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20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful romance that was greatly overshadowed by ghosts, magic, and several extra characters., August 27, 2007
This review is from: Bride for a Knight (Mass Market Paperback)
I was very hopeful during the first chapters of this book. The main couple, Jamie and Aveline, were instantly attracted to one another. There was none of the typical resentment or stubbornness coming between them. Jamie was chivalrous and protective of Aveline's feelings when her father humiliated her in front of her clan. Aveline was thrilled to meet her groom, and she was protective of Jamie's dignity in the face of her father's treachery. They wanted to spend as much time together as they could, and neither wanted to hide their growing feelings for one another. I was definitely looking forward to a romantic tale.
Unfortunately, I began to get very bored around the middle of the 5th chapter, then had a strong urge to start skimming at the beginning of the sixth chapter. Too many extra themes and characters entered the story. The original dilemmas of a rivalry between Jamie's and Aveline's fathers, Jamie's father's resentment over the fact the Jamie's mother died during his birth, and the loss of Jamie's brothers to a tragic accident were more than enough adversity to sustain the story. To my disappointment, Welfonder decided to also throw in the ghosts of Jamie's brothers haunting their father, mystical premonitions and dilemmas of characters from Welfonders' past novels, and various superstitious actions and beliefs by Jamie's clan. All of this happening at once made it impossible for me to dive into the story of the main couple. My head was spinning while trying to keep each character's problems separate, yet still keep them combined into one core story. What started out as a beautiful romance turned into several tangled stories of mythical legend.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Little and Large in the Highlands, September 21, 2007
This review is from: Bride for a Knight (Mass Market Paperback)
In the crowded genre of the Scottish historical romance there are a great deal of recurring tropes that can make different books very samey. Although this book is somewhat different than the norm as it apparently has a paranormal aspect it was still ultimately not entirely satisfying.
Jamie Macpherson's nine brothers have all been killed in an accident on a bridge and he is returning home - partly to see his father (from whom he is estranged) but mostly to get married to the woman his father has arranged for him, Aveline Matheson. As he approaches his father's house he spies a beautiful faerie in the moonlight of St Bride's Glade; how convenient that she turns out to be his intended wife.
Their betrothal takes place but Jamie soon realises there is more to the deaths of his brothers than just an accident as they appear to be haunting his father and his fiancée has also seen them. Jamie's distrust of ghosts (Bogles) is such that he looks for a rational explanation, at the same time trying to protect Aveline. The author made rather a lot of the fact that Jamie is a big lad (and we're told multiple times that he's big all over... ahem) and Aveline is a tiny thing and so he's worried he might hurt her when they consummate the marriage. Fortunately the story gets distracted from these thoughts by trying to discover the truth behind the deaths of the other Macpherson brothers, working out who might gain from the deaths and Jamie being all protective of his betrothed.
What was good about this book was that the unmasking of the villain was a real surprise to me although it was effected by some rather unlikely plotting at times. The book gave good descriptions of the life and politics of powerful men in Scotland at that time, interspersed with the less satisfying paranormal aspect. The romance between Jamie and Aveline was fairly low-key as it was a love-at-first-sight story and it actually seemed to get in the way of the plotting at times. I was also distinctly dubious about the happy-ever-after potential; Jamie and Aveline are happy now but knowing his immense size and her tiny stature I expect her to die in her first experience of childbirth. However, that aside, this was a reasonable read and different from many of the books in this genre. It's clearly part of a series, with many other side characters mentioned, but it also worked as a standalone book.
Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book, www.curledup.com. © Helen Hancox 2007
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Romance. Magic. = A nice 4.5 read I must admit!, September 15, 2008
This review is from: Bride for a Knight (Mass Market Paperback)
I'm not one to enjoy anything with even a hint of paranormal. One of the reasons I didn't enjoy Until the Knight Comes. This one was different. Perhaps it was the characters?
Big in every sense of the way, Jamie Macpherson joined clan Mackenzie and went on to make a name for himself through out the years. While still @ Cuidrach Castle, he receives word that his brothers have all died from a tragic accident. He is also told that he will be married to the daughter of his fathers enemy, Aveline Matheson. But why would his da's enemy want him married to his daughter? He hadn't planned on returning but honor would let him do no less. He would return even if it meant facing the truth; he would never earn his fathers love, last son or not.
Aveline Matheson, youngest daughter of Alan Mor is a delicate soul. She is likable within the first couple of chapters for she has an earthy nature. With her betrothal to Jamie approaching, she knows that she must make the best of her situation. Besides, it's for the good of their clans. Though she is a wee delicate lass, she has no fear. Nor does she let her small size shield her from all of the joys of life. of married life. of life with Jamie Macpherson.
I usually prefer a little bit of bickering from the h/h however these two gentle hearts were sweet to each other from the beginning. I enjoyed watching their romance bloom and not in a sexual way but love! On that note, I will admit that the sex scenes were "PG" and I had hoped for more. They were not steamy at all IMHO. Excellent secondary characters helped that blemish *Munro and Morag*! We also get a glimpse of the Mackenzie's; Duncan, Robbie, Linnet, Juliana, Arabella and our next heroine Gelis. Anytime this clan is involved, I tend to smile. With the ghost, betrayal and eerie feelings floating around, can their love last?
I had honestly thought not to read this novel..I was disappointed in Until The Knight Comes and thought that it could only get worst. However this is an excellent story and I await the story of Gelis (though I must wonder why we don't see Arabella's story first seeing as she is older).
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