Customer Reviews

The Night Before the Wedding

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A centuries old Scottish curse decrees that the maiden of the Farlan clan who bears a dagger-shaped birthmark must marry the chief of the MacBraedon clan by her eighteenth birthday...or she will succumb to madness. Famine and hardship will then be visited upon the clans until the curse is satisfied. Catherine (Farlan) Depford bears such a birthmark. Her Scottish mother ignored the curse and married a wealthy English merchant - Catherine's father - and thereafter she went mad and eventually leapt to her death when Catherine was a small child. Catherine has never been to Scotland and knows almost nothing about the curse. But since turning eighteen a week ago, she hears Scottish voices, dreams of being in Scotland, and has erotic dreams about a virile Scotsman whom she has never met. Catherine fears she is going mad like her mother. She wants to hurry and marry the kindly lord who is pursuing her, so that she will be cared for in her decline. She attends a party where she hopes to see him, but instead encounters Gabriel MacBraedon, a Scottish earl and chief of the MacBraedon clan. Astonishingly, he is the man from her dreams. He tells her - in no uncertain terms - that he has come for her, and that she will become his wife. But Catherine is not so sure...

I liked this author's previous book, "Two Weeks with a Stranger," and was fully expecting to enjoy this one - it got off to a great start and the couple seemed to have genuine sparks between them. But the sparks petered out, the story slowed in the middle (too many tangents that went nowhere), and the heroine proved rather thickheaded. She stubbornly ignored or had no normal curiosity about some very obvious things pointing her towards Gabriel, such as the voices in her head that stopped whenever he was near and her dreams of him before they even met. And Catherine's attempt to trick the kind-hearted lord into marrying her before her madness took hold was extremely heartless. There were several things that detracted from the romance. There was an old flame of Gabriel's who was still living at his castle and still loved him...and for whom Gabriel still had feelings. Talk about awkward! Also Catherine, a virgin, allowed Gabriel sexual intimacies and then seemed indifferent to marrying him. This just did not ring true for me. Ms. Mullins is a good writer with a comfortable style...I simply had a lot of problems with the story.

I have read most of Debra Mullins books. Both characters, in this book, did not have much spark throughout the entire story. The story revolved around an ancient curse that was boring and made both characters act juvenile and childish.
The highland chief Gabriel's character was viewed, by me, as being dumb and unrealistic. The heiress Catherine's character was not much better.
The book missed its mark with me because not much romance was involved and all these two did was argue the entire book. Both characters did nothing interesting with each other or for each other.

Catherine Depford is a wealthy heiress looking to marry but disturbed by some strange events. She's started hearing voices and dreaming of a Scottish man - all rather alarming when her mother went mad and eventually jumped to her death. When Catherine actually meets the man who has been in her dreams she discovers that he is courting her because she is apparently the key to mitigating a curse on his lands - where the highland chief must marry a woman from a specific family who bears a particular mark on her body. Catherine is identified as the 'Bride' of Gabriel MacBraedon's generation, only she's not instantly willing to leave England and travel to Scotland.

Gabriel has to try to persuade Catherine that the curse is real whilst Catherine's father tries to arrange a marriage for her. As signs of Catherine's possible madness stack up, events get more serious. When Catherine finds herself in Scotland with MacBraedon she realises that she might not be his choice, if it weren't for the curse, and has to decide whether she can give herself to a marriage without love to save people she barely knows.

This book was rather a disappointment. The overall plot was pretty thin with very little happening right up until the last 20-odd pages where events moved thick and fast. Neither Catherine nor Gabriel were well drawn characters with the overwhelming impression Catherine left being that of petulance and selfishness. Gabriel was a cipher of a Scottish warlord and the other characters were equally typical for this sort of book. I didn't find the scenes between Catherine and Gabriel romantic and some of the plot devices, such as her father's behaviour, seemed both unlikely and then magically convenient. This was a fairly mediocre book without anything special to recommend it, the plot device of the curse being one I have come across many times before.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2008

Catherine Depford is a wealthy heiress and could have her pick of most eligible titled bachelors but she was confused and afraid that the madness which took her mother's life would descend on her. Catherine's fears are real as she has been having dreams of a Scottish warrior claiming her body - igniting her with passion, and voices constantly reverberating in her head chanting curses over and over when she least expects it. Expecting to follow in her mother's footsteps she must find a kind and caring man should the worst happen.

Highland chief Gabriel MacBraedon has come to London, to claim his bride. Not the woman he loved, but the bride who will satisfy an ancient curse that has dragged his clan into poverty and despair. An honorable man, he will do his duty to save his clan but in finding Catherine, Gabriel never expected to find the woman he would be able to love and cherish.

*** I've always been pleased with this author whose talent for writing sensual romantic adventures has always drawn me like a magnet when I see her books on the shelf. In THE NIGHT BEFORE THE WEDDING, Mullins sets an unusual stage with a bit of a fantastical plot. All of it surrounds an ancient curse that will either return harmony and bounty to the MacBraedon and Farlan clans, or plunge them deeper in despair - all of it hinging on whether one woman, Catherine Depford, will wed the chief of the MacBraedon clan.

