The Bachelor and the Bride

The Dread Penny Society Series, Book 4

By: Sarah M. Eden

Narrated by: Helen Lloyd

Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

London, 1866.

Dr. Barnabus Milligan has always felt called to help people, whether that means setting a broken bone or rescuing the impoverished women of London from their desperate lives on the streets, as part of his work with the Dread Penny Society.

Three years ago, he helped rescue Gemma Kincaid by secretly marrying her to protect her from her family of notorious grave robbers. But six months after Gemma and Barnabus exchanged vows, she realized her love for her new husband was unrequited. To protect her heart, she left, telling Barnabus to contact her if his feelings for her ever grew beyond a sense of duty.

When Barnabus sends a letter to Gemma inviting her to return home, she hopes to find a true connection between them. But unfortunately, he only wants her help to foil the Kincaids, who have been terrorizing the boroughs of London, eager to gain both money and power.

Heartbroken, Gemma agrees to help, but she warns Barnabus that she will not stay for long and that once she goes, he will never see her again.

Yet as the couple follows the clues that seem to connect the Kincaids to the Mastiff, the leader of London’s criminal network, Gemma and Barnabus realize they might make a better match than either of them suspected. Perhaps the marriage that had once saved Gemma’s life might now save Barnabus—and his lonely heart.

But before the once-confirmed bachelor can properly court his secret bride, they will need to evade the dangerous forces that are drawing ever closer to the hopeful lovers and the entire Dread Penny Society itself.

©2022 Sarah M. Eden (P)2022 Shadow Mountain

Much better than I expected!

Truly enjoyed this 4th book much better than I expected after reading reviews. Please don't let the naysayers put you off reading/listening to this book.. Yes the narrator is different but you can get into it fairly quickly if you let yourself!
The storyline is as good as the other books. If you've enjoyed the 1st 3 you'll enjoy this one.

WoWzerS

Great story and the end blew my mind. I had no clue! Definitely a great story and series. I can not wait for the next book.

Like many others have said, I detest when narrators get changed and while the narrator did a decent enough job, the characters all seemed different. I feel like I knew the characters from the previous three books and now it's like they're all strangers. Please bring back the original narrator for the next installment if it is possible.

Best book of this series!

This book had everything that I have enjoyed throughout this series along with a couple of very unexpected revelations toward the end. I loved it!

Fun series. Preferred the other narrator

I enjoyed every book in the series but the other narrator is so good with multiple voices and accents that each character actually sounded different. This narrator not so much. Not saying she is bad, she's actually quite good. Better where there aren't so many characters to voice.

What?!

So many things happened in this book that I did not expect. Wow. If you haven't read the other Dread Penny Society books, DON'T START HERE. read The Lady and the Highwayman first, then the Gentleman and the Thief, then Merchant and the Rough, THEN Bachelor and the Bride. Seriously so good.

Plot twist!

Loved the book!! The ending had me in shock and I can’t wait for the next book in the series!! The narrator wasn’t my favorite. I prefer Justine Eyre, but it was okay.

Can't get enough!!

Sad that I finished it so fast, but still coming down from that high that was the ending. The very last word of this book almost makes up for the drastic cliff hanger. Best series I have ever read by far, hands down! Perfect blend of excitement, mystery, romance and a touch of violence. Plus the feeling of reading three books in one is amazing. I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE!!!

terrible narrator is worth the plot twist

This is the best book in the series yet. The narrator is not great. All the youth women sound really high pitched and annoying, but once you get past it… the twist in the last 15 minutes is too good to miss!

Narrator Switch!

I get it. Sometimes series switch narrators… but this swap makes all the characters seem at least 50. The Victorian Elderly saving the poor and unfortunate of London.

This one was a bigger leap connecting the penny dreadful stories to the main character stories. Maybe I wasn’t as “into” this one, but I’m not reeeeally sure how Barnabus’s book tied in. This was my least favorite in the series so far.

Suspenseful

Till the last sentence !!! I loved it ! Shocked and can’t wait for the next book.