Tempting the Bride [Mass Market Paperback]

Sherry Thomas (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 2, 2012

ONE OF LIBRARY JOURNAL'S BEST ROMANCES OF THE YEAR

In this new masterpiece of historical romance from the acclaimed Sherry Thomas, 
a headstrong beauty is rescued by the notorious rake she has always despised...
      Helena Fitzhugh understands perfectly well that she would be ruined should her secret love affair be discovered. So when a rendezvous goes wrong and she is about to be caught in the act, it is with the greatest reluctance that she accepts help from David Hillsborough, Viscount Hastings, and elopes with him to save her reputation.

       Helena has despised David since they were children—the notorious rake has tormented her all her life. David, on the other hand, has always loved Helena, but his pride will never let him admit the secrets of his heart.

       A carriage accident the day after their elopement, however, robs Helena of her memory—the slate is wiped clean. At last David dares to reveal his love, and she finds him both fascinating and desirable. But what will happen when her memory returns and she realizes she has fallen for a man she has sworn never to trust?

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Andrew Martin may be married, but Helena Fitzhugh is convinced he truly loves her. Unfortunately, David Hillsborough—Helena’s brother’s best friend and an annoying thorn in her side for years—has stumbled across their secret trysts and put a stop to them. Six months later, when the opportunity to “meet” with Andrew presents itself, Helena rushes off to the Savoy only to find it is a trap set by Andrew’s busybody sister-in-law. Fortunately, David also catches wind of the meeting, and he manages to create the illusion that the romantic rendezvous at the hotel is between himself and Helena as a postscript to their recent elopement. Before Helena can put an end to their fictitious marriage, she is involved in a carriage accident that leaves her with amnesia and gives David the perfect opportunity to finally woo and win the woman he has always loved. Thomas’ splendidly nuanced characters and emotionally compelling plot give the third book in her latest lushly sensual, exquisitely written historical trilogy (Ravishing the Heiress, 2012) a rare richness and depth readers will treasure. --John Charles

Review

"With lush sensuality, intense emotion, lyrical writing, and exquisitely realized characters, Thomas has delivered another unforgettable winner." (Starred Review) --Library Journal

Praise for Tempting the Bride:
~Chosen by Library Journal as one of the Best Books of 2012~
"Sizzling....Helena's self-possessed intelligence makes her a standout heroine, and Thomas has an exquisite ability to transport the reader into the outstanding story."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Thomas’ splendidly nuanced characters and emotionally compelling plot give the third book in her latest lushly sensual, exquisitely written historical trilogy... a rare richness and depth readers will treasure." --Booklist
"Exquisitely beautiful prose...heartwrenching emotion....A profoundly beautiful romance that I absolutely adored." --All About Romance [Desert Isle Keeper]
Praise for Sherry Thomas:
“Thomas’s lyrical writing is really the star of the show.  There are writers who can tell a great story, and writers who can tell a great story with beauty and artistry. Thomas is in the latter category, and her writing is, quite simply, a cut above.” —All About Romance
"Searing, tender, and filled with passion, her writing is nothing short of a revelation."—Lisa Kleypas, New York Times bestselling author“Thomas…has made a name for herself with her exquisite use of language.”—Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Berkley; Original edition (October 2, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425251020
• ISBN-13: 978-0425251027
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.9 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #218,711 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sherry Thomas is one of the most acclaimed romance authors working today. Her books regularly receive starred reviews from trade publications and are frequently found on best-of-the-year lists. She is also a two-time winner of Romance Writers of America's prestigious RITA® Award.

English is Sherry's second language--she has come a long way from the days when she made her laborious way through Rosemary Roger's SWEET SAVAGE LOVE with an English-Chinese dictionary. She enjoys digging down to the emotional core of stories. And when she is not writing, she thinks about the zen and zaniness of her profession, plays computer games with her sons, and reads as many fabulous books as she can find.

Sherry's next book, THE BURNING SKY, volume one of her young adult fantasy trilogy, will be available September 2013.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Rebooting a relationship. October 4, 2012

By Old Latin teacher TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

It's not a spoiler to say that amnesia plays a big part in this story. I'm not a big fan of the amnesia trope (OK, I hate it) but it works in this case because the relationship between the H and h was so messed up that nothing but a wipe-out of it all and a reboot could be as efficient a fix in a 278-page book.

This is a very good romance, but it's my least favorite in Thomas's Fitzhugh family trilogy, probably because I found the two main characters (pre-amnesia) to be so exasperating. David Hillsborough, Viscount Hastings, has known and loved Helena Fitzhugh since she was 14 and has managed to spend all this time insulting, antagonizing, teasing, almost sexually harassing her and just in general being a boor and jerk around her. Granted, this relationship started when they were very young but one would think that in adulthood Hastings would figure out that this wasn't working. He was personable and charming around other people.

