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    The Bride Says No: The Brides of Wishmore
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    The Bride Says No: The Brides of Wishmore
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    The Bride Says No: The Brides of Wishmore
    Ebook286 pages4 hours

    The Bride Says No: The Brides of Wishmore

    By Cathy Maxwell

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    New York Times bestselling author Cathy Maxwell returns with The Brides of Wishmore.

    What happens when a bride says no?

    He is the bastard son of a duke, arrogant, handsome, a little bit dangerous, and, of course, one of the most sought-after bachelors in London. He is also about to be publically jilted by some chit of a girl! Blake Stephens' pride isn't about to let him be humiliated, so he charges after his bride to the wilds of Scotland, determined to bring her to the altar.

    What happens when the heart says yes?

    He is promised to one woman, but discovers his soul stirred by . . . the chit's sister! Lady Aileen Davidson's reputation was ruined ages ago, which is why she's buried herself in the country, but her fiery spirit and bold beauty threaten to bring Blake to his knees, making him wonder if he has proposed to the wrong lass.

    And now he must make a choice: marry for honor . . . or marry for love?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJan 28, 2014
    ISBN9780062219268
    Author

    Cathy Maxwell

    Cathy Maxwell spends hours in front of her computer pondering the question, “Why do people fall in love?” It remains for her the great mystery of life and the secret to happiness. You can find her on Facebook and Instagram at maxwellcathy. She is a world class procrastinator so, if you yak at her, she usually yaks back.

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    Reviews for The Bride Says No

