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Brides of Karadok #4
Her Bridegroom, Bought and Paid For
Aimee Ankatel, youngest daughter to the richest merchant in all Karadok only has eyes for the heavily scarred Lord Kentigern. A ferocious competitor, her heart beats louder when she watches him compete in the field. Not one of the handsome knights draws her admiration like he does.
When her father lends funds to the Crown and promises her a glittering match with a nobleman, she daydreams of making the ill-fated knight fall in love with her. After all, if Aimee’s Father buys back Kentigern’s lands and castle for a dowry, surely that would make her an acceptable bride to him?
Any idealistic dreams of youth Kentigern once had were lost long ago in battle when he was disfigured and blinded in one eye. His destiny was a cruel one, his homelands confiscated for his part in the Northern uprising, he ekes out a lonely nomadic existence, travelling from one tournament to another.
Never would he have dreamed that all he had once lost could be restored to him by some upstart merchant wanting a stud and a title for his pretty daughter. Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined a reversal of fortune that included a wife like Aimee.
When her father lends funds to the Crown and promises her a glittering match with a nobleman, she daydreams of making the ill-fated knight fall in love with her. After all, if Aimee’s Father buys back Kentigern’s lands and castle for a dowry, surely that would make her an acceptable bride to him?
Any idealistic dreams of youth Kentigern once had were lost long ago in battle when he was disfigured and blinded in one eye. His destiny was a cruel one, his homelands confiscated for his part in the Northern uprising, he ekes out a lonely nomadic existence, travelling from one tournament to another.
Never would he have dreamed that all he had once lost could be restored to him by some upstart merchant wanting a stud and a title for his pretty daughter. Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined a reversal of fortune that included a wife like Aimee.
470 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 16, 2021
249 people are currently reading
1369 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 376 reviews
April 2, 2023
2.5 stars
The book was good as far as what I usually expect from Alice Coldbreath, but unfortunately, the hero brought my enjoyment of the story to a halt several times.
Now, I will mention that as per usual he sort of vindicates himself by the end, but it was too quickly and neatly tied up in a bow of extreme personality changes.
Some if not most people will be satisfied with the turnabout he did in the way he treated not just the heroine, but the world around him, but for me it just didn’t click.
The man, was bitter, surly and an absolute entitled jerk. He was set in his ways — ways which he acquired God knows where because everyone around him was a saint by comparison — and didn’t give any thought to anyone’s opinion or lived experience.
I don’t mean just the heroine, but absolutely everyone he encountered, he had some judgement ready in his head why they fell short in some way. As if he was some sort of measure on how anyone should be.
He had everyone reduced to whatever qualities he could gleam from a sparse conversation and then that’s how he regarded them.
Men who were proud to show off their 2 month old daughter were “crazy” because it’s not like it’s a son.
Women who were more reserved and meek were - pathetic with no backbone (the way he saw the heroines sister) Women who took charge and knew to command a social situation or a household were too managing (like his wife).
Women like his sister who were unmovable and not of a sunny, cheerful disposition were just too contrary.
Women like his cousin Freda, were too chatty and nervous and he has no interest in even pretending to listen whenever she talked - cause why would he..
Men like his friends who had interests like wanting to court a lady, or who were married and wanted to skip the tourneys were just “losing touch with reality”.
He had an opinion on everyone and everything and it was never positive. He was the most contrary man I’ve ever read about and there was nothing and I mean nothing attractive about him. His personality was that of a troll and his manner was brusque, uncouth and just plain offensive.
I didn’t mention his treatment of the heroine much because frankly he acted with her the same he acted with everyone except that with her he also manoeuvred her about like she was a doll and her attached head was ornamental.
The heroine herself tried so hard and did everything for him and because of him. She was a sweetheart and a doll and not only did he not deserve her but he didn’t deserve all that she brought into his life. Not only riches he could have never aspired to but family, friends, acquaintances, good times etc.
And I don’t wanna excuse his behaviour away with saying he didn’t know better or other such idiocies because frankly the man had travelled the country had seen and met all sorts of people and for him to be such a close minded twit at the age of 31, it didn’t compute.
It was his fault and his fault only. His injuries from the war were honestly something no one cared about, and I think deep down he knew, but he wanted an excuse to be a bitter, disgruntled excuse of a man.
The book was good as far as what I usually expect from Alice Coldbreath, but unfortunately, the hero brought my enjoyment of the story to a halt several times.
Now, I will mention that as per usual he sort of vindicates himself by the end, but it was too quickly and neatly tied up in a bow of extreme personality changes.
Some if not most people will be satisfied with the turnabout he did in the way he treated not just the heroine, but the world around him, but for me it just didn’t click.
The man, was bitter, surly and an absolute entitled jerk. He was set in his ways — ways which he acquired God knows where because everyone around him was a saint by comparison — and didn’t give any thought to anyone’s opinion or lived experience.
I don’t mean just the heroine, but absolutely everyone he encountered, he had some judgement ready in his head why they fell short in some way. As if he was some sort of measure on how anyone should be.
He had everyone reduced to whatever qualities he could gleam from a sparse conversation and then that’s how he regarded them.
Men who were proud to show off their 2 month old daughter were “crazy” because it’s not like it’s a son.
Women who were more reserved and meek were - pathetic with no backbone (the way he saw the heroines sister) Women who took charge and knew to command a social situation or a household were too managing (like his wife).
Women like his sister who were unmovable and not of a sunny, cheerful disposition were just too contrary.
Women like his cousin Freda, were too chatty and nervous and he has no interest in even pretending to listen whenever she talked - cause why would he..
Men like his friends who had interests like wanting to court a lady, or who were married and wanted to skip the tourneys were just “losing touch with reality”.
He had an opinion on everyone and everything and it was never positive. He was the most contrary man I’ve ever read about and there was nothing and I mean nothing attractive about him. His personality was that of a troll and his manner was brusque, uncouth and just plain offensive.
I didn’t mention his treatment of the heroine much because frankly he acted with her the same he acted with everyone except that with her he also manoeuvred her about like she was a doll and her attached head was ornamental.
The heroine herself tried so hard and did everything for him and because of him. She was a sweetheart and a doll and not only did he not deserve her but he didn’t deserve all that she brought into his life. Not only riches he could have never aspired to but family, friends, acquaintances, good times etc.
And I don’t wanna excuse his behaviour away with saying he didn’t know better or other such idiocies because frankly the man had travelled the country had seen and met all sorts of people and for him to be such a close minded twit at the age of 31, it didn’t compute.
It was his fault and his fault only. His injuries from the war were honestly something no one cared about, and I think deep down he knew, but he wanted an excuse to be a bitter, disgruntled excuse of a man.
March 2, 2023
The ending boosted this book up to a four star read for me.
The fourth in the Brides of Karadok series, we have Aimee and Konrad’s arranged marriage. Konrad is a scarred and grumpy *of course* Baron from the north. He was stripped of all his wealth after the south won the war and he is left with a burned down castle and now must compete in the knight tourneys. Aimee is a merchant’s daughter who falls for him at first sight and has her father arrange a marriage between them. Her father makes him a monetary offer he can’t refuse and the two are married.
We then move to familiar waters for Coldbreath readers; the grumpy husband and the naive wife trying to come to an accord in their marriage. This part was pretty standard for the series and also kind of unoriginal. So fans will enjoy this book for its familiarity and comforting feeling. It reads like all the others. Lots of side characters come in to play, some new, some from previous books. It’s a bit dizzying. I had trouble keeping them straight and had to go back and remind myself who was who, so it did drag in the middle.
