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    Confessions of an Improper Bride
    Confessions of an Improper Bride
    Confessions of an Improper Bride
    Audiobook9 hours

    Confessions of an Improper Bride

    Written by Jennifer Haymore

    Narrated by Abby Craden

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Serena Donovan left London six years ago, her heart broken and her reputation ruined by devilishly handsome Jonathan Dane. Now, with her family's future in peril, she reluctantly agrees to return to England and assume her late twin's identity. The price? Marry a man she doesn't love and spend the rest of her days living a lie.Jonathan Dane, Earl of Stratford, has become an incorrigible rake, drinking, gambling-and trying to forget Serena Donovan. Yet the moment he is introduced to the prim and proper "Meg," he recognizes the sensual young woman who captured his heart. Haunted by his past mistakes, he refuses to lose Serena again. But convincing her to trust him is no easy task. Claiming his lost love means exposing the truth and destroying the life Serena has sacrificed everything to rebuild. With the future of all the Donovans at stake, and their undying passion capable of triggering yet another scandal, how much will Jonathan and Serena risk for a chance at true love?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJan 30, 2012
    ISBN9781452676098
    Confessions of an Improper Bride

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    Reviews for Confessions of an Improper Bride

    3.5/5

    45 ratings8 reviews

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    • 3/5
      This was certainly a different sort of love story, it was also kind of slow, but do not get me wrong. I do not mean that in a bad way. I am just saying they mostly kept calm and they did not hurry.

      Serena was 18 when she fell for Jonathan who was just as young. They loved, and then when the scandal broke he shunned her. She left with a broken heart and who could blame her for that. Now she is back but pretending to be her twin Meg who is dead. She is marrying her sister's fiancé. I can't blame her because her reputation is ruined and she could never make a match on her own. She also wants to help her sisters and her mother. They are poor and not finding worthy men back home. But still yes I do feel sorry for poor Will who wants to marry his Meg. Still I also admire Serena for going through with this to save her sisters even if the way doing so is wrong.

      As for Jonathan, he has also served his punishment, but I do understand him too. He was young and his father and brother managed to get to him. Still he loved her and the things he has done the last 6 years to drown his sorrows. Well his time is served.

      As you can see this is not an easy love story. Jonathan is friends with Will and would never want to hurt him, and neither does Serena. And she can't come out as Serena either because the ton still remember too well. But I need these two to be together, they love each other still so much.

      There is also a second story in this book. Serena has her younger sister Phoebe with her, and what can I say. They are a scandalous bunch it seems.

      It is a book about falling in love again, about doing what you want, and also about forgiveness.

      Conclusion:
      A good start to this new series and I like these sisters (oh and I also cling to the hope that Meg is still alive, a girl can hope.) There is also passion, and who does not enjoy that.
    • 4/5
      Serena left England six years ago, after the man she fell in love with broke her heart. But on her voyage home to the West Indies, her sister, Meg, falls into the turbulent waves, lost. Now Serena six years later, has no choice but to return to England, to pose as her sister "Meg" and to marry someone she doesn't even love, and to live a life she knows she won't be fully happy with. However she has her mother and her sisters welfare to think about. When she reaches England, she comes face to face with the one man that hurt her, Jonathan, the Earl of Stratford. Now she is facing a big dilemma, she is engaged to Will, who has no idea of her real identity, and one she must keep secret from, and deal with all the emotions that come swirling back with Jonathan back in her life. Serena has no idea how she is suppose to pull it off, but will she make the right choice that could benefit all parties involved? Or choose a path that would only destroy her?Confessions Of An Improper Bride is the first book in the Donovan Sisters series. I have come to just love Jennifer Haymore's books. I just jumped right into this one, knowing that it was more than likely that I would enjoy it. I found that I truly enjoyed this one, there were so many aspects of the story that were fun and kept me engaged and involved in the story. I just loved how Haymore just reel's you in, and keeps you satisfied with this complex plot, and strong characters. Jonathan is a very deep character, at first you wonder if you will really like him, but I was so on his side all the way. You can see his dedication and love he has for Serena, and the way the author portrays the feelings felt by these characters are heart wrenching. I definitely felt like this story was a very sensual and engaging romantic tale!! A Lovely Story That Will Make You Fall In Love Again!
    • 4/5
      3.5* I really enjoyed this story. It was well written but a lot more angsty than what I usually read. I'll definitely continue the series. I would have given it four stars but there were some parts of the story that seemed a bit contrived and out of character for Meg/Serena, the main female character.
    • 4/5
      What would you do if your beloved twin sister was swept overboard, while you returned home in disgrace? If the only way to provide for your beloved younger sisters was to assume your lost sister's identity, and marry her fiance, even though you were actually in love with another man? Who had behaved like a complete jackhole to you, in the past, who fully disgraced you in the eyes of society, and yet... you still yearned for him?

