Ruth Croome, a Blackamoor heiress, was supposed to get married in a gorgeous wedding gown, made from her father’s exquisite fabrics. Instead, they eloped to Gretna Green and upon returning, their carriage was beset by highwaymen and she witnessed the murder of her new husband. Now, four years later, with a child, she wants to move on with her life. A marriage of convenience will do. Ruth already … already had a love for the ages.
Adam Wilky is really the heir to the Wycliff barony–which he never told Ruth. Too much danger. So many secrets. When he was nearly beaten to death and sold into impressment, he thought Ruth had died, too. Ready for revenge, he finally returns and discovers Ruth alive–with a son who could only be his–and she is furious to discover he lied to her. Now it’ll take more than remembered passion if he hopes to win his reluctant wife back…
Each book in the Advertisements for Love series is STANDALONE:
* The Bittersweet Bride
* The Bashful Bride
* The Butterfly Bride
* The Bewildered Bride
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The Bewildered Bride by Vanessa Riley is a gem of a book. For lovers of Historical and Regency romance, you will find yourself transported back in time to a different world. The hero and heroine, Adam and Ruth, are passionately in love, and despite racial differences, decide to marry. Then the nightmare begins as their lives are sidetracked by a shocking act of violence and treachery. What I most enjoyed about the book was the fact that the hero and heroine aren’t instantly granted their fairytale. They have to fight through pain and tragedy and separation in order to find their way back to each other. Riley manages to infuse so many tender touches throughout the novel and I truly felt as if I was in the heads of Ruth and Adam as they love, grieve, rage and rejoice. A great read by a talented storyteller.
An angsty, drama-filled, closed-door Regency romance involving lies of omission, violence, sexual assault (off page), trauma, and unsupportive family. Not usually a fan of super-angsty tales, I enjoyed the unraveling of the complicated knot that keeps the hero and heroine apart. Because it’s a romance, the assurance that it would all work out in the end kept me hooked.
Freshly married after eloping, Ruth and Adam Wilky are booted from their room in an inn, presumably because of Ruth’s race–she’s a Blackamoor, and he’s passing for white. On their way home to her family, they’re attacked by a gang of men, and each believes the other was killed before their eyes. He’s impressed into the navy, and she ends up in a bordello.
We pick up the story four years later. Ruth is living with her wealthy cloth-merchant family, the Croomes, who care for her and her son Christopher but don’t believe her tales of having married Chris’s father. Traumatized by the attack and her husband’s apparent murder, she suffers agoraphobia, crippling headaches, and damaged vision. Her only proof of her marriage, a page from a registry, has been lost–Adam tore it in half, concealed one half in her trunk, and sent the other half to his father.
Meanwhile, Adam returns from the navy to claim his father’s title. He’d never revealed his true identity to Ruth–surprise! Adam Wilky is actually the Baron of Wycliff. His dastardly uncle and cousin embezzled the estate while he was away, and it’s now Adam’s mission to avenge his father and destroy his scheming relatives. When he learns that Ruth is actually alive, he vows to win her back–but doesn’t tell her he’s Adam because she seems so angry with her “dead” husband. Instead, he tries to romance her as Wycliff, Adam’s cousin who’s heard such lovely things about Adam’s beloved wife. Since he has no heir, he dedicates himself to protecting Ruth and Chris–at least, that’s his story.
Reading about Ruth’s unsupportive family was rough, Ditto watching Ruth repeatedly almost figure out Wycliff’s true identity. But the author skillfully portrays Ruth’s pain and determination, making her a very sympathetic character whom I willingly followed through tribulation upon crisis upon emotional storm. The ending ties everything together and metes out righteous comeuppance, redemption, and reconciliation. Very satisfying.
Other reviewers mention slow pacing, but I didn’t find this book slow at all; in fact, I stayed up late into the night following its twists and turns.
My only complaint: At times, the characters slide into modern phrasing, such as when Ruth asks Wycliff, “What’s with your voice?” or when Wycliff says little Christopher just needs someone to “love on him.” This may not bother other readers.
The Bewildered Bride is Book 4 in a series I haven’t read, but I had no trouble enjoying it as a standalone and will seek out other books by this author. Very enjoyable!
The Bewildered Bride was an unexpected culmination to the Advertisements for Love series. Beautifully written, poignant, and moving, I loved the story of Ruth and Adam as they way worked through their fears, disabilities, and emotional scars to reunite. At times funny, heartbreaking, and always engaging, Riley delivered a wonderful HEA. I highly recommend this book. It’s at the top of my must read historical romance list.
I love all of Vanessa’s books but this might be my all-time favorite. A widow finds out her husband isn’t really dead. And, surprise! He’s not who she thought he was. So beautifully done. I just adored it.
A second chance interracial love story that will keep you wanting more and more from this couple.
It’s been a while since reading a historical romance and i wasn’t disappointed in this new to me author and story.
Like many marriages, not everything goes planed and the couple has to overcome so many twists and turns throughout the story, some things may trigger some readers but they needed to be said as real-life can be even worse than the fictional one.
Good writing, great characters and overall a great story that shows how love can overcome any obstacles if it’s meant to be.
The Bewildered Bride is a sloooooow moving/slow burn second chance romance (though only one character actually is aware of their second chance status for 80% of the book!) that has a whole lot going on besides the romance. Revenge. Secrets. A hidden identity. Tragic and often-horrific pasts. A fatherless child who may or may not be illegitimate…
So. Much. Going. On.