I’ve read others’ reviews speaking of writing errors and bad editing, as I listened to the audio, I believe these were fixed for the narration. Also I think it has been edited down because it is not as long as the first ebook edition, so many of those problems look to be fixed on rerelease.
Anyway back to why this got four stars. Konrad does a clueless and terrible thing to Aimee at the 40% point. He inadvertently humiliates her at a tournament and she is crushed.
I was crushed and I hated his clueless ass. He did her wrong, guys, he did her wrong! But he figured it out. He felt terrible. He beat himself up for it over and over again and he spent the entire rest of the book making up for it. It culminated at the ending with the humblest grovel of all the book grovels, ever. So I was satisfied.
So if you’ve enjoyed this series, I’d recommend reading this one, and sticking it out past the humiliation. The pay off is worth it.
The fourth in the Brides of Karadok series, we have Aimee and Konrad’s arranged marriage. Konrad is a scarred and grumpy *of course* Baron from the north. He was stripped of all his wealth after the south won the war and he is left with a burned down castle and now must compete in the knight tourneys. Aimee is a merchant’s daughter who falls for him at first sight and has her father arrange a marriage between them. Her father makes him a monetary offer he can’t refuse and the two are married.
We then move to familiar waters for Coldbreath readers; the grumpy husband and the naive wife trying to come to an accord in their marriage. This part was pretty standard for the series and also kind of unoriginal. So fans will enjoy this book for its familiarity and comforting feeling. It reads like all the others. Lots of side characters come in to play, some new, some from previous books. It’s a bit dizzying. I had trouble keeping them straight and had to go back and remind myself who was who, so it did drag in the middle.
I’ve read others’ reviews speaking of writing errors and bad editing, as I listened to the audio, I believe these were fixed for the narration. Also I think it has been edited down because it is not as long as the first ebook edition, so many of those problems look to be fixed on rerelease.
Anyway back to why this got four stars. Konrad does a clueless and terrible thing to Aimee at the 40% point. He inadvertently humiliates her at a tournament and she is crushed.
I was crushed and I hated his clueless ass. He did her wrong, guys, he did her wrong! But he figured it out. He felt terrible. He beat himself up for it over and over again and he spent the entire rest of the book making up for it. It culminated at the ending with the humblest grovel of all the book grovels, ever. So I was satisfied.
So if you’ve enjoyed this series, I’d recommend reading this one, and sticking it out past the humiliation. The pay off is worth it.
June 22, 2021
2.5 why the hell I wasted my time waiting for the release ✨
Genre- Historical Romance based in Medieval period.
I found Alice Coldbreath last year and finished two of the interconnected series( Vawdrey brothers and Brides of karadoke ) within a week. The series is supposedly based in the Medieval period with the marriage of convenience as the main theme. I like that she writes a lot about everyday details such as clothing, food, beliefs, traditions, events, and everything associated with the lives of general folk of the era. I also adore her heroes, who are grumpy, ill-tempered, and mostly follow the principle of ' I hate everyone but you.
This book had all those ingredients plus an awesome heroine, Aimee. She is proud and knows her value. Once she feels she is in love with the H, she concocts a perfect plan of marriage to get everyone to agree with it.
But there were a lot of things in this book that made me doubt, was my appreciation of her previous books a faux??
1. Editing- I had to drag myself through the first few pages. The book was filled with grammatical errors and sentences that don't make any sense and I felt more than once, "this can't be the final draft".
2.It was a lengthy read, about 400 pages but I am not complaining since Coldreath's ' His forsaken bride' was around 500 pages and yet I found it entertaining. Here I felt tons of paraphrasing filled with trivial details.
3.The plot felt like a total rip-off from the earlier books of the series. I know the setting of the capital and tournament is the same but I still feel I am re-reading some of her previous books. Sometimes I felt I am feeling the connection with the book then it will disconnect due to some reasons.
4.Normally, I like when Coldbreth introduces lots of secondary characters with their backstories who may or may not act as an important stimulus in her future books but here most of them felt flat.
Note- At one point I decided I am not rating it at all but after spending my time and patience on 400 pages of a book, it felt wrong.
Genre- Historical Romance based in Medieval period.
I found Alice Coldbreath last year and finished two of the interconnected series( Vawdrey brothers and Brides of karadoke ) within a week. The series is supposedly based in the Medieval period with the marriage of convenience as the main theme. I like that she writes a lot about everyday details such as clothing, food, beliefs, traditions, events, and everything associated with the lives of general folk of the era. I also adore her heroes, who are grumpy, ill-tempered, and mostly follow the principle of ' I hate everyone but you.
This book had all those ingredients plus an awesome heroine, Aimee. She is proud and knows her value. Once she feels she is in love with the H, she concocts a perfect plan of marriage to get everyone to agree with it.
But there were a lot of things in this book that made me doubt, was my appreciation of her previous books a faux??
1. Editing- I had to drag myself through the first few pages. The book was filled with grammatical errors and sentences that don't make any sense and I felt more than once, "this can't be the final draft".
2.It was a lengthy read, about 400 pages but I am not complaining since Coldreath's ' His forsaken bride' was around 500 pages and yet I found it entertaining. Here I felt tons of paraphrasing filled with trivial details.
3.The plot felt like a total rip-off from the earlier books of the series. I know the setting of the capital and tournament is the same but I still feel I am re-reading some of her previous books. Sometimes I felt I am feeling the connection with the book then it will disconnect due to some reasons.
4.Normally, I like when Coldbreth introduces lots of secondary characters with their backstories who may or may not act as an important stimulus in her future books but here most of them felt flat.
Note- At one point I decided I am not rating it at all but after spending my time and patience on 400 pages of a book, it felt wrong.
September 4, 2022
9/4/2022: 4.5 stars. I really enjoyed this story once again & I think it might be my favorite of the series. I had been hoping that this would have been released as an audiobook by now… maybe by the third read? 🤞🏻🤞🏻
6/18/2021: 4.5 stars. It‘s no secret that I love Alice Coldbreath’s writing… and therefore, this book was probably my most anticipated of the year. I bought it immediately when I saw that it had been released & I’m happy to say that it didn’t disappoint!
This is Lord Kentigern’s story, and it’s a little bit of a “beauty and the beast” theme, since he has facial scars and the heroine is beautiful and seems an odd match for him. It starts out when the heroine, Aimee, falls in love with Kentigern, and decides that she wants him as her husband. Her father is the wealthiest merchant in all of Karadok, and so he uses his money to give Kentigern back his ancestral home as part of her dowery (which was seized by the southern king in the war). Aimee also convinces her sister to marry at the same time, and since Aimee is the younger and prettier of the two, Kentigern is convinced that he is to marry the sister, not Aimee. This begins a series of misunderstandings and miscommunications between Aimee and Kentigern, with some serious blunders on his part. Thankfully, as with all of AC’s hero’s, Kentigern quickly learn from his mistakes and slowly starts to change his ways. The ending was super sweet, with good endings for both the H&h, and also lots of side characters getting their own HEAs.
