Kiss the Bride [Hardcover]

Patricia Cabot (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2002

One lucky man would win her hand...A lady of London breeding, Emma Van Court never expected to be left widowed -- and penniless -- in the Scottish village of Faires. But when a fortune is promised if she remarries, the pretty schoolteacher finds Faires' motley assortment of eligible men scrambling for her attentions -- from the local cowherd to an obnoxious baron!One sweet kiss would seal their love...James Marbury, Earl of Denham, was urbane, sophisticated....and utterly at odds among the muddy roads and thatched roofs of Faires. He had come after hearing of his cousin Stuart's passing -- and was exasperated to find his maddening, tempestuous love for the widowed Emma was as strong as ever. With bachelors coming out of the woodwork to woo her, James sees only one solution: offer himself to her as a temporary husband...even if secretly he longs to make his "I do's" last a lifetime.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 344 pages
• Publisher: Sonnet Books; Book Club edition (2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0739425439
• ISBN-13: 978-0739425435
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,875,268 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable read but not her best!, May 9, 2002

By 

Amanda Faulkner (Montreal, QC, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kiss the Bride (Sonnet Books) (Mass Market Paperback)

Perhaps I should preface this review by saying that I have very much enjoyed some of Ms.Cabot's previous novels. Portrait of my Heart and Lady of Skye are among my favorite romance novels. This novel, however, was not among one of my favorites.
The story begins in London, 1832. A young lady, Miss Emma Van Court (our heroine), intends to elope with her long time infatuation, the religious and missionary minded, Mr. Stuart Chesterton. Due to a long-running friendship between the two families, Emma plans to alert the head of Stuart's family, James Marbury, Earl of Denham. James is horrified at the idea of Emma marrying his cousin. He warns her that life as the wife of an impoverished curate in the Scottish Hebrides will not be the romantic adventure she imagines. James even goes so far as to physically assault Stuart to prevent the marriage. His efforts prove futile, however, and the marriage proceeds.
We resume the story a year later in the Scottish Hebrides. Stuart has died six months previously and James, Earl of Denham, has come to retrieve the body to return it to the family tomb. He never expects to find Emma still there, still trying to help those not much worse off than she is and still mad as hell at him. His feelings, however, have undergone a transformation. He realizes quite quickly that he has always loved her and that that is what irked him the most about her marrying Stuart.
Without giving too much more of the story away, for the events mentioned previously happen quite quickly, I would just like to outline a few more points. I find that Ms.Cabot can usually write a good love scene. This time, while the scenes themselves seem well written, I didn't really enjoy their place in the novel. The first love scene came up so abruptly it was over before I even noticed. There hadn't been any of those really good `awareness' scenes to lay the foundation. Unfortunately it made the scene feel less like a sudden flare up of passion than the author realizing that she's made it to page one hundred and something without a proper love scene. Despite this problem, the book is still an enjoyable read. There are no major conflicts between our hero and heroine and we get to enjoy a rather odd assemblage of secondary characters. Emma is being courted by an assortment of village gentlemen including the slightly daft neighboring farmer, encouraged by his mother, and the eccentric Baron who lives on the hill. Emma also shows some spunk as our heroine in her determined pursuit for the happiness and betterment of others. James I felt could have been a little more developed as a character. There is some talk of him having been a bit of a rake in London, yet we see little evidence of it. Overall I would deem this a good though not great book. The main characters converse well together and the story, while containing some typical ideas, on a whole proves to be quite original. Unfortunately the sense of humor that Ms. Cabot has demonstrated to such overwhelming success in previous novels, here, seems to have taken a bit of a back seat.
If you enjoy this novel, I would recommend her other novel set in the Scottish Hebrides, Lady of Skye. It is a good example of the aforementioned humor. You might also try her two-part set, Where Roses Grow Wild and Portrait of my Heart. The latter is my favorite book by Patricia Cabot and again displays the humor I enjoy to wondrous effect.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars KISS THE BRIDE is a sheer delight, May 28, 2002

By 

Desmond Chan (Bishan North Singapore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kiss the Bride (Sonnet Books) (Mass Market Paperback)

Patricia Cabot wields her magic again in Kiss the Bride, a fluffy romance between the ninth earl of Denham, James Marbury and Emma Van Court who married his sacrilegious cousin Stuart. When James receives the news from Emma that she planned to elope with the impoverished Stuart against the wishes of her relations, his concealed adoration for Emma propelled him to foil the plan. Yet Emma manages to escape and cross over to Scotland Hebrides with the religious Stuart to start life as a curator's wife. When news of Stuart's demise after a manslaughter complicated by the typhus epidemic, James decides to claim Stuart's body to bury in the ancestral hall and is unprepared for the wretched life Emma is subjected to.

He finds himself intrigued by the independent widow who teaches the underprivileged kids, who fends off eager suitors trying to hook her up with a marriage proposal with eyes set on the bequeathed money that is attached to her marriage. James is tenacious to put a stop and marries her in her utmost reluctance. He decides to convince Emma that he intends to secure her to him this time round with wooing and passion....

While Ms. Cabot has a penchance for creating wonderful sub-characters like Lady Denham, Judge Reardon and the meddlesome peasants, her humour in this outing falls short and less furious than her previous efforts. It is nonetheless an enchanting treat when Ms. Cabot imbues a fairy-tale mood and languid sensuality in her narration. The protagonists are as usual captivating in their own rights - a reformed rake and a resilient widow. Kiss The Bride may not be her best effort, but it is a sheer delight.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A clever and funny historical romance., July 20, 2002

By 

Rebecca Herman (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kiss the Bride (Sonnet Books) (Mass Market Paperback)

I read this book because I was a fan of the author's books for teens, and I was not disappointed. Emma Van Court is an orphan raised by her wealthy aunt and uncle. At eighteen, she elopes with Stuart Chesterton, a well-meaning but impractical man who takes his new wife to live with him on a small Scottish island village, much to the anger of Stuart's cousin, James Marbury, the Earl of Denham. Within a year, Stuart is dead, and Emma is struggling to survive on her meager salary as a schoolteacher. Without marrying, she cannot claim her inheritance. So when James comes to the island, he proposes a marriage of convenience. Having always loved Emma, he hopes she will come to love him, and wish to stay married. This book was written in the same clever, funny style as the author's other books. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a romantic and funny historical read.