New York Times Bestselling Author Karen Ranney’s captivating series concludes with a tale of opposites whose attraction scorches a trail from the Highlands to the glittering halls of London—and courts scandal at every turn . . .Politics has introduced MP Logan McKnight to many fascinating people, but the lady he encounters on the lands bordering his ancestral Scottish home outshines them all. … home outshines them all. Eleanor Craig of Hearthmere seats a Thoroughbred like a queen, knows as much about world events as any of his colleagues—and is engaged to one of the worst men Logan knows. She also seems lonely, so Logan brings her a friend. Thus should their acquaintance end, yet it’s only just begun.
The puppy Logan delivers is every bit as irresistible as the man himself. How could this stranger sense the isolation Eleanor suffers among her scheming, snobbish extended family and fiancé who control her life? It’s even worse in London—until she begins meeting Logan secretly in a secluded park. Their passionate connection frees Eleanor, body and soul. But discovery threatens disgrace—or worse.
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To Bed the Bride by Karen Ranney is the Third book in the An All for Love Series. This is the story of Eleanor Craig and Logan McKnight. I have read the previous books but felt you could make this a standalone book if you wish to do so. Eleanor is left in the care of her Aunt and Uncle have her father passes. Never feeling apart of the family really they have to keep to the will he left which states she inherits the land and famous horses but before her 18 birthday her Uncle dies and this changes things more. Now she is to marry someone she isn’t sure about and she is being kept from her home. Then on the few weeks she is home she runs into Logan. Logan is of course taken with her and he feels her loneliness. This opens a door for him to give her a dog and they start a friendship. But of course it is a forbidden one. Loved their story.
3.5 stars rounded up – be warned, the ending of this review might be spoilerish!
Eleanor Craig inherited the Hearthmere Estate and world famous stables in Scotland when she was only 11, her father’s will states that she is to live on the estate and grants an allowance to her uncle if he agrees to move to the estate until she reaches her majority. Eleanor loves the estate and longs to carry on her father’s legacy, but when her uncle dies the year before her 18th birthday, her aunt moves her two children Daphne and Jeremy along with Eleanor to London, where she quickly marries, Mr. Hamilton Richards, a very rich man. Her aunt makes a deal with Eleanor’s solicitor, instead of living in Scotland, Eleanor will spend one month a year at the estate and live with her Aunt Deborah and her family. Eleanor would rather be in Scotland, but family was very important to her father, so she goes along with her aunt’s wishes.
Finally her visit to Scotland arrives, but this year, she will only have 2 weeks, she is recently engaged to Michael Herridge, the Earl of Westcott and he demands she cut her visit short. Eleanor isn’t sure why Michael chose her, but her family is ecstatic and for the first time since she began living with them, she feels loved and important. She hopes that Michael will want to live part of the year in Hearthmere, but doesn’t count on it and therefore is determined to make this visit memorable. And memorable it will be, she is out riding when her horse is surrounded by sheep and she has words with the “shepherd”– the very handsome and arrogant shepherd. The next day she is awoken with news of a gift – the shepherd has given her a puppy. Determined to return the dog, she tries to find him and when she does a few days later, returns the puppy, who she named Bruce. She has tea with him and learns his name is Logan McKnight and he is not a shepherd. She ends up enjoying her time with him and when she leaves, he gives her a sweet, chaste kiss. But duty calls Logan back to London and he leaves Bruce with her once more, he also gives her his London address and asks her to write with news of the puppy. She sees his carriage departing and wonders who it is, she is shocked to learn Bruce is back and that despite planning on writing to Logan and putting him in his place, she is not unhappy about this turn of events.