For me, this book was highly enjoyable. My only complaint is that it feels a little bit formulaic when compared to her previous books. I know it’s hard to always write totally unique stories, and AC is better than most authors in this regard, imo. I just think it would be nice to get a different type of hero… maybe one who does most of the chasing and is committed to the relationship right off the bat? I think that’s a big reason why I loved Oswald Vaudrey’s story so much, because he was the main pursuer of the relationship nearly the entire time (even tricking the heroine into their marriage).
Anyways, I definitely recommend this book.
Safety is good, no surprise there. Heroine is a virgin, hero celibate for 6-7 years, since his face was scarred in battle. No om/ow drama, no cheating.
6/18/2021: 4.5 stars. It‘s no secret that I love Alice Coldbreath’s writing… and therefore, this book was probably my most anticipated of the year. I bought it immediately when I saw that it had been released & I’m happy to say that it didn’t disappoint!
This is Lord Kentigern’s story, and it’s a little bit of a “beauty and the beast” theme, since he has facial scars and the heroine is beautiful and seems an odd match for him. It starts out when the heroine, Aimee, falls in love with Kentigern, and decides that she wants him as her husband. Her father is the wealthiest merchant in all of Karadok, and so he uses his money to give Kentigern back his ancestral home as part of her dowery (which was seized by the southern king in the war). Aimee also convinces her sister to marry at the same time, and since Aimee is the younger and prettier of the two, Kentigern is convinced that he is to marry the sister, not Aimee. This begins a series of misunderstandings and miscommunications between Aimee and Kentigern, with some serious blunders on his part. Thankfully, as with all of AC’s hero’s, Kentigern quickly learn from his mistakes and slowly starts to change his ways. The ending was super sweet, with good endings for both the H&h, and also lots of side characters getting their own HEAs.
For me, this book was highly enjoyable. My only complaint is that it feels a little bit formulaic when compared to her previous books. I know it’s hard to always write totally unique stories, and AC is better than most authors in this regard, imo. I just think it would be nice to get a different type of hero… maybe one who does most of the chasing and is committed to the relationship right off the bat? I think that’s a big reason why I loved Oswald Vaudrey’s story so much, because he was the main pursuer of the relationship nearly the entire time (even tricking the heroine into their marriage).
Anyways, I definitely recommend this book.
Safety is good, no surprise there. Heroine is a virgin, hero celibate for 6-7 years, since his face was scarred in battle. No om/ow drama, no cheating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2021
Lord Kentigern HERE WE GOOOO!!!
My beloved folks of Karadok are back! Can’t stress enough how excited I am for this book. Ever since I read about Kentigern in Eden and Roland’s book, I know I’m going to be hooked. Can’t wait for Miss Coldbreath to whisk me away with these two.
Honestly, I’d gladly read anything Alice Coldbreath writes, she’s that good. QUEEN😭😭😭
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My thoughts below:
As usual, Alice Coldbreath's book is a treat to read. I may be biased because I'm such a sucker for a lot of things that often feature in AC's works, so please take this with a grain of salt 😂
The story follows the journey of our brooding, intimidating Sir Kentigern, a northern knight whom we've met in Roland's book. This one has all the stuff that I love; marriage of convenience, the brooding but utterly smitten male protagonist, medieval tournaments, and so on!
I do agree with a lot of reviews here that this book is a little formulaic (but I still do love it tho), and sometimes, I would be a little more interested in other characters' little cameo, such as Roland, Garman, and Lenora (even de Crecy and Sabina), but that may be because I miss them.
Overall, this was a fun and sweet read that provide lovely escapist fantasy, especially during this tiring time.
Anyway, CAN'T WAIT for the stoic (not so now) Jeffree de Crecy and Sabina Burrell's Book! From what I've read so far, they're on their way to be one of my favorite couples.
February 25, 2022
2/23/2022 Update: Was flipping through scenes in here as I was trying to find Jeffree and Sabina scenes as I was reading their book, and this book was hot. Hero may have been oblivious, but he had some shockingly dirty lines come out of his mouth for someone who didn't want to Fall In Love.
Perfect!! I LOVE medievals that are all about tournaments. The MC dynamic is one of my favourites - plucky and fun heroine who loves her man and grumpy hero who doesn’t realize how lucky he has it until it’s too late. Just what I was in the mood for.
Perfect!! I LOVE medievals that are all about tournaments. The MC dynamic is one of my favourites - plucky and fun heroine who loves her man and grumpy hero who doesn’t realize how lucky he has it until it’s too late. Just what I was in the mood for.
June 23, 2021
HAIKU BOOK REVIEW: Her Bridegroom, etc., by Alice Coldbreath
He’s a jerk, she’s a
doormat, should’ve just re-read
Her Baseborn Bridegroom.
He’s a jerk, she’s a
doormat, should’ve just re-read
Her Baseborn Bridegroom.
February 22, 2022
When Aimee sees heavily scarred Lord Kentigern at a tournament, she instantly falls in love with him. Even though he lost his round, she sees something in the way he congratulates the younger knight that defeated him that shows a kind side to his character, and she is smitten. She barely registers his scars or his blind eye. As the daughter of the most wealthy merchant in the land, she can get what she wants. Aimee, is no spoiled, rich girl. She is new to wealth and is insecure about her social standing. But she is a smart and determined woman and she wants Kentigern.
Poor Konrad was blinded and scarred in the war 6 years ago, and since then he has become cynical and led a solitary life. Even though he is a Baron, he lost everything when the crown took it after the war. He marries Aimee because she promises to restore his family home and lands.
It's no secret that I love Alice Coldbreath's writing. This book was not action packed, but I loved every word. Much of the relationship development happens as Aimee has to grow up and discover her husband, not the hero of her imaginings. Konrad must lose his pessimism and learn to accept the love of his wife. It never occurred to him that a woman could love him for him. Konrad is a man with no clue how to treat his wife. He has all sorts of sweet ideas and regrets, but has real trouble saying them out loud. He makes many missteps with his wife, but learns how to treat her right and value her love and contributions in his life. These two were so adorable together!
There were quite a few scenes of tournaments, if you like that kind of thing. And there were several side-plots with blooming romances for secondary characters. I really enjoyed reading snippets about Jeffree de Crecy and his new wife. That is a story I can't wait to read!
I really loved this book and I'm happy to see so many others are reading AC's books.
Safety
Poor Konrad was blinded and scarred in the war 6 years ago, and since then he has become cynical and led a solitary life. Even though he is a Baron, he lost everything when the crown took it after the war. He marries Aimee because she promises to restore his family home and lands.
It's no secret that I love Alice Coldbreath's writing. This book was not action packed, but I loved every word. Much of the relationship development happens as Aimee has to grow up and discover her husband, not the hero of her imaginings. Konrad must lose his pessimism and learn to accept the love of his wife. It never occurred to him that a woman could love him for him. Konrad is a man with no clue how to treat his wife. He has all sorts of sweet ideas and regrets, but has real trouble saying them out loud. He makes many missteps with his wife, but learns how to treat her right and value her love and contributions in his life. These two were so adorable together!
There were quite a few scenes of tournaments, if you like that kind of thing. And there were several side-plots with blooming romances for secondary characters. I really enjoyed reading snippets about Jeffree de Crecy and his new wife. That is a story I can't wait to read!
I really loved this book and I'm happy to see so many others are reading AC's books.
