My Scandalous Bride [Mass Market Paperback]

Christina Dodd (Author), Stephanie Laurens (Author), Celeste Bradley (Author), Leslie Lafoy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 4, 2004

Christina Dodd, "The Lady and the Tiger"
Laura Haver will stop at nothing to find out who killed her brother-even if it means posing as the wife of notorious rogue Keefe Leighton, the Earl of Hamilton. But things go too far when Keefe engages Laura in an artful game of seduction-a game that can have only one winner...

Stephanie Laurens, "Melting Ice"
Once, Dyan St. Laurent Dare, Duke of Darke, dreamed of making Lady Fiona his bride. Now they're together again-at a scandalous dinner party where debauchery is the menu's main course. But will wedding bells ring after the guests get their just desserts?

Celeste Bradley, "Wedding Knight"
Alfred Knight will do anything to avoid a scandal-even marry a woman he barely knows. But his bride has a most titillating secret...one she'll share as soon as she conquers her temptation for the man she was never supposed to marry!

Leslie LaFoy, "The Proposition"
Rennick St. James, the Earl of Parnell, has four days to seduce London's most popular widow into becoming his wife-or else she'll marry another man. It won't be easy...but Rennick has been lusting after the beguiling Julia Hamilton far too long to let her go now...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As romance fans would expect from the star-studded lineup in this collection, each Regency-era novella features a high level of sensuality, but the short format of these pieces allows little room for romantic development. In the contributions from Dodd ("The Lady and the Tiger") and LaFoy ("The Proposition"), the heroines fall too quickly into bed with their respective heroes. Although the characters are likable enough, the stories lack the strong emotional core found in the authors' longer works. Still, there's plenty of fun to be had here. In Laurens's "Melting Ice," for example, the heroine finds herself in the awkward position of having unknowingly invited herself to an orgy, and in Bradley's "Wedding Knight," a bride becomes enmeshed in a mistaken-identity fiasco complete with blackmail and throwing knives. While this collection doesn't approach the heights any of these authors have achieved individually, it's consistent in tone and quality. Ardent fans of Dodd and Laurens, however, will be disappointed to note that these two authors' entries have been previously published.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Christina Dodd
"Nobody writes historical romance better." -Kristen Hannah, New York Times bestselling author

"Christina Dodd keeps getting better and better!" -Debbie Macomber, New York Times bestselling author

Stephanie Laurens
"I'll buy anything with her name on it." -Linda Howard, New York Times bestselling author

"Laurens gifts readers with a highly sensual romance and wonderful storytelling. Add a hint of danger and sizzling passion, and readers are in for one wild ride-air conditioning required!" -Romantic Times on All About Passion

Celeste Bradley
"Funny and touching...totally entertaining."
--Julia Quinn, New York Times bestselling author on The Pretender

"A witty and delectable combination of superbly crafted characters and an intrigue-steeped plot in which Bradley beautifully manipulates the sinfully sensual yet delicately romantic relationship between Agatha and Simon into an irresistible and supremely satisfying love story."--Booklist (starred) on The Pretender

Leslie LaFoy
"Leslie LaFoy is intelligent, sexy fun."
--Kasey Michaels, New York Times bestselling author

"Romance, emotion, marvelous characters-no one does it better than Leslie LaFoy!"
--Maggie Osborne, award-winning author of Shotgun Wedding on The Perfect Seduction

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (May 4, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312995229
• ISBN-13: 978-0312995225
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #834,916 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #41 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Romance > Authors, A-Z > ( L ) > Laurens, Stephanie
  • #42 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Romance > Authors, A-Z > ( D ) > Dodd, Christina
  • #82 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Romance > Anthologies

More About the Author

Chat with Christina via Facebook and Twitter, and even better, join her mailing list to have her news delivered right to your inbox! http://christinadodd.com/lists/?p=subscribe

Readers become writers, and Christina Dodd has always been a reader. She reads everything, but because she loves humor, she likes romance best.

A woman wants things like world peace, a clean house, and a deep and meaningful relationship based on mutual understanding and love. A man wants things like a Craftsman router with attachments, undisputed control of the TV remote, and a red Corvette which will miraculously make his bald spot disappear. So when Christina's first daughter was born, she told her husband she was going to quit work and write a book. It was a good time to start a new career, because how much trouble could one little infant be?

Ha! It took ten years, two children and three completed manuscripts before her first novel, CANDLE IN THE WINDOW, was published. In the twenty-two years since, her novels have been translated into 25 languages, won Romance Writers of America's prestigious Golden Heart and RITA Awards and been called the year's best by Library Journal. Christina Dodd herself has been a clue in the Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle (11/18/05, # 13 Down: Romance Novelist named Christina.) Publishers Weekly praises her style that 'showcases Dodd's easy, addictive charm and steamy storytelling.'

Christina's 2011 releases include TAKEN BY THE PRINCE, #9 in the Governess Brides series, and in the tradition of Nora Roberts, a new romantic suspense series starting with SECRETS OF BELLA TERRA and REVENGE AT BELLA TERRA.

