Customer Reviews

His Lady Bride: Brothers in Arms

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Shelley Bradley has seamlessly woven actual history with a compelling love story. This book combines history with elements of the classic fairy tales Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast.

I felt Aric's turmoil as an essentially good man comes to realize that he trusted an evil man, Richard III. Aric realizes his ambition blinded him to Richard's flaws and made him an unwitting participant in the death of the 'little princes'. Aric is sickened by what he has become and renounces all and leaves to live the life of a hermit.

Forced into marriage with the volatile Gwenyth, who has been banned from her Uncle's castle and given the choice to marry Aric or be killed, he tries his best to ignore his wife. Gwenyth is singularly unignorable.

Bradley's writing gives an immediacy that let's the modern reader understand what it was like to be pressed from both sides into decisions one doesn't want to make. Aric is forced to return to fighting as both sides press him to join them. If Aric doesn't choose the winning side, his family will suffer and he will be hanged as a traitor.

Amidst all this angst, Bradley provides comic relief via Gwenyth's quick tongue and imaginative insults for her husband, who gives as good as he gets--this pair is passionate in all that they do.

This is the first in a trilogy and I will be looking forward to reading about the other 'brothers' Drake and Kieran, who are introduced here and look very intriguing. I highly recommend this for the fan of the historical and for those who like a strong character driven work that truly gives one the 'feel' of those terrible times. Linda Hurst Reviewer Under The Covers Pandora's Box/All About Romance

Tired of war, death and guilt Aric Neville leaves his life as a warrior to live the quiet, solitary life. A loner in a small village that believes he is a sorcerer, Aric plans to live his life peacefully. When the villagers find him a bride and demand that he marry her or else she will be killed, Aric finds himself wed to the fiesty young woman.

Gwenyth de Auburd had her sights set on another man, but when her scheming uncle forces her into marriage with Aric she plans to get out of the marriage. But Aric has other plans. Slowly his reluctant bride thaws, bringing the two closer together and the couple eventually fall in love. But could he give up his honor to fight for a king he does not trust to please his bride?

Shelley Bradley wisks the reader away to medeival England, bringing to life two wonderful characters. Aric and Gwenyth will bring a smile to your face and leave the reader wanting more. Highly recommended.

In November 1484, Aric Neville--also known as the White Lion for his strength and bravery in battle--was going home. The princes of England were dead and King Richard III--the boys uncle-- was on the throne. Aric had been a warrior his whole life, but he could do it no more. He left behind a title, lands and money, to live in seclusion in the woods in a ramshackle cottage with a dirt floor.

Lady Gwenyth wasn't having a good day. It was April, 1485 and she was being forcibly removed from her home where she had resided with her uncle's family since the death of her parents years earlier. He had never wanted his niece in his home in the first place and had taken her in grudgingly, only to make her slightly better than a maid. He had finally decided that she would either be married to the local sorcerer or be killed, the decision to be made by the sorcerer.

The Sorcerer was Aric, and he hadn't minded the locals incorrectly thinking of him that way. It had assured him the peace which he desperately needed but which was going to come to an abrupt end by the looks of it. Unable to see Gwenyth killed he agrees to wed her, something he doesn't completely regret once he witnesses her warmth and spirit.

Not happy with Aric's apparent lack of wealth, yet finding herself thinking of him in a progressively more wifely manner, Gwenyth is happy to discover that he is actually titled and rich. Returning to his former life to aid a friend, Aric is dismayed that the woman he has started to care for apparently is able to say she loves him once she finds out the truth whereas she couldn't while they lived in the cottage. Convinced that she is only after his money and power, he heads off to war with the King, where he is unable to get thoughts of her out of his mind.

These two people have many issues they need to resolve before they are going to live happily ever after. Aric despises the hypocrisy of the titled people--Gwenyth craves the lifestyle. Aric would be happy living in the woods with nothing but the love of his life--Gwenyth can't stand the thought. It boils down to trust and love and how these two strong-minded, passionate and desperately in lust people are going to get past their differences to see if that lust is actually love, and if it's strong enough to make their differences irrelevant.

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Shelley Bradley has done it again! She loves writing the most powerful, strong and dynamic men, and then she throws them into the middle of the most tortured, passionate scenarios. In HIS LADY BRIDE, both Aric and Gwenyth go through some life altering situations courtesy of Shelley, and both must grow and learn in order to be able to make it through.

From Aric's honor and pride to Gwenyth's interesting vocabulary, readers of historical romance are sure to love this latest offering from Shelley Bradley. Based on actual events of the time, HIS LADY BRIDE is a fast paced, exciting story in which the author has taken advantage of the horror of the truth and worked it to her advantage, making her characters that much stronger for having lived through it themselves.

~sue

Sue Waldeck
Road to Romance

I found this book to be one off the best I have read in a long time. Ms. Bradley does a wonderful job of keeping your attention caught on her heroine and hero. They are very easy to relate to and you can almost feel what they are experiencing. It's easy to read and makes is very hard to put down. It is set in 1484 England when King Richard is about to lose his throne. You struggle with Aric as he must decide what true honer and love is really about. Gwenyth engages your heart with her spirit and generosity. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a true romance!!!

