Stealing the Bride (Avon Romantic Treasure) [Hardcover]

Elizabeth Boyle (Author)

Book Description

Series: Avon Romantic Treasure | Publication Date: July 2003

When Lord Lamden realises that his precocious daughter Diana has eloped with Viscount Cordell, one of the most disreputable gamblers and rakes in the land, he knows he must stop at nothing to bring her back. So Lamden recruits two of Diana's most loyal suitors and sends them off to Scotland to drag the lady home. Mr Pymm enlists his best man to assist in the rescue. That man is Temple, the Duke of Setchfield's heir, who reluctantly accepts the job. Soon Temple is fighting off a devilish viscount, some nefarious French agents, and his growing love for the feisty young lady.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Lady Diana Fordham spent 10 years waiting for the marquis of Templeton ("Temple") to express an interest in her. Now in an attempt to get him to finally drop the fashionable, foppish charade he has presented to society for years and become the hero she knows he truly is, Diana allows herself to be abducted by the notorious Viscount Cordell. Both personal and professional reasons send Temple in pursuit of Diana, who has also become the target of several penniless noblemen with hopes of catching the spinster heiress themselves. With orders to steal the bride to-be and see that she is wed for her own safety to any suitable man, Temple never expected he would wind up wanting to marry the exasperating yet all too tempting Diana himself! Humor and passion were never more expertly entwined. Boyle cleverly matches up a tart-tongued, brilliantly resourceful heroine with an honorable, sinfully seductive hero, and then deftly sifts a dash of dangerous intrigue, wonderfully unique secondary characters, and a generous measure of wicked wit into this sweetly romantic, deliciously sensual love story. John Charles
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

About the Author

Elizabeth Boyle has always loved romance and now lives it each and every day by writing adventurous and passionate stories that readers from all around the world have described as "page-turners." Since first being published in 1996, she's seen her books become New York Times and USA Today bestsellers and won the RWA RITA^® Award and a Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award. She resides in Seattle with her husband and two sons, or "heroes in training" as she likes to call them.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: San Val (July 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1417710675
• ISBN-13: 978-1417710676
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,053,208 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Elizabeth Boyle's passions include her husband and two sons (or as she calls them, "her heroes in training"). In between the kids's activities, camping and gardening and trying to keep up on her ever-growing knitting pattern collection, she continues to write new and exciting romances.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars But, did you have to make Diana wait soooo long?, August 23, 2004

By 

janlouise (Ruston, LA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stealing the Bride (Avon Romantic Treasure) (Mass Market Paperback)

I enjoyed the story and really liked Diana and Temple, both- but EB was wrong in making the time line soooo long - why not 3 or 5 years instead of 9 to 10?

This was the first EB for me to read and I definitely enjoyed her talent. I am sorry that I didn't know to read One Night of Passion first, though - but didn't find it a stumbling block for me. I was able to follow the story and get into the characters well enough. Lady Diana Fordham lost her heart to Marquis of Templeton (Temple for short) a long time ago. She had hope he would notice but he never seemed to come around. At one time she decided to move on and marry his cousin only to withdraw her agreement for engagment. Her heart wasn't in it. Now ten years later Diana sets up her own elopement with a scandrel of the Ton and everyone is shocked. Her father offers her hand in marriage to the first man that is able to bring her back. Temple has no design to go get her until his secret employer orders him to go get her and see that she is married as soon as possible. He leaves with no plans on being the one that she marries. Boy, is he fooled! Things get to hopping! Temple discovers that the French are after Diana with plans of their own, Diana's fiance is murdered, and Temple is accused of doing it. Oh... the story gets even better. In the middle of all that is going on, Diana forces Temple to admit his love for her. I think my favorite part is when Diana shows up at a Masquarade Ball dressed as a greek goddess only wearing the sheer curtains from Temple's rented room drapped over her naked body and a face mask. Boy, that caused a stir! ha, ha!!! A good read with romance and excitment to keep the story going.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kept me from getting any work done for two days!, November 6, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Stealing the Bride (Avon Romantic Treasure) (Mass Market Paperback)

I just finished Stealing the Bride and loved it!! What a fun book! I absolutely loved Temple and Diana and thought they were the best characters I've read in a long time. The plot line was humorous and kept the reader guessing page after page. This book gave me a really enjoyable few days, when I didn't get any work done, because I wanted to keep reading! :-)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another romantically wonderful romp from Elizabeth Boyle!, August 20, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Stealing the Bride (Avon Romantic Treasure) (Mass Market Paperback)

I adored the charming, scene-stealing Marquis of Templeton (Temple) from Elizabeth Boyle's previous book, ONE NIGHT OF PASSION, and couldn't wait to see who would be the lady to win his heart. Little did I know that lady would be Diana Fordham, a 29-year old hellion who had once been engaged to Temple's cousin, Colin.

In STEALING THE BRIDE, we find out that Temple and Diana are star-crossed lovers who might have had their own happy-ever-after years ago if not for the manipulations of Temple's rigid grandfather. Now Temple is a man with a secret--no mere society fop whose greatest skill is tying an elegant cravat, the outwardly affable Temple is actually a skilled spy for the Crown. When Lady Diana is reported kidnapped and suspected to be on her way to Gretna Green to wed, Temple is assigned to see her brought home . . . and married at once to the first available man he can find. Temple is certain that man will not be him, but Diana has other plans.

A delightful battle of wills and desires ensues, made all the more enjoyable by an ongoing chase by Napoleon's cronies that sends the pair into hiding and on the run across England. A wonderful romance with many surprising twists and turns, STEALING THE BRIDE is a 5-star keeper!