Mass Market Paperback; 363 pages
Publisher: Mira Books - April 27, 2010
ISBN-10: 0778327744
ISBN-13: 978-0778327744
Genre: Historical Romance
Book: Book Three in Bride Trilogy
Main Characters: Rule Dewar & Violet Griffin
On sale at: The Bookdepository Store

Summary:
Unrepentant rake Rule Dewar is living the good life when a most surprising event occurs - he falls in love with his wife.

After their strategic "marriage of commerce" three years ago, Rule quite forgot about Violet Griffin, the teenage heiress to a Boston manufacturing fortune. He simply spoke his vows, took over her father's business and returned to England to resume his usual pursuits: high-priced wine, high-stakes gambling and highborn women.

Yet when Violet, now a sophisticated woman, unexpectedly appears at Rule's London town house, husbandly duties no longer seem so odious - he can't wait to take his stunning bride to their marriage bed. Violet, however, is not so easily led: she has her own ideas and is seeking an annulment to marry another. But as Rule attempts to win her over, someone else is determined to frame him for murder and keep him out of the way for good..

Pearl’s review: The book starts with a prologue that sets up the story. In this prologue Rule Dewar is in America, making good on the promise, to his father on his deathbed, to build up business relationships with the colony. He has made a good life for himself in Boston and is on the verge of going back to England to run the English Branch of Griffin Manufacturing, the weapons factory he works for. When his employer, Howard Griffin asks him for a favor he can’t fathom it is to marry his young daughter to secure her future. Rule reluctantly agrees and sets of to England right after the marriage thinking that would be it.

The rest of the book takes place 3 years later when Violet Griffin wants an annulment from the man she married as decreed by her dying father. She heads over to England to find the man who married and abandoned her to free herself for marriage to another man. Rule wants to stay married because of the promise to both his and her father but also because of the benefits business wise. When Rule convinces Violet to give him a month to prove being married to him isn't that bad, a string of events leads them to something more meaningful than a marriage of convenience.

Rule is a womanizer, with an eye for business, loyal to his friends and family and a bit of a male chauvinist. I had a bit of trouble with Rule in the beginning. It was clear the marriage was not of importance to him and Violet was just a means to get his foot into her father's company. He didn't even keep his promise of making their marriage real after two years and now that Violet shows up a year overdue to end the marriage with an annulment herself, he acts all indignant and as if he thinks the marriage is important.

Violet is sweet but fiery and full of determination, she speaks her mind and can be a bit headstrong at times. I’m not fond of very young heroines and 19 years is on the fringes of what I can handle but Kat Martin made it work for me for most of this book. There were points were she acted her age and wasn’t as determined as she’d been made out to be. She sleeps with Rule, ruining her opportunity for an annulment but doesn't own up to it and puts all the blame on Rule. Her insistence that Rule only wants to stay married for his part in the business, portion in the company started to annoy me at one point.

For me this third and last installment in the Bride Trilogy was the least of the three. There were a few things that didn’t quite work for me and with all the anticipation build across the other two books I felt it fell a bit flat in comparison.

Both Violet and Rule acted unreasonable and a bit irrational at times and this kept me from completely sympathizing and empathizing with them and their issues. And the changes of heart they go through in order to get to the HEA felt a bit sudden and forced... The trademark suspense plot was there yet again and even if it was a predictable one it did liven the story up a bit and kept me reading despite that I didn’t completely click with the main characters.

In this trilogy Kat Martin has written the most interesting secondary characters that are able to intrigue as much as her main couples. It was no different in RULE’S BRIDE and I must honestly admit that in this case the secondary romance worked better for me than the main couple’s romance, for the reasons I stated earlier in this review. I was wondering from the start what was going to happen with the chemistry between Rule’s friend and Violet’s cousin and I was served promptly with a captivating secondary romance I truly enjoyed.

