Review: The Luck of the Bride

Author: Janna MacGregor

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Rating: 4 stars

Buy Links: Amazon

Type: Historical Romance

Provided by Publisher

 

Blurb: Can a woman who’s down on her luck find love with a dashing Duke-to-be? Find out in The Luck of the Bride, the next Regency romance in the Cavensham Heiresses series from Janna MacGregor. 

She’s leaving nothing up to chance. Not even love…

March Lawson is an orphan who, for the past eight years, has struggled to raise her siblings on a meager allowance. Most women March’s age would be picking out ball gowns for the upcoming season. But March’s focus is not on finding a husband. First, she must devote her energies to just one man: the coldhearted skinflint who refuses to release her inheritance.

Michael Cavensham, the Marquess of McCalpin, is not a heartless man. When he learns that Miss Lawson has been forging his name to procure funds, he can’t bring himself to have her arrested—not when the bold-faced embezzler is so enchantingly beautiful. Instead, McCalpin agrees to visit her home to assess the situation more closely. March has no choice but to accept. But how can she manage the handsome trustee who controls her purse strings—when he tugs at herheartstrings as well?

Review: This book has a very interesting premise and characters that are very unique for the time period. I really liked the plot line and how the characters changed and grew.

March Lawson has been in charge of her family from a very young age. Hey parents’ tragic death left her, her two sisters, and younger brother all alone with a guardian who was beyond negligent. They received a pittance for upkeep for the estate, and March’s letters asking for more were left unanswered. The appointment of a new guardian gave her hope until he passed them off to his “people”–who promptly ignored them. It became so dire that when there was no food left, March forged the guardian’s signature and seal to get some money. This becomes the looming issue upon which the story turns.

The Marquess of McCalpin is the heir to the Duke of Langham and he’s been training all his life. Unfortunately he’s very bad at math and hides it from his father, using his younger brother to cover for him. He heard about March’s embezzlement in front of his father, and it becomes mixed in his shame about his inability to do the books for the estates. Henceforth, every time he deals with March and her family, he’s tied to feelings of shame. This unfortunately colors all of his interactions toward her. I found that frustrating and unimportant to their relationship, and I wished he’d drop it. Otherwise I liked him.

There were a lot of issues in this book. There was Hart’s homosexual relationship (he was a friend of their parents who’d stepped in to help take care of them). Femininism and women’s rights were woven into the plotline when March was offered a job at the bank for women because of her skill with numbers. I found all of them interesting but they overwhelmed the romance. The writing is great; I just wished there had been fewer distractions.

An interesting read that’s filled with colorful characters. If you like historicals with a lot of history inside, read this! Thanks

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