Bride by Mistake

Devil Riders, Book 5

De: Anne Gracie

Narrado por: Nell Stevenson

Luke's Story

Eight years ago, Lieutenant Luke Ripton made a hasty wartime marriage-in-name-only to protect a young girl from a forced union and left her protected in a remote mountain convent. Now, Luke is Lord Ripton, but he has been unable to obtain an annullment. Which leaves him no choice but to collect a wife he doesn’t want.

For eight years Isabella has waited like a princess locked in a tower, dreaming of her handsome, dark-eyed prince. Her dreams are shattered when Luke reveals himself not as a prince, but an autocratic soldier, expecting her unquestioning obedience, which is something Isabella's fiercely independent nature will not tolerate.

Contains mature themes.

©2012 Anne Gracie (P)2012 Tantor Media

Loved the story

Loved the story. I've owned the print copies of this series fpr years. It was great to hear them as well I'm very fond of this author. The only improvement I would wish is for all of her romances to be closed door ones so I would be comfortable reading them all through without needing to skip over the descriptive open door physical intimaces.

Talented Writing. Not Satisfying Romance.

Talented Writing. Not Satisfying Romance.

Chapters 1-6 are rough to hear, though very powerful. Graphic scenes of war with 13 yr old in process of being brutally raped (perhaps unsuccessfully, but just barely?) plus a few other dark & war related things that did not set up the romance well emotionally. Hero was harsh & dismissive, albeit sacrificial; not "kind" as the writer keeps telling us. He doesn't say anything kind for chapters. Endless descriptions of heroine just enduring emotional & mental abuse of past, rejections, disillusionments, betrayals, neglect, & more...just to top off the initial rape scene. It's alot. None of the characters believe in love, and this reader wondered if the author does.

Next 4 Chapters were overly described Spanish & cultural settings which, while well done and flavorful, hardly focused the dialogue or moved the plot & interactions between hero/heroine forward in any way that would make their romance or relationship believable later. The "quests" of honor just felt very surface-y in light of how realistic people would behave or think or feel.

Chapters 11 - 14 are the main chapters where hero & heroine interact, but based on how it started, and who they both are....well, it was nice, but hardly seemed consistent to book's reality from thecfirst section IMO. Much dialogue & interaction was glossed over (eg, "they spoke about...") rather than actually had in a plot-strategic way. Hero's constant eyeballing her with lust while mostly thinking she was unattractive (not pretty, etc) set up lust & seduction, not love. Heroine's enamored thoughts of handsome husband who is kind of mean to her also sets up lust, not love. Why is she in love with him so early on when he's so awful & doesn't want her & they haven't seen each other in 8 yrs? It makes no sense.

Chapters 15-18 were filled with trite sayings by "wise" or "evil" characters & melodramatic moments that felt more like a campy 60s TV drama than a heartfelt climactic romance. And the scene where he semi-violently takes her while half asleep was repulsive. That the writer wrote that "she liked it" was so disingenuous to what a trauma victim would feel & just plain uncomfortable (no, I'm not one & this isn't a personal trigger). There was no need for it & it was offensive & confusing as to why it was there.

By the time the last chapter & epilogue were narrated, none of it seemed remotely believable despite the heroine's actions. Nor was there any authentic emotion left for the romance, relationship, or story. The writer was good at resolving or explaining most things (loose ends, except his Spanish properties which disappeared altogether); yet it all just got crammed into the end because it should be...but it didn't really fit super well.

Narration was above average IMO. Drawback was the glorious Spanish accent & delineation from the beginning of the book was gone by the end. At the end, heroine sounded like a regular bubbly debutante & hero's rich voice in beginning by end sounded like a frat boy. But since the romance didn't seem believable...it hardly mattered.

Still, this writer is talented & several Spanish scenes were created gloriously. Settings are not story, however. More attention to the plot & characters with focus on realistic behaviors, thoughts, & strategic interaction with each other would have made this story extraordinary. I liked the creativity she had. Some elements were definitely there, but mostly HEA felt artificially contrived. Sorry. Not sure I should've spent a credit on it.