In the Bride Trilogy Kat Martin follows a certain vein in all three books that include the fulfillment of the individual promises the Dewar brothers made to their dying father, a suspense plot where the Oarsmen come to the rescue and offer their assistance, a seemingly impossible romance between the main characters and a lovely secondary romance. Yet despite the similarity and the repeated use of these elements, each book has a different and unique vibe and set-up. Though they can be read as stand-alone, together they form a coherent whole in which a full cast of both recurring and new characters plays the role they are given.

If you don’t mind a very young heroine and a hero that has a bit of male chauvinism going on, RULE’S BRIDE is a good and solid historical romance that wraps up the Bride Trilogy in a satisfying way.

OK, I so had a bad week in dieting. First off all my (and my mums) birthday celebration last Saturday where I felt gluttony took over and I just didn’t mind my calorie intake *gulp*) and then when I woke up after this sinful dream this morning, I found the absolute craving for chocolate, dark, milk, vanilla-flavoured, strawberry-filling or with whipped cream… I didn’t care, as long as it was tasty, and going where my mind said it needed it most!!!
It daunted on me that my Happy ABS Day Friday was this week, so instead of indulging myself in the reallife stuff I brought you some equally deliscious, just as decadent and divine, Black Men, to ease you into the weekend.


And for those who’d rather have a chocolate overdose…. Here’s something to delight your tastebuds for the weekend…

eBook; 263 pages
Publisher: Carina Press, June 7, 2010
ISBN-10: 1426890024
ISBN-13: 978-1426890024
Genre: Historical Romance
Book: Book One in Napoleonic Series
Main Characters: Arie De Voss & Mathilda Heidel
On sale at: Carina Press

SYNOPSIS
Tormented by guilt. Haunted by scandal. Freed by love.

Austria, 1804
Eight years ago, Dutch composer Arie De Voss claimed his late mentor's final symphony as his own and became an icon. But fame has a price: fear of discovery now poisons his attempts to compose a redemptive masterpiece. Until a new muse appears, intoxicating and inspiring him...

Mathilda Heidel renounced her own musical gift to marry, seeking a quiet life to escape the shame surrounding her birth. Sudden widowhood finds her tempted by song once more. An unexpected introduction to her idol, Arie De Voss, renews Mathilda's passion for the violin--and ignites a passion for the man himself.

But when lust and lies reach a crescendo, Arie will be forced to choose: love or truth?

My latest historical romance, SONG OF SEDUCTION, is released by Carina Press this week, and I know that many writers and readers have had questions about Harlequin's brand new digital-first venture. I can only speak for my experiences, but I also dragged my lovely editor, Deborah Nemeth, to give us her point of view too.

I submitted SONG OF SEDUCTION to Carina on its first day open for acquisitions. The tagline "Where no great story goes untold" really caught my attention. For three years I'd tried finding a good home for my Austrian-set historical romance. Editors loved my voice and the characters, but the Austrian setting was a deal-breaker.

But Carina seemed different, with the full weight of Harlequin at its back to ensure the venture had a fighting chance. When Executive Editor Angela James offered to acquire SONG OF SEDUCTION (ROOB review) and make it part of the initial batch of Carina offerings for the June 7th launch, I was thrilled.

Working with Deborah Nemeth was also a thrill. She adored my story, which had so long been overlooked because of its unusual setting. Her editorial direction helped resolve a few pesky places that had been bugging me for ages. The romance is stronger because of her input.

To be honest, there's no telling how well all of this will go. Carina Press is, at its heart, an experiment. But they've taken a chance on my story and given me the tools to make it a success. If those same chances are being taken across the whole of Carina Press's literary offerings, then, as readers, we'll all in for a treat! I couldn't ask for more.

Now I'll turn it over to Deb!


I was thrilled to become one of Carina Press’s developmental editors. Harlequin is one of the savviest digital publishers out there, and as one of their imprints, Carina Press is fortunate to have a production team with members who have up to ten years of digital experience. I like working for smart people from whom I can continue to learn and grow, and you don’t get much sharper than Angela James, our executive editor.

And as much as I love romance, I enjoy having the freedom to acquire and edit in any genre, from straight mysteries and SFF to love stories that don’t have a traditional romance structure/ending. Carina gives authors this same freedom from genre constraints while enabling them to benefit from Harlequin’s publishing expertise.

With regard to acquisitions, I want to see strong, flawed characters who are passionate about their goals. I like stories to take off from the first page and mount to a grand finale, engaging my emotions, although with a mystery the engagement may be more cerebral. I acquire all heat levels from sweet to erotica, all lengths over 15k words. I'm open to most genres--anything but young adult, inspirational or super-gory horror (but there are other Carina Press editors who'll love to read your inspy or horror ms).

• I like mysteries to be clever, whether cozy or hard-boiled or procedural, with or without romantic elements.
• I'm seeking richly detailed, well-researched historical fiction and historical romance with dialogue that subtly conveys the period flavor while still being readable and natural-sounding. I'm wide open when it comes to time periods, settings and characters--centurions, knights, Saracens, Vikings, princes, artists, explorers, Moguls, concubines, mandarins, privateers, Regency bucks, cowboys, samurai, sheriffs, courtesans, bootleggers, squadron leaders.
• I'm looking for all sorts of SFF, from epic fantasies, space operas, and steampunk to paranormals featuring shifters, vamps, demons, witches, ghosts, psychics, djinn and fae.
• In a thriller/suspense novel I look for fast-paced action and plenty of plot twists.
• I enjoy both angsty women's fiction and lighthearted romantic comedies/chick lit.
• In a contemporary romance I like to see strong, well-structured conflict, something beyond a misunderstanding or a character's determination not to commit.
• I'm seeking multicultural fiction that explores the challenges posed by different traditions. A former resident of Puerto Rico, I'm particularly attracted to Latin cultures, but I'm interested in all types of heritages as well interracial romances and fiction depicting any immigrant experience.
• I'm open to GLBT fiction in all genres and heat levels.
• Genre blends are welcome: historical paranormal, m/m fantasy, paranormal suspense, and so on. I'd love to acquire a space opera, steampunk or historical mystery with a really cool sleuth to base a series on.

I accept direct submissions. Send your query in the body of an email and attach a full, polished ms and synopsis in .rtf or .doc files to deborahnemetheditor at gmail.com.
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About Carrie Lofty:
Born in California and raised in the Midwest, Carrie Lofty (official website) met her English husband while studying abroad--the best souvenir! Since completing her master's degree in history, she's been devoted to raising their two precocious daughters, managing Unusual Historicals, and writing romance. Also, look for her "Dark Age Dawning" trilogy of hot-n-dirty apocalyptic romances, co-written with Ann Aguirre under the name Ellen Connor. Nightfall kicks it off in June 2011, available from Berkley Sensation. You can catch up with Carrie on Twitter and Facebook.


About Deborah Nemeth:
Since Deborah Nemeth began reading before her fourth birthday and stops only when she absolutely has to, it was probably inevitable that she would major in English literature and eventually become an editor, a profession she's pursued for five years. As an utter bookslut, she loves to read all sorts of things, from SFF to mysteries to historical romance. Over the years she's lived in Ohio, Michigan, Chicago and Puerto Rico, although she spends most of her time in places such as nineteenth-century Bath or Middle-earth. Currently she lives in the Mid-Atlantic with her husband (a candidate for sainthood) and two beautiful daughters. You may follow her on Twitter.

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It's giveaway / contest time again! Carrie Lofty is giving away a copy of Song of Seduction to one of our visitors, who'll leave a comment on this guestblog-post, telling us who you think are sexy Dutchmen. She made sure to say that links to pictures are highly encouraged!!!! We all love to ogle some man-candy ;-)

On June 16th, 2010 23.59h CET this giveaway will close and a winner will be picked with a random.org generator.
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