Review: Desperate Bride (Forever Brides #3) by A.S. Fenichel

Print Length: pages

Publisher: Kensington Press (September 26, 2017)

From Goodreads.com: An unexpected promise . . . an everlasting passion.

An accomplished musician, Dorothea Flammel has refused more proposals than any London debutante; her only true love is her music. Dory’s shimmering talent and beauty have long been adored from afar by Thomas Wheel, an untitled gentleman who can only dream of asking for the hand of a nobleman’s daughter. But when her father, the insolvent Lord Flammel, arranges for Dory to marry a lecherous Earl in order to pay off a debt, she runs to Thomas—and proposes marriage to him. 

Eloping to Scotland saves Dory from a disastrous fate, but what is for her a mere marriage of convenience proves more passionate—and more complex—than either imagined as rumors, scandal, and buried emotions come to light. And when a vengeful challenge from a drunken and embittered Lord Flammel puts Thomas’s life on the line, will the fragile trust between husband and wife be enough to save them both?

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My Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Although this is part three in a series, you do not need to have read the first two in order for this story to make sense. You will not feel as though you are missing anything by not reading it, and if you have read the others, you will be happy to see some familiar faces make an appearance in this story.

As someone who has read and enjoyed the other two novels in this series, I have to say this one was a bit of a disappointment. It wasn't that there was a problem with the author's writing style per-say, however, the constant and unnecessary re-hashing of the same issue over and over again became tiring. I understand that there would be some issues between this couple, especially when Dory believes he married her for nothing other than wanting to save her from an unfit marriage and Tom overhears something not meant for his ears, but punishes her anyway - it was a constant circle that I feel would have been better left as a one and done (where they argued, they got their feelings out in the open and they moved on) instead of becoming the focal point of the story. Even when faced with the fact that they have a deep affection for each other and all that they shared, they continue to push each other away, and then are miserable for it.

I also felt that her parents were a little too over the top. Her father is an obvious drunkard, why would they still be allowed to mingle in society when all he does is cause scenes and fall over? And her mother, while with redeeming qualities in the end, had little to endear herself to the reader as well.

Overall, I do think this novel will still appeal to those who enjoy a "friends to lovers" historical romance. I would read more from this author! 

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

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                                      Desperate Bride is available from Amazon.com