She returns to London with Bruce, her fiancé is not happy about it and makes her keep the dog out of his sight. She is beginning to have doubts about marrying Michael, but will not upset her family, but that doesn’t stop her from thinking about Logan. She thinks of him so much that when she sees him at a political dinner hosted by her step-uncle Hamilton, she thinks she is imagining him. But he is very real and clearly upset to see her. Logan is an up and coming MP in the Commons and is attending the dinner thinking that Hamilton might be a campaign supporter, he is shocked to see Eleanor, who he hasn’t stopped thing of since he left and upset that she is engaged to Michael, who he dislikes immensely. He keeps the fact that they have met secret, but when he departs (after pissing off Hamilton and Michael) he arranges to see Eleanor later.
They meet the next day in the park and their friendship grows by leaps and bounds, at the same time, her relationship with Michael begins to turn ugly. Logan knows that seeing her each day is only drawing out the enviable heartache and tells her he can’t see her anymore. She agrees, but is heartbroken. Weeks pass and when Michael demands she get rid of Bruce, she writes to Logan and begs for help, which he offers without pause. But he tells her, he can’t see her, she tempts him into dishonor. She tries to abide by his wishes, but when things turn ugly with Michael, she breaks her vow and goes to Logan. But misunderstanding and unspoken words will tear them apart and may well keep them apart forever.
(Warning this might be spoilerish)
I thought this was a good story, I can’t give it 5 stars because in my mind Eleanor cheats on her fiancé, I just can’t like that, regardless of her feelings or intentions, she didn’t break with Michael before she started a physical relationship with Logan and cheating is cheating. Otherwise, I loved the story, I loved the slow progression of their relationship, the secondary characters (esp. his housekeeper Mrs. Campbell) were great, her family and fiancé were cringe-worthy villains whose treatment of her actually shocked me, Bruce was adorable and I thought the ending was great – I personally would have liked an epilogue or at least one more chapter since the end did seem a little to abrupt. But overall, it was a good story and even with the “sort of” cheating, I would recommend this book. It is the third book in the series, but they are all standalone titles and can be read in any order.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by Edelweiss and the publisher.*
Good book, though it did have a few spots that dragged a little. Eleanor was orphaned at the age of eleven when her beloved father died. Her life at her Highland home of Hearthmere, with its rich traditions and its long line of famous horses, had been very happy to that point. Her aunt and uncle became her guardians, but when her uncle died also, her aunt moved them to London, reducing Eleanor’s time at Hearthmere to one month a year. Eleanor lives for those months when she can return home and be her true self instead of the pale version dictated by her life in London.
Eleanor’s most recent visit has been reduced to two weeks by the direction of her aunt and Eleanor’s new fiancé, the Earl of Westcott. She’s not happy about it but has accepted that her life will change with her marriage. One of the first things she does is head out on a ride where she encounters Logan, an MP on an incognito vacation, who she mistakes for a shepherd. Something about Logan unsettles her and gets under her skin, while Logan is utterly fascinated by Eleanor’s looks and intelligence. But he can also see that she is lonely.
I liked the development of the relationship between Eleanor and Logan. There were sparks between them from the start, but Eleanor is caught up in her “London Eleanor” persona and ignores them. The only feeling she allows to surface is annoyance at the way he talks to her. I liked the way that Logan recognizes that there is more to her than she allows to show. He knows he should leave her alone, but something about her calls to him. Because he senses her loneliness, Logan gives Eleanor a border collie puppy that he hopes will be a friend. Eleanor doesn’t want the puppy at first, but it isn’t long before Bruce wiggles his way into her heart. When Eleanor returns to London, she never expects to see Logan again. She’s stunned when he shows up at a dinner party at her aunt’s house, and she discovers that he is a member of Parliament.
