Customer Reviews

The Last Bride (Berkley Sensation)

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

 

 

In modern day New Orleans, Claire Peltier has just tossed aside a perfectly good fiancé - a man who loved her, treated her very well, but whom she just couldn't feel the passion that she knew deep in her soul belonged to the man who haunted her dreams. Along with being haunted by dreams, Claire was also visited rather regularly by a ghost. Only now the ghost seemed to be giving Claire clues that would send her on a journey to unlock the visions from her dreams. Traveling to France, Claire followed her instincts and her ghost, and found herself transported back to the Middle Ages where she came face to face with the man of her dreams.

Aiden Delacroix was a lonely tortured man. His sense of loss over the death of his mistress and wife that were attributed to the hauntings of a vengeful ghost had left its mark. With no wife or heir, and no woman even considering marriage to him; his fight to pass on his families' legacy would be for naught, as he would surely lose his lands to his enemy. As a last resort, Aidan went on a pilgrimage to a sacred shrine where there appeared before him a woman so beautiful Aiden impulsively proposed marriage.

While Claire recognized Aiden as the man of her dreams, his very touch brought a vision of such heartache that she refused his offer. Then again, she wasn't quite cognizant that she'd been transported back in time, and thought him a bit crazy. When it did finally dawn on her that she wasn't in her modern time, she agreed to let him help her. Soon after she would realize that she'd been brought back not only to answer questions regarding her own mysterious longings, but to right a wrong and regain a love that was meant to be.

*** This was a full-bodied, fully satisfying tale of time travel, reincarnation, and a heady romance all rolled into one totally mesmerizing read that will capture you from the very first pages. Claire and Aiden were extremely well-drawn. Aiden was wonderful, even though he sensed that Claire was different -- his acceptance, kindness and gentle ways were the stuff dreams are made of - in essence a perfect hero! In this second chance at a love that was meant to be that transcended all time, Landry pulled out all the stops and presented her readers with a perfectly wonderful read. Highly recommended! --- Marilyn, for [...] ---

Normally, I get irritated with romances containing ghosts and/or reincarnation, but that wasn't the case with The Last Bride. It's got ghosts. It's got reincarnation. And the time-travel ties them together. But it works. The ghosts & reincarnation are PART OF THE STORY. And it doesn't go off on long boring tangents about something that happened to some dead people who nobody cares about because they were thoroughly unlikeable. Er. Speaking of tangents. Anyway.

Claire calls off her engagement because of the man who haunts her dreams, and then follows a ghost's clues to a labyrinth in France, where she ends up in the past, and meets Aiden, the man from her dreams, who's gone on a pilgrimage to the labyrinth to ask for guidance in dealing with his own ghost.


The good:
Claire's reaction to the time travel was great--very realistic.
All the paranormal elements are integral to the plot.
Aiden is a great tortured hero--everyone, including Aiden, believes that his wife had been killed by the ghost of his mistress, who'd killed herself rather than live without him, yet his concern for his people makes him want to find a wife to give him an heir, even though he doesn't feel he deserves it.

The bad:
A couple of threads were left dangling at the end, that should have been wrapped up.

The verdict:
A paranormal, time-travel romance that's entertaining and believable.

At the end of this book I did not have the "WOW"! feeling that I had after reading 'The Wishing Chalice', (Ms. Landry's second book). There were a few loose ends - not the least of which was the issue of Nick (Claire's brother in our time) being left with no clue as to what happened to his sister after her impulsive dash to France, and subsequent disappearance from the face of the Earth (our time) - iron box of possessions notwithstanding. I mean, what are the chances that said box would find its way to Nick in the 21st century???). Then, there is the issue of Claire being barren, which in the Middle Ages is a sure ticket to spinsterhood, or worst, being 'done away with' by a disappointed husband. I felt that Aiden was cheated in this - being that that was the whole reason behind his urgent (and emotionally painful) quest for a wife. I'm still confused about the ghosts angle - why guide Claire all the way back in time to Aiden, and then try and kill her?? Was Claire's childhood ghost Cherise? Or Meridith? The description is that of Cherise (confirmed by Aiden), yet we're told later on that it was in fact Meridith. In the Epilogue, Jasper reappears - no explanation as to where he had hie himself off to, or how he survived after leaving Delacroix castle. So, although I enjoyed it (I thought Aiden made a great hero: brave, kind, patient, sexy, and vulnerable; he'd been through a terrible 10 years of scorn and ridicule by everyone - totally unfounded!). I liked Clair's physical description; being a big girl myself ( five-ten with bones to match!), I've had my fill of the petite child-brides that some female writers of romance (and some other genre) seem to think are so appealing to us readers. All in all a good read - Ms. Landry weaves a good story, and there's enough to snag and keep your interest if you don't look too closely at the details. I'm on the hunt for Ms Landry's first book (2000) ('A Perfect Love').

