Customer Reviews

The Ideal Bride (Zebra Regency Romance)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Gabriel Carr has rejected the label of "Gentleman" and fled into the soothing routine of Business. When it comes time to choose a wife he figures he can handle it just as he would any other business transaction, make a list, review the candidates, choose a life partner.

Enter Lady Nola Grenvale. Lady Nola needs one of Gabriel's buildings to create a bazaar for war widows to sell their handicrafts, She has no interest in being his wife. How could she ever mary a man with a list?

These two characters (and the mess of "matchmakers" surrounding them) could very easily have been stereotypical. St. George escapes this very neatly. Nola is not a do good heroine you want to smack. Gabriel...well, sometimes you want to smack him, but he is never stubborn beyond reason merely to advance the plot. The secondary cast never escapes the realm of secondary, overwhelming the plot.

This little gem is laugh out loud funny. I was chortling the whole way through. What a wonderful first read from an author. I'm looking forward eagerly to her next!

Humour is a welcome novelty in Romance fiction. The genre often endures bad press in mainstream media for various reasons - "thin" plots, "shallow" characters, even the romance element is labelled "stilted". These or other faults are paraded by elitist critics. Rarely encountered, humour has the capacity to sweep away many blemishes, real or perceived. Romance novels almost universally conclude with happy endings. Getting to that point, however, often means slogging through a miasma of dreary events, sombre people or dire prospects. Even worse is the imposition of some deep philosophical issue the reader must unravel.

Nonnie St George has broken with some of this tradition with her first book, The Ideal Bride. Setting the scene in Regency London gives her room to apply solid research into people, events and language. St George handles these elements well in both plot and characterisation. England is enjoying burgeoning prosperity. The Continental Wars against Napoleon are over, but issues remain - the widows of casualties for one. Who cares about them? Why would they be important in a story of romance?

Gabriel Carr aims to be married. He's a successful property owner and investor. As a man of business, planning is essential in his quest. He's drawn up a list of what constitutes the perfect wife. His mother, disdainful of such a "practical" approach, chides him mercilessly. There's a compulsion underlying his wife-hunting method, of course. He must marry before he's thirty or lose an inheritance. He's dogged, determined, independent. The combination inevitably results in a certain hubris. According to classic pattern, such arrogance, even in a mild-mannered man, must lead to an undoing.

Boy meets girl, naturally. Rather, man meets woman, since both protagonists are adults. The woman is of the aristocracy - what the British refer to as the ton. In this era, upcoming businessmen are suspicious of the ton. They are often dissolute, and in many cases, they need money. Nola Grenvale seems little different. But "Saint Nola" is different, in an even worse way. Promoting the cause of the Napoleonic War widows, she's set on helping them obtain independent income. She needs a location for the widows to market their wares. Charity and business are rarely close acquaintances, let alone nuptial partners. Nor is marriage a major concern for Nola. Her aim is an intrusion on Gabriel's life and he's prompt in showing his resentment. Nola isn't a candidate for marriage, anyway. Along with her other priorities, Nola isn't in the running in her own mind. Nola's tall, a redhead in a blonde and brunette world and is spare in the bosom - "she looked exactly like a Pall Mall gas lamppost".

They are a difficult pair to reconcile. Nola is nobody's fool. She's outspoken, assertive, and determined to fulfill her own ambitions. More provision for hubris. Mixing two such recipes results only in a spicy stew. St George builds her story solidly through the characters. Alone or interacting, Gabriel and Nola are introduced to us, reflect on their respective values, and leave us smiling over the complexities of life. While St George doesn't distract us with deep issues, the value of self-assessment is clear. She helps us in this endeavour by writing with keen humour. Her fine sense of light irony keeps this story alive and moving. Neither plot nor characters are forced or contrived. She avoids the often stilted language used to "type" historical fiction. It's not great literature, but it's great cottage fare.

After reading the stellar reviews, I had no doubt that I would just love this book. Even though I was dying to read it as soon as I got it, I saved it for a plane ride because I knew I would be so absorbed in it that the flight would just "fly by" (get it? ha ha).

Imagine my disappointment when 2/3 into the book, I realized that I just wasn't loving it. In fact, I wasn't even liking it too much. I never finished the book.

I will agree with all the previous reviewers who stated that this book has some screwball comedic episodes. Page one had me hooked (or so I thought). A devastatingly attractive man who makes a concerted effort to not look so attractive. A down-to-earth do-good heroine. I started out liking these characters and enjoying their most amusing meetings.

What really turned me off eventually was that there was absolutely no character development whatsoever. These people, while likable in the beginning, were never really portrayed as anything more than just flat characters. I felt towards them by page 120 the exact same way I felt for them at page 1--that is to say, not much. I did not sympathize with or care for any of them. They didn't seem real to me AT ALL and the feelings between them did not ring true or sincere.

