A Belated Bride

Rating:
Summary: A Belated Bride----Absolutely wonderful!!!
Review: A Belated Bride by Karen Hawkins is quite possibly the best book I have read this year. Karen is able to create such heartfelt, humorous, and absolutely believable stories. This is Karen's second book for Avon books, and I must say she does not disappoint. The hero, Lucien Deveraux, is a dashing Duke determined to win back the lady he lost years ago. Arabella Hadley is a strong, independent woman who will fight with everything she has to stop that from happening. Throw in a couple of matchmaking aunts and one humorous incident after another and you have perfection in the making! A Belated Bride is book that will climb to the top of your Keeper List! If you love a lighthearted, humorous Regency era Romance, you will LOVE this book!

Rating:
Summary: A wonderfully delightful read!
Review: A Belated Bride is humorous, moving and thoroughly enjoyable. I enjoyed both Arabella and Lucien's characters tremendously. And Lucien's valet is a totally delightful secondary character. Arabella and Lucien have a history between them which leads to tension from the very beginning. The reader (and Bella's matchmaking aunts) know the two belong together from almost page one. Keep your eye out for a particular scene with Bella's aunts at the start of the story while Lucien is injured. You will find yourself blushing, sputtering, and laughing! And it will color everyone's comments for the rest of the novel. If you are looking for a fun and enjoyable read, this is definitely the book for you!

Rating:
Summary: The best as usual
Review: After "The Seducation Of Julia" I was afraid "Belated Bride" might not come up to par. Boy was I wrong. I was simply not able to put it down, I read it straight through. Extremely enjoyable and believable. The characters almost came to life as I read it. The Aunts were wacky and loveable, and the Duke...what can I say. The plot is fantastic and holds on to you throughout the book. A lot of humor and everything else you would or could want. If you haven't read this book you are in for a grand treat.....Five stars is not enough. Come on Karen, where's the next one...Thanks

Rating:
Summary: I just loved this book!
Review: After reading the Abduction of Julia I found myself wanting to read once again about Lucien in a Belated Bride. There is just something about this man that I found so totally captivating. It is one thing for a woman to not get over a man but I find it even more compelling when such a handsome rogue after ten years has not gotten over his Bella. I was reminded in the Abduction of Julia what a lost sole Lucien continued to be and just had to reread how he finally finds the love of his life. Lucien is one of Karen Hawkins best male heroes!! Excellent read - the second time every bit as good as the first!

Rating:
Summary: I just loved this book!
Review: After reading the Abduction of Julia I found myself wanting to read once again about Lucien in a Belated Bride. There is just something about this man that I found so totally captivating. It is one thing for a woman to not get over a man but I find it even more compelling when such a handsome rogue after ten years has not gotten over his Bella. I was reminded in the Abduction of Julia what a lost sole Lucien continued to be and just had to reread how he finally finds the love of his life. Lucien is one of Karen Hawkins best male heroes!! Excellent read - the second time every bit as good as the first!

Rating:
Summary: Karen Hawkins has done it again! It is funny, funny, funny.
Review: Arabella and Lucien have not lost their feelings for each other although they had not seen each other for several years. In spite of the way Lucien "betrayed" her those many years ago, I found myself rooting for him. I absolutely loved Arabella's Aunts. They are hilarious.

Rating:
Summary: An absolute delight!
Review: Every so often I'm lucky enough to find a writer whose fluid prose and sparkling wit keep me turning the pages long past the time I should stop. With The Belated Bride, Karen Hawkins made me do just that. With a stubborn, intelligent, independent heroine (Arabella), one sexy, roguish hero who's determined to do the right thing (Lucien), and two sweet but meddling aunties with a fondness for tonic, sheep potions and gambling (the tonic's medicinal, of course), I was treated to a truly delightful book. Add to that an intriguing plot of spies and smuggling, flowing dialogue, a few more likeable secondary characters, and pages of humorous banter, and I found that if I wasn't completely engrossed in the storyline and trying to figure out who's-the-real-villain, I was chuckling or laughing out loud. It's a delicious gift of a story with all the right elements in just the right mix, and one I just can't recommend highly enough.

Rating:
Summary: A Belated Bride
Review: From the humorous opening to the surprise ending, Karen shares with us the tangled web that has become Lucien Devereaux, the Duke of Wexford's life. Lucien has an assignment to see to in his old stomping grounds. Fate has decreed that he and his former love meet again.

Was it his fault that her carriage ran him down, knocked him out and caused damage to his head and shoulder? (We'll forget the fact that he ran his horse out in FRONT of said carriage!)

Maybe it should be his fault that Arabella's two eccentric aunts thought his "assets" assured their niece of a happy life and set about seeing to the union? (I think we'll have to give him this one - he WAS unconscious at the time.)

Whether him ending up in a bed - naked - and dopey on Aunt Jane's sheep potion (which he enjoyed - don't let him tell you different!) was his fault or not, he decided to stay. And started implementing his own plot to capture the attention of the elusive Arabella.