But Helena is no prize either. She's an opinionated, stubborn woman who has decided that a certain Andrew Martin is the love of her life. Certain they would marry, she is disappointed when he is persuaded by his mother to marry someone else, but that doesn't stop Helena from continuing a relationship with him. Supposedly Helena is an intelligent, take-charge, free-thinking businesswoman, but that makes her attraction to little weasel Andrew that much more puzzling.

So Helena has an accident and amnesia conveniently wipes out all memory of her life after about 14 years of age. This means no memory whatsoever of Hastings or her love Andrew. This gives Hastings the chance to start all over and charm instead of antagonize, something one wonders he didn't try in the first place.... But stylistically, it makes for an interesting concept and this is an enjoyable read.

It wasn't as emotional a read for me as Fitz and Millie's story, but I enjoyed the use Thomas made of this miraculous amnesia and also the view into the depth of Hasting's character, a character that had initially seemed very superficial. In addition, post-accident Helena is a much more sympathetic character than pre-amnesia Helena ever was. Never thought amnesia could cause personality changes, even though I did love Overboard long ago, but Helena certainly improves in this story, even after her memory returns.

This is an entertaining book. I couldn't give it 5 stars because I was comparing it to Ravishing the Heiress (Berkley Sensation) which for me was a superior book because of the emotional wallop it carried. However, if one compares it to the normal run-of-the-mill HR being released it is definitely a 5-star book. Read more ›

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars It's ok October 22, 2012

By Giuk

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have very mixed feelings about this book.

I loved that the hero was in love with heroine from the get go, it was definitely different from your usual historical novel, where the hero suddenly (and inexplicably) falls in love with a woman he just met.
In relation to the heroine...I can't quite figure her out. First a woman who will conscientiously have an affair with a married man is no great lady as far as I am concerned. Besides that, she completely ignores the fact that the hero goes out of his way to try to make everything ok, but not only isn't she grateful, but she blames him over and over again. She puts her passion before her family's good name and don't give a fig about any of them until it's too late (and it took quite a lot to happen for her to figure that out). In short, the heroine was very annoying, but I guess that was kind of the point.
I have to admit that their banter was extremely funny, I found myself more often than not, chuckling.
But I have to mention one of the biggest problems in this book. Which is the plot.

------------------------------------SPOILER----------------------------------------

It's so damn easy to make her loose her memory and star all over again. And it wasn't just that. The twist that makes the plot ever more miserable, is the idea to make the heroine regain her memory slowly, which, incidentally, is just a lazy excuse for a melodramatic suspense.
I just kept wishing that he would "conquer her love" like a normal person would have to. I wished that he would show her, without the idiotic subterfuge of amnesia utilised by the author, that he was worthy of her affections. Was it so impossible for the heroine to leave her preconceptions of him and see him like a man? Why?... Why, Lord, why did she had to have amnesia to start liking him?

A great story doesn't need a ridiculous turn to make it great. In the end, it's very simple, the story had great potential, but it didn't reach it.

I can't really advise you not to buy it, but I would exactly recommend it either. Read more ›

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The author impresses me more and more October 3, 2012

By Willread

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I got this book on my Kindle last night and read all night. It was so good - and also impressive.

Why is it impressive? Sherry Thomas keeps digging into storylines that I would have thought I would hate and yet I always end up loving her books. In Beguiling the Beauty (Berkley Sensation) she has her heroine be in disguise so the hero doesn`t realize she is the woman he`s always loved. Entirely incredible plotline, one would think but Sherry Thomas makes it work. In Ravishing the Heiress (Berkley Sensation) she has the hero and heroine live together as "married friends" for years and the hero has mistresses on the side. This is also a storyline I would have thought I would have hated but Sherry Thomas makes it work.

In this book it`s amnesia. Can you imagine a more over-used theme in historical romance - especially compared to how rare true amnesia really is. And not only amnesia, Sherry Thomas also has a hero who starts out being obnoxious and borderline cruel to the heroine. Like a school boy in love (which is really what he starts out being) he teases the heroine and I`m not talking about the fun banter we see in many books. No, he prefers her hate to her not noticing him at all so he goes on with golden sentences like "Nice dress - too bad you don`t have the body to fill it out the right places" (my words - I couldn`t find the direct quote). The heroine rightly dislikes the hero and wants nothing to do with him.

If you`re turned away from this book by the amnesia plot and the obnoxious hero - don`t. Like her other books in this series, this is a very good story.... She is true to her characters and to human reactions in situations like this. If you are, on the other hand, tired of the same-old, same-old in historical romance then this is the book for you. It`s as if Sherry Thomas reinvents the boring old storylines and gives them new blood. As I said, I`m very impressed.

The couple in Tempting the Bride are mentioned in Sherry Thomas` other two books (which are about the heroine`s siblings) but you can read this one without having read either. I would recommend the other two books in this series, though. They are great books too! Read more ›