Safety
July 27, 2021
4 STARS
Another fabulous edition to the Karadok Brides. Alice Coldbreath has yet to let me down. I seem to devour her books as fast as she can write them. Love the characters. Love the supporting cast. And as usual, the grovel factor is off the charts. Strong resilient heroines and gruff, brutish heroes that never fail to win my heart. Can't wait for the next one!
Loved it!
“I was … like that battered old chest of my grandfather’s,” he said grimly. “The keyhole was so rusted up I didn’t think anyone would ever get in.”
Another fabulous edition to the Karadok Brides. Alice Coldbreath has yet to let me down. I seem to devour her books as fast as she can write them. Love the characters. Love the supporting cast. And as usual, the grovel factor is off the charts. Strong resilient heroines and gruff, brutish heroes that never fail to win my heart. Can't wait for the next one!
Considerate, that was what he was aiming for. A considerate husband did not make his wife cry herself to sleep at night. Nor did he lift her shift and swive her first thing in the morning in the middle of a field.
Loved it!
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September 18, 2025
I sort of skimmed this one before, which is why I've never reviewed it, but this time on my AC kick it occurred to me that AC doesn't really have enough books for me to skimming them. Her style of writing is definitely the kind to give you a book hangover, so I need to stave that off for as long as possible...
Still, this definitely isn't my favourite of her works. 22-year-old Aimee Ankatel is the beautiful, black-haired daughter of Karadok's richest merchant; watching the knights compete one day, she loses her heart utterly not to the young and chivalrous Sir Renlowe, but instead to the scarred, hulking Lord Kentigern, a 31-year-old poverty-stricken nobleman from the losing side of Karadok's recent civil war. Young and spoilt, it occurs to Aimee that it would be absolutely perfect if her father got her Kentigern as a bridegroom. With his lack of fortune and her abundance of it, he's sure to say yes.
Which indeed he does, but for his part he thinks he's marrying Ursula, Aimee's drab older sister, and is bowled over at the wedding ceremony to find that it's an entirely different bride under the veil. Of course, he's not complaining about the substitution - but gratitude doesn't make him unbend any further towards his new wife, whose tragic eagerness to please him is met largely by surliness and coldness.
I'm rarely a fan of 'heroine in pursuit' stories, and this was no exception. I didn't love Garman, but he and Lenora at least had the distinction of Garman making it clear that he was wedding Lenora for her own merits, since he knew she'd likely never get her dowry and was disfigured on top of that; Kentigern has a wife who's beautiful, rich, and obsessed with him land into his lap, but the book is still a series of slights by him, without even a satisfying grovel to make up for it.
AC's signature slice-of-life writing is as appealing as ever, but in this instance I really felt like Aimee deserved better.
Still, this definitely isn't my favourite of her works. 22-year-old Aimee Ankatel is the beautiful, black-haired daughter of Karadok's richest merchant; watching the knights compete one day, she loses her heart utterly not to the young and chivalrous Sir Renlowe, but instead to the scarred, hulking Lord Kentigern, a 31-year-old poverty-stricken nobleman from the losing side of Karadok's recent civil war. Young and spoilt, it occurs to Aimee that it would be absolutely perfect if her father got her Kentigern as a bridegroom. With his lack of fortune and her abundance of it, he's sure to say yes.
Which indeed he does, but for his part he thinks he's marrying Ursula, Aimee's drab older sister, and is bowled over at the wedding ceremony to find that it's an entirely different bride under the veil. Of course, he's not complaining about the substitution - but gratitude doesn't make him unbend any further towards his new wife, whose tragic eagerness to please him is met largely by surliness and coldness.
I'm rarely a fan of 'heroine in pursuit' stories, and this was no exception. I didn't love Garman, but he and Lenora at least had the distinction of Garman making it clear that he was wedding Lenora for her own merits, since he knew she'd likely never get her dowry and was disfigured on top of that; Kentigern has a wife who's beautiful, rich, and obsessed with him land into his lap, but the book is still a series of slights by him, without even a satisfying grovel to make up for it.
AC's signature slice-of-life writing is as appealing as ever, but in this instance I really felt like Aimee deserved better.
September 15, 2021
Aimee and Konrad... what to say?
Konrad was clueless toward anything and everything to do with women and domestic management! But he's also intelligent and it was so funny to see how he learned through trial and error and how he clumsily tried to right his wrongs!
Aimee thinks she knows everything! And it was funny to see how she learned that not everything is how she thought! She's very managing and she also suppose too much! But she'll learn... very slowly, but she'll learn!
A fun and easy to read book. Perfect for a week-end! :)
Konrad was clueless toward anything and everything to do with women and domestic management! But he's also intelligent and it was so funny to see how he learned through trial and error and how he clumsily tried to right his wrongs!
Aimee thinks she knows everything! And it was funny to see how she learned that not everything is how she thought! She's very managing and she also suppose too much! But she'll learn... very slowly, but she'll learn!
A fun and easy to read book. Perfect for a week-end! :)
July 28, 2021
Not as good as the other books in the series but still nice to read.
May 11, 2023
Another solidly good time in Karadok. Konrad (H) was a typical hero of Alice Coldbreath's again, a grumpy knight who doesn't communicate well, does something stupid, and has to redeem himself. Aimee (h) was a little different from the typical heroines though, she was more sunshiney, was very managing, and spoiled. Aimee saw Konrad at a tournament and was in love with him after witnessing his gracious handling of defeat, so finagles a marriage agreement between her and Konrad and her sister with a knight the sister admires. The women's father is a wealthy merchant, which makes the marriages advantageous for the knights, and also a loving example of a parent for a change. Unfortunately, Aimee and Konrad suffer from miscommunication, misunderstanding, and a couple of blunders. Although the road to them sorting out their marriage and feelings to get their HEA had some complications, it made for a good story with some angst but not too much. Written in third person, dual POV. No ow/om drama, h was a virgin and H was not (but had been celibate since a war injury scarred his face).
I liked Aimee and Konrad, but some of their faults wore on me a little. Aimee was young and I thought needed to mature, which only comes from experience. Konrad used his scarring and grumpy attitude to keep everyone at a distant and leaned too heavily into his persona. Both needed to face some truths about themselves, although Aimee was more caring and delicate in prompting Konrad to understand that he had friends and support, whereas he was far too blunt in pointing out some of Aimee's flaws. But they adjusted! The tokens that Aimee gave him were adorable and Konrad asking her to wear his colors again, beating himself up over his missteps was sweet. These two also had to acclimate to the marriage bed as well. Though there are lots of steamy times like the rest of the series and some sweet intimate moments involved too.
The setting is mostly in the capital city and partly on the road and a rural tournament. I liked how this felt like a different setting because Aimee is from the merchant class and not a part of the court and Konrad eschewed the court. The descriptions of setting up a house, clothing, jewelry, and etiquette were all interesting and helped build in those finer details too. Some cameos and catching up moments with past couples/characters, which I loved. Also some new knights were introduced that were like adorable puppies hero worshipping Konrad. Aimee's sister, new brother-in-law, father, and Konrad's sister and cousin were all involved side characters who also each get their happy moments and endings along with the main couple.
The ending is HEA with a short jump ahead in time and a nice wrap-up for all. By the end, Konrad and Aimee were a strong couple and very sweet together. I'd put it off because I knew from other reviews that Konrad would mess up and that some aspects of both their personalities would sometimes frustrate me and I should have just read it earlier. This wasn't my favorite in the series, but I enjoyed it a lot.