Though she knows it is wrong, Eleanor and Logan begin to meet secretly as friends, bonding first over Bruce’s training. They grow closer as Eleanor finds herself increasingly willing to be herself in Logan’s company. She also begins to chafe under the treatment she receives from her family and fiancé. Her family frequently shows their selfishness and disdain for the benefits they have received from being part of her life. I detested her Aunt Deborah and cousin Daphne and the way they browbeat her. But the one who really angered me was her fiancé, Michael. The more I saw of him, the more I wanted her to get away from him. His attitude toward Bruce would have been the last straw for me, but Eleanor was still stuck in her “family first” mindset. I was so glad that Eleanor was able to call on Logan for help in that situation. I ached for them both because, by this time, they knew that the pull between them was becoming irresistible. Logan’s sense of honor was incredibly strong. But when Eleanor overheard Michael’s plans for Hearthmere, she knew she couldn’t marry him. What she never expected were the over-the-top actions of her family to force her into the marriage. I was horrified by what they did and waited as desperately as Eleanor did for Logan to rescue her. I was on the edge of my seat until it was all over. The ending was great, especially with the revelation of Logan’s secret. The only thing that would have made it better would be to see her family’s reaction when they found out!
I had two favorite secondary characters. First, of course, was Bruce. He was adorable, from his attacks on Eleanor’s shoes to his absolute devotion to her. He made me laugh in many places, and I could see the difference he made in Eleanor’s life. I loved his part in her rescue. The other character I loved was Logan’s housekeeper, Mrs. Campbell. She was so kind and warm-hearted and was precisely what Eleanor needed in her life. I liked that she was the one who brought Eleanor’s absence to Logan’s attention and that she involved herself in finding out what was wrong.
Up and coming political star in the House of Commons Logan McKnight is taking a bit of a sabbatical in his native Scotland and is utterly enthralled when he meets an outspoken lady riding on lands bordering his ancestral home. Miss Eleanor Craig is an excellent horsewoman and well-versed in politics. Unfortunately she’s also engaged to a complete cad. Logan recognizes her loneliness so he gives her a puppy to keep her company. Though she initially refuses and tries to return the puppy, he proves as charming and irresistible as Logan himself. When Logan and Eleanor meet again in London, they begin meeting in secret in a quiet park. But Eleanor is totally controlled by her grasping, snobby family and her autocratic fiance and nothing but disaster can come of her connection and association with Logan.
Spoilers may come out in the forthcoming rant. Lately several books I’ve read have featured a heroine who was frustrating to me because her ‘strength’ came off as hatefulness or something similar. In this case it is just the opposite: Eleanor is weak and despite being well provided for and given autonomy according to her late father’s will, she somehow still allows herself to be completely controlled by her spiteful aunt and awful fiance. Her endless droning on about all the things she couldn’t have and reasons she couldn’t be with Logan also infuriated me because they were feeble at best and she didn’t seem overly concerned about hurting him. She was also unconscionably rude and snobbish to him which I found to be very hypocritical on her part. Even as she begins to open her eyes to what is going on around her, she still bows down meekly and refuses to stand up for herself. Her dramatic insistence on playing the martyr for a family who clearly doesn’t care for her just didn’t work for me. Eleanor’s naivete and just down right stupidity, not to mention utter cluelessness, selfishness, and at times arrogance, made her intolerable for me, especially when she continued to act as though she had no options when what she should do would be clear to anyone with half a brain. This just felt like feeble plotting and didn’t work or really hold my attention.
I think Logan was a fabulous hero and he deserved a better heroine. He and Bruce the puppy were the highlights of this story for me and now I want another Border Collie. The last few chapters were good and really did hold my attention, but up until that point we’re just told about Logan and Eleanor’s relationship and I would’ve liked to see it develop more. Besides that, we just get mostly Eleanor’s private ruminations for much of the book and those just made me think less of her. I would’ve liked to see her awful family get their comeuppance in the end; though I did enjoy the ending, I found it rather abrupt and slightly unsatisfying for that reason.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
A great addition to the series All for Love. This time with Scottish lass Eleanor Craig and Michael Herridge, the Earl of Westcott.
All Eleanor wants is to spend more time in Scotland at Hearthmere Estates where she grew up and was left to her by her father. The horses they raise are famous and are the finiest around. When her father passes, she in the care of her uncle and aunt. Unfortunately her uncle also passes away and her aunt immediately moves then to London.