Mullins ties together a neat scenario with the telling of Catherine's mother Mad Glynis, who rejected the former MacBraedon chief and ran away with an Englishman, only to go completely insane some years later taking her own life. Catherine's father never told her the story of her Scottish background and only watched for signs of madness in his daughter, hoping that he could find (buy) her a kind husband before she went mad, a man who would care for her after he was gone.

As part of Catherine's symptoms Mullins came up with a very unusual and entertaining element where Catherine began speaking in fluid Gaelic, a language she'd never heard before! This was turned into a humorous event when the only one who understood her was her maid Peg, who was basically planted in the household to both help Catherine accept her fate and aid Gabriel in winning her over.

This was a sweet and rather simple romance with only a few minor barriers towards the two leads achieving happiness. Unfortunately, while Gabriel came across as extremely kind, honorable, handsome as the devil and a perfect mate for Catherine - I didn't `feel' the love. There was plenty of lust and physical attraction, but that spark of love that sets apart a good love story from a great one was not an emotion I felt strongly. Sorry to say, this was not one of Ms. Mullins best efforts.

Marilyn Rondeau, for www.ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

I bought this book along with another (Julianne MacLean's "In My Wildest Fantasies") and couldn't decide which to read first, so I had a friend look at the amazon.com descriptions of each one and tell me which he thought sounded most interesting and he picked this one...that was about 10:00 and I didn't put the book down til I finished it at 4 am! Debra Mullins is very hit-or-miss for me; I loved "Three Nights..." and "Two Weeks With a Stranger" but couldn't get into "Just One Touch" to save my life.
Though it took me some time to really get accustomed to the odd storyline (a centuries old curse dictating that the two characters, Catherine and Gabriel, must marry or she will go mad and his clan and it's lands will suffer desolation and poverty), I enjoyed the book quite a bit-though I might say that I liked the men from Gabriel's clan almost more than I did him-I would LOVE to read Brodie and Maire's story, and would also love to see a continuation about his younger brother, etc.
Two things bothered me, though-the first is Catherine's unwillingness to accept the idea of the curse and marry Gabriel to save his clan. Unbelievable though a curse would be to accept, she is almost beaten over the head with evidence that it exists and still denies it. She admits to herself that she could just marry Gabriel anyways, that she may as well, even if there is no curse...but then still, when asked point-blank when the wedding day is, acts as if she still isn't sure and is leaning against doing so. And then after all her protestations, she gives in almost immediately, seemingly just because she feels as though she has betrayed the hospitality and good will of the clan.
The second thing that really bothered me was the ending. Catherine's father has been against her marrying "that Scot" for the WHOLE book-even rejected him at gunpoint when he asked for Catherine's hand. It was therefore understandable for him to try to kidnap her after finding that she had already married Gabriel. But he gave up SO easily when chased after, rather in an abrupt "I've seen the light" manner. And the conflict with Jean-though I didn't want it to be drawn out or anything, it frustrated me that after as much rancor as Jean had against Catherine, she gave in so easily. Basically, the end of the book seemed like what happens a lot, I think-the author spent a lot of time developing the story line and building things up and then they get to the end and either run out of time or run out of energy, because it just seems rushed. We have the climax where the curse is broken and then it feels as though the author is racing to finish the book, and we lose out on a sense of closure.
All in all, a good read, but I dunno that I'll put it on my "keeper" shelf.

This started out fantastically. Maybe goofy to some, but I enjoyed the concept of a "curse" bringing 2 people together who don't want to be together, but are still wildly attracted... somewhere in the middle it just crashed, and I was very disappointed. I still am, in fact. The characters changed, and our heroine became an idiot. Certainly not the worst book I've read, or even a waste of time, it just wasn't as good as it could have been. You'll probably like it if the concept sounds good to you, but I'm sorry to say you may not LOVE it by the last pages.

This book is about two clans, the Farlan's and the MacBradon's who most follow certain rules of marriage in order to appease a curse that was put on their families generations ago. Catherine, of the Farlan clan must marry Gabriel, of the MacGregor clan in order for their to be prosperity. A woman of the Farlan clan that has a tattooed dagger on her body from birth must marry the MacBraden Highland Chief. Catherine's mother was supposed to and instead ran away with an Englishman. By not following her destiny, she left her clan in destitute and starvation. She went mad which was part of the curse if she didn't do what was expected. It became a lose/lose situation for both sides.

Catherine is as selfish as her mother. It takes her until the end of the book before she realizes she is selfish and finally decides to marry Gabriel. Gabriel, on the other hand, puts the needs of his clan above his own happiness and wants to bring prosperity back to the land. What really is annoying about the heroine is she is given every sign she must follow in her dreams and the voices in her head telling her what to do and yet she denies them.

I don't want to give away what ends the curse, other then to say the best part of the book is the very end. This is not a book with ample love scenes . Most of it is in dreams until the end of the book.

The title "The Night Before the Wedding" is a bit misleading, but I still enjoyed Debra Mullins latest historical about sacrifice, a brawny Highland chief, and the spoiled English bride he must marry to save his clan. There's a curse involved too, which just makes it jucier.

