The Beauty Bride [Mass Market Paperback]

Claire Delacroix (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2005

Delacroix kicks off an exciting new medieval romance series with this introduction to young Alexander, Laird of Kinfairlie, who has three unmarried sisters. Now that their parents are dead, Alexander has no choice but to see each of them wed in haste. Original.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of this lyrical medieval-era romance from Delacroix (The Warrior, etc.), Lady Madeline of Kinfairlie refuses to marry after the loss of her betrothed, presumed dead in the French wars. Desperate for a wedding that could help hold the family estate together, Madeline's brother, Alexander, decides to auction her off. The Scottish nobles assembled for the sale are outbid by Rhys FitzHenry, a mercenary and reputed traitor whose only insignia is the Welsh dragon. Rhys seeks not just any bride but Madeline in particular to secure his claim to his Welsh estate. Though at first she's determined to evade Rhys and stay true to the memory of her late betrothed, Madeline soon finds herself coming to admire the gruff, silver-tongued soldier, whose wonderful stories are perhaps the best parts of the book. Alexander's harsh decision and the willingness of Madeline's cold and unfeeling family to participate in auctioning her off, on top of every character's irritating tendency not to explain his or her actions, may put off readers before the action truly begins. Those who stick with it, however, will be rewarded. They'll root for Rhys and Madeline, a plucky, sensible couple who more than make up for the thinly drawn supporting cast. Despite the somewhat bland packaging (and uninspired title), this is one of Delacroix's stronger novels in recent years.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Madeline Lammergeier of Kinfairlie thinks her desperate brother, Alexander, is auctioning off her aunt Rosamunde's treasures, but, in fact, she is on the auction block. As she stands proudly in spite of her shock, she can't avoid the eyes of one dark stranger. Rhys FitzHenry has been searching for the one other person who can claim the inheritance of his estate in Wales besides himself, and he thinks it's Madeline and so bids for her hand. When he wins, Alexander is upset: there's a price on Rhys' head. Madeline seemingly accepts the inevitable until nightfall, when she attempts to run away. Rhys anticipates her flight, then rescues her from an attack. Believing that they are being pursued, they take to the road, and Madeline finds much to admire in Rhys--until certain secrets come to light. In this first of the Jewels of Kinfairlie trilogy, Delacroix proves once again that she is a master at creating strong and likable characters and a satisfying romance. Maria Hatton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446614416
• ISBN-13: 978-0446614412
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,577,699 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

NYT bestselling author Claire Delacroix always loved stories, both telling them and hearing them. She sold her first romance novel - THE ROMANCE OF THE ROSE - in 1992 and has been happily writing romances ever since. She makes her home with her family, a number of incomplete knitting projects and a lot of overgrown houseplants. Claire loves to travel, to cook, to ride her bike and to read.

In 2011, Claire has been re-releasing many of her historical romances in digital format. For more information about these releases, please visit her website at http://www.delacroix.net. You can also search for Kindle editions of her books right here on Amazon.

Visit Claire's website, Chateau Delacroix, at
http://www.delacroix.net

Find Claire on FaceBook here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Claire-Delacroix/108553409224492

Claire also writes as Deborah Cooke:
http://www.deborahcooke.com

She blogs most weekdays at her blog, Alive & Knitting, at
http://www.delacroix.net/blog

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fun historical romance, December 11, 2004

By 

Ratmammy "The Ratmammy" (Ratmammy's Town, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Beauty Bride (Mass Market Paperback)

THE BEAUTY BRIDE by Claire Delacroix
December 11, 2004

COURTESY OF WWW.LOVEROMANCES.COM

What can a man do to marry his oldest sister off in a hurry? In THE BEAUTY BRIDE by Claire Delacroix, the reader will find out one method: by auction. Alexander has become the Laird of Kinfairlie, due to the unexpected death of both parents, and one of his duties as head of the family is to make sure each of his five sisters is betrothed and married off at the proper age. Unfortunately, Madeleine, the oldest at 23, refuses to commit to anyone, since the love of her life, James, has been killed. And, with Madeleine not ready to wed, the other four sisters must wait their turn. Alexander has tried everything, but she refuses to cooperate, so he tricks her into attending the auction held at their estate, with the prime catches of the day bidding upon this fair maiden, who will soon be considered an old maid.

