Customer Reviews

My Favorite Bride

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

My Favorite Bride is Christina Dodd's latest book in her Governess Bride series. Like In My Wildest Dreams, My Favorite Bride has a theme that the reader has seen before. But, instead of Sabrina, we see the Sound of Music.

Samantha Prendregast was a pick pocket before she was rescued by Lady Adorna Bucknell, and recruited to be a governess. She is sent to the wilds of Cumbaria, in Northern England where she goes to work for Colonel William Gregory, a widower with six girls. The Colonel lost his wife when she was killed by thieves in Kashmir, and since that time, William has been trying to bring down Russian spies, whom he holds responsible for his wife's death.

Samantha comes in and interrupts his neat and orderly life. She brings happiness and laughter back to his house, and helps his children to be happy also. She really does wonders for the family, and she is really a great character. She has a lot of backbone for a female, especially an ex pick pocket. She is not afraid to stand up for what she believes is right, which was why she got dismissed from so many other previous posts.

Of course William can't resist Samantha's feisty ways, but he tries very hard. He even brings in his wife's best friend Lady Teresa Marchant whom he hopes to make his new wife. Conflicts abound in this story, but nonetheless it is very engaging. Samantha is a wonderful character. I really enjoyed reading about her antics and the way her and the Colonel fell in love. There is even a charming side romance between Lady Marchant and William's best friend Duncan which adds to the story.

If anything, the Russian spy plot took away from the story. I looked on it as more of an annoyance. I was much more interested in the romance between Samantha and William, and reading about how William changed from a dispassionate parent, to a man who was much more comfortable in the role of father. This is a great story. I would definitely recommend it to any romance fan. Don't let the Sound of Music like theme throw you off either. I was not very tempted when I heard how it was comparable to that classic story, thinking this book would turn out like In My Wildest Dreams, which wasn't very good in my opinion. But, in fact My Favorite Bride is a wonderful story that will have one wanting to march off to the wilds of England to find their own true love.

Miss Samantha Prendregast is a former pickpocket, rehabilitated by Adorna (from previous Governess books), and currently a competent governess herself. Unfortunately, Samantha is blessed with a kind heart that can't bear injustice, and when she manages to get herself in trouble in London, Adorna sends Samantha to the wilds of the Lake District to be a governess to Colonel William Gregory's six daughters. Sure she's going to be eaten by bears and wolves, she quickly finds out the kids are a lot more trouble than any wildlife, and their father is a handsome despot. Soon she's got the kids eating out of her hand, but William isn't so easy to manage. He demands disciple and respect. Instead, he gets an intelligent young woman with a witty tongue who is far too attractive. With spies on the loose and a gorgeous woman in his house, William quickly finds catching the spies are the easy part -- more important, he must earn Samantha's love.

Dodd wraps up the connected spy stories from IN MY WILDEST DREAMS and LOST IN YOUR ARMS in this funny, satisfying addition to the Governess Brides series.

I hadn't considered the similarities to The Sound of Music until I read them here, but they are there. Still, William is much more interesting, heroic, and sexy than that movie's leading male.

William does go overboard on the rules, integrity bit. He's rather dour at first and there are times that he's totally obnoxious. Samantha does forgive him too easily for his horrid treatment of her. Sh'es very energetic and fun-loving, which appeals to both him & his kids. Lady Marchant is interesting as is Duncan. In fact, they sometimes steal the scene. Nevertheless, Samantha is a feisty gal, and her sparring with William is often quite comical.

The spy subplot is very long & involved and detracts from the romance. The worst thing is why on earth did it take nearly 4 years since the last book for the spies to be routed!!!!! Ridiculous! Beyond that, the traitors became stupid (no hints of such different inner characters in previous books) and, once it's done, the reader is thrilled to be finished with it. "It's about time!"

Ms. Dodd makes many mistakes here as well, often forgetting her plotting or the details of her settings. For example, early in the book, there is an appearing/disappearing rug in the girls' room. This sort of thing occurs often enough to distract and annoy the reader.

3 stars for Samantha's excellent characteriation & her interactions with the children & William; and William's not all bad either.

The hero, Colonel Gregory, must have been a terrible commander, because he had absolutely no control over his emotions, made snap decisions based on no evidence, had no insight into anyone else's feelings and had a terrible sense of timing. Several of the major love scenes had more than a hint of inappropriate force that I felt bordered on repugnant. The heroine, Samantha, was kind of typical - you know, one kiss and she's in love...(yawn). Dodd's work is usually not so shallow, hopefully her next won't disappoint.