I finally got totally fed up when I realized that the "sensible" heroine was truly falling in love with the hero purely because of his dimples. It never really went beyond that.

Overall, I found the book pretty shallow. And by that, I mean there was no depth to it. No depth to the characters, no depth to their feelings. I read 3-5 regency romances a week, so I don't require too much depth, but this one was lacking in ANY. It became annoying and frustrating to read and I just could not bring myself to finish it.

This was a wonderfully fun read! Like Georgette Heyer, Ms. St. George brings her characters to life with a deft touch of humor to enliven the proceedings. The hero, Gabriel, is a man who doesn't know what's best for him so of course, everyone else has to help him find his Ideal Bride. Lady Nola is just the woman for him - if she doesn't drive him insane first! The cast of supporting characters, especially Gabriel's mom, will remind you of everyone who tried to run your life for you. A great first book and I can't wait to read more.

Nonnie St George's debut novel has received enthusiastic comments elsewhere and I bought a copy on the strength of these. However, I was disappointed. Althought the author has great energy and obviously tried hard, I felt there were too many annoying rough edges to make this a truly sparkling debut.

The best thing about the novel is the plot - stuffy businessman unwillingly attracted to aristocratic but poor woman dedicated to charitable work with war widows. Add in a silly, party-mad mother, various other incredulous relations and OTT friends and you have the beginnings of a farce along the lines of Barbara Metzger. What let this novel down was that the ingredients were strained and two dimensional.

Every decent hero has a flaw; in this case Mr Gabriel Carr is incredibly beautiful (and although reluctantly, he knows it and uses it). OK. But his beauty is used in the feminine sense: eg "I'm so lovely that no one can see beneath the surface". It just didn't work for me. Our heroine, Lady Nola, is the daughter of an earl but the family seems to be on its financial knees. OK. But where did she acquire the urge to look after Peninsular war widows with such business acumen?

The characters behave in exaggerated ways; they throw things, they bump into each other, they shout, they lunge, they slam, they loom. They act without any of the refinement of behaviour you would expect in the genre. The hero's middle aged mother parties all night yet is purported to know everyone of importance in society: sorry but this strained credulity a bit. She is described as "lurching to the table in a billowing purple dress like a round grape rolling down a matron's heaving bosom". I realise this is meant to be funny but, really, it's just silly.

And, our hero falls down a flight of stairs, "shatters" his knee yet is up and walking within days. And this before the benefit of x-rays, orthopaedic surgery, physiotherapists, etc. Sorry, just did not work for me.

The author has tried to amuse us. She has made a good effort and no one reading this can doubt her enthusiasm but I think she needs to polish her work a bit more and strive for a little more irony in her humour rather than making it so slap-stick. I will try again with her but she will have to improve on this to keep my interest. Three stars because this is a debut; two might have been nearer the mark.

Georgeous and wealthy businessman Gabriel Carr has decided to marry but hates the giddy females who fawn over his striking looks. He wants a wife who sees more in him than his looks, so he draws up a list of requirements for his ideal bride. He wants his bride to be of the merchant class and definitely not the aristocracy; therefore he asks his merchant tenants to introduce him to suitable young women. When he meets Lady Nola Grenvale, pandemonium breaks lose.

This is an absolutely delightful book. I laughed out loud frequently at the absurd situations and the secondary characters. Ms. St.George has created wonderfully witty dialogue. I highly recommend this book to lift your spirits and will look forward to reading the next book about Gabriel's friend the Duke of St.Fell.

I had heard so many good things about this first book by Nonnie St George that I just had to read it - especially with her second book COURTING TROUBLE just out. What a fun book! It's a traditional regency with a screwball comedy twist. I could just picture Cary Grant as Gabriel and Katherine Hepburn as Nola a la BRINGING UP BABY (a 1930's screwball comedy). Such fun - and Gabriel's mother was an absolute hoot!

Handsome, precise, fastidious Gabriel Carr has decided that he will marry before his thirtieth birthday and so has created a list of criteria for the ideal bride. While his family and friends all scoff at the notion of his list, Gabriel feels that it is perfectly sound and reasonable to know what you want when making such a momentous decision. At the top of his list is the requirement that her family be from the merchant class so that she will understand his preoccupation with business and necessity to stay in London (no foolish aristocratic Miss for him!).

But he meets instead Lady Nola Grenvale, daughter of an earl, and it seems every time he is in her company, some disaster befalls him or he loses his cool. She is doggedly pursuing him, not for himself, but for his warehouse, which she proposes to turn into a bazaar from which war widows can sell their wares to better support themselves. Now, Gabriel is known as one of the most handsome men in London with his dark hair and blue eyes and chiseled features. He plays down his looks purposely, but is still annoyed that Lady Nola seems to be impervious to his charms. Or so he thinks! Lady Nola is all too aware of his handsome face and muscular build but she's determined he'll never know it! He's so pig-headed that he refuses to see that the bazaar could be a sound and profitable venture. But Nola (along with his naughty mother!) is not about to give up and when he injures his ankle and must rely on Nola to assist him in taking care of business, new respect as well as a strong attraction, begin to take root on both sides. But what about that list? Lady Nola doesn't exactly fit his criteria, after all . . .