Aric Neville is finished with war, battle, and jockeying for political power. What he has seen during the reign of Richard III has soured him to all these things. He becomes a hermit and lives in a hovel on the estate of the Earl of Capshaw. The locals decide he is a sorcerer, especially after the onset of a drought. The earl decides to appease the sorcerer so that he will end the drought and gives his unwanted niece Gwenyth to Aric in marriage. Gwenyth is miserable and is not shy about showing it. But her uncle will kill her before he would let her back into his home. Her beauty is too much competition for his plain daughters, and he can marry them well in her absence. She suffers in Aric's poor abode until his past catches up with him, and she finds out that he's a man with titles and castles. Misunderstandings of motivation ensue, and it looks like this couple may never be able to stay together... Shelly Bradley takes the (at least currently) less popular view of Richard III as villain and makes it very real. With the exception of some editing problems a fine read, and a promising start to a trilogy.

Many medieval romances are dark and almost overwhelmingly serious -- and thank goodness Shelley Bradley didn't follow that path! Ms. Bradley will delight readers with the first book in her BROTHERS AT ARMS trilogy, further securing her place among the most talented of romance authors.

Aric Neville is warrior weary of battle and sickened by court intrigues. Holding himself accountable for a horrible crime, Aric resolves to live out his life as a hermit, never again taking up his sword. Shunned and feared by the villagers as the evil sorcerer in the woods, Aric spends his days in a quiet and solitary manner, quite different from the battlefields of his past.

Yet his fragile peace is shattered by the outspoken Gwyneth de Auburd, niece to the local lord. Gwyneth is being forced to wed the mysterious sorcerer in an attempt to end the drought plaguing the village. Her uncle also has another motive: to rid his castle of the beautiful young woman, clearing the way for his homely daughters to marry the lords who come a'calling.

Furious at having her dreams of marrying for love destroyed, Gwyneth gives her tongue free reign, alternately humoring and enraging her new husband. To Aric's dismay, Gwyneth, sharp tongue at all, is always arousing him. As the sparks fly between the newlyweds, tension also escalates. Being forced to live in such squalid surroundings is yet another bone of contention between Aric and Gwyneth. Yet once Aric returns to his former life to help an old friend, Gwyneth is stunned by her husband's past life. Why would he give up such privilege, wealth, and rank to live amongst the trees and animals of the forest? Resolving to learn more about the complex man, Gwyneth allows herself to explore her feelings for Aric, resulting in her declaration of love. But Aric sees this as a falsehood, as she confesses her love while living the life of wife to a wealthy and powerful lord, not while in the hut of the pauper.

Aric and Gwyneth's path to love is certainly not an easy one, yet Ms. Bradley's writing style guarantees that reading HIS LADY BRIDE will not be a hardship. The characters truly come alive, reaching off of the pages to involve the reader in their lives. Aric's courage and strength will melt even the hardest of hearts, while Gwyneth's quick wit will have readers cheering.

Ms. Bradley is certain to gain a loyal following with HIS LADY BRIDE, the first book in her BROTHERS AT ARMS trilogy for Zebra. Consistently providing readers with entertaining stories, lovable characters, and, most importantly, her stellar writing style, Ms. Bradley never disappoints.

--Julie Shininger, Escape to Romance Reviews

After reading Shelley's last book, ONE WICKED NIGHT, I had to pick up whatever she wrote next. I enjoy medievals, so was thrilled to start this book. Right away, I noticed this wasn't your typical medieval. I also adored Aric and Gwenyth instantly. They were a great couple. Their banter was spirited, sometimes funny and sometimes poignant. The depth of emotion in Shelley's books, once again, left me glued to my chair. You really see these people, total strangers wed to each other in the first chapter, come to understand and love each other fully. You know they will live happily ever after. And Aric--oh. There is one sexy man! I thought the way he tried to reclaim his honor and give Gwenyth her heart's desire gave him such heart. Did I mention this book is plenty steamy too? I LOVED this book, and I can't wait for Drake's and Kieran's stories! I'll be first in line to buy them. Anything by Shelley is an auto-buy for me now!

Ms. Bradley has once again entertained readers with a passionate medieval tale that is hard to put down. Aric Neville is a hero who captures your heart immediately when he agrees to marry the heroine, Gwenyth de Auburd to save her life. Gwenyth is a willful maiden who soon realizes her husband is much more than just an ordinary sorcerer. These two people are intriquing to watch as they find their way to happily ever after. I can hardly wait until December for the second book of the Brothers in Arms series, HIS STOLEN BRIDE.

Wow! HIS LADY BRIDE is a wonderful read! I fell in love with Aric instantly. And Gwenyth! She was the perfect, fiesty lady to yank Aric back to his senses. The story is a beautifully written tale of a guilt-ridden hero coming to terms with his past and the woman who helps him believe in a future.

I can't wait to see which "Brothers in Arms" story comes next. I'm hooked on Ms. Bradley's talented storytelling--and her trio of hunks!

I love each book of the series. I would recommend these books to any historical romance reader, funny, LOL funny. Loved it.