What Alexander has not counted on is the appearance of Rhys FitzHenry, who is wanted for treason. Furthermore, Rhys decides to bid on Madeleine, and with his seemingly unlimited supply of coin, he wins, to the horror of Alexander. Rhys does have an ulterior motive. He believes that Madeleine is the long lost heir to his family's land. With him wed to his "cousin", the land will be secured under his name.

Madeleine is outraged by the entire concept of this auction. Alexander has been known to be the king of pranksters but this was the ultimate insult. She runs away that night, the night of her nuptials, and lucky for her, Rhys anticipates her actions. He saves her from being raped by someone she thought she could trust, and from there, their adventures take off.

This reviewer enjoyed the adventures of Madeleine and Rhys in THE BEAUTY BRIDE. Historical romances are a very specialized sub-genre, but this novel was so well done that it is possible that any fan of the romance novel will enjoy it. There is humor, adventure, as well as love in this well-written book. The characters are likeable and believable, the dialogue is realistic, and although one cannot exactly duplicate the English of the 1400's, Delacroix wrote the novel in such a way that will take the reader back in time and believe they are truly there. A touch of fantasy inhabits this novel, with one of the sister's ability to see Fairies, but it is done in such a humorous way that the reader will buy into it. This is the first in a three part series, and this reviewer is looking forward to the next two books.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sensational Start of New Series, December 28, 2004

By 

M. Rondeau (West Springfield, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Beauty Bride (Mass Market Paperback)

Setting - Kinfarlie Castle, Scotland, 1421 --- With a depleted treasury and forecasts of a bad harvest, Alexander, the new laird of Kinfarlie was in a quandry. He had five sisters and the eldest, Madeline, refused to marry. Discussing his problem with his cousin, they come up with the plan to `auction off' the `jewel' of Kinfarlie - namely Madeline. The auction, to take place at his Uncle's nearby keep of Ravensmuir, would be offered only to the worthiest of men whom Alexander knew would be good to his sister. Naturally, Alex kept this plan a secret until Madeline walked into the hall and the bidding took place! Furious, Madeline couldn't stop the auction. Although in shock, she bravely faced this humiliation -thinking it an ill-conceived prank by her brother. When the purported outlaw and traitor, Rhys FitzHenry won her hand, she even endured his claiming kiss, which shook her to her very core. But, no matter - never the obedient child - she wasn't about to stick around for the wedding.

The night before the wedding she ran away, never believing that Rhys would pursue her. But, as her hastily, ill-planned escape progressed, she was very glad he did as he came to her rescue. Contrite, Madeline was now fairly resolved to her fate and open to taking a chance with the enigma that would soon be her husband as they traveled to a nearby abbey to be married. Rhys consummated their union into a sensual dance of physical passion that convinced Madeline to work at making this a real marriage as she was determined do all in her power to discover his secrets, and in spite of his reticence, Madeline began to lose her heart.

Rhys, continued substituting folk tales in answer to her many questions until he realized that he had, of all things, fallen in love with his courageous wife. Rhys knew she might soon discover the true reason for his mad dash to Wales and he decided to be honest by answering all of her questions. He knew that she might end up hating him but loving her as he did, he would forfeit his own happiness for her.

In this first novel of Ms. Delacroix's brand new trilogy, the Jewels of Kinfarlie, I found an exciting action tale fully packed with an assortment of well-defined forceful characters, both old and new. Along with the wonderfully strong and engaging protagonists, Madeline and Rhys, I enjoyed the highly mischievous little fairy spriggan, Darg, and Madeline's youngest sister Elizabeth, who was the only person able to both see and communicate with the spriggan. AND, I certainly will be anxious to see what I hope will be a future confrontation between Tynan and Rosamunde - boy does he deserve a swift kick! BOTTOM LINE - This is a prime example of the highly imaginative and entertaining novels Delacroix is celebrated for in a stellar start to what looks to be a sensational new medieval series that is heading straight for my `keeper shelf'!. ---- Marilyn Rondeau, for www.historicalromancewriters.com ---

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, January 24, 2008

By 

Cameo - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Beauty Bride (Mass Market Paperback)

This one was great, very interesting. Rhys and Madeline were so well suited, romantically and through troubled times! Just loved it!