Customer Reviews

The Bride Fair (Harlequin Historical)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A bargain bin, an unknown author, and a total surprise! Cheryl Reavis is a new author to me, but after reading THE BRIDE FAIR, I will now add her to my "hunt down" author list.

Mini Synopsis:
In the south, the war had been costly, it had taken Maria Markham's two brothers and fiancé, but Maria was a survivor. She was also a dutiful daughter. If not for her father, she would never have met the new commanding officer at the train station. The Commander of the Reconstruction troops was not someone she wanted to keep company with! Colonel Maxwell Woodard had been in Salisbury, North Carolina before . . . courtesy of the Confederate Civil War prison system. Those painful memories were vivid, ugly and bitter. And now he vowed he would not allow a southern woman to disarm him with her sad eyes, thin body, or insolent attitude. In this occupied town, he was the commanding officer and this dignified, proud woman would get used to this fact . . . quickly! The enemy in him wished to annoy her; the gentlemen in him wanted to help her; but the man in him needed to love her.

Reviewer's Comments:
Cleverly, Cheryl Reavis pushes the political hatred into the background and moves the romance front and center. Slowly she unwraps the love story, which allows her reader to savor its delicate growth. Cheryl Reavis has written a caring tale full of hope and new beginnings. So why the slip in the rating, because VAGUELY at times, I felt shortchanged - details seemed neglected - would they appear answered, if I had read the parent book, THE PRISONER? Still, don't miss THE BRIDE FAIR; Reavis' lovely tale will be remembered long after the final page is turned.

Grade: B+
Status: page turner
Sensuality: warm

MaryGrace Meloche.

The Bride Fair is the story of John Howe's best friend Maxwell Woodard who John left behind when he escaped from the prisoner of war camp in Salisbury, NC. Max has survived against great odds and is now the military governor of Salisbury, NC where he was held prisoner.
Max is all that honorable and fair and despite the great hardship he was subjected to as a prisoner of war he holds no ranker towards the people he is in charge of.
The two little boys who steal Max's heart are darlings and will bring many a smile to the reader as he/she reads of their exploits.
We see more of Kate in this book and the only complaint I have is why isn't more told us via the letters Maxwell reads from John Howe of how John and his wife are doing? Also Perkins the Sergeant Major who was born to run officers should find love (Ms. Reavis how fixing Perkins up with Kate)?
Great read, great story you will find yourself coming back and back again to the book.
I highly recommend it.

Finally a follow-up to John Howe's story in The Prisoner.
He was ridden with guilt at leaving Max Woodard behind when he escaped the prison.

Max survived and went home to recuperate.
Back on duty and made Commander of the Occupation of Salisbury, N.C., this Army Colonel was not above digging at the pride and hide of the southern inhabitants under his jurisdiction.

Max took full advantage of his position and accepted Mr. Markham's desire to obtain the rent monies for housing the Colonel. Maria Rose Markham was definitely against having him in their house.

I dearly love Sargeant Major Perkins and the way he tended to help all concerned. Then there was the scumbag, Colonel Hatcher, [grin] who left in some haste.

Marie has lost her two brothers in the battle at Gettysburg and her intended, Billy Canfield.

Another plus to the story was the way Phelan Canfields' sons, Joe and Jake took to Max. Wonderful little rascals.

Max still carried the scars of the prison camp and its inhumanities. Maria and Max, both, fought the attractions building between them. This was something that, in all honor, could not happen between them. Mr. Markham seemed to be the most sensible of persons.

Now the ladies, that is a different matter. Expecially as Mrs. Kinnard was determined to push her daughter, Valentina in front of Max. Mrs. Russell was not about to bend to any Union officer. Mrs. Justice was most amenable and apparently quite good friends with Mr. Markham.

Ah, then there was Suzanne Canfield and Nell, Maria's close childhood friends and Ceily Walker, now married to Carscaddon, another friend.

And I loved to meet Mrs. Woodard and her daughter Kate, who had given birth to John Howe's son, now being raised as his brother.
[C.R. - Kate needs a husband] Neither were allowed to acknowledge Harry.

What a fascinating story that ties up a lot of loose ends. And is excellent in itself.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - definitely a keeper. Enjoy!

Maria Markham was a spunky Southern lady who had survived the Civil War, and now was surviving the Union occupation of her state, as well. Sometimes it was difficult, though, with the Union commander of the town staying in her own house. The new commander of the town, Colonel Max Woodard, seemed a bit different from the previous commander, though; and sometimes Maria was disarmed by his kindness toward his vanquished foes. There are secrets, however, that Maria is determined to keep to herself - and no matter how different Max appears to be, she can't share them with anyone.

Colonel Max Woodard was once a prisoner at a squallid prison camp located in the area; now he was the commander of the entire town. Despite his bitter memories of the place, he is determined to act in a fair manner, even when Maria seems intent to keep him at a distance or openly snub him. Could they learn to love one another, or would any feelings they had toward each other be denied because of their pasts?

