MISS ABIGAIL NASH is no stranger to loneliness. Her mother died giving birth to her, her father’s business dealings took him away more often than not, and her ailing great-aunt, unable to provide much in the way of companionship, was a lack-luster guardian at best. When her dear friends offer to launch her into London society, her life takes a turn for the better. An instant success, with … suitors, social engagements, and offers aplenty, it seems Abby will at last settle into the life of her dreams.
But appearances aren’t always what they seem, and dreams often become disappointments.
Just months into her marriage with a proclaimed darling of the ton, Abby finds herself widowed, penniless, and increasing. Even more precarious are the feelings she’s developing for a man she shouldn’t love, a man the law prohibits her from marrying–her late husband’s brother, the Marquess of Brigston.
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Rachael Anderson may be one of the best Historical Romance authors of our time. Her stories are WONDERFUL. I put on hold my entire review schedule when the latest Regency-era novel by Anderson releases. If you have not yet read any of her historical romances, I implore you to purchase her books immediately!
My Brother’s Bride is a fast-paced, highly-engaging, endearing story that left this reader smiling big time. I very much appreciated the relationship between Abby and Brigston, and enjoyed the sense of humor they have with one another. A sense of humor in any relationship is imperative. Life on this earth is filled with so much pain that you need laughter to balance the scales. Within a relatively short period of time, Abby experiences some serious hurts, let downs, devastations, and disappointments, but she doesn’t let these moments drag her down. Instead of pushing her hurts down deep, Abby bravely expresses how she feels to Brigston during her rough moments. This in turn allows Brigston to share his true feelings, and a fantastic relationship blooms between the two filled with many moments that had me chuckling.
Early on in this story, someone important to Abby and Brigston dies. In polite society, the practice is to keep true feelings bottled up. One does not talk about certain things like the death of a loved one. But what if talking is what one needs to heal? One of the characteristics I love so much about Abby is that she politely goes against polite society in certain ways. Not talking about her loss seems rather silly. At first, Brigston is slightly shocked that Abby would be so free with her feelings, but then realizes how cathartic it is to talk about their shared loss. It turns out that talking about, rather than bottling up, the feelings leads to healing. Personally, I prefer to remember the good times, to reminisce and laugh.
My final favorite thing about My Brother’s Bride is its message on hope. We need to never stop hoping for good days, fun days, dreams-to-be-realized days. Life is full of disappointing moments that push us around and kick us when we are down, but we can’t give up our hope. And, we need to remember not to take the good for granted. The good moments in life act as balm to our souls so we can get through the bad times.
My Brother’s Bride is another fantastic historical romance by Rachael Anderson. If you need a lovely and engaging Regency-era story to escape into this winter, I highly recommend My Brother’s Bride!
I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the author via Kathy at I Am A Reader. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
A delightful Regency romance
My rating is 4.5 stars
Once again, author Rachael Anderson has written a delightful Regency romance! I love the titles of the books in this series and the covers are so lovely.
Despite the fact that the summary could make it sound like Morgan fell in love with Abby before his brother died, I was so glad to see that the author kept the story completely appropriate in this regard. In fact, Morgan was quite suspicious about the sudden marriage that was so uncharacteristic of his brother. Not that Abby wasn’t completely lovable – she was not only beautiful, she was also vivacious and charming – it was just that something appeared to be off. And it was.
My Brother’s Bride is a touchingly humorous, and very romantic story. Morgan and Abby teased each other constantly, and it was so much fun. One of my favorite scenes occurred in the rain when Morgan attempted to best Abby at his favorite childhood game. That scene provided the fodder for a fun inside joke that was then threaded throughout the rest of the story.
Who knew that England had a law preventing a brother-in-law to marry his sister-in-law? I kept expecting Morgan to suggest a particular way around the problem and yet that wasn’t at all how things worked out. He was so noble (and not just because he was a Marquis!). He handled the situation in the very best possible way.
This is a wonderful story for anyone who enjoys a clever and heart-warming historical tale that will leave them with a smile on their face.
Read with a Preview at AmongTheReads.net
I was given a copy of this book for free. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.
This is my new favorite Rachael Anderson book; I loved it! I loved the characters; they seemed very real to me. I was able to connect to Abby in a way since she is pregnant for most of the book and I am currently pregnant. This book had me laughing and crying and I didn’t want it to end! I wasn’t sure how things were going to work out in the end and I loved the ending. I highly recommend this book!!
This book showed up on Amazon over the Thanksgiving weekend. I had company in town but as soon as I was able to head to bed I started reading it. If I wasn’t exhausted from the holiday weekend I would have stayed up to read all of it. Instead, I did the responsible thing and went to bed by midnight and waited until I got home from work the next day to finish it.
My to-read list is long but Rachael is one author I always bump to the top and put all other books on hold for. She never disappoints so it’s no surprise that this is another top-notch offering from Rachael.