I liked Aimee and Konrad, but some of their faults wore on me a little. Aimee was young and I thought needed to mature, which only comes from experience. Konrad used his scarring and grumpy attitude to keep everyone at a distant and leaned too heavily into his persona. Both needed to face some truths about themselves, although Aimee was more caring and delicate in prompting Konrad to understand that he had friends and support, whereas he was far too blunt in pointing out some of Aimee's flaws. But they adjusted! The tokens that Aimee gave him were adorable and Konrad asking her to wear his colors again, beating himself up over his missteps was sweet. These two also had to acclimate to the marriage bed as well. Though there are lots of steamy times like the rest of the series and some sweet intimate moments involved too.
The setting is mostly in the capital city and partly on the road and a rural tournament. I liked how this felt like a different setting because Aimee is from the merchant class and not a part of the court and Konrad eschewed the court. The descriptions of setting up a house, clothing, jewelry, and etiquette were all interesting and helped build in those finer details too. Some cameos and catching up moments with past couples/characters, which I loved. Also some new knights were introduced that were like adorable puppies hero worshipping Konrad. Aimee's sister, new brother-in-law, father, and Konrad's sister and cousin were all involved side characters who also each get their happy moments and endings along with the main couple.
The ending is HEA with a short jump ahead in time and a nice wrap-up for all. By the end, Konrad and Aimee were a strong couple and very sweet together. I'd put it off because I knew from other reviews that Konrad would mess up and that some aspects of both their personalities would sometimes frustrate me and I should have just read it earlier. This wasn't my favorite in the series, but I enjoyed it a lot.
February 10, 2024
Full disclaimer: my rating might be prejudiced by the fact that, over the previous books about the fictional Karadok, I developed a huge crush on Lord Kentigern, who seemed mythically and tragically alone in his pride and ferocity.
This book added dimensions to his character, not all of them flattering. He didn’t start out kind. Or noble. Or even aware. He was too locked into his own slogging, miserable existence for that. Aimee was too used to ordering whatever she wanted into reality, and oops! reality with Kentigern and his family had unexpected thorns.
The journey as they worked their way to deeper feelings was well-planned and well-written. There was a particularly powerful passage told from Kentigern’s point-of-view during a melee where I felt Kentigern’s weariness of spirit, questioning of purpose, and awareness of his fellow man all the way to my soul. That type of writing is what a reader lives for.
This book added dimensions to his character, not all of them flattering. He didn’t start out kind. Or noble. Or even aware. He was too locked into his own slogging, miserable existence for that. Aimee was too used to ordering whatever she wanted into reality, and oops! reality with Kentigern and his family had unexpected thorns.
The journey as they worked their way to deeper feelings was well-planned and well-written. There was a particularly powerful passage told from Kentigern’s point-of-view during a melee where I felt Kentigern’s weariness of spirit, questioning of purpose, and awareness of his fellow man all the way to my soul. That type of writing is what a reader lives for.
December 11, 2024
Was not worth an Audible credit. 😭😭😭
I didn't care for the hero's older spinster sister during the first half of the book. The angst would have been good if only the H/h spent more time together. There were too many pages given to the knightly tournaments. These pages could have easily been given to the romance. The couples from the previous books make brief appearances at the tournaments.
I used another Audible credit to purchase the next book in the series. Let's hope the romance is better than this book.
I didn't care for the hero's older spinster sister during the first half of the book. The angst would have been good if only the H/h spent more time together. There were too many pages given to the knightly tournaments. These pages could have easily been given to the romance. The couples from the previous books make brief appearances at the tournaments.
I used another Audible credit to purchase the next book in the series. Let's hope the romance is better than this book.
September 25, 2024
Not bad. Just, I’m not so into a medieval romance after all.
Update: Upon reading other books that has Kertigern as a character, I am so intrigued by him! I love the Beauty and Beast trope when done well… but after reading some reviews, I guess I’ll pass. I seemed to not like it much 2 years ago too.
Update #3 I have upgraded this from 3 to 4 stars. It might be more like 3.51
So… long story - I read this back a couple years ago, clearly didn’t think much of it (see above), but then recently read a couple AC books that I liked and got interested in Kentigern (always love those taciturn, scarred, big and not so pretty men). And bought it again without knowing I already read it. Then returned it bc I read some reviews that scared me away. Then bought it AGAIN bc I was desperate for some HR to read.
Now, I do like parts of this, obviously, but I still skipped a bunch. I thought the first 50% was better than the last 50% which is unfortunate. As some other readers said, there were too many side characters and not enough of the MCs. I felt like their relationship was building or evolving steadily in the first 50%- basically setting up how K needs to find ways to earn A’s love back, but then didn’t really provide what I’m waiting for - where’s the tender gestures, the push and pull? As all AC’s men do - they take action, don’t usually use words. One of those actions should have been more love making! But he held off on that in the back half, which frustrated me to no end!
Anyway, I still like both characters, independently and together, but I wish there was a whole lot more ROMANCE.
Update: Upon reading other books that has Kertigern as a character, I am so intrigued by him! I love the Beauty and Beast trope when done well… but after reading some reviews, I guess I’ll pass. I seemed to not like it much 2 years ago too.
Update #3 I have upgraded this from 3 to 4 stars. It might be more like 3.51
So… long story - I read this back a couple years ago, clearly didn’t think much of it (see above), but then recently read a couple AC books that I liked and got interested in Kentigern (always love those taciturn, scarred, big and not so pretty men). And bought it again without knowing I already read it. Then returned it bc I read some reviews that scared me away. Then bought it AGAIN bc I was desperate for some HR to read.
Now, I do like parts of this, obviously, but I still skipped a bunch. I thought the first 50% was better than the last 50% which is unfortunate. As some other readers said, there were too many side characters and not enough of the MCs. I felt like their relationship was building or evolving steadily in the first 50%- basically setting up how K needs to find ways to earn A’s love back, but then didn’t really provide what I’m waiting for - where’s the tender gestures, the push and pull? As all AC’s men do - they take action, don’t usually use words. One of those actions should have been more love making! But he held off on that in the back half, which frustrated me to no end!
Anyway, I still like both characters, independently and together, but I wish there was a whole lot more ROMANCE.
July 6, 2021
I enjoyed being in the world of Karadok. This was much more campier book when it comes to a plot than others from this medieval series.
Our MCs were both pretty chill characters. They were not creating lot of drama between each other. But still Lord Kertigen was completely clueless when it came to women or anything domestically oriented. It was nice to see him learn and slowly open his eyes to another world.
And Aimee was the driving force of the story.
But the book doesn’t measure well against others from this world. There is a lot of filler about other characters and about setting and clothes but the two MCs have very simple unintriguing storyline.
I was much more interested in what’s happening between de Crecy and his new bride than in what’s happening with Aimee and Konrad.
If de Crecy is the next book I’m hooked.
Our MCs were both pretty chill characters. They were not creating lot of drama between each other. But still Lord Kertigen was completely clueless when it came to women or anything domestically oriented. It was nice to see him learn and slowly open his eyes to another world.
And Aimee was the driving force of the story.
But the book doesn’t measure well against others from this world. There is a lot of filler about other characters and about setting and clothes but the two MCs have very simple unintriguing storyline.
I was much more interested in what’s happening between de Crecy and his new bride than in what’s happening with Aimee and Konrad.
If de Crecy is the next book I’m hooked.