Karen's touches of humor and Lucien's hero potential, a mystery, lost treasure and two secondary romances keep this story hopping from beginning to end. If you like humor or action, mystery or romance, this story is for you. Karen just keeps getting better.

Rating:
Summary: A second chance on love...
Review: I have really enjoyed this book. The plot was different. It's about having a 2nd chance in love... and they said that the "second time around love" is suppose to be more filling, right? Well, it seems like it in this book anyway. Lucien Deveraux, Duke of Wexford was one of my favorite 2ndary character in ABDUCTION OF JULIA. His Character description here was just as consistent and well defined. Despite his imprudence when he was younger, he's still as always the nonchalant gentleman. He is also playful & loving. Arabella Hadley was once naive and trusting, only to be ruined and broken hearted. So, as the years moved on, she was force by circumstances and experience to become a wiser, bolder and independent woman. Everything seems to be running along as planned until she faced her long lost tormentor once again. I truly enjoyed their love story. The banters, Lucien's sweet talks vs. Arabella's bittersweet tongue... oh their indisputable attraction for each other & the undeniable love that still burns deep inside... These are just a few that made this book a hearty read. The amusing secondary characters of the AUNTS, the heart warming crippled brother, the spoiled brazen sis-in-law and even the villains are all well put-together. It was a romantic and an adventuristic ride at the same time.

The reason why I didn't rate this book a 5 stars was cuz of the NO appearance of Alec and Julia.  My gosh, I was greatly expecting an appearance or perhaps a small contribution of them in this story considering Alec is Lucien's best friend but nope, none whatsoever.  Somehow, I felt I was cheated. This is suppose to be AOJ's sequel, right? There was a sentence or two about Julia and her projects but I knew all this already from the previous book.  Awww, I was really disappointed. To be honest, this was my initial reason why I picked up this book.  I mean, I do like Lucien.  He was intriguing and a nonchalant figure in AOJ, however, I was really looking forward on reading updates of Julia, Alec and perhaps their children? UPDATES: isn't that what sequels are all about? It would have been lovely to read a little of the characters in AOJ, maybe a little of Muck? Oh well, Nick's book is suppose to be next. I hope Ms. Hawkin's will make it up by writing lots of updates of everyone in both AOJ and ABB.

So, if you've read the ABDUCTION OF JULIA and is expecting some sort of updates or appearance of Alec and Julia in this book, DON'T. Don't even think it, that way you won't feel disappointed and will simply enjoy the whole book as it is. I sure hope I was warned... Then, I would have rated this book a 5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: A second chance on love...
Review: I have really enjoyed this book. The plot was different. It's about having a 2nd chance in love... and they said that the "second time around love" is suppose to be more filling, right? Well, it seems like it in this book anyway. Lucien Deveraux, Duke of Wexford was one of my favorite 2ndary character in ABDUCTION OF JULIA. His Character description here was just as consistent and well defined. Despite his imprudence when he was younger, he's still as always the nonchalant gentleman. He is also playful & loving. Arabella Hadley was once naive and trusting, only to be ruined and broken hearted. So, as the years moved on, she was force by circumstances and experience to become a wiser, bolder and independent woman. Everything seems to be running along as planned until she faced her long lost tormentor once again. I truly enjoyed their love story. The banters, Lucien's sweet talks vs. Arabella's bittersweet tongue... oh their indisputable attraction for each other & the undeniable love that still burns deep inside... These are just a few that made this book a hearty read. The amusing secondary characters of the AUNTS, the heart warming crippled brother, the spoiled brazen sis-in-law and even the villains are all well put-together. It was a romantic and an adventuristic ride at the same time.

The reason why I didn't rate this book a 5 stars was cuz of the NO appearance of Alec and Julia.  My gosh, I was greatly expecting an appearance or perhaps a small contribution of them in this story considering Alec is Lucien's best friend but nope, none whatsoever.  Somehow, I felt I was cheated. This is suppose to be AOJ's sequel, right? There was a sentence or two about Julia and her projects but I knew all this already from the previous book.  Awww, I was really disappointed. To be honest, this was my initial reason why I picked up this book.  I mean, I do like Lucien.  He was intriguing and a nonchalant figure in AOJ, however, I was really looking forward on reading updates of Julia, Alec and perhaps their children? UPDATES: isn't that what sequels are all about? It would have been lovely to read a little of the characters in AOJ, maybe a little of Muck? Oh well, Nick's book is suppose to be next. I hope Ms. Hawkin's will make it up by writing lots of updates of everyone in both AOJ and ABB.

So, if you've read the ABDUCTION OF JULIA and is expecting some sort of updates or appearance of Alec and Julia in this book, DON'T. Don't even think it, that way you won't feel disappointed and will simply enjoy the whole book as it is. I sure hope I was warned... Then, I would have rated this book a 5 stars.