I loved these characters and cheered for them as they overcame obstacles and circumstances that tried to keep them apart. My Brother’s Bride is an awesome and needed addition to the clean romance genre. So many authors pump out books so fast that often I find the quality of their work is lacking. Since I read for entertainment I’m able to forgive a lot and typically just overlook the shortcomings that are prevalent with so many books in this genre. Thankfully that is not the case with Rachael’s books. I’m grateful for the time she takes to ensure she offers her readers quality books with original storylines that won’t disappoint.
Do yourself a favor and take the time to read this heartwarming romance!
Content: Clean
Rating: 5 Stars – I loved it.
So good! I have been waiting for this one and it didn’t disappoint. Witty and charming. Unique story line about marriage during that time period. I will read it again. Love the cover. Well developed characters. Clean. I can’t wait for the third book now. I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
I wept like a baby but it was so good. I love the banter
This was a sweet story. I little different then I expected. It had a different story line then other Regency books. Who knew there was ever a law forbidding a sister and brother in law to marry. In other countries if the husband died it was a law he had to marry his sister in law to take care of her. Both are not smart laws. This is a sweet romance that took a bit of story telling to get going but it was good. I enjoyed this story and took my time reading it. I enjoy Anderson’s books. They are always unique. This story had talk of a Rape. It was not detailed and it was handled well, but not with lightness. I was a little worried to read this, sometimes a rape is not taken as seriously in these books as it is and gets brushed aside. The author did and good job without making this a depressing heavy book.
My Brother’s Bride by Rachael Anderson is a lovely feel good HEA story. Rachael gave us two great men that one could not help but admire for their chivalry and compassion toward others. Abigail Nash (Abby) was fortunate to have both come into her life.
Rachael gave us an insight of a very demeaning subject, rape, in a day when a woman was always to blame. Even with such an opprobrious act a man can do to a woman portrayed throughout the story, it did not overpower the lighter more enjoyable even laugh-out-loud moments. As a whole, My Brother’s Bride, is a well written, balanced story. Loved, loved, loved the banter between Abby and Brigston, which made the story a delight. For me the only letdown is the ending, but hopefully Rachael will bring these characters back in The Solicitor’s Son (Sophie’s story) and clarify some loose ends.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Clean Wholesome Romance My Brother’s Bride Blog, Social Media & Review Tour hosted by http://www.iamareader.com/. I was under no obligation to write a favorable review, and all options expressed in this review are completely my own.
I’ve always enjoyed books from this author and this read I feel the same. It was a heavier love story with the trials the h faced. I think it was handled well. Both brothers were good but different. I thought the way the romance with the h & H devloped was nice. The h & H both had growth. The writing, dialogue and characters were good.
The characters in this story were very believable in their actions and concerns for their friends and family. When life threw them into an impossible situation they used their trust and instincts, along with their heads and hearts, to solve it. In the end their love survived and conquered their situation.
Rachel’s books never disappoint, I love her style of writing and her plots.
Wow, what a great story! I’ve really enjoyed anything I’ve read by this author! This particular book deals with some heavy, difficult material but it’s tasteful and delicately handled. The characters were excellent, the plot was interesting. Overall a fantastic read.
Rachael Anderson yet again weaves a fun, easy-to-read story set in Regency England with memorable characters and delicious dialogue and banter. This book is the second in the Serendipity series but can definitely be read as a stand-alone.
Abby is a young lady caught in terrible situations time and again. She’s fun, bright, and full of sunshine but circumstances have a way of bringing gloom into her life. Morgan is an earl who is confidant, self-controlled, serious, loyal and duty-bound yet when he becomes a part of Abby’s life, his ordered world unravels. The plot has some interesting twists and turns that add dimension and the story overall is a great read for anyone who enjoys Regency romance.
I received a copy of the book from I Am A Reader and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.
When Lord Brigston’s brother suddenly dies, he has to figure out what to do with his brother’s pregnant widow. He wants to do right by her, but he never expected to feel attracted to her. A relationship that is frowned up by society and forbidden by English law.
Abby grew up mostly alone and lonely, but she chooses to model after her late husband and seek the good in each situation. But, when she finds herself attracted to her brother in law, she wonders how there could be any good in that.
What follows is a more serious book that spotlights some difficult and painful subjects such as rape and death. I understand that one reviewer took offense at the book, but I reacted very differently. I found the book, for the most part, realistic. There was a very strict class structure in regency England and the rules were different depending on what class status you were. Life was hard and sometime unfeeling. What I appreciate about the book is that the author sought to give solutions and hope. Abby could have refused to speak about her situation, but what she realized is that by keeping silent, more women could suffer. Another notable lesson in the book is that adhering to the whims of the gossips could lead to personal unhappiness. Instead, I liked how one of the characters focused on what mattered to those who cared about her. Consequently, her relationships were deeper and more real. So, even though the author picked some dark and difficult topics, I think she gave some good lessons on history and dealing with other people who are more or less bullies.
Romance – PG / kissing
Language – PG
Violence – referenced only, told as an event in the past.
My rating – 5 stars