The Bride Says No audiobook

The Bride Says No by Cathy MaxwellForced to follow society rules? No thank you. But it’s Scotland in the times of arranged marriages and absolute levels of proper society. Tara agreed to marry Blake but runs away to be with the horse wrangler. But he’s already engaged to someone else. Aileen, Tara’s sister, and Blake then fall in love but Tara won’t release him from his promise. Not to mention the bride price that her father has already received. What a mix up. Sweet and entertaining. It took until the end to like Tara.That Aileen and Blake were so committed to do the right thing was admirable but sad they couldn’t just ignore society rules. So glad that’s not my world. First in a series. Historical romance. I listened to an audio version of this book. The narrator had a lovely accent and did a tremulous job with the different voices and intonation.

The Bride Says No (The Brides of Wishmore #1) by Cathy Maxwell is a 2014 Avon Publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.BOOK BLURB:Lady Aileen never thought she’d be in this position—falling in love with her sister’s betrothed! Of course, her sister did run away rather than marry him, and he doesn’t seem to be all that interested in her sister either, but even so, such a match is impossible...isn’t it? Aileen is certain she must turn away from the man she loves in order to protect her sister’s reputation. However, he’s not one to give up without a fight, and now that he’s met a woman he wants to marry, nothing on earth could convince him to let Aileen go.This book was a hilarious mix up of duty to marry vs marriage for love. The absurdity of arranged marriages and all the money and politics that put women up for sale basically is examined up close and it's not pretty. Aileen is one of those VERY rare ladies that has gone through a divorce. While her husband was abusive it was her alleged extramarital affair that had the divorce papers signed post- haste. Now, Aileen is back in her homeland of Scotland living a quiet unassuming life... until her younger half sister arrives. Tara was to marry Blake, the bastard son a duke, but at the last moment she gets cold feet and runs away. She believes that three years ago she left behind the love of her life , a horse trainer named Ruary. She thinks she can just waltz back into this man's life and pick up where they left off. However, Ruary is engaged to another woman now. His feelings temporarily become confused with Tara's blatant pursuit of him. Meanwhile, Tara and Aileen are stunned when their father and Blake arrive and announce Tara is still engaged to Blake and they will indeed marry. But, when Blake and Aileen meet there is a