Catherine is many things: the daughter of a wealthy businessman, an heiress, beautiful, spoiled, oh...and she's pretty sure she's going mad! Her mother committed suicide at a fairly young age after going mad and Catherine has begun hearing voices since her eighteenth birthday. So now she and her father are working at finding her a husband with two special traits: he must be titled(for her father), and he must be someone who would care for her even if she does go mad (for Catherine). It's just too bad that none of the men she's considering are the one she keeps dreaming about.

Gabriel MacBraedon, Earl of Arneth, Highland Laird, has tried everything he can think of to break the curse...without success. The only option left is for him to find the latest Farlan daughter, the one who bears the mark, and marry her. Never mind that he already gave his heart to another, never mind that she's a spoiled brat who thinks mostly of herself, and never mind that she still makes his loins burn...he has no choice left unless he's willing to see his people starve.

Gabriel was a wonderful Highland hero; strong leader, sexy lover, kind to animals and women, yadda, yadda, yadda. Catherine, on the other hand, was a spoiled, selfish, teenage-acting, 18-year-old who I never particularly warmed to throughout the story. She did eventually learn to think of others, but it took drastic examples of want and privation...what a witch! The attraction between these two, though, was as hot as any Debra Mullins writes; and that's very good indeed.

I never really figured out exactly which era the story was set in, although if I had to guess it would be late regency, early Victorian. None of that really affected the story, but Catherine's insistence in disbelieving a curse would have been much more plausible the later the era...know what I mean?

In any event, the title "The Night Before The Wedding" must refer to the fact that Catherine had already picked out someone to marry...even though there was no actual engagement. Or maybe it referred to the events that occurred prior to the planned wedding of Gabriel and Catherine...I'm not sure. It was still a book I didn't find hard to finish and as I normally like Debra Mullins writing, I'll just note this one as 'not her best work, but still readable'. Works for me!

To make a successful romance novel, the most important thing that it needs is the love between the couple.

When I first read the summary, I was pretty excited to read the book. Turned out that the excitement faded as I continued reading. Sure, it had the good show of possessiveness from Gabriel and a good storyline of plots, but one thing that was missing was how the hero and heroine fell in love with each other. The author spent too much time emphasizing Gabriel wanting to marry another woman. It made the romance between Catherine and Gabriel non existent, except for some pretty words that fake the romance... oh yes, the lust for each other because of the curse and not because they really love each other. For a romance to succeed, the author has to show her readers the intense emotions felt and the couple falling in love. IT was too rushed at the end. It seemed like I was cheated out of a really good love story. I continued reading hoping to not be disappointed. I was disappointed. I might be unfair in this, but I really DISLIKED Gabriel's "feelings" toward Jean instead of Catherine's. It seemed more like Gabriel and Jean throughout rather than Gabriel's love for Catherine...

Catherine Depford, when she turned eighteen, began having
dreams of a handsome young man in Scotland. Catherine
was hearing chanting voices from an old woman, and
Catherine feared she was going mad just like her mother.
When she was six, Catherine's mother told Catherine to mine
her eighteenth birthday, when the curse of the Falans will fall
upon you. Then, she turned and leaped from the window onto
the cobblestone street below. Catherine's mother, a Farlan
was to married Highland Clan Chief Gabriel MacBradeons but
instead ran off and married an Englishman.
The Farlans and the MacBraedons were cursed. Their crops
withered and their cows gave no milk. Their lambs were born
with two heads and did not live a week.

Gabriel MacBraedon, Highland Clan Chief, went to London to
bring Catherine back to Scotland, so they could get married and
rid themselves of the curse. Catherine's mother broke the vow
and married an Englishman. The price shall be a daughter
born of Farlan blood to wed their MacBraedon Chief.

Catherine attends a Ball and across the room she sees this
handsome man that she's been dreaming about. She thinks
she is going mad like her mother. Catherine decided to go
into the Garden to get away and to be alone. Gabriel follows
her into the Garden. She sees him and says
"You cannot be real" Oh yes, I am real. I am in London looking
for a bride. I am Lord Armeth. Catherine didn't know anything
about the curse nor has she been to Scotland to visit her
mother's family.

Garriel MacBraedon, Highlander Chief Clan, Lord Arneth decided
the only way to win Catherine was by English rules. There were
steps to be followed in wooing this bride. He asked, Mr. Depford
for Catherine's hand, to be his bride and return with him to
Scotland. Mr. Depford told Gabriel to get out and that he was
not taking his daughter. The next evening, Gabriel went to
fetch Catherine and wrapped her in a blanket which he put
on his horse and rode like the wind back to the Highlands.
There were some twists and turns in the last several chapters
when Catherine was kidnapped by her knight in shining armor!
I wasn't certain in which direction the author was going
with the plot.

The Night Before The Wedding its very different from Debra
Mullins' usual anecdote. This book was about historical and
Paranormal. I thought that the two interwoven very well, and
the paranormal wasn't pushed to where it would become
unbelievable. I really liked the characters, Catherine and
Gabriel as they were a Perfect match. I didn't like Jean and
how she treated Catherine when she went to Scotland.
She had her own agenda. Jean in the end came through.

I highly recommend!