      Been there, done that. (As far as yearned for a man who had been a jackhole to me in the past, AND publicly disgraced me. The being a twin part, not so much - but I wanted a twin.) So I could both relate to Serena Donovan, AND wanted to scream at her, "Run, run, and don't look back."

      Despite my personal feelings, this story sucked me in, and got me rooting for Serena and her flawed but hot (is there any other kind?) hero. I loved the high stakes, the emotional connection between the hero/heroine, the hot sex scenes, and the very satisfactory ending when I was sure there was NO WAY Serena and Jonathan could work it out. Now I want to read ALL the Donovan sister novels.
    • 2/5
      This really should go on the "skimmed" shelf, rather than the "read" shelf. I just couldn't buy the idea of the surviving twin taking the place of the dead one and nobody figuring it out (at least for a long time). So, I was impatient to get through it and learn how everything ended. The author does have some very clever twists at the end, but it didn't make up for the drawn-out earlier parts and the annoying younger sister.
    • 4/5
      Serena Donovan met Jonathan Dane 6 years ago when she first came to London. She was an impoverished Irish peer's daughter and he, the second son of a rich earl. Though they fell instantly in love with each other, his family didn't approve of the match and when they were caught in a compromising position, Jonathan chose to bend to his father's threats and cut her off instead of marrying her. Completely ruined, Serena left London with her twin sister Meg but while on board of the ship that was carrying them to their home in Antigua, Meg fell overboard. Serena's mother, rather than have the disgraced daughter alive, told everyone that it was Serena that died and Meg who lived. Now, 6 years later, an offer of marriage from Meg's old love and suitor, Captain Langley, has arrived from London. The family's destitute, so Serena is to take Meg's place and marry Captain Langley in Meg's place, in order for her other sisters to later be introduced -and married- into London's high society. For the shake of her sisters Serena agrees with the plan, but finds it too difficult to go through with it when she finds out that Langley's closest friend and best man to be, is no other than Jonathan Dane, the current Earl of Stratford. Jonathan is surprised to find himself attracted to Serena's twin sister, which he had never noticed in the past, and feels ashamed for wanting his best friend's betrothed. But soon, he starts wondering if the woman he's lusting after isn't Serena after all, the woman he loved and thought he'd lost forever. Serena thought she was completely over Jonathan after his horrid betrayal, but being close to him, she can't deny that the old flame is still there. Still, can she forgive how he once betrayed her or forget what she must do for her sisters' shake?The good:-The writing was excellent, emotional and moving; the characters fully developed and even though I had trouble forgiving Jonathan in the beginning, I came to deeply sympathize with him, the more truths about the past incident came to light. Haymore obviously knows how to pull the reader's heartstrings and lovers of truly angsty, agonizing reads, will probably appreciate these lovers' stony path to happiness. -I liked that Serena, realistically, didn't immediately forgive and forget Jonathan's behavior upon seeing him again, but it took her a long time to get over what he did to her.-I also loved the fact that we 'saw' a big part of the story from Jonathan's eyes, this way actually seeing how sorry and ashamed he trully was for his old rejection. It's another thing to be told he was sorry, and another to actually see it from his POV. Plus, with what he did in the present to help Serena and what extra details we get for what happened 6 years ago, I'm happy to say, I was able to completely get over any grunge I held for him.The bad:-There was a secondary romance between Serena's sister Phoebe and a young rake, that was too conveniently similar to what happened to Serena and Jonathan in the past, to be easily swallowed. Besides, the lack of depth in that story arc -and I'm glad the focus stayed on the main couple, mind you- made the young rake's turn of heart, a little too fast and sudden to be believable. -My other problem were the last 30-40 pages. A lot of things I didn't like occured in them, all in once, thus somewhat diminishing my overall enjoyment of the book.