When she is able to visit “home”, for only two weeks, she just wants to relax and enjoy everything about being there. But as fate would have it, she meets a “shepherd” on her first ride out who is very handsome. What she fails to realize is he is the Earl of Westcott and he is visiting his home just as Eleanor.
I really enjoyed this story of two people who meet unexpectedly but slowly form a bond. Even when they both end up back in London and run into each other…
Karen Ranney always pens an excellent story that makes me smile and sigh. I definitely recommend this one and all in the series!
To Bed the Bride
An All for Love Novel series #3
Karen Ranney
https://karenranney.com/
Release date 11/26/2019
Publisher : Avon
Blurb :
Politics has introduced MP Logan McKnight to many fascinating people, but the lady he encounters on the lands bordering his ancestral Scottish home outshines them all. Eleanor Craig of Hearthmere seats a Thoroughbred like a queen, knows as much about world events as any of his colleagues—and is engaged to one of the worst men Logan knows. She also seems lonely, so Logan brings her a friend. Thus should their acquaintance end, yet it’s only just begun.
The puppy Logan delivers is every bit as irresistible as the man himself. How could this stranger sense the isolation Eleanor suffers among her scheming, snobbish extended family and fiancé who control her life? It’s even worse in London—until she begins meeting Logan secretly in a secluded park. Their passionate connection frees Eleanor, body and soul. But discovery threatens disgrace—or worse.
My review :
Can an already betrothed woman alter the course of her life when she finally meets the one person meant for her.
« It is my wish that Eleanor, having been deprived of a mother from birth, will be surrounded by family who will love and cherish her. Family is everything. »
This began this moving and breathtaking tale.
Except Eleanor didn’t understood the real meaning of it until the far end.
This is my first read by Mrs Karen Ranney, so I had no idea of what to expect.
With its slow start, I at a time wondered if I will be able to enter in the plot, near 1/3 in the story and they have only meet twice, then they go back to London and the narrative progressed a bit faster and the final gallop.
Once they meet again, it became impossible to put this book down.
Eleanor is dual, the free one in Scotland then her London version, a doormat for her excuse of a family.
For years she has has become a shadow in her family’s home, a commodity always overlooked, expected to be lenient, unseen and unheard. And she acts this way, following others’ orders. Always the dutiful and obedient parent.
I thought her weak and meek at first, bending to everyone’s demands. Which she was. It took time for her to find her voice and be able to stand on her own two feet, and even then, she was thrown in her face, she was an ungrateful relative.
She goes on with things in her life because of the motto “Family is everything.” but this family is nothing to her. They only take and give nothing. Why she misunderstood the real meaning of her father’s words, those people are no family to her only envious carpetbaggers.
At the beginning, I do wondered why she accepted her fiancé’s suit when he rejects everything she is. Then I saw her as London self, a masquerade of her true self, able to grovel for just breathing.
Logan McKnight wears his name like a glove. He is chivalrous, ready to rescue Eleanor but he knows it is to her to make the right decision. He is a man from my heart, he was attracted to her from the beginning, his honor commanded he gave her up, but his heart has another mind. He is honest to the fault, fighting his own feelings because he knows nothing can come from it. Still, each time she needs him, he is there for her. He is the one whom will help her to go out of her own gilded cage.
« Reveal yourself, Eleanor. Show the world who you are. Don’t hide yourself from anyone, however much you might fear their words. »
Despite being a story told from both perspectives, it is mostly from Eleanor’s side we follow their journey. So it is her struggles that are more developed, which makes more sense as she is the one who must decide on which path she wants to walk or not. Logan has no doubt, he knows with whom he wants to grew old.
I would not really categorize this story as an enemies to lovers story, Eleanor is the one who has her ego tweaked, but he piqued her interest too, so soon she sees Logan as an ally.
My only regret is the lack of epilogue as I would have loved to see her dismissive family gets its right reward, after, it would not have changed the outcome of the story.
5 stars
I was granted an advance copy through Edelweiss by the publisher Avon. I have also preordered my own copy.
Here is my true and unbiased opinion.
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