Customer Reviews

Fortune's Bride (Brides of Montclair, Book 3)

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The Brides of Montclair is a fantastic series written by Jane Peart. These books are about family love, romance, responsibilities, friendship and destiny that brought all the various characters together.
Fortunes's Bride, the third book in this series, is about a young but rich orphan and her guardian. Avril, a young girl of ten, was sent to live with her father's long time friend, Graham Montrose, after her parents' deaths, leaving her a rich heiress. But since there was no written wills to prove the fortune to be hers, Avril will need to get married in order to secure her inheritance. Thus, she was married to Graham at the age of 12, since he was the most eligible and suitable choice. Their marriage excisted only on paper, and once Avril reached 21, she will be free to make her own choice of a husband. But while all this was happening around her, Avril's plain adoration for her guardian had turned into true love. After 5 years of boarding school, she returned to Montclair, now a beautiful, learned and rich young lady. Graham was shocked and scared at the same time for he believed he posessed a wrong and way too deep feeling for his ward. To prevent his true emotions from showing, he kept Avril out of his sights and sent her away for a whole year to Europe. During this time 2 young men proposed, but Avril refused them both, believing that if she could not have Graham, she will have nobody. After the journey was over, Avril once again returned, now an even more mature and dazzling young woman. Graham now felt even more sad because he didn't believe her to share his feelings and didn't think it was appropriate. Avril was admired everywhere she went while her 21st birthday was fast approaching. She was determined to tell Graham how she felt before the marriage was broken, and if he did not return her love, she will leave the place and live a spinsterish live on her own. But true love only happens once in a life time and it will be easy to guess that it was happening in this story.
I think this is a very captivating book and once I started I couldn't seem to be able to put it down. Even though it is easy to guess what will happen, this book is really enjoyable and satisfying. It was set in Virginia during the 1800s and might give you the idea that it is quite westernized. But it actually seems like it took place in England with all the grand mansions and balls. I highly reccommand this excellent book and all the other books in this series although I haven't read them all yet. But I am very sure that they will all be very exciting and will easily interest you.

This third book in the "Brides of Montclair" series is the story of Avril Dumont, a young orphan who is taken in by her parents' friend, the young widower Graham Montrose. As she grows up, the childish crush that she feels for her guardian grows along with her, until she believes it is the love of a woman for a man. Graham, as he tries to move forward with his own life, resists seeing her as anything other than a young lady under his care, while Avril struggles to make him see more.

I absolutely ADORED this book when I first read it (and then re- and re- and re-read it) as a not-quite teenager. It was one of my absolute favorite books. I loved the story, I loved the depth of genuine emotion that it evoked it me--Avril's heartbreak was my heartbreak, her frustration my frustration, her joy my joy--I loved the characters (I would have wanted Graham for myself if I hadn't truly liked Avril and felt so strongly that they belonged together), and I loved the idea that an older man could fall in love with younger girl.

I like to think I was a discerning reader even then, so I think think this book is probably of at least of adequate writing quality, if not better. I trust that when I decide to read this again I'll find it to be as wonderful as I remember.

This is my favorite so far!! Avril is sweet, sensitive, caring, and intelligent. She has this child-like quality that blossoms into what every woman can only hope to be. While Avril is sent away time after time she endures. The events that she encouters and her nemisis, Clarice, make this story very much captivating.