In this latest addition to the Governess Bride series, Ms. Dodd has given us one of her most spunkiest heroines, Samantha Pendregast - former pickpocket - now governess extraordinaire. Unfortunately, she is a fabulous governess with no really good recommendations because of her penchant for outspokeness that has her championing the unfortunate! But she is great with children!

Having been released from her last position without a reference Lady Adorna has sent her out of London into the country to care for the six orphan daughters of Colonel William Gregory. (Yes, this does smack a little of the plot from Sound of Music but it does stand on its own - contrary to what other reviews have said)

Colonel William Gregory was a widowed military man who was quite proper and cold and had no idea how to distinguish bringing up children from disciplining recruits. Enter Samantha! In her own way, she stands up to the Colonel and teaches him how to deal with his children! He is so honest and moral that she knows that if he ever found out about her previous life he would toss her out like old newspaper!

In order to fight the attraction he feels for her he invites the Lady he deems would make a proper wife and mother to his children to hostess a party for him. Unfortunately, the Lady in no way cools his building ardor for Samantha.

The witty dialog is a pure delight and the passionate sexual encounters are HOT! The addion of the precocious daughters turn this into a very delightful read. I loved every minute of it even if I did see Sound of Music - it was different enough to be truly enjoyable!

I've read one or two of Christina Dodd's novels in the past, and though they were never among my favorites, I have to say that this was the first that I found to be truly disapointing. The start of the story seemed promising. Yes, there were some rather distracting parallels to The Sound of Music, but not so much that it couldn't be considered a valid book in it's own right. It's real weaknesses lie elsewhere, though it's likely that not all readers will be bothered by them.

Be cautious about reading this if really vivid characterization and original dialogue are important to you, or if you expect secondary plots to be strong and fully developed. There was an interesting bit of plot that centered around political intrigue between Russia and England, but what could have been developed into a truly interesting plot line was used almost entirely as a stage for the romance. In fact, it's final resolution is left entirely to secondary characters, while the hero and heroine of the story focus purely on their rather tiresome personal drama.

Be especially wary if you find it distastful for characters to treat each other badly and then offer total forgiveness in a kind of romantic haze. This is one of those books. I find that sort of solution to a couple's problems to be cheap and unsatisfying, and that is all that is offered here.

The children and the protagonist's relationship with them was charmingly depicted, but the prejudices of their father were the opposite. I have read and liked characters with similar flaws before, but the author provides the readers with no payoff for all the time spent listening to him stewing in his own bitterness, and generally being judgmental and manupulative. It would have been possible to follow through and show real character development there, but it wasn't done.

The ending was particularly dissatisfying, with an attempt at almost cloying sweetness that just fell flat. This is not a terrible book. There are enjoyable interactions between the characters, and what starts out as a perfectly pleasant romance, though it's not particularly fresh or original in it's presentation. The first 300 pages are pretty standard romantic fare, but the story loses it's battle with gravity and slides rapidly downhill at the end.

Ms. Dodd is one of my favorite writers, but I didn't enjoy this book at all. Although well written in her usual style, I found the obvious "borrowing" from the Von Trapp family in rather poor taste. These were *real* people. This wasn't a fairytale. I recently read "Lair of the Lion" from Christina Feehan and I wasn't at all bothered by her "Beauty and the Beast" story because it not the same thing.

If Ms. Dodd wanted to use this story she darn well should have acknowledged it in the credits. I was absolutely *floored* to read her "Any resemblance to actual events is purely coincidental." How on earth do you put that on a book that is obviously is anything but?

Unless you like *real people* fanfiction, or haven't had the pleasure of seeing "The Sound of Music," I don't suggest you waste your money on this.

Samantha Prendregast could tolerate many things, but injustice wasn't one of them. Unfortunately, trying to right an injustice just lost her another governess position, and much needed references. So the proprietor of the Distinguished Academy of Governesses has exiled her to the wild Lake District of England, to care for six young girls at the Devil's Fell estate. Being a London girl, living in the country is a little frightening, what with wild animals and such.

The most frightening part of her position comes in the form of her disturbingly handsome employer, and the unmistakable attraction that quickly develops. Colonel William Gregory, military officer and widower, always does the correct thing to keep his life in perfect order, and it isn't logical to give in to desire to bed your children's governess. Or is it? To fight his attraction, William invites Lady Marchant, pretty, rich, and with noble roots, to act as hostess of his house party. She, after all, would be his logical mate. Samantha stands up to him, contradicts him, pushes him to the edge, and he can't stop thinking about her. So much so, it's interfering with his work on uncovering the ring of spies that have been wreaking havoc. And Samantha has problems of her own, her six charges have gone through eleven governesses, and she's to be next. The children she can handle with a little cunning and guile, but their infuriating father is another story. He's becoming harder to resist, and what will he do if he ever discovers the secret of her past?

