas those with a cruel heart will find tragedy. For Tory it is their means of escape, and escape they do in the dark of night.

They find solace in Cordell Easton, Lord Brant's household in humbling positions as housemaids. Cord, unaware of their noble background is immediately intrigued. While Claire is the great beauty, both delicate and dainty, it is Tory's bold personality and strength that captivates Cord. An undeniable attraction exists between them but before they can find their happily-ever-after, much drama, danger and surprises are in store for them. This is also when the story began spiraling downwards for me.

I really wanted to like it but the more I read, the more irritating the characters became. There are too much lingering insecurity, doubts, accusations and speculations. Particularly, between Tory and Cord. They encounter several problems, but they all resolve or are the result of these issues. They never learn. They rarely confide in each other or only share half-truths, which doesn't say much about their relationship. Although, the end did have redeeming qualities with some excitement and change of scenery, it didn't make up for the theatrics and insecurity-infused plot. The end wasn't really convincing and seemed too "tidy" a wrap-up to what appeared to complex issues on trust.

The characters were interesting and some of them do have their own stories in The Necklace Trilogy , which I'll look forward to finding out how those stories turn out.

1,153 reviews16 followers
December 21, 2018
It's okay. The writing wasn't great.

My biggest problem is the characters were flat. I blame the writing for this because there seemed to be a lack of continuity in the characters. I never got the sense that they developed organically. I had the impression that they changed as their situation changed. By that I mean, the characters jumped from one event to another with drastic changes in personality without real development from before and after. There are several iterations of characters and there didn't seem to be continuity. Victoria went from protective sister, servant, stepdaughter, wife, and detective. I find these iterations to be disparate despite all of them being the same person. I find the story to be fine in piecemeal portions and I have to squint at it, but as a whole overarching story, it wasn't good.

The story revolves around Victoria and Cord. Victoria almost killed her stepfather because the stepfather was lusting after Claire. After she hit him, they ran for it and stole a necklace to fund their escape. The funds didn't last long and they soon had to find a job. They found it in the Cord's home.

Cord was interested in bedding Claire and accepted the two sisters in his employ. He shifted his interest the more he saw how naive and spaced out Claire seemed to be. He shifted his interest to Victoria, who seemed more formidable of the two. He ends up bedding her and finds out she was a lady. He offers for her and there is a whole debacle that ended up with both sisters marrying to get out of their stepfather's reach.

Victoria starts her married life, which was colder than what she would have wanted. Her husband is a workaholic and didn't go out with her. She befriends a man but people view their platonic friendship with suspicion, her husband included.

Her friendship becomes a point of contention between them and he filed for annulment.

There is also this thing about saving his cousin. In the meantime, she was solving the mystery of her parents' death.

The cousin was saved. She also found the evidence against her stepfather that proved that her parents were murdered.

Cord was reassured that Victoria didn't cheat on him by the reveal that her platonic friend was interested in men.

The book ended with Victoria deciding to pass on the necklace to her friend. Somehow it pops up. It wasn't really relevant to the story but okay.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for gottalottie.
567 reviews38 followers
August 28, 2023
This was hard to rate because as infuriating as I found this book, it was a page-turner for me.

What follows is a very detailed summary of the book, simply because I have to!

Okay, FMC and her sister are pretending to be servants in the hero’s household because they ran away after almost murdering their evil stepfather who was trying to rape the younger sister, the MMC finds this out because their description is in the newspaper, when he confronts her, she still lies about who she is then she seduces him

(oh yeah, she previously made him swear as a gentleman to stay away from her and then got mad that he did)

then the next morning he finds out that she’s noble, the stepfather comes and takes them away and whips the FMC. The hero comes to the house asks to marry her but she refuses - even though this would protect her and her sister from their stepfather and he points out she could be pregnant (at this point I was like, ok so this is ONE OF THOSE heroines)
finally, he convinces her to consent, convinces the stepfather, so what does she do? Leaves a note for the hero to come to her bed at night, but has her little sister (who is traumatized by having her stepfather sneak into bed) sleep in her bed, so the hero gets into bed with the sister and the FMC SCREAMS drawing everyone to the house and says, oh look he’s compromised her, he has to marry her. (This was her way of getting him out of marrying her - who she insists he doesn’t want and getting her sister away from the father even though the hero could’ve done that anyway!) also, ew why are you foisting a man you slept with on your sister?

The hero finds a young man who had hit it off with the little sister previously to marry her off to and the hero marries the FMC instead on the day of the wedding BECAUSE THAT’S WHO HE WANTS TO MARRY.

