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omantienlukija's review against another edition
3.0
Completely fine historical romance, kept me interested but nothing I would feel a need to return to. I think I keep listening to this series mostly due to the superb narrator Mary Jane Wells.
booksuperpower's review
4.0
The Bride Says Maybe by Cathy Maxwell is a 2014 Avon publication. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This second book is the trilogy reunites us with Tara, a young woman we met in “The Bride Says No.” She was not the easiest person to warm up to, and she got her comeuppance when the man she thought she really loved, married someone else.
As this story opens, Tara is still pining for her lost love, but soon finds herself being sold into marriage due to her father’s gambling debts.
The lucky groom? Breccan Campbell – “The Beast of Aberfeldy”. Tara manages to wrangle a deal with him which consisted of providing him with two children, then allowing her to return to London and live the life she so longs for. Naturally, when two strangers move in together, things don’t go as smoothly as they think it will.
Will Tara learn to love her new life or will she really abandon her future children for a life in London?
Although Tara has only herself to blame for her single status, she knows she is beautiful and could still snare a husband. But, under the circumstances Breccan is her only hope of having the life she so desires. It takes her a long while to grow to respect Breccan, but by George, I think the lady has finally begun to grow up!
But, Breccan is the one who stole my heart. He was so funny, patient, and forgiving, but also human, given to doubts, and a little outburst of temper. He makes mistakes, looks into his own heart and realizes his initial motives toward Tara were based on a few unreasonable illusions on his part, and whole lot of lust.
All this takes place against a backdrop of hilarity, especially when Breccan’s dogs are around. The stories Breccan tells, are poignant, and funny, and the banter between the couple was sharp and witty. This is a very light hearted historical romance, written the way it should be. The language was right, the customs were right, and the dialogue fit the time period, with only few slightly modern terms slipping through the cracks.
It was good to see Tara finally show some maturity, meet her true love, and have her very own happily ever after.
4 stars
This second book is the trilogy reunites us with Tara, a young woman we met in “The Bride Says No.” She was not the easiest person to warm up to, and she got her comeuppance when the man she thought she really loved, married someone else.
As this story opens, Tara is still pining for her lost love, but soon finds herself being sold into marriage due to her father’s gambling debts.
The lucky groom? Breccan Campbell – “The Beast of Aberfeldy”. Tara manages to wrangle a deal with him which consisted of providing him with two children, then allowing her to return to London and live the life she so longs for. Naturally, when two strangers move in together, things don’t go as smoothly as they think it will.
Will Tara learn to love her new life or will she really abandon her future children for a life in London?
Although Tara has only herself to blame for her single status, she knows she is beautiful and could still snare a husband. But, under the circumstances Breccan is her only hope of having the life she so desires. It takes her a long while to grow to respect Breccan, but by George, I think the lady has finally begun to grow up!
But, Breccan is the one who stole my heart. He was so funny, patient, and forgiving, but also human, given to doubts, and a little outburst of temper. He makes mistakes, looks into his own heart and realizes his initial motives toward Tara were based on a few unreasonable illusions on his part, and whole lot of lust.
All this takes place against a backdrop of hilarity, especially when Breccan’s dogs are around. The stories Breccan tells, are poignant, and funny, and the banter between the couple was sharp and witty. This is a very light hearted historical romance, written the way it should be. The language was right, the customs were right, and the dialogue fit the time period, with only few slightly modern terms slipping through the cracks.
It was good to see Tara finally show some maturity, meet her true love, and have her very own happily ever after.
4 stars
rosetyper9's review against another edition
4.0
This novel was better than I expected it to be. The heroine was headstrong, which I like in my historical heroines, and the hero was a "monster" that no one wanted...which is also a characteristic I like in my heroes...especially my sexy scots. Anyway, the plot moved at a relative pace. There was a brief "misunderstanding" that made up a plot device that I despised but overall it was pretty good. I haven't read any of the others in the series but I plan to now.
daisy87's review against another edition
3.0
So I have mixed feelings about this book. There were parts that I really enjoyed and parts that made me roll my eyes. I'm not really sure which part winds up winning in the end.
I had a problem with Tara. I liked her feistiness, but I really had a problem with the way she handled things at times. I mean, she was way overreacting about Breccan's dogs. I mean, ok, I wouldn't exactly appreciate them jumping on the bed and everything, but these dogs are trying to greet you and you whack one on the head? That is just wrong. And cruel. Have you guys ever seen a dog when you tell him off? They do this whole sad-heartbreaking thing and it kills me every time. And I imagined these dogs doing the same thing and for no good reason (obviously installing some rules isn't a bad thing, but this was just UGH) and I almost stopped reading right there. That did not win her sympathy points.
I might be a little oversensitive about this.
I know.
But I liked how Tara decided to make this marriage work and trying to cook for Breccan and really trying to be a partner, which earned her some respect from me. And also, she learned to work with the dogs, so there's that. But still.
Breccan was a manly man who was following a different part of his anatomy than his brain when he decided he wanted to marry Tara. I mean, honestly, if you haven't really had a conversation with someone, you shouldn't go around marrying them, because WOW DUDE you have to live with them and not just look at them from across the room. There's a person and not just a pretty face.
