Customer Reviews

Valiant Bride (Brides of Montclair, Book 1)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I read many of the books in this series when I was in middle-school, being obsessed with romantic & idealistic notions. I sat down to begin re-reading this cute series only to discover that it is still enjoyable, despite some of the rather simplistic ideas & scenarios. This book is great for reading in a couple hours, as well as being a sweet little twinkie.

Noramary loves her childhood best friend, Robert. They intend to announce their engagement to their families once he has completed his education & is settled into his medical practice. However all of her hopes & dreams are dashed when it is discovered that her cousin, engaged to wed the handsome & wealthy Duncan Montrose, eloped with her French tutor. Having been raised by her aunt & uncle as one of their own, Noramary is requested to take her cousin's place as Duncan's bride in order to save the family's finances, as well as their dignity. Seeing no way out, Noramary fulfills her obligations, never realizing that it was in fact she that Duncan had desired ever since their first meeting, not her cousin. What follows is a series of events that would challenge even the most loving & devout bride, let alone a young girl still coping with the loss of her first love & effectively forced into an arranged marriage. Of course, it's all wrapped up quite nicely by the end, & one can hardly remember what all the fuss was about.

Simple & sweet. If you're looking for a fast-food read, this is it.

To fully appreciate this book, one must be willing to step into a culture of a different time. The colonial setting lends itself to a story which shows self-sacrifice and redemptive love. The story of Noramary will make you cry, laugh, and smile. It is a story of true love. This romantic tale deserves more than one reading.

In the first book of the "Brides of Montclair" series, Noramary Marsh marries Duncan Montrose as a "substitute bride" when his fiancee, her cousin, elopes with another man. Although she'd had her own secret plans to marry her childhood sweetheart Robert, she understands it to be her duty to her family to save them from disgrace by fulfilling the promise they made to Duncan: to provide him with a bride. Noramary is determined to put the past behind her and look to her future as the mistress of Montclair, and as Duncan Montrose's wife. She hopes she will find happiness and purpose in her new life.

I would have loved this when I was younger, and, actually, I quite enjoyed it now. It's an interesting story, if perhaps a bit unrealistic--I hope--and although the heroine may be a little too good and too lacking in self-confidence, the characters are well defined. More importantly, this book made me truly feel emotions for and along with the heroine. It genuinely touched me.

It's nice to have books about a romance that don't include anything more graphic than a passionate kiss--not that I'm a prude, but I don't feel like I need to read all the details of someone's sex life. Or maybe I am a prude. Either way, it's nice to not have to deal with it, because it means that what's really important is not the sex, but the love. This is a story about a couple falling in love. There are easy times and hard times, there is happiness and misery, and there is love. It's the kind of thing there should probably be more of.

There was a lot of mention of Christianity and G-d. I could have done without that, but I didn't really mind it. Maybe this was written to be a Christian book (that would explain the lack of sex), although I don't recall there being as much mention of that stuff in the two other "Brides of Montclair" books I'd read as a child--of course, I didn't notice anything Christian about Narnia when I read it as a child either. Regardless, I didn't take it as preachy, because I think it's appropriate for people of that time period to be devout Christians and, moreover, to think about G-d more often than I assume Christians nowadays do.

The only thing that bothered me at all about the book was the fact and the way that slaves were included: the heroine is introduced to the black household staff, who were described as "servants." Presumably this term is a more child-friendly way of introducing the topic, which is in some ways admirable but in other ways a cop-out. I honestly don't know if it would have been better or worse to just call them slaves...I mostly wish that the issue didn't exist at all, but it's an unerasable part of American history. At the time and place that this story takes place, there was obviously slavery, and it would have been unrealistic and unnatural for there not to have been slaves in the story, but it still made me uncomfortable. What made me positively cringe, however, was the accents that the so-called servants spoke it. Again, this may have been realistic, but it was uncomfortable to read.

Granted this review won't be as "great" as the previous but simply put I love this book!! It's been some time since I first read this book so I'm going to try to give it the credit that it deserves.

I was very young at the time when I read this book (I was around 12 years old) but I have to say that if I hadn't read Valiant Bride I wouldn't have read the other books in the series! As the previous person mentioned the book is very realistic, but that's what makes a wonderful tale! You feel what Noramary felt!

A great book!! I have to admit I did cry at the some parts, but you just had too! I'm not a person how gets real emotional over the books I read, but this was definately worth it and I would read it again!

After reading Valiant Bride, I had to purchase the entire series. And, overalll, many of the books have their flaws. Duncan Montrose is a bigot to be sure, and Noramary, his innocent, virtuous wife, loves him in spite of his ignorance. (Foolish man, shoudln't he know if his own wife has been with another man?) This was the main flaw in the otherwise brilliant story. Still, in spite of it, Peart is a magnificent writer.

I enjoyed this book, but it was pretty sad. She had to marry a man that she didnt love only to have him get mad at her and not talk or have anything to do with her. It did have a good ending and I know that this is not the end of the story.

I absolutely adored this book! Normary may have been in love with another man at the time she carried out her duty to save her name and family reputation, but she is very amiable. She has a quiet strength of character that is very hard to find. I found Normary and Duncan so exciting that I finished very quickly.

I really enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down so I read it very quickly. I thank supergirl661 for her list of Jane Peart's books of the Brides of Montclair. I have read four already and will read all of them. I'm buying them slowly.
Dotty

I somewhat enjoyed this story. It was a bit unrealistic in some cases. And the woman, Noramary Marsh, seems to have to backbone in which to stand up for herself. She gives up the man she loves, Robert Stedd, to fill the spot of her older reckless step-sister,Winnie, who left Duncan Montrose for another man. She marries Duncan without a complaint to anyone because her stepmother wishes her to, and says she loves him. It is all just really unbelievable that she could get over her first true love so quickly. I would recommend reading this book at the library first before buying it.

This book is a great book. It re-lives the honor of people back in the 18th century. I know it would seem unfair to marry someone you don't love, but look at the plan God had for Noramary's life.She ended up happier in the end than she would have ever been if she were to stay with Robert. This also gives a great meaning for faith. Noramary trusted God with her decision and though she suffered along the way, she was happy and blessed with a wonderful life. I would recommend this book to anybody with a interest for romance books!I know you will enjoy it along with the rest of the series. I'm allready on book seven and I'm amazed at how different each character is and I love the surprising yet lovely plots. if you are someone who is thinking of reading this book please take my advice and do it.