ok so even after the wedding the FMC repeatedly lies to the hero and when some of her lies are found out, she tells half-truths, and she sneaks around constantly (she thinks her father was murdered by the stepfather and is looking for her dead mom’s journal)

meanwhile the hero is insecure by how much he loves her and focuses on his work (he was going to marry an heiress but now deals business instead) so the FMC is bored and has a male friend escort her everywhere, causing gossip, the hero asks her not to go out with him anymore because of her reputation and how it makes him uncomfortable.
what does she do? She starts trying to make him jealous on purpose with this man! One night she even goes sneaking around in a dangerous neighborhood so her man friend accompanies her for protection - the hero hears about this from the servants talking and gets it confirmed by a detective, so then he’s like you know what, I made this girl marry me i’ll let her go

he confronts her, she lies again, so he says ok well I know you were with him, we’ll annul the marriage, and then she weakly tries to say oh no but he’s just a friend! (why would he believe her?) then instead of talking to him more makes him have sex with her, he leaves her and she doesn’t fight for him at all, thinks that he never wants this marriage anyway blah blah blah

there’s a whole side story with the hero trying to recover his POW cousin, the FMC wheedles her way into the rescue plan, the hero gets shot saving her, he wants to give her a second chance thinking it’s his fault she cheated since he was too busy to pay attention to her, but he makes her swear to remain faithful.

also, he figures out she’s pregnant, though he’s not sure he’s the father (we know she never slept with anyone else).

Oh but the FMC finds out her familial home is being sold and wants to look one more time for that journal so she sneaks away AGAIN but leaves him a note that an evil maid tries to dispose of - so when the hero comes home, he’s freaking out like I can’t believe I trusted her again

luckily he finds the note and races to her rescue because yay, she found the evidence and boo, confronts her villain stepfather on the spot, so now she’s got a pistol aimed at her.

Hero reopens his gunshot wound from the previous rescue but saves the day and tells the FMC he doesn’t care whose baby it is, he loves her and wants to be with her and he was buying the home for a gift for her!

At the end, his friend comes by with confirmation that the fmc’s supposed lover is gay and was indeed pretending to make the hero jealous and pay more attention to his wife <<< people reviewing this book are actually mad it took this to finally convince the hero despite all the gaslighting he’s endured from the FMC

A couple of caveats are, the FMC is supposed to be smart, she always beats him at chess, not sure why she behaves so stupidly the entire book.

And the hero was initially attracted to the blonde younger sister (ick!) when they came to work at his house but within a few pages he concluded she’s too childish and started pursuing the FMC instead because he loved her strength and intelligence.

It was bad that he threw himself into work about of fear of becoming too attached to her, but like, she literally never gave him any indication of her feelings for him outside of the bedroom, meanwhile he took care of her.

Writing was fine, characters didn’t seem super complex though, always too mad to pay attention to the sex scenes but apparently they were passionate, I will give this author another chance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
3,513 reviews
July 21, 2014
This is the first book of the trilogy about the bride’s necklace and is a lovely story which deserves more than 5 stars.

Fashioned in the 13th century by Lord Fallon for his bride, tragedy struck before the wedding took place. The groom was killed and the bride threw herself off a castle parapet when she learned of his death. Rumors have followed the necklace through the centuries with its owners. It is rumored that the necklace can bring untold happiness or unbearable tragedy to its owner depending on the pureness of his heart.

Cord Easton, the Earl of Brant, presents the necklace to Victoria at their wedding. Will the necklace bring Victoria and Cord happiness or tragedy?
Author 6 books12 followers
June 12, 2011
I loved it! I hadn't read an historical in awhile and I ate this up in just under two days. The sex scenes were well-written and I could feel both the sexual tension and the emerging feelings of love between the hero and heroine. And at the conflict... I found myself crying. I haven't cried while reading a book in a long time. For me, that's always a good sign if I care so much about the characters that I cry. I can't wait to read the next books in this series.
Profile Image for Jenny Clark.
3,225 reviews121 followers
June 19, 2016
I am finding more of these adventure romances lately. A pretty good balance of mystery, action and romance though a bit contrived at times. I am also bothered by the fact of how young all the characters are-Tory is only 19!
83 reviews
October 12, 2009
I enjoyed this book. I certainly never knew what was going to happen.
Profile Image for Anna.
178 reviews3 followers
January 11, 2011
this book was heartwarming. i loved it the characters wre amazing. cant wait to read the next book in the series.
Profile Image for Mystikfire.
4 reviews2 followers
March 6, 2013
This book was amazing! The perfect form of a little bit of everything, I have this one as a keeper on my shelve, read it more than once.
Profile Image for Karmen O.
334 reviews19 followers
February 6, 2025
The Bride's Necklace by Kat Martin
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Cover (stepback): 4/5
Story: 3.5/5
Steam: 🔥 (+kissing, multiple very brief scenes too short too include as a full scene- many four(?))
Ending: HEA
Publication: 2004
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Series or Stand Alone: Book one of the Necklace Trilogy. Could be read as a standalone. Books are interconnected by a (potentially) cursed necklace.
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England/France, Regency (18-teens?)
Mistress Seeking Earl
Lady in Hiding
Employeer/Employee
Assumed Class Difference
Close Proximity
Marriage by Ruination
Hidden Identity
Saved by Marriage
Fake Identity
Major Miscommunication
Assumed OM Drama
Road Trip-ish
Alphahole Hero
Seconday Romance
He's Allergic to Love
Down on Her Luck
On the Run/In Hiding
Earl of B0ners
Cursed Necklace
High Drama Levels
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Drama. So. Much. Drama. This book is drama. It's, honestly, out of control crazy-town. Did I ever want to DNF? No, because it's like a weird Regency Jerry Springer. It's a train wreck. It's a car crash. I simply couldn't look away. There are pacing issues throughout, but the amount of ridiculous crap that happens kept me going.

