Book Review: An Unwilling Bride

I’ll give it this much: The premise is unique. Many years ago, The Duchess Belcraven became pregnant with a child who could not possibly have been her husband’s. That was bad enough, but to make matters worse, the Duke’s two older sons both die in a tragic accident, meaning his heir is not of his own blood. The duke, hurt by the betrayal, has his own affair, but doesn’t realize he had a daughter for nearly twenty-five years. When he does, he comes up with a brilliant idea: Lucien can marry his daughter, meaning his grandchildren will be of his own blood, at least.

All right, think about it for a minute. No, it’s not incestuous. They’re not related. I did have to consider it for a few minutes, though, and to the author’s credit, so did the characters involved.

Beth, a schoolmistress, has no desire whatsoever to be a part of this marriage, but the duke threatens the financial ruin of her school if she doesn’t comply with his wishes. In a fit of rebellion, she tries to get Lucien to call it off, not realizing he is as powerless as she. So all she accomplishes is creating enmity between them.

I did like the premise, and the characters, and the portrayal of a family suffering from past mistakes. The duke and duchess have a reconciliation subplot that worked very well.

The trouble I had was just an odd lack of chemistry. All the right elements were there, but I didn’t feel it. It seemed to me that at some point, Beth suddenly reflected that she was attracted to Lucien, and I had to stop and wonder if she’d mentioned that before. But no, it came a little out of left field, as did their eventual love.

This is one of those books that I’m glad I read, and I recommend to romance readers, but with the noted reservations.

Oh, and I do love the way Jo Beverley weaves historical events and characters into her novels. It adds a certain relevance to the tale.

3.5/5 stars

Title: An Unwilling Bride
Author: Jo Beverley
ISBN: 0821767240