Ultimately, The Bewildered Bride had a very sweet ending, but goodness, it took so much to get us all there. Adam kept his true identity hidden from Ruth way longer than he should have–I lost count of how many times she thought goodness, this [add in a thing about the baron here] reminds me so much of Adam! or his [fill in aspect of his person/personality here] is just like Adam’s! Seriously, it was near constant, and soooo frustrating. She also did an awful lot of waffling between wanting to be with him–he made her feel so safe and protected!–and not trusting him at all and pushing him away. All part of being a “bewildered bride” I guess? The alternate first person POV (Ruth’s) and third person (Adam’s) was a bit disconcerting; I never did fully get used to it.
The drama with Adam’s relatives, who were the villains of the story from start to finish was solid, though, and kept me turning the pages to find out just how many evil deeds they were capable of and how and when they would finally get their due. They did not disappoint, either in their villainy or in their comeuppance. 😉
This is the 4th book in the series, but it worked just fine as a standalone. It’s not at all obvious who here might have even been in previous books (Ruth’s sister, maybe?) so going into it not knowing anything about the rest of the series books wasn’t an issue at all for me.
Rating: 3 1/2 stars / C+
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
The Bewildered Bride by Vanessa Riley is book 4 in the Advertisements for Love Series. This is the story of Adam Wilky and Ruth Croome. I haven’t yet read the previous books yet so for me this was a standalone book.
Ruth and Adam had marred but instead of a big wedding they had eloped to Gretna Green. But then they were set upon and Ruth became a widower…or so she thought. In addition she found her self with child. When she returned home it was under the whispers of her story that didn’t settle in with the town. Knowing that she would never love another but she would have to go on somehow without him and with the rumors that swirl around her. Adam was set upon but not killed but he was sold into imprisonment. Now he finds that Ruth didn’t die and there is a child. Ruth to is shocked by the turn of event with her feelings torn…but can they get back to their happy ending with danger so near to them?
Enjoyed their story!
I appreciate authors who can amaze me in little ways. It doesn’t necessarily have to be big, blaring plot twists, but remarkable turns of phrase and gripping imagery can go a long way. This author’s style keeps me on my toes.
The hero and heroine are interesting people who work well together for this story. Their romantic chemistry and physical relationship are prominent and intense but nothing R-rated.
Although I’ve not read any of the other novels in this series yet, this book stands alone just fine, and I couldn’t resist it—not with that divinely grape, stunning book cover. And I “flew” through the entire read in a day. Quite a rare occurrence for me and novels of this length.
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I received a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley for an honest review.
Ruth Croome, a Blackamoor heiress, & Adam Wilky eloped to Gretna Green and upon returning, their carriage was beset by highwaymen and she witnessed the murder of her new husband & she was sent to a brothel. Now, four years later, with a child, she wants to move on with her life. A marriage of convenience will do. Ruth already had a love for the ages.
Adam Wilky is really the heir to the Wycliff barony, which he kept from Ruth. When he was nearly beaten to death and impressed, he thought Ruth had died, too. Ready for revenge, he finally returns and discovers Ruth alive & with his son and she is furious to discover he lied to her.
This is the fourth book in the series & whilst previous characters make appearances it can still be read on its own. I found the opening of this book to be quite harrowing but it did set the scene for the rest of the book & explained the reasons Ruth had changed so much. Each time I read one of the author’s books it does take me a little while to get used to her writing style, which isn’t the easiest. The flow of the book was also a bit haphazard. However strong characters saved it for me as did the storyline & I definitely wanted to read to see how this couple reached their HEA
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
This is a bittersweet story. Adam and Ruth are treated to horrible injustices because of their race. They however fight back. They have to fight to rebuild their love and marriage. They have to fight the physical scars as well as the emotional ones that come from the abuse they suffered. The author does a wonderful job of telling this tale of love, loss and redemption. You will love the characters and root for them every step of the way to their joyful end.
Be warned it is a heartbreaking tale of pain and resilience, a second chance in love and of healing.
Warning trigger : past rape
I do not know about other readers but I felt like I was living Ruth and Adam’s story through their mind, like when you think by yourself.
Not every thoughts well organized, more a succession of disjointed ideas and rambling feelings, everything in jumble like when you are confused, scared.
I tried to clear all the confused thoughts from Ruth’s mind. I wanted to understand what has arrived to her to change her from a wild young woman to one suffering deep fears, afraid to live again.
Now I have completed my read, in retrospective, Mrs Vanessa Riley did a beautiful job transcribing the post trauma stress disorders affecting Ruth.
The beginning was a bit unsettling, with many ideas, events and talks going everywhere.
I had to learn to understand Mrs Riley’s writing style, but it was just for a short time.
I was heartbroken for what they both had to suffer. Adam, treats and physical violence when Ruth after surviving the attack that “killed” her husband, has to face belittling and talk as if she was a nobody or a liar. I sure think her family has its faults but they did not rejected her, their way of dealing with her pain was the cause a lot of heartaches but they did not rejected her as many family would have done in view of her odd circumstances.
Adam has secrets, those same secrets torn them apart, nearly killing them both and changing them. Sure, now he is back and discovered his wife is not like he thought, he wants to win her back. But she is no more the young lovely woman he remembers. Time and difficulties have changed her. Worst, she does not recognize him. So he decided to court her, hiding who he is.
He is stronger, and prepared, no more the young idealistic man from four years back. He knows the mistakes he made and he paid dearly for them but now he has to redeem himself in Ruth’s eyes as she was a collateral victim in his family feud.
This is their second chance but will each one comprehend how much the other has changed, how much they suffered, the depth of their scars and wounds, visible or hidden.
Is love enough to heal everything, to clear the mind of the nightmares haunting Ruth’s night and day?
A poignant and touching romance of two souls drawn to each other despite time, pain and distance.