With all of that being said, this is the most perfect HR I have ever read. In all honesty, there is one too many points of drama and tension. There are enough subplots in this book to have made an entire series out of instead of jamming it into one book. There is an entire secondary romance that does fit into the main plot but could have easily been its own novella, at least. There was too much going on for one book, especially with a 400-page count, to handle.

I wish I had a b0ner count for this book because the frequency in which the man in sporting tight, tented breeches is out of control. It's comical. Cord could have seen Victoria's pinky toe and gotten a stiff. Cord AKA Earl of B0ners isn't a very likable hero. I usually adore a hero who is a bit of a douchey alpha-hole, but he did absolutely nothing for me in this book. He isn't likable and can't communicate with annyyooone.

Tori? Tori is fine. She is just fine. She is a 2D heroine if I have ever witnessed one. How many times does she need to go directly against her husband's wishes before she puts herself into serious danger? Not many. Does she keep doing stupid shit? Yes. Tori- not cool.

All in all, read this book for the ridiculous level of drama, but don't expect much else!

As for steam, Martin uses non-explict terms in her steam writing. There are numerous scenes, but they are very short.
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Content Warning (spoilers likely):
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Attempted S.A of 17 year old female by step father
De*th of parent- several. Off page.
De*th- on page
Danger & Peril
Physical vi*lence
Attempted m*rder
Near de*th experiences
Poor prison conditions
Profile Image for Nurhayat Turna.
358 reviews18 followers
August 6, 2021
Yıllar önce canım Sümyciğimin hediye ettiği kolye üçlemesinin ilk kitabı Gelinin Kolyesi'ni yeniden okuyup bitirdim. Bu sefer yorumunu yazarak sizlerle paylaşayım istedim.

Gelinin Kolyesi kitabında beğendiğim yerler olduğu givi beğenmediğim tarafları da olan bir kitap. Kurguda bir şeylerin eksikliğini hissetmedim değil, aşk-macera kısmında bir denge yoktu. Kitaptaki macera kısmını sevdim diyebilirim, kararında olduğunu düşünüyorum ama aşk kısmında ise öyle düşünmüyorum.

Yazarın esas çifti yaşanılanlara ragmen bir araya getirip onlara odaklanmayarak esas çiftin hikayesinin yanında yan karakterlere yer vermesine, bu kitapta sevdiğim kısım oldu.

Serinin devamında nelerin olacağı hakkında merakımın oluşması, devam kitaplardaki karakterler hakkında ipuçları okumamdan kaynaklı. Yine de devam kitapları edinip ne zamana okurum bilemiyorum. Yazarı ilk kitap hakkında eleştireceğim tek yer geçmiş hikayelere ve macera kısmına odaklanıp asıl çifte fazlaca yer bırakmamasıdır. Tory ve Cord'un aşkı hep bir geri plana atılmıştı.

Victoria Temple Whiting ile Kont Cordell Easton'u bir araya getiren kader onların hikayesine şekil vermişti.

Bir kazayla babalarını kaybedinceye kadar Tory ve kız kardeşi Claire'nin hayatı çok güzeldi. Sonrasında kabuslar başladı, annelerinin evliliği ile her şey değişti. Üvey babaları onlari yeni hayatlarına alışmalarında güçlük çıkarıyordu. Baron lutfeder gibi evde kalmalarına izin vermesinin altında çirkin bir neden vardı.

Yaşadıkları travmatik olay sonrasında iki kardeş yanlarına annelerinin aileden kalma kolyesini alarak evden kaçtılar. Sattıkları kolyenin parasıyle bir süre geçinmeye çalışsalarda paraları bir gün bitti ve geçinmek için Londra'da iş aramaya başladılar. İşte Kont Cord ile tanışma hikayelerinin başlangıcı böyle.

Hikâyenin devamında neler oldu, ikili arasında aşk nasıl kıvılcımdan alev aldı derseniz kitabı edinerek okuyup kendiniz öğrenebilirsiniz.

Saklanan sırlar, sırları açığa çıkarmak için iz peşinde olan casuslar, birbiri için çarpan kalplerin içinde olan aşk ve genele yayılan ihaneti güzel bir şekilde ele alarak yazılmış iyi bir kitaptı Gelinin Kolyesi. Merak edene ve türü okumayı sevenlere önerebilirim.
Sevgiyle ve kitapla kalın, hoşçakalın.
Profile Image for Nelly.
193 reviews
January 12, 2024
I didn't like the heroine she was immature and a liar. Her lying created the appearance of wrongdoing on her part and then she was all sorry about it. Ugh, I found myself calling her a dumb broad numerous times. This is my first read from this author and the writing itself was ok, I think I'll try some of her suspense books ...
Profile Image for Knygų  Romantikė.
318 reviews56 followers
May 29, 2025
Istorinis meilės romanas, apie dvi seses, pabėgusias nuo patėvio. Istorija sukasi apie perlų vėrinį, santykius, titulus, paslaptis.
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