July 15, 2023
What a beautiful story of learning the difference in the fantasy vs the reality of being in love. Aimee, a wealthy merchant’s daughter, fell heads over heels for scarred, bitter knight Sir Konrad. Marriage quickly “restored her sight” as her heroic knight was revealed to be a grumpy beast missing a sensitivity chip.
As usual , the secondary characters are exquisitely developed. I adored Konrad’s dear cousin, Freda, who deserved her own happiness. I was thrilled that the gallant young knight, Renlow, found love and happiness with Aimee’s sister Ursula.
It was wonderful to see Mathilde and Guy again so happily in love with their infant son. I also enjoyed seeing the meddling Queen Amenal delighting in the antics of her subjects.
Still I’m not sure I’ll read the next book anytime soon, Sir Jefferee sounds like a stuck up virginal prude and Sabrina comes across as a bitter, mean widow.
As usual , the secondary characters are exquisitely developed. I adored Konrad’s dear cousin, Freda, who deserved her own happiness. I was thrilled that the gallant young knight, Renlow, found love and happiness with Aimee’s sister Ursula.
It was wonderful to see Mathilde and Guy again so happily in love with their infant son. I also enjoyed seeing the meddling Queen Amenal delighting in the antics of her subjects.
Still I’m not sure I’ll read the next book anytime soon, Sir Jefferee sounds like a stuck up virginal prude and Sabrina comes across as a bitter, mean widow.
July 6, 2021
I'm an unabashed Alice Coldbreath fan, and this new Brides of Karadok book didn't disappoint! Yay! It's less Beauty and the Beast and more "no man is an island," with a heavily scarred hero who lost his home and fortune fighting on the wrong side of a war (now 7 or so years in the past) and a wealthy merchant's daughter who falls in love with him when he acts with rare nobility upon a tournament defeat. Hero Konrad makes a few missteps along the way, but it's more because he's clueless rather than cruel, and after hurting the heroine's feelings very badly by awarding the tourney crown, with his usual cynicism, to piss off/unsettle a rival knight, he spends most of the book learning to be more considerate and loving. It's super cute!
Coldbreath writes very sexually dominant heroes that I find super hot, and she definitely plays off anachronistic roles that are realistic for her medieval setting but aren't everyone's cuppa. But her heroes have a sweetness and smittenness under their growly ways that I find appealing, and her open-hearted heroines generally manage them just fine, so it works for me!
No surprise the heroine's name is Aimee, since at its heart this is a tale of a disfigured and isolated hero who learns to value the gift of love and friendship that's offered to him from not just his wife, but hither-to-ignored acquaintances and family. I enjoyed it a great deal and added an extra star just because I think AC is one of the best writing (pseudo)historicals today--and I loved the quick cameos of characters from other books (including one yet to come!). Can't wait for the next one in the series.
Coldbreath writes very sexually dominant heroes that I find super hot, and she definitely plays off anachronistic roles that are realistic for her medieval setting but aren't everyone's cuppa. But her heroes have a sweetness and smittenness under their growly ways that I find appealing, and her open-hearted heroines generally manage them just fine, so it works for me!
No surprise the heroine's name is Aimee, since at its heart this is a tale of a disfigured and isolated hero who learns to value the gift of love and friendship that's offered to him from not just his wife, but hither-to-ignored acquaintances and family. I enjoyed it a great deal and added an extra star just because I think AC is one of the best writing (pseudo)historicals today--and I loved the quick cameos of characters from other books (including one yet to come!). Can't wait for the next one in the series.
April 15, 2023
It was refreshing to have a parental figure who isn't neglectful or abusive or long dead!
I really liked Aimee, she's so fun and spoiled but good hearted and absolutely manages all those around her. Konrad isn't my favorite character, I never really got the depth of his feelings for Aimee and the grovel/gut punch didn't feel as satisfying as other books.
I really liked Aimee, she's so fun and spoiled but good hearted and absolutely manages all those around her. Konrad isn't my favorite character, I never really got the depth of his feelings for Aimee and the grovel/gut punch didn't feel as satisfying as other books.
January 22, 2024
The problem with Alice Coldbreath novels is that I am unable to do or think about anything else when I am in the middle of one. Life outside of her world seizes to exist. Not really because I'm married with children but I do obsessively read for 2-3 days. Also why I save her books for when I need a pick-me-up because I know I'll enjoy it regardless.
Anyway, Her Bridegroom, Bought and Paid For is a perfect example of a girl trying to buy love. Our heroine, Aimee, is a girl who knows what she wants and goes after it. She's a little controlling and manipulative but she has a big heart. Her father is a merchant with so much money that he can basically buy his 2 daughters husbands and Aimee already knows who she wants; a hulking brute of a knight, Lord Kentigern. It is insta-love on her part but he doesn't know it's not his title that she wants, its his big sexy body. Konrad (Lord Kentigern), is kind of an idiot.
Anyway, Her Bridegroom, Bought and Paid For is a perfect example of a girl trying to buy love. Our heroine, Aimee, is a girl who knows what she wants and goes after it. She's a little controlling and manipulative but she has a big heart. Her father is a merchant with so much money that he can basically buy his 2 daughters husbands and Aimee already knows who she wants; a hulking brute of a knight, Lord Kentigern. It is insta-love on her part but he doesn't know it's not his title that she wants, its his big sexy body. Konrad (Lord Kentigern), is kind of an idiot.
September 4, 2023
Another doormat.🙄
I thought she was a strong heroine, so I loved her and this boring ass book, until she showed her true colors.
H betrayed/humiliated her publicly in a HUGE way, and she couldn’t stay mad longer than an hour because of sex. 🙄🙄🙄🙄
Body betraying trope is just irritating, and so unrealistic.
What woman wants to fuck their husband right after he betrayed her with another woman?
In front of a huge audience, where everyone turned to pity you?
He doesn’t even apologize.
I had to skip this entire cringey sex scene. 🙄
DNF 65%
Plot?
She’s a doormat. She falls first, and chases him. She falls in love at first sight, and makes her rich dad buy him for her, so they marry.
H only wanted her for the money and treats her like absolute garbage after the marriage.
No chemistry between the MCs. It’s a slow burn.
Tropes
-beauty and the beast
- she is rich. he’s poor, scarred, and half blind.
- plus size heroine, she’s beautiful and doesn’t bitch and whine about her body the entire book. Thank God.
Safe
- no cheating
- no ow/om drama.
I thought she was a strong heroine, so I loved her and this boring ass book, until she showed her true colors.
H betrayed/humiliated her publicly in a HUGE way, and she couldn’t stay mad longer than an hour because of sex. 🙄🙄🙄🙄
Body betraying trope is just irritating, and so unrealistic.
What woman wants to fuck their husband right after he betrayed her with another woman?
In front of a huge audience, where everyone turned to pity you?
He doesn’t even apologize.
I had to skip this entire cringey sex scene. 🙄
DNF 65%
Plot?
She’s a doormat. She falls first, and chases him. She falls in love at first sight, and makes her rich dad buy him for her, so they marry.
H only wanted her for the money and treats her like absolute garbage after the marriage.
No chemistry between the MCs. It’s a slow burn.
Tropes
-beauty and the beast
- she is rich. he’s poor, scarred, and half blind.
- plus size heroine, she’s beautiful and doesn’t bitch and whine about her body the entire book. Thank God.
Safe
- no cheating
- no ow/om drama.