A very enjoyable read and a new author to keep an eye on! I would have rated this 5 stars, but I felt Gabriel's desire to salvage his pride about the validity of his list was a bit too much and a bit annoying. But I loved the running joke of Gabriel asking various friends and acquaintances "you know Lady Nola?" which was invariably answered with "Of course! Everyone does - she helps the helpless widows!" Too funny!

I used to read every Regency that came out; however, the rapidly decreasing quality of new books in this genre has made me more selective in recent years. My favorites have always been the lighthearted romps such as those penned by Barbara Metzger. Nonnie St. George exhibits the same type of comedic talent here. Frankly, I was so engrossed in laughing my way through the book that I didn't even notice the little errors in historical accuracy that normally disrupt my reading pleasure.

Normally I wouldn't think much of a hero who is so obviously aware of his good-looking appearance that he expects women to fall all over him and takes offense if they don't. Nor do his frequent references to the heroine's flat chest and her other inadequacies make him a likable character. In the beginning, his friend the Duke seems a much a better potential hero.

But even at his first meeting with "Saint Nola," the earl's daughter who has dedicted herself to helping the war widows, Gabriel undergoes a curious sort of transformation that everyone sees except him (and perhaps Nola herself). Even as he emphatically denies that she could ever be a candidate for the "ideal bride" he seeks, he finds himself thinking about her constantly. . . and enjoying her company far too well.

Is it because she is the first woman who shown no interest in attracting him? Or because she proves herself to be a highly capable woman and one who is sincerely committed to helping the needy? Or is it because his mother, his best friend, her brother and two aunts, the servants, his tenants and business partners--and the entire ton, it turns out--are conspiring to throw them together for a walk down the aisle.

Even after he finally admits to himself that he loves Nola and wants to marry her, he tries to find a way to "save face." The whole world knows about his requirements for his "ideal bride." If he marries Nola, who is practically the antithesis, he would be a laughingstock among the ton. So he devises a way to "compromise" Nola into marriage. No one would ridicule him for doing the honorable thing, after all.

When that fails, and his mother begins rounding up potential husbands for Nola, Gabriel's next move is to propose to Nola and ask her to keep it quiet for a month or so until the ton becomes obsessed by some other scandal. But Nola refuses his offer, even after he confesses his love for her (which should have come BEFORE the proposal of marriage). Even after he finally agrees to lease her the warehouse she wants for her war widows bazaar.

Nola, you see, already loves him--she did notice his handsome appearance after all--but she is well aware that she has been practically pushed into his arms by all the well-meaning matchmakers, and she knows that she lacks the qualifications for the "ideal bride" he was seeking. Marrying her would just make them both unhappy.

It becomes a matter of Gabriel having to choose between his pride and a life with the woman he loves, and realizes that there is really only one choice to be made.

At that point, the transformation from arrogant jerk to romantic hero is complete, and the reader is left with the feeling that all is right in the world and that every minute spent reading this book was time well spent.

I would give this book 4 1/2 stars if I could, it was so much fun to read. I was pleasantly surprised at every turn and just thoroughly enjoyed this book! Nonnie St.George has a great sense of humor and for a first book, plot, characters and dialogue were all excellent. I look forward to reading more of her books and with a bit of polish, I'm sure her next ones will all be 5 star rated.

Due to the raving reviews I read about this book, I ordered it with anticipation.

I'll be kind and succinct, because this book was neither of these things, and plainly say that this book reads like a gargled, wet manuscript.

I was incredibly amazed when I finished this book that it had received such good ratings.
It's not that this book is just not to my liking. I had problems with its "humor," and with how frustrating it felt to read.
=(

I ALMOST didn't even finish it and I NEVER not finish a book, no matter how bad it is.

To be fair, I'll say that I enjoy the following authors: Lisa Kleypas, Mary Balogh, Stephanie Laurens, Eloisa James, Sherry Thomas, etc.
I did not enjoy this book and I would not recommend it to others who have similar tastes to mine.

I wish that there had been a somewhat more "accurate" review for me to read before investing in this book which I will donate to goodwill. I'm sorry I can't/won't go into more detail about what I liked/disliked because honestly, after I put the book down all I can remember are feelings of disappointment and annoyance. The hero and heroine are completely forgettable and unremarkable. Storyline= blah.

If you're in a slump like me and browsing around amazon looking for recommendations, don't fall for this one. Do yourself a favor and save yourself from mediocrity. I apologize if I sound harsh and you are hurt/annoyed that I hated this book so much but it made me want to hit my head against the wall the entire time I was reading it.