First of all, I'm presently a huge fan of Ms. Dodd's work. However, this was my very first read by her, and knowing nothing of the author, I read it simply because the premise sounded interesting. It surpassed my expectations, and I went in search of the rest of the series. Now Ms. Dodd is an auto-read for me. Obviously, I didn't read the Governess Bride series in order, since this is the last installment. This book is not only one of my series favorites, but one of my favorite romances period. The number of reviewers who don't like this story because of its familiarity surprises me. Yes, I quickly recognized the Sound of Music inspiration in the story. Believe me, I've seen that movie more times than I can count. This book is still wonderful, and the story is strong enough to stand on its own merit. It's sexy, funny, clever, and fast-paced with interesting, well-developed characters. Samantha was the typical Ms. Dodd heroine I love - strong, outspoken, intelligent and independent. William was also strong, handsome and principled. And yes, his principles also made him rather inflexible, and he accused Samantha undeservingly toward the end of the book. Since he saw things in black and white, I felt what he did was in line with his character. But the secondary character that almost stole the show for me was Lady Marchant. She was delightful, and when she finally cut loose and we saw the real Lady, that was a treat not to be missed! This book remains on my keeper shelf, a place it deserves to be.

The Governess series stories are all readable, so is this one. Yes, you can see the plot coming a mile away and yes the heroine is good with kids, but I like this book. Characters you like, a female with spirit and a hero who learns what is important. The story doesn't bog down, it keeps moving at a good pace, and there are some laughs. Hope she writes another one soon.

Well, I almost don't know where to begin. Many reviewers have complained about the formulaic love story, which I find hilarious, because as someone who has read MANY romance novels in my life, it must be said that they aren't known for their original plotlines. The reader knows exactly what she is getting when she picks one up, and therein lies their allure. That is not my complaint of the book.

I also recognized "The Sound of Music" from the moment of reading the book jacket, and even though the story was a blatant rip-off of that fine film, there were enough differences in the details that I could get past that. In fact, like many readers, I really enjoyed the character of Samantha Prendregast (note spelling other reveiwers!) and her relationship with her 6 charges. I felt it was unique to make all of the children girls, as well as so close in age. Many writers would find it a challenge to give each of the children a unique personality under those circumstances, but I thought Ms. Dodd did an admirable job.

The spy subplot was weak, although I suppose it was a necessary diversion for the Colonel. It (theoretically) explained why he was so distant and out of touch with the needs of his children. However, I would say that a wealthy, landowning military man living in 1840's Britain would not be expected to bother himself with the day-to-day necessities of 6 little girls. He did hire each one of them her own nursemaid besides a governess to see to their education. His disinterest would be fairly historically accurate, if not romantically desirable. My point is that the spy business really only served to be the cause for the Colonel's house party, which would prove to be the catalyst for all of the relationship plot developments, including the ones between Lady Marchant and Duncun. They were an enjoyable couple, and I almost wish they had their own book! That relationship definitely could have been developed more, if there had been time in the novel.

Now we get to my major issue with the book. I was pretty accepting of William until the end. To all of you readers who thought the love scenes were "hot," I've got news for you. What he did to Sam the second time was tantamount to rape. *spoiler alert* Think about it -- he was furious with her, stormed her cottage, kicked in her LOCKED bedroom door, pinned her to the bed and ripped her nightgown with a KNIFE and then threatened her if she tried to get up. Just because he didn't beat her, doesn't mean he didn't force her. Also, just because she enjoyed it in the end, does not make it right. Many a man has used manipulation to demand sex from an unwilling woman, and most experts would still classify that as force.

I must also comment on what brought on William's fury in the first place. I know he supposedly saw everything in "black and white," but his anger was SO out of proportion with Sam's confession of being a former pickpocket. You'd think she had admitted to being a spy by his reaction. By this point in the novel, he had already accepted so much of her with almost no complaint, and he had just hours before heard the story of her wretched childhood. Was he really so surprised that she had to steal in order to survive? It's not as if she was selling her body to strange men, or as previously suggested, a traitor to her country. I am not suggesting that he should not have been upset, but he treated her inhumanely from that point on. And as someone else said, his apology was too little too late, and Samantha forgave him WAY too easily.

The first two-thirds of this book were actually pretty enjoyable, but the end just ruined it all, which is why I cannot recommend "My Favorite Bride."