I did like the responsibility he felt for the people living on his land and how he truly wanted to help them.
I did want to slap him for a bit when he was basically ruining his relationship with Tara over something his evil cousin said and I was like WTF??? And this never gets discussed. I mean, if I were her, I would have been SO angry. But this never really gets sorted out other than that he realises his cousin was wrong.
These two did have chemistry and I love how Breccan's uncles fit into the story. And also: the dogs. Especially the tiniest one, who provided comic relieve and was just plain awesome with a huge personality, as little dogs often have.
I did however feel like the 'love' part came in out of nowhere and unrealistically fast, but that is also one of my pet peeves and something that happens a lot in the genre.
I liked the story in general and the setting and Tara and Breccan definitely had chemistry in abundance, but I also had some major annoyances..
My rating: 2,5 stars
I had a problem with Tara. I liked her feistiness, but I really had a problem with the way she handled things at times. I mean, she was way overreacting about Breccan's dogs. I mean, ok, I wouldn't exactly appreciate them jumping on the bed and everything, but these dogs are trying to greet you and you whack one on the head? That is just wrong. And cruel. Have you guys ever seen a dog when you tell him off? They do this whole sad-heartbreaking thing and it kills me every time. And I imagined these dogs doing the same thing and for no good reason (obviously installing some rules isn't a bad thing, but this was just UGH) and I almost stopped reading right there. That did not win her sympathy points.
I might be a little oversensitive about this.
I know.
But I liked how Tara decided to make this marriage work and trying to cook for Breccan and really trying to be a partner, which earned her some respect from me. And also, she learned to work with the dogs, so there's that. But still.
Breccan was a manly man who was following a different part of his anatomy than his brain when he decided he wanted to marry Tara. I mean, honestly, if you haven't really had a conversation with someone, you shouldn't go around marrying them, because WOW DUDE you have to live with them and not just look at them from across the room. There's a person and not just a pretty face.
I did like the responsibility he felt for the people living on his land and how he truly wanted to help them.
I did want to slap him for a bit when he was basically ruining his relationship with Tara over something his evil cousin said and I was like WTF??? And this never gets discussed. I mean, if I were her, I would have been SO angry. But this never really gets sorted out other than that he realises his cousin was wrong.
These two did have chemistry and I love how Breccan's uncles fit into the story. And also: the dogs. Especially the tiniest one, who provided comic relieve and was just plain awesome with a huge personality, as little dogs often have.
I did however feel like the 'love' part came in out of nowhere and unrealistically fast, but that is also one of my pet peeves and something that happens a lot in the genre.
I liked the story in general and the setting and Tara and Breccan definitely had chemistry in abundance, but I also had some major annoyances..
My rating: 2,5 stars
elizabethlk's review against another edition
3.0
A definite step up from The Bride Says No, The Bride Says Maybe definitely had some solid stuff to enjoy about it.
It made for light, easy reading. Although I did find the characters frustrating at times, I still liked them for the most part. I enjoyed that this story focused on the couple the story was about (unlike the previous book which divided its attentions far too much). I enjoyed the character growth here. This wasn't a great novel, but it took my mind off of things.
I wanted to like it more than I did, but it was a definite improvement upon the first book in the trilogy. (Times like these are when I want half star ratings. I would have rated the first book 2.5 and this one 3.5).
It made for light, easy reading. Although I did find the characters frustrating at times, I still liked them for the most part. I enjoyed that this story focused on the couple the story was about (unlike the previous book which divided its attentions far too much). I enjoyed the character growth here. This wasn't a great novel, but it took my mind off of things.
I wanted to like it more than I did, but it was a definite improvement upon the first book in the trilogy. (Times like these are when I want half star ratings. I would have rated the first book 2.5 and this one 3.5).
emjayae149's review against another edition
3.0
3 stars - I liked it
I picked up the audio version of this book at my local library. Romance pickings are slim, so you take what you can get. And what a lovely story it was.
I do enjoy a rough and manly Scotsman with a heart of gold. Enter Breccan Campbell, the "Beast of Aberfeldy". Our heroine, Tara, while seemingly flighty, is actually quite level headed and more than a match for Breccan. I enjoyed both Breccan and Tara lowering their guards and showing vulnerability to each other. I enjoyed their spats and games of one-upmanship. Unfortunately, it all seemed to move at such a fast pace that in a short space of time the book was finished!
The narrator, Mary Jane Wells, does a good job with all the character voices and I enjoyed listening to her.
I picked up the audio version of this book at my local library. Romance pickings are slim, so you take what you can get. And what a lovely story it was.
I do enjoy a rough and manly Scotsman with a heart of gold. Enter Breccan Campbell, the "Beast of Aberfeldy". Our heroine, Tara, while seemingly flighty, is actually quite level headed and more than a match for Breccan. I enjoyed both Breccan and Tara lowering their guards and showing vulnerability to each other. I enjoyed their spats and games of one-upmanship. Unfortunately, it all seemed to move at such a fast pace that in a short space of time the book was finished!
The narrator, Mary Jane Wells, does a good job with all the character voices and I enjoyed listening to her.