August 6, 2021
4th book in this series
Konrad and Aimee story
God this h Aimee has the patience of a saint for putting up with him, he was so blind and insecure I know he is scarred and all that but poor Aimee he broke her heart more than once 🤨 but he redeemed himself at the end 😒
The sex was steamy, she was feisty and strong loved her
So excited about sir Jeffree👍
Konrad and Aimee story
God this h Aimee has the patience of a saint for putting up with him, he was so blind and insecure I know he is scarred and all that but poor Aimee he broke her heart more than once 🤨 but he redeemed himself at the end 😒
The sex was steamy, she was feisty and strong loved her
So excited about sir Jeffree👍
October 17, 2024
Re-read on 17/10/24:
It's no secret that I adore Alice Coldbreath's books, and they only seem to get better with each re-read. This one is no exception, so I'm elevating it to 4 stars. Interestingly, the secondary characters didn't bother me as much this time around. Sure, Konrad is gruff and can be a bit of a prick (as many of AC's heroes are), but there's just something about these types of characters that makes you root for their romance with the heroine.
Aimee still feels a bit bland to me personality-wise. A lot of foreshadowing about the next book which makes me want to re-read the next book (although, I've only re-read that one earlier this year). So many books, so little time (sigh).
If you're new to Coldbreath, I recommend giving a few of her books a chance before forming an opinion. Her writing tends to follow a few familiar themes: marriage of convenience, gruff or scoundrel-like heroes, and heroines who grow into themselves. While her books don’t often go on sale, they’re consistently priced under USD 5, which I really appreciate. Given that her stories are ones I return to over and over again, they’re absolutely worth the purchase. Alice Coldbreath remains an auto-buy for me!
_______________________________________
I get what most people are saying about this book. This book isn't one of Alice's best. Aimee is bland, and Konrad's gruffness isn't as endearing as Alice's other heroes. He just came across as inconsiderate. What's up with the characters from other books appearing in this one quite frequently and prominently? The lack of focus on this book's main couple and romance is apparent and, honestly, quite jarring. This was an okay read, but I've had better from hers. So, only three stars from me.
It's no secret that I adore Alice Coldbreath's books, and they only seem to get better with each re-read. This one is no exception, so I'm elevating it to 4 stars. Interestingly, the secondary characters didn't bother me as much this time around. Sure, Konrad is gruff and can be a bit of a prick (as many of AC's heroes are), but there's just something about these types of characters that makes you root for their romance with the heroine.
Aimee still feels a bit bland to me personality-wise. A lot of foreshadowing about the next book which makes me want to re-read the next book (although, I've only re-read that one earlier this year). So many books, so little time (sigh).
If you're new to Coldbreath, I recommend giving a few of her books a chance before forming an opinion. Her writing tends to follow a few familiar themes: marriage of convenience, gruff or scoundrel-like heroes, and heroines who grow into themselves. While her books don’t often go on sale, they’re consistently priced under USD 5, which I really appreciate. Given that her stories are ones I return to over and over again, they’re absolutely worth the purchase. Alice Coldbreath remains an auto-buy for me!
_______________________________________
I get what most people are saying about this book. This book isn't one of Alice's best. Aimee is bland, and Konrad's gruffness isn't as endearing as Alice's other heroes. He just came across as inconsiderate. What's up with the characters from other books appearing in this one quite frequently and prominently? The lack of focus on this book's main couple and romance is apparent and, honestly, quite jarring. This was an okay read, but I've had better from hers. So, only three stars from me.
August 16, 2025
1st read: June 2022
2nd read: November 2023
3rd read: August 2025
This is so sweet.
********************
Original review:
Aimee is a beloved daughter of a wealthy merchant. While she is watching a tournament with her sister, she sees Lord Kentigern (Konrad) competing and convinces herself that she's in love with him. She persuades her father to offer Konrad a huge dowry to induce him to marry her.
Konrad was on the losing side of a war that ended almost a decade ago. He has serious scars on his face from a battle and his family lost almost everything. Since the war, he mostly keeps to himself and he doesn't have any close relationships. When Aimee's father offers Konrad back what his family lost in the war, Konrad agrees. He thinks that Aimee and her father just want him for his title, so he is dismissive and thoughtless to her, which hurts her greatly.
I love this book, and I love Aimee and Konrad as individuals and as a couple. Even though they sometimes messed up (especially Konrad), nothing done was unforgivable and the reasoning behind their actions was at least somewhat understandable.
2nd read: November 2023
3rd read: August 2025
This is so sweet.
********************
Original review:
Aimee is a beloved daughter of a wealthy merchant. While she is watching a tournament with her sister, she sees Lord Kentigern (Konrad) competing and convinces herself that she's in love with him. She persuades her father to offer Konrad a huge dowry to induce him to marry her.
Konrad was on the losing side of a war that ended almost a decade ago. He has serious scars on his face from a battle and his family lost almost everything. Since the war, he mostly keeps to himself and he doesn't have any close relationships. When Aimee's father offers Konrad back what his family lost in the war, Konrad agrees. He thinks that Aimee and her father just want him for his title, so he is dismissive and thoughtless to her, which hurts her greatly.
I love this book, and I love Aimee and Konrad as individuals and as a couple. Even though they sometimes messed up (especially Konrad), nothing done was unforgivable and the reasoning behind their actions was at least somewhat understandable.
April 23, 2023
Grumpy H and an h who is madly in love with him. She knows he doesn't care for her but she tries to please and ends up being humiliated. He's traumatised from the war and I liked how gracious and kind she was to his family, and to him. Loved it.
August 24, 2022
The book is nicely written and I liked it really
The trope could have been better mined
Overall nice
The Beaty and the beast or rich girl marries for a title trope could haves been chased in more
3 stars
The trope could have been better mined
Overall nice
The Beaty and the beast or rich girl marries for a title trope could haves been chased in more
3 stars
August 22, 2022
Book Name/Series: Her Bridegroom, Bought and Paid For (Brides of Karadok, #4)
Author: Alice Coldbreath
Standalone?: Can be read as a standalone, but includes characters from other books in the series.
2 Stars
Summary of the Storyline: When Aimee, the daughter of a very wealthy merchant, first watches Lord Kentigern compete in a tournament, she falls for him instantly and decides to try to secure a marriage with him.
8 months later, after Aimee’s father promises that he will buy back Konrad’s lands, rebuild his home, and provide him with a very handsome dowry, Konrad agrees to marry one of the merchant’s daughters. He is under the impression that he will be marrying the older of the two sisters Ursula. However, when he shows up on his wedding day and discovers that the woman behind the veil is actually the youngest daughter Aimee, he is shocked and has no idea how to react or what to feel.
Aimee however is certain that she can get him to love her. But when she realises her fantasy might not live up to the reality, she isn’t sure what to do.
My Opinion: Having read several of Alice Coldbreath’s other books and really loved them, I was so excited for the release of this one and I was sure I would love it. However, I was left a little disappointed. It wasn’t even that the book was outright bad, it was just very underwhelming in my opinion.
I did like how immersed I felt in the time period the book was set in. There was interesting information about the culture and customs at the time, the food and clothes as well as people’s everyday lives. I also found their first time together kind of refreshing;
However, the sheer number of secondary characters and details about them unfortunately made it, at times, seem like the purpose of this book was to establish characters and their stories for future books. Examples: As another consequence of this, too much of the book focused on Aimee’s and Konrad’s relationship with other people, rather than their own relationship. They didn’t spend any significant amount of time together until after the 75% mark, and even then, it wasn’t a lot.