Christina Dodd is married to a man with all his hair and no Corvette, but many Craftsman tools.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Do You Take This Woman?, September 17, 2004

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Scandalous Bride (Mass Market Paperback)

The heroine, Laura Haver, in Christina Dodd's The Lady and the Tiger is out to avenge the death of her brother. She sets out on her own investigative mission and enters into a fabricated marriage to get to her target. What she does not anticipate is the unbridled passion that develops between them.

In Melting Ice by Stephanie Laurens, childhood sweethearts Dyan St. Laurent and Lady Fiona have found each other and the love they lost in a most uncommon place, an orgy! Despite their odd meeting they clear up all misconceptions that have kept them separated for years and rekindle the fire between them.

Alfred Knight, in Celeste Bradley's Wedding Knight, has lived his entire life trying to avoid scandal. Little does he know he will marry directly into it when he chooses his bride to be. She is nothing she appears to be, but everything he needs.

Julia Hamilton, a recent widow, is now engaged to be married in three days, but a secret love has returned and intends to seduce her and make her his wife. Leslie LaFoy's The Proposition keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering who will Julia choose.

Not one for romance, I found myself enjoying the four tales of love, lust and deceit. These ladies know their craft and have converted me into a fan of romantic fiction.

Reviewed by Aiesha Flowers
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars four fun nineteenth century historical romances, May 8, 2004

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Scandalous Bride (Mass Market Paperback)

"The Lady and the Tiger' by Christina Dodd. In 1813, Laura Haver obsesses over who killed her brother, first secretary to Lord Keith Leighton. Clues take her to a smuggler's cove where she poses as Keith's wife not knowing that her "husband" is there seeking the identity of who murdered his employee.

"Melting Ice" by Stephanie Laurens. After a decade in India, Dyan St. Laurent Dare comes home when his brother died making him a duke and quickly wants Lady Fiona Winston-Ryder as his wife because he loves her. A debauched gala gives him the opportunity to serve as her gallant rescuer and hopefully forever lover.

"Wedding Knight" by Celeste Bradley. In 1813 Alfred Knight avoids scandal so no one can point the finger that he is just like his mother, which leads to his agreeing to wed Betina Trapp who wants nothing to do with him. Betina persuades her twin Kitty to take her place temporarily as Alfred's fiancée. Kitty falls in love but she fears he will drop her once the subsequent scandal erupts that the switch will cause.

"Proposition" by Leslie LaFoy. In 1877 Lord Rennick St. James knows that the clock is ticking against him as the woman he always loved Julia Hamilton is engaged to someone else. Just back in England, he has four days to seduce the widow into marrying him or face cold self imposed exile again.

These four nineteenth century historical romances are fine novellas that fans will appreciate because the lead couple in each case seems genuine as they star in a scandalous fun frolic.

Harriet Klausner

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Five stars for the last two stories, July 29, 2005

By 

a-wish-upon-a-star (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Scandalous Bride (Mass Market Paperback)

As the editorial states, this is a star studded line-up. I rated this book five stars, but that's because I only read the last two stories, and they were both worth five stars. I don't normally read either Christina Dodd or Stephanie Laurens, and I didn't read those stories here, so I can't comment on them.

Celeste Bradley is one of my favorite authors, (she's why I actually picked up this book, truthfully), and true to form, this story was excellent - and exactly what you would come to expect from Celeste Bradley - a *really* strong and unusual heroine, lots of twists and turns to the storyline, and most of all, lots of fun. I absolutely *adore* strong heroines, so this story had my votes from the start. It does suffer a little bit because of the length, this IS a short story, so it resolves quite quickly, but all in all, good enough for five stars.

This was about two twin sisters, Kitty and Bitty, Bitty is getting married, and Kitty is left out of the fun. Until... Bitty gets cold feet at the last moment, and Kitty decides to try to save the day by pretending that she is Bitty... just for a *very* short time. Truthfully, this plot has been done before, but this one was just done *so very well*, Kitty and Bitty are both truly hilarious (each in their own way). If I had a complaint to make I would perhaps say that Kitty is a bit *too* strong in a heroine - but that's not possible (a heroine can't be too strong) so I won't say it. When I mean a strong heroine, I mean it, I don't mean strong-until-the-man-comes-in-to-save-the-day. Like I said before, this story suffers from the length, I would have liked to see more of a reconciliation at the end.

This was the first I've read of Leslie Lafoy, and I have to admit that I was quite impressed. The writing was excellent, really, really unusually good, and there was a good storyline, plus character development, there as well. This one also suffered because of the length - the dilemma the heroine finds herself is a hard one, and was resolved much too easily. But even so, this was still a five star read. I will definitely be searching out more books by this author!

I do enjoy these short story anthologies, because as a general rule I like short stories better than long ones (due to my time crunch - I hate waiting a few days to find out the ending of a story) and as a bonus, you get to find some excellent new authors. And although some anthologies, are, to be blunt, somewhat stupid, this one was, IMO, definitely worth reading.