Perhaps it is not strictly logical to reject a solid marriage proposal in favor of a dream, but Claire Peltier feels strongly that this is what she must do. Haunted by a vision that she follows across the sea, she follows a mystic path into the past where she meets Aiden Delacroix, a widowed nobleman whom she has only met in dreams until now. Claire could be the answer to his prayers. He needs a wife and an heir to secure his estate, and he finds her easy to care for; however, Claire can not have children. Between that and her impossible tale, there are ample reasons for Adien not to love Claire. Love does not always do the sensible thing, however.

**** Once again, Ms. Landry has created a cast replete with vibrant characters. Not only the hero and heroine, but the supporting cast members will intrigue you as well. Some things remain unexplained, but that does not detract from the overall plot. ****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore, Freelance Reviewer.

Claire Peltier keeps having dreams of a man she doesn't know but who elicits emotions in her that make all other relationships she's ever had pale in comparison. As a result, Claire calls off her wedding because she feels it isn't fair to marry one man when her dreams are filled with another. Claire is haunted by these dreams and feels that it is important to solve the mystery of the man who keeps appearing in her dreams. Claire thinks that she may be reincarnated and the mystery man is from her past life. Also, Claire is occasionally visited by a ghost who never speaks a word. One evening, the ghost visits Claire but this time she dares to touch the ghost. The touch elicits a vision of a man kneeling in the center of a circle of inlaid stones on a flagstone floor. He raises his head and Claire sees that he is the man who haunts her dreams. The vision disappears but the ghost is still there. A magazine lifts itself from a rack and the pages are flipped and stop at a page containing a picture of a circle of inlaid stones on a flagstaff floor that looks exactly like the one in her vision. Above the picture is a caption: The Ancient Labyrinth of Chartres Cathedral, France.

The man who haunts her dreams is Aiden Delacroix. Aiden needs a wife so he can have an heir to the Delacroix Castle, but no woman in his time will accommodate his need because they believe the ghost of his former mistress haunts him and brings misfortune to everyone associated with him.

Claire takes a plane to France and visits the Chartres Cathedral with the hope of finding out who the mystery man of her dreams is. When visiting the cathedral, the ghost appears and leads Claire through the labyrinth. When Claire takes the last step into the center of the labyrinth she is unknowingly transported back in time to the year 1202 and finds herself standing in front of her mystery man as he is kneeling in the center of the labyrinth just as she had seen him in her vision. She reaches out to touch him and discovers that he is a real man, not the ethereal form she had always seen in her visions.

Throughout the story, Claire and Aiden try to determine why fate has brought them together from two different times and what is in store for them.

Sandra Landry has weaved a set of charming and exciting details into a suspenseful and mysterious tale that kept me guessing (and entertained) from the beginning of the book and right up to the last page.

Claire is a strong willed and independent young woman who knows what she wants and never settles for less. Aiden is a perfect hero. He is strong, an excellent swordsman, and has to rescue Claire on several occasions as she risks everything to determine the mystery of their fates. Aiden always treats Claire with the utmost of respect and is determined to get Claire to marry him. The sexual tension between the two keeps escalating until they can no longer resist and eventually yield to their desires.

The mechanism that transports Claire into the past is simple and not filled with boring scientific explanations. One of the many entertaining parts in The Last Bride is when Claire is transported to 1202. She isn't aware of her time travel and when she leaves the cathedral she wonders why there are no streetlights, why her hotel is not where it's supposed to be, and why her cell phone won't work. Then Claire finds herself the cause of a sword fight between Aiden and drunks in an inn who had accosted Claire. Later, Claire realizes that Aiden is not the reincarnated man from her past but is the man himself.

Sandra Landry has written a perfectly charming, exciting and believable time travel romance. I enjoyed the read so much that I can't wait for another tale. The Last Bride is a great and entertaining read and I highly recommend it.

Claire Peltier and Aiden Delacroix's story is one for the ages. Ms. Landry has created a brilliant mix of romance, mystery, and intrigue. It kept me turning the pages and wouldn't allow me to put it down. A MUST for any romance reader who loves vivid descriptions, star-crossed heroes and heroines, and a timeless romance.

This was the worst time travel romance that I have ever read. I had to force myself to finish it. Don't waste your money.