-For starters, it got too sweet and cheesy. I read more declarations of undying love in 2 pages than I usually read in an entire novel. Of course, since I'm not a fan of sweet romances and lovey-dovey phrases, that which threw me off, is probably a plus for most other romance readers. -The way that the writer got rid of Serena's/Meg's betrothed was completely unfair to him and utterly unpalatable to my taste. I hate it when authors get a perfectly good man and turn him into a prig or worse in the last few pages or so, just to be rid of him without any guilt and I know I'm not the only reader to feel so. The easy solution, is not in this case, the best one:(-My last and most important peeve about the ending, is that by the number of times that Serena doubted Jonathan's love for her after their reconcialiation, I have much difficulty in imagining a real HEA for them, where each one is secure in the knowledge of the other's love. The author didn't manage to make me believe that the wound left by Jonathan in Serena's heart was finally healed by the book's end, a fact that made me put the book down with a sense of unfullfillment. All in all, this was a very nice emotional, even angsty story of love between two people who have never stopped loving eacg other. I'll look forward to read other books by this author but I strongly wish the ending was different; it would then get a 4.5 rating from me. As it is though, I have to take a full star just for the ending, so I'd say it's a 3.5 leaning on 4 stars for me.ARC received by NetGalley
    • 5/5
      Serena left London scandalized only to return six years later pretending to be her dead twin, Meg. Her younger sister Phoebe is accompanying her. Serena plans to marry Will, the man Meg was in love with. After she has secured her spot in society her younger sisters, who remained behind with her mother in Antigua, will join her. Not only is she concerned about convincing all of London that she is actually Meg, but she is afraid to come face to face with Jonathan (The Earl of Stratford) who seduced her and subsequently shunned her when her reputation was in tatters.Confessions of an Improper Bride just might be the best historical romance novel I’ve read in 2011. I was wowed. I was initially concerned about how the twin identity switch storyline would play out. Turns out I had no reason to be. The author handled it perfectly from start to finish. This series debut features such a well crafted story with characters I immediately fell in love with. I adored Serena/Meg and her younger sister Phoebe. Their willingness to risk everything for love was admirable. I also liked that they were more adventurous and outspoken than most female characters you find in historical romance. Serena is such a well developed character. The author focused quite a bit on the inner turmoil she was experiencing over deceiving Will, as well as her disgust over her ability to simultaneously despise and desire Jonathan. Poor Serena was struggling with some serious guilt. I liked the unconventional love triangle that was happening between Serena, Jonathan, and Will, but couldn’t help but feel sorry for Will over the course of the novel. He was such a great catch, but unfortunately the sizzling chemistry between Serena and Jonathan made him seem almost dull. I imagine most men couldn’t help but appear dull in the presence of a man like Jonathan. He was the epitome of a reformed rake. Even with his reckless behavior after hearing of Serena’s death, I truly hoped they would find a way to achieve their happily ever after. They were without a doubt perfect for each other.I also enjoyed Phoebe’s presence and felt it added something special to the story. I like the direction the author took with Phoebe and her love interest. It definitely helped to shape the outcome of Serena’s story. Two swoon worthy romances in one book equaled one very happy reader.Confessions of an Improper Bride’s unique storyline has provided a stellar start to Jennifer Haymore's new series. I can’t wait to spend more time with the Donovan sisters in the next installment, Secrets of an Accidental Duchess.
    • 4/5
      Jonathan Dane has left Serena Donovan's reputation is tatters and returns to England as "Meg" a prim and proper young lady scheduled to marry in order to save her family and their name. Even though she is now "Meg", Jonathan is immediately drawn to her, just like the first time. Sparks fly between the handsome rake and Serena again. Serena must keep up appearances and deny her heart a second time.Oh, what a tangled web we weave...Yes, Serena does weave a web of deceit but no more than any other lady of today. She struggles with guilt and lust and who can blame her. She doesn't want to marry someone she doesn't love but feels she has no choice. Through some wonderfully laid scenes, the plot weaves around like a dance between the two lovers and you can't help but hope that Serena and Jonathan end up together. Jonathan is a bad boy and he needs the love of someone like Serena to set him on the right path, but in order to win Serena, he will have to expose all of her lies. I had so much fun reading this story. There were lots of wonderful twists and turns to the ending. The dialogue was believable and the descriptions were just right and not over the top. This is the first story in the series and now I can't wait for the next one. The next one is Olivia's story to be released early 2012. I normally don't comment on covers, but I LOVED this one. I really thought it captured the feeling of the book.