Julie Garwood

The bride

Sarah

Oh goodness, I don’t even know where to begin… The Bride was definitely a fun, entertaining read and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it (would have finished it in one sitting too if I hadn’t reached the middle well past the middle of the night lol).

As expected of Julie Garwood, The Bride was an engaging read with fantastically written characters and captivating plot. I continuously found myself absorbed by the bumpy-though-hilarious ups and downs of Jamie and Alec’s relationship that when focus was drawn back to the suspense aspect of the novel I had almost forgot it was even supposed to be there!

There were moments I wanted to wring Alec’s neck and knock some sense into that arrogant man’s head, but there were also moments when I was left wondering, “is it really possible for Jamie to be so unaware of the consequences her actions would have on Alec?” But I suppose therein lays the beauty of Ms. Garwood’s writing—her characters are well-rounded and realistically written. They can be arrogant, pigheaded, stubborn, rude, and a million other things that make them interesting people rather than boring Mary Sues.

This is definitely a feel good novel I would keep on my bookshelf.

The Bride

Shaana Juntunen Cooper

Hello Lady Kincaid. 

I loved everything about this book. I seriously had to force myself to put the book down and take breaks. Jaime is so passionate and fiery and throws herself into her new home and her new clan. And everyone around her instantly loves her. Except for the villain of course.

roosmarijn

oh dear, my fingers are tingly to write this review hahaha

okay so first things first i'm new to the historical romance genre and don't really have any examples or standards to compare with, but i did read 'the wedding' which is the second part of this series and boy i noticed some big differences between this book and that one.


  
    the setting
  

okay so both books are set in scotland and aye, i immediately went full on outlander-mode; i re-listened to the entire series soundtrack and now i'm in such a mood to reread and restart the series!!! i dont know what it is about tough, big, bearlike-but-soft-as-a-teddy scottisch lads that makes my knees all wobbly and my heart all itchy - but i love it, i'm here for it and i'm not ashamed


  
    the characters
  

jamie, the protagonist is actually quite refreshing, especially in comparison to brenna (from 'the wedding') she's more fierce, genuine, badass and feministic (as far as possible, let's not get all excited) YET, she annoyed the frickity frick out of me; her absolute perfection, her goddess-like beauty and just the unreachable and unrealistic standards for a female, (again) it was tiring, exhausting, saddening and frustrating

however, i did really enjoy the "hustle and bustle" between jamie and alec. there were moments where the story was really lacking but each time it was the banter and teasy conversations and remarks between them that glued me to the screen - i wouldnt say that i was swooning over their relationship but all in all they had some cute, fluffy moments together!!

ohh and the character development was really disappointing, i had high hopes for the character arcs but sadly nothing really happened during the course of the book... apart from jamie none of the characters made any progress character-wise. it felt tedious to read alec's point of view because he simply didnt change, he stayed the same throughout and agh i would've loved to delve more deeper into his emotions, if his arc would've been better the entire story would've been so much more enjoyable!! 


  
    the writing
  

okay the last little topic i want to delve into, julie garwood has a way of writing that completely sucks you in, doesnt let go and is just able to grip you WHILE being really bad, i love it, it's amazing really. you just feel so stupid while reading, all the facts are handed to the reader on a silver plate with a red ribbon and there’s no room whatsoever for imagination. it's all pre-chewed and savourless. take this quote for instance:

'"I promised you I wouldn't leave you." Her voice sounded like a gruff old man's . "I'll never let you." His voice sounded like dried leaves being stomped on.'

okay, fun that i now know that her voice sounded like a gruff old man's BUT COME ON, i'm not a todler, let me show you what a difference it would make to stop 'telling' and start 'showing':

'"I promised you I wouldn't leave you." Her voice was dry and croaky. "I'll never let you." His voice rasped and reminded her of dried leaves being stomped on.'

 
okay i just messed around with it a bit and just by adding some adjectives it feels so much more natural!! and you could even remove the whole analogy things because the adjectives quite say enough. BUT YOU SEEE???

another thing that bothered me was the language, and here kicks the inexperienced-reader-guilt in, because i just dont know what's usual for historical romance. but i noticed a lot of anachronisms and words and phrases that i dont think suit the era very much?? but i dont know, i dont have the knowledge to say much about it



okay pfew!! that was a way too detailed review for such a probably insignificant book, but what better way to kick off the new year than to write a lengty, whiny review, dont you agree?? :DD

 
 and what better way to kick off the new year than with a HUGH DANCY GIF?!!

An arranged marriage leads to passionate love in this classic Scottish historical romance from #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Garwood. By edict of the king, the mighty Scottish laird Alec Kincaid must take an English bride. His choice is Jamie, youngest daughter of Baron Jamison—a feisty, violet-eyed beauty. Alec aches to touch her, to tame her, to possess her...forever. But Jamie has vowed never to surrender to a man she considers a highland barbarian. Alec is everything Jamie’s heart has warned her against—an arrogant scoundrel whose rough good looks speak of savage pleasures. While Kincaid’s scorching kisses set fire to her blood, she is determined to resist him...until one rapturous moment quells their clash of wills, and something far more dangerous than desire threatens to conquer her senses... Includes an excerpt of another beloved Julie Garwood highland romance, The Wedding

b.andherbooks

I rounded up my initial review, and I had honestly totally forgotten I had read this! In my defense I was about ready to pop with my second kid at the time and it was four years ago when I wasn't reading as much romance as I have now.

That said, I had a rollicking good time rediscovering this classic, a romance that I've been told blooded many of my mutuals on twitter.

I did a live tweet which you can find here: #bBride20

"You've done the impossible, love. You've actually united our clans.
"You've made Andrew a very rich man."
"No, Jamie. I'm much richer. I have you."

my poor dead soul is REVIVED. #bBride20

I read this book because of Sarah MacLean's Read More Romance book list, which I highly recommend checking out!

Set in 1100's Scotland, Laird Alec Kincaid is forced to choose an English bride from a bevy of sisters. The father tries to hide beautiful Jamie (his favorite), but Alec discovers her and chooses her anyway, despite her clear disdain for the Scottish "barbarians" and her opinionated ways. Jamie is none too thrilled with the marriage because it is rumored that Alec's previous wife either committed suicide, or was murdered. To no one's surprise, they both fall for the other, but circumstances may cause harm to their relationship, or to Jamie herself.

I enjoyed reading this book, but you can tell it is a bit "older" than my normal choices. Jamie is a strong heroine, but there was still a lot of "Oh no, don't do that but of course I really mean yes" moments. Still, there were some fun moments.

The bride

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