    3.5/5

    82 ratings6 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Very complicated relationships in this story. Aileen left home with high hopes of finding a man to love and who would love her. Instead, her father married her to a man who turned out to be cruel and abusive. She faked an affair in order to obtain a divorce, and is now back in Scotland living a quiet life. She has no intention of ever getting involved with a man again. Meanwhile, her younger half sister went to London and is engaged to the wealthy bastard son of a duke. Three days before the wedding, Tara shows up in Scotland, having fled in order to take back up with the horse trainer she had rejected three years earlier. But Ruary has moved on and is engaged to another woman. The next day, their father and her fiance show up, claiming that the marriage is still on. Blake isn't about to let himself be humiliated by Tara. But he soon finds himself far more interested in Aileen than in Tara. So we have two love triangles going on here. There is the one involving Tara, Ruary and his fiancee Jane. There is also a conflict with Tara, Blake and Aileen. The common denominator of course, is Tara. She shows up expecting that the man she had rejected will be ready to take her back, and is surprised to find out that he isn't. She's not at all happy to find there is a rival to her getting what she wants. Ruary is surprised to see her, but not willing to give up Jane. He does seem to waffle a bit at a couple points, but his intentions stay true, even when Tara succeeds at making trouble. Tara doesn't really want to marry Blake, but she's not going to give up the bird she has in her hand until she can catch the one in the bush. Blake has spent a long time trying to get the approval of his father, and marrying Tara seems to be doing the job. As a bastard, he's always felt a lot like he was on the outside looking in, but his marriage could open doors for him. He doesn't love Tara, but figures they'll do okay together. He is surprised by his reaction to Tara's sister, who challenges the way that things are done. The sparks between them are instant, but neither is willing to be dishonorable to Tara. Spending time together brings them closer until they can't help but react to their feelings. They want to be together, but Tara won't give up her claim on Blake, even though they've agreed they're not in love, and Blake can't honorably call it off himself.Aileen is the type of person who takes care of everyone else before seeing to her own needs. She had done what her father wanted and ended up in a miserable marriage. She's not happy about the reputation she now has, but is willing to live with it. When Tara shows up, Aileen is determined that she won't be forced into marriage the way she was. Though she does not approve of what Tara has done and what her plans are, she will stand up for her right to choose. She puts up a great argument to her father and Blake, but is floored when Tara suddenly announces she will go through with the wedding. Aileen tries to talk to Blake, but he is uncooperative. She also discovers that she is attracted to him, but as he is engaged to her sister, she won't do anything about it. That's hard to maintain as she and Blake discover how much they have in common and the attraction starts to heat up. By the time that they realize they are in love the wedding is only days away and Tara isn't budging.Tara's selfishness is about to ruin the lives of several people. The way she chases Ruary has caused problems between him and Jane. Ruary is slightly tempted by Tara, but realizes that the one he really wants is Jane. But by that time Tara's antics have sent Jane running and Ruary has to decide if he is going to fight for her. I enjoyed seeing what he did and how his story turned out. Once Tara discovers that Ruary is no longer an option she is even more determined to hang on to Blake. I really wanted to shake her and then lock her in her room till she grows up. I loved seeing her cousin Sabrina tell her just what a selfish brat she is. It begins to open her eyes a bit as she takes a good look at her life. As her wedding day dawns, Tara has to decide what she's going to do.While I understood Aileen and Blake's decisions to do the honorable thing, I really wanted to smack them both. Doing the honorable thing isn't necessarily the right thing and three lives would be wrecked by it. They really needed to take charge of their own destinies. I did enjoy the ending and loved seeing what Tara did at the church. I'm looking forward to her story and seeing what changes she goes through.
    • 4/5
      Lady Aileen has suffered from being married, to a man who was conceited and selfish and a brute. She has no wish to even come close to that type of suffering ever again. Now that her sister is engaged, she is happy for Tara even though Tara can be selfish and full of herself. Then suddenly her sister comes back home saying she has decided not to marry after all. Then her betrothed comes after her, and somehow Tara decides to commit herself back to her fiancee. Aileen knows that Tara is almost acting like a child, but loves her and is willing to do whatever it takes to make her happy. But what surprises her most is the attraction that builds between Aileen and Blake. Blake has worked his whole life building respect from others and refuses to lose everything to a fleeing fiancee, and if her actions are known could ruin him. So he goes after her, even though she is a beauty and would look good on his arm, he doesn't feel anything for her. But when he meets Aileen, for the first time in his life, he sees a woman he could admire and even love. Even though there is a barrier between Blake and Aileen, sometimes love does conquer but only if the two hearts involved are willing to fight for it with everything they have...The Bride Says No is the first in Maxwell's latest series the "Brides of Wishmore". I was given this ARC in return of a honest review. This is your typical forbidden lovers type of story. The hero is locked into a marriage agreement, one that could cause scandal and ruin if he steps away from it. The heroine is forced to fall in love with a man that will be her sisters husband soon. I have always been a big fan of this author, and I enjoyed the unique style of the plot and the way the story pans out in the end. This is quite a romantic setting. It is set in the countryside of Scotland, in the Regency era. I have read many Scottish romances, and this seemed on the border of a very lightly tinted Scottish romance. There was only a bit of the Scottish Brogue--that makes my body tingle. :) So this seemed more on the regency genre. I did enjoy the first meeting between Blake and Aileen, boy the room sparked I thought a explosion would occur with the heated exchange that begins. Definitely brings a smile to your face when a heroine isn't humble and meek, but is a fighter. Aileen's past divorced marriage, has forced her to look at things in a different light and I would put her in the "Bluestocking" category of heroines. She was a delight though. Blake has a commanding presence, arrogant in his own way, and sexy as sin. *sigh* loved every part of his characters. Now another key player is Tara, I had some serious issues with this gal. She seemed to have this superior attitude toward her sister I disliked and it was very tasteless, I kept thinking she needed a good kick in the rear or be tossed in the lake or something. Even though at the end she somewhat proves herself, it took over 300 pages to do it. However despite my frustrations with that character, I immensely enjoyed the chemistry between Blake and Aileen. At times it was sweet and tender, but then at other times it was hungry and passionate. One of my favorite aspects of this authors writing is how she blends those two aspects into her stories so perfectly. It is never over done. I always end with a satisfied sigh, and this book was no different.Overall this story seemed to be packed full of everything that makes a winner of a romance. Beautiful setting, magnificent characters, vivid detail, sweet romance, and a HEA!!! You can't get any better than this! LOVED IT!!
    • 4/5
      Read/Listened for Fun (Library/Physical Book)Overall Rating: 4.00Story Rating: 4.00Character Rating: 4.00Audio Rating: 5.00 (not part of the overall rating)First Thought when Finished: I have read/listened to The Brides Says No twice and enjoyed it both times. I wanted to reread this before continueing the series. I am so glad I decided to give the audiobook a whirl--it added to the story. I wish we would have gotten a little bit more of the main couple because this was mostly about the sister Tara. That being said Blake/Aileen were the perfect couple for each other. I was good with the character change in Tara towards the end and that made me look forward to the The Bride Says Maybe.Audiobook ThoughtsNarrated By Mary Jane Wells / Length: 7 hrs and 24 minsMary Jane Wells knocked it out of the park. Seriously I loved this audiobook so very much and have now added Mary Jane to my must have narrators list! This was just done excellently.Part of my Read It, Rate It, File It, DONE! Reviews
    • 2/5
      I had high hopes for this book. The plot sounded like it had some great potential. Sadly there was too much of the characters thinking and observing their surroundings and not enough talking to each other for me. Also, The amount the Heroine and Hero were actually together on the page wasn't often enough for me to get to feel their chemistry. The story shifted more about Tara (the Heroine's sister) than I would have liked. As well as other secondary characters more so than the leads at some points. I read till 70% and lightly skimmed the rest.

      This is a newer author to me, so I don't have a lot to compare of hers. The next book in the series also sounds interesting.. as per the lead up to it at the end of this book. I may give her another shot.. perhaps this was just the first book laying the foundation for the series.. as there was too much happening, i thought, that took away from the lead characters story.
    • 5/5
      Great Book. Very Helped. I would like more buy From this writers.
    • 4/5
      The Bride Says No by Cathy MaxwellForced to follow society rules? No thank you. But it’s Scotland in the times of arranged marriages and absolute levels of proper society. Tara agreed to marry Blake but runs away to be with the horse wrangler. But he’s already engaged to someone else. Aileen, Tara’s sister, and Blake then fall in love but Tara won’t release him from his promise. Not to mention the bride price that her father has already received. What a mix up. Sweet and entertaining. It took until the end to like Tara.That Aileen and Blake were so committed to do the right thing was admirable but sad they couldn’t just ignore society rules. So glad that’s not my world. First in a series. Historical romance. I listened to an audio version of this book. The narrator had a lovely accent and did a tremulous job with the different voices and intonation.