This book was an okay book, but I wasn't particularly thrilled with it, either. Maria is nothing short of confusing, and once things are revealed later in the book, I was even more confused. I can't give away what I'm talking about, though; suffice to say that her feelings seemed to wax hot one moment and cold another. She also never really gave Max a chance most of the time; instead of getting to know him a little, she would avoid him as much as possible or snub him when she got the opportunity to do so. Max showed her several kindnesses early on, but that didn't matter to her.

Max's character was obviously very impacted by his stay in a prison camp, but that really wasn't discussed much. I don't know if it was discussed in Ms. Reavis' prequel to this book (The Prisoner) or not, but it would have really helped me if she had fleshed that part of Max's character out a bit.

Really, this whole book seemed a bit blah to me, and it never really got me too interested in it. It's an okay read, but I doubt I'll read it again.

Maria has been trying to hold herself and the remains of her family and friends together since the start of the civil war and even 2 years after the war ended she's still trying. The enemy is literally in her own home as the south is occupied with union soldiers. Enter Max, the new Colonel who is being billeted with Maria and her father. She looks on all Yankees as the men who murdered bother her brothers and her fiancée. While Max despises that look of contempt he's given by the southern women and goes out of his way to prove his authority by making sure Maria knew just who is in charge. However, slowly but surely they form a tentative truce as they learn to trust and respect each other.

It's hard to describe how honest and compelling this book is. Max was kept in a Confederate prison camp right outside of town and has every reason to want to punish the town, just as Maria has a reason to hate Max, the leader of the occupying army. They don't learn to love each other despite of who the other person is, and what they stand for, but because of it. Despite all outer appearances they are both two damaged people who are scared by the war in ways other people can't see and it's wonderful to see them learn to love and accept one another.

I really loved this book. The secondary characters, and all the town folks are so realistic and well developed and the pacing is perfect. It is touching and engrossing and something that anyone interested in the civil war, or American history in general would enjoy, romance reader or not. This wonderful story with it's great descriptions of the live in the 1860's gets,

5 stars.

This story takes place in a Southern town shortly after the Civil War...a town under Union occupation still. The hostilities between the Union army soldiers and the residents is high. That doesn't keep the mothers from trying to marry their daughters off to the ranking officers. With too few men, and too many women, the city is often referred to as a bride fair.

One young lady of marriage age is Maria Markham. Maria's two brothers and her fiance were killed in the war, and her father is quite ill. To help keep the house running they board the highest ranking Union officer in their house, a Colonel Max Woodard. Max has no nice feelings for the town. This is the town where he was kept as a prisoner of war, watching hundreds of his fellow soldiers die, nearly dieing himself. While Max is a fair leader, not allowing his men to take advantage of their situations, he holds no love for the town at all.

I loved the characters in this book. Max and Maria were both so hard headed about things, it reminded me of so many I know today. The prejudices on both sides were fascinating and added an element of danger to the story that was always lingering in the background. Reavis did a fantastic job of setting the stage for Max and Maria.

There were numerous twists and unexpected turns throughout that led up to a perfect ending. Not only must Max and Maria fight to find their own happiness, they are both fighting the strict customs and codes of the times. This would have to be one of my favorite romances so far.

4/5

Finally a sequal to the amazing Civil War historical "The Prisoner." Another wonderful book featuring characters you like and a love story with a powerful conflict. I love all her books -if you haven't discovered this author do yourself a favor and find "The Bartered Bride" and read it too. You won't be disappointed.

Cheryl Reavis has become an auto-buy author for me. Whether she's writing contemporary or historical romance, she writes deftly, with skill, compassion and wisdom. I had been looking forward to THE BRIDE FAIR for months and it didn't disappoint.

Set in Salisbury, NC, in 1868, THE BRIDE FAIR simply and quietly explores the aftermath of the Civil War as seen through the lens of the relationship between two people, a U.S. Army Colonel and a woman of the South.

As always, Cheryl Reavis writes with clear-eyed empathy for all her players. There are no demons or angels here, just human beings doing the best they can in difficult times. Her prose is clear, deceptively simple, the kind of writing that enables the reader to sink into the story.

All of Ms. Reavis's books are on my keeper shelf. This one is no exception.

A description of the plot is on this book's Amazon page. A fine sequel to THE PRISONER. There is a nice steady buildup of story and characters. An overview of what it must/might have been like in the south after the Civil War. I liked both main characters, and the author does a great job in making the reader feel concerned about them. The reason I didn't give it 5 stars is for two reasons. First, I felt that as this story occurs just 3 years after the end of the war, there just wasn't enough tension or hate. Yes there were fires and animosity between the army and townspeople, but you never really felt threatened. Second, there was no reference I remember reading about the ex-slaves. Where did they go? What happened to them? Had any come back?

There is an author note on the last page about the prison in NC. I was hoping for information about the number of southern women who actually did marry northern soldiers. There were so many deaths amoung the men in this war, that if the southern women were getting married, that meant that the northern women weren't. All in all though, a fine story.