It’s a bit of a small detail, but the blurb says Aimee is the oldest daughter, which contradicts what the book says. It’s mentioned several times throughout that Ursula is the oldest sister at 27, and Aimee is the youngest at 22. There are also a few too many grammatical errors throughout.
Overall, Aimee and Konrad’s relationship and romance got a little lost amid everything else. I didn’t think this book was up to par with what I’ve read from Alice Coldbreath in the past.
I would recommend the following books, also by Alice Coldbreath, that I really liked or loved instead:
Wed by Proxy (Brides of Karadok, #1)
Her Baseborn Bridegroom (Vawdrey Brothers, #1)
A Bride for the Prizefighter (Victorian Prizefighter, #1)
A Substitute Wife for the Prizefighter (Victorian Prizefighter, #2)
Hero: 2/5. I was very underwhelmed by Konrad. He kept messing up with Aimee, and then instead of trying to fix his mistakes or talk to her, he just went on like usual. Also, what we learn about Konrad felt very limited and superficial, and because of that I had a hard time connecting with him at all. At the end of the book, I was left with a lot of questions about him. Examples:
Heroine: 4/5. I liked Aimee. She might have been a little naïve, but she was strong and went after what she wanted, she didn’t let people step all over her and when things didn’t go the way she had expected, she still kept going and worked at it.
POV: 3rd person dual POV (Aimee and Konrad).
Push/Pull:
Sadness: 0/5.
Explicit Sex and Heat Level: Yes. 2/5.
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) Drama: Yes, but mild. Side note: Konrad had been celibate for 6 years before meeting Aimee.
Cheating: No.
Closure/Ending: HEA, with an epilogue a few months into the future. I really liked the last chapter;
Possible Triggers: None that I can think of.
Author: Alice Coldbreath
Standalone?: Can be read as a standalone, but includes characters from other books in the series.
2 Stars
Summary of the Storyline: When Aimee, the daughter of a very wealthy merchant, first watches Lord Kentigern compete in a tournament, she falls for him instantly and decides to try to secure a marriage with him.
8 months later, after Aimee’s father promises that he will buy back Konrad’s lands, rebuild his home, and provide him with a very handsome dowry, Konrad agrees to marry one of the merchant’s daughters. He is under the impression that he will be marrying the older of the two sisters Ursula. However, when he shows up on his wedding day and discovers that the woman behind the veil is actually the youngest daughter Aimee, he is shocked and has no idea how to react or what to feel.
Aimee however is certain that she can get him to love her. But when she realises her fantasy might not live up to the reality, she isn’t sure what to do.
My Opinion: Having read several of Alice Coldbreath’s other books and really loved them, I was so excited for the release of this one and I was sure I would love it. However, I was left a little disappointed. It wasn’t even that the book was outright bad, it was just very underwhelming in my opinion.
I did like how immersed I felt in the time period the book was set in. There was interesting information about the culture and customs at the time, the food and clothes as well as people’s everyday lives. I also found their first time together kind of refreshing;
However, the sheer number of secondary characters and details about them unfortunately made it, at times, seem like the purpose of this book was to establish characters and their stories for future books. Examples: As another consequence of this, too much of the book focused on Aimee’s and Konrad’s relationship with other people, rather than their own relationship. They didn’t spend any significant amount of time together until after the 75% mark, and even then, it wasn’t a lot.
It’s a bit of a small detail, but the blurb says Aimee is the oldest daughter, which contradicts what the book says. It’s mentioned several times throughout that Ursula is the oldest sister at 27, and Aimee is the youngest at 22. There are also a few too many grammatical errors throughout.
Overall, Aimee and Konrad’s relationship and romance got a little lost amid everything else. I didn’t think this book was up to par with what I’ve read from Alice Coldbreath in the past.
I would recommend the following books, also by Alice Coldbreath, that I really liked or loved instead:
Wed by Proxy (Brides of Karadok, #1)
Her Baseborn Bridegroom (Vawdrey Brothers, #1)
A Bride for the Prizefighter (Victorian Prizefighter, #1)
A Substitute Wife for the Prizefighter (Victorian Prizefighter, #2)
Hero: 2/5. I was very underwhelmed by Konrad. He kept messing up with Aimee, and then instead of trying to fix his mistakes or talk to her, he just went on like usual. Also, what we learn about Konrad felt very limited and superficial, and because of that I had a hard time connecting with him at all. At the end of the book, I was left with a lot of questions about him. Examples:
Heroine: 4/5. I liked Aimee. She might have been a little naïve, but she was strong and went after what she wanted, she didn’t let people step all over her and when things didn’t go the way she had expected, she still kept going and worked at it.
POV: 3rd person dual POV (Aimee and Konrad).
Push/Pull:
Sadness: 0/5.
Explicit Sex and Heat Level: Yes. 2/5.
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) Drama: Yes, but mild. Side note: Konrad had been celibate for 6 years before meeting Aimee.
Cheating: No.
Closure/Ending: HEA, with an epilogue a few months into the future. I really liked the last chapter;
Possible Triggers: None that I can think of.
December 21, 2021
Her Bridegroom, Bought and Paid For is book 4 in the Brides of Karadok series. Aimee is the daughter of the riches merchant in Karadok and while at a tournament her eyes land on the heavily scarred Lord Kentigern and she falls in love. I adored Aimee she is definitely on my list of favorite females from this author. She talks her father into arranging a marriage with her and Lord Kentigern. I loved how Lord Kentigern never imagined such a beauty would be his wife and while he was definitely inconsiderate most of the time, I loved how he finally realized that it wasn't his title that she wanted but him. Overall, this was another enjoyable addition to this series.
June 28, 2021
I usually love all things Coldbreath but...
I was a bit surprised at this one. Usually all of her characters have a lot of, well, character. So it was a bit of a disappointment here... The biggest problem was that for all that was written, I finished the book thinking Aimee was really kinda boring and didn't really develop. And Kentigern! How can you make him such a flat character?! He was so much more interesting when seen in flashes in other books.
I had a worried feeling going into this one because when you read a book populated with characters from other books and you feel suddenly excited and RELIEVED that's never a good sign. In fact, it is much the literary equivalent of being stuck in a dull party with a group of people you can't escape from and suddenly someone fun shows up and saves you.
In this case it was Roland Vawdry, my favorite Vawdry, who acts without thinking, wears his emotions on his sleeve and doesn't hold a grudge. Well...as much as a Coldbreath male can! Especially a Vawdry!
I was a bit surprised at this one. Usually all of her characters have a lot of, well, character. So it was a bit of a disappointment here... The biggest problem was that for all that was written, I finished the book thinking Aimee was really kinda boring and didn't really develop. And Kentigern! How can you make him such a flat character?! He was so much more interesting when seen in flashes in other books.
I had a worried feeling going into this one because when you read a book populated with characters from other books and you feel suddenly excited and RELIEVED that's never a good sign. In fact, it is much the literary equivalent of being stuck in a dull party with a group of people you can't escape from and suddenly someone fun shows up and saves you.
In this case it was Roland Vawdry, my favorite Vawdry, who acts without thinking, wears his emotions on his sleeve and doesn't hold a grudge. Well...as much as a Coldbreath male can! Especially a Vawdry!
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