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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A little flat., June 10, 2004
This review is from: And the Bride Wore Plaid (Mass Market Paperback)
Katherine "Kat" Macdonald is not your typical Regency heroine. She's a little taller than is fashionable, has a "lush" figure, she was born illegitimate and to top it all off she has a slightly checkered past. Because she's been ruined, her half-brother's society friends seem to think she's fair game to be hit on (and pawed at), but like the self-possessed, confident woman she is, Kat has no problem fending off the unwanted advances. And they are very unwanted, because when Kat was ruined she had her heartbroken by an unscrupulous rogue. Devon St. John has ventured into Scotland to visit a friend--and also to outrun an enchanted family ring that "dooms" the holder to find their spouse. He didn't outrun the ring, his recently married brother planted it on his person before he ran away. When he discovers it, he decides the best way to avoid the "curse" of the ring is to distract himself with a decidedly ineligible woman--and his friend Malcolm's sister, Kat, seems to fit the bill perfectly. "And the Bride Wore Plaid" is an upbeat style Regency historical, although it's a little less funny than it could have been and comes off mostly as light-hearted. I like that Devon is instantly attracted to Kat for her slightly larger-than-life looks, and their chemistry is great. The story drags a bit until Kat gets a little competition for Devon in the form of her brother's extremely beautiful sister-in-law. There's also a nice subplot involving some marital strife between Malcolm and his wife. Kat is a fairly likeable character. Devon is likeable too, although he is a little elusive; I'm never sure that I really have a bead on him and his motivations. I only have two major problems with this book. First, there's an irksome attempt at a fairy tale angle (which is thankfully not terribly overused) with Kat having a "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" thing going on. All of her giant "dwarves" are unnecessary and pointless; there are plenty of secondary characters without them. My other problem is with Kat's "past". I can't say "And the Bride Wore Plaid" is the first book that I've been bothered by something like this, but it's the first I've reviewed where it came up so I'm going to go into it. I will say that the fact that Kat is not a virgin is integral to the plot; it's pretty safe to say that Devon wouldn't have been interested in her if she hadn't had a little experience. Here's what bugs me: why do women who've had extra-marital sexual experiences always have to regret them in historical romances? I'm at the point that I'd rather an author not write about experienced women if they're always going to have either had a bad sexual experience, or a good one that they enjoyed at the time but then greatly regretted. If a heroine is going to defy the dictates of her society and willingly have sex before she's married, can't she do it for a good enough reason that it wasn't a mistake? I'd like to think that most real women who had have affairs before marriage in those days did so because they truly wanted to and felt it was worth it. Obviously there would be some who regretted it, but I tend to think there would be a higher percentage of women who didn't. Okay, I'm done with that little rant. In the end, this book is readable, but also nothing terribly exciting, so it gets three stars. I've read the rest of the books in this series about the St. John ring, but can't really say there's one I'd recommend more than "And the Bride Wore Plaid". If you liked any of the others in the series, or if you're already a Karen Hawkins fan, you'll probably like this book. Sidenote: If you're a big Julia Quinn fan and you haven't read any Karen Hawkins yet, you should do so immediately. I don't know anyone who loves one of those authors without loving the other. Just so you know.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Talisman Ring Strikes Again!, June 3, 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: And the Bride Wore Plaid (Mass Market Paperback)
I will start my review with all of the positives. I love the Talisman Ring series. Karen Hawkins has done an amazing job of drawing us into the world of the St. John family and the "possessed" family heirloom that fortends impending marriage to its bearer. My favorite story thus far has been An Affair to Remember (Anthony and Anna's story). KH is also talented at building anticipation for the next story in the series. After reading How to Treat a Lady (Chase and Harriet), I couldn't wait to find out what happens with Devon. Of course, Devon is determined to outrun the "curse" of the ring, as he has no intentions of ever pursuing marital bliss. He runs away to a friend's remote castle in Scotland-only to meet the beguiling Kat, who is also running away from marital bliss for reasons of her own. The story centers around both Devon and Kat's desire to avoid the parson's trap warring with their growing desire for each other. Now, for the not so positives. I love the story, but it got off to a rather slow start, in my opinion. The pace of the book does pick up and is rather comical and romantic toward the middle and end of the book. The Malcolm and Fiona subplot detracted a bit from what otherwise was a perfect story. Also, I am not sure that I like the Snow White metaphor. I can appreciate the humor and irony in the 7 "dwarves" being 7 tall and imposing Scotsmen. I like authors who turn the classic storybook cliche, but I don't think it worked so well for me this time. And the Bride Wore Plaid is a great summer read. If you love the Talisman Ring series or are just a Karen Hawkins fan, you'll love this book. Despite what some might see as a mediocre review, I liked the story and can't wait to find out what Marcus does when he discovers what happened to the ring.
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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable on some levels, but not enough to recommend, July 14, 2004
This review is from: And the Bride Wore Plaid (Mass Market Paperback)
For me Karen Hawkins is a consistently 3 star author and her stories are always light, amusing, sensual romps with pretty yummy heroes. But I have to say I had a hard time liking Devon. Here's a guy who stumbles onto our heroine (he thinks she's a maid) and pulls her into his bed intent on seduction. But when he learns that she is, in fact, the sister of his host and supposed good friend, it doesn't stop him from continuing to pursue her for a strictly sexual and entirely temporary liaison! Some friend. Bad enough he's the type to tup the help, but the sister of a friend as well? I guess the fact that she is the illegitimate half-sister of his friend makes her fair game?! Anyway, this story just didn't work for me. Devon, predictably fleeing from the curse of the Talisman Ring, travels to Scotland to visit his friend Viscount Strathmore but of course on the way discovers the ring in his carriage. So in order to avoid the curse (legend says the bearer will meet his true love) he decides to avoid any and all women he is usually attracted to. Kat MacDonald, Strathmore's half-sister lives and works (on her stained glass?!) in her house in the woods with her seven "giants" (a lame play on the Snow White theme). She's not his usual type (delicate, elegant, fashionable) in that she is lush, buxom, independent and she's also been around the block with men like Devon. So he decides she's perfect and he will beat the curse by seducing her. Nice guy, huh? Honestly, though he's charming and sexy, I also found him incredibly selfish and shallow! Kat has met the likes of Devon St John before and it only brought her humiliation and heartbreak and her family scandal when she fell for a rake whose intentions were never honorable (hmmm, sounds a lot like Devon!). She has no intention of doing so again, but, of course, Devon is dogged in his pursuit and she all too quickly succumbs. How disappointing - I had higher hopes for Kat. And while her brother pretty much knows what's going on, he just lets it - what's up with that? I'm glad that there's only one more book to this series as I think it's getting pretty tired. The secondary storyline about Strathmore's marital problems didn't engage me at all and I really didn't see the point of her "seven giants", as they added nothing to the story. Anyway I would only recommend this for hardcore fans and those, like me, who feel compelled to read all the books in the series (though I sometimes wonder why!).
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