THE SCOUNDREL'S BRIDE

Author: Emily Johnson ISBN: 0709084099 9/2007 HISTORICAL Publisher: ROBERT HALE LTD.
Time period: Regency

Lovely Lady Chloe Maitland was caught on the horns of a devilish dilemma. As a proper young country miss in the London marriage mart, she was duty bound to obey her dragon of a grandmamma and give her hand to the aging Lord Twisdale, who had buried one young wife and now lusted after an even younger one. But if Twisdale sent shivers down Chloe's spine, Julian St. Aubyn made her shrink as from a flame. St Aubyn was the most wicked rake in the realm and Chloe's innocence would be no match for his infamous expertise. Should Chloe sacrifice her happiness on the altar of duty—or her virtue in the arms of a man who mocked all decency? She heard the response of her heart—and knew how wrong it could be.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

THE SCOUNDREL'S BRIDE by Emily Johnson, is an excitingly passionate Regency romance about a young girl who finds herself in a difficult situation. Her grandmother has arranged for her to marry a much older Lord Twisdale, about whom rumors and suspicions surrounding his previous marriages, have Lady Chloe Maitland fearing for her life. While struggling with this dilemma, Chloe gains the attention of Julian St. Aubyn, a man with a reputation of being a wicked rake, but who is willing to help her find a way out of marrying Twisdale. Chloe finds herself craving the passion that being with St. Aubyn offers, but she fears how he affects her. Chloe must remind herself that she must stay in control if she wants to avoid landing in the middle of a scandal.

The wonderful character of Chloe may be a simple country girl, but she is depicted as both smart and beautiful. She has a great personality and is skilled at seeing the true character of those around her. This is demonstrated in a very creative way that I found quite humorous, at times. Unfortunately, this ability fails her when it comes to Julian, and adds a bit of sadness to the story. Chloe's problems are easy to understand, especially as they take place in an era in which families participated in the arrangement of marriages. As the reader, I found myself wondering what I would do if placed in Chloe's situation.

Julian is another great character to whom I quickly became attached. He is handsome, well mannered, and skilled when it comes to interacting with women. This makes it easy to believe his reputation as a rake. When the time comes that Julian wants people to see him as anything but a rake, people do not take him seriously. Julian's story is heartbreaking at times, and sure to bring a tear to the eye. I found it was very sad that even though Julian goes out of his way to be kind to Chloe, she has difficulty seeing him as anything but a scoundrel. His actions make it easy to fall in love with him, and I could only hope that Chloe would someday see Julian as he truly was.

Emily Johnson brings the romance and excitement found in a regency setting to life through her sparkling descriptions of the glittering balls, fancy gowns and carriage rides. Her story, THE SCOUNDREL'S BRIDE, is a tale that demonstrates the moral beliefs of a society and how rumors can affect a person's reputation. I found it impossible to remain unmoved by the wide range of emotions experienced by her believable characters. This is a captivating tale that drew me in and made me feel a part of the character's lives. THE SCOUNDREL'S BRIDE is a story that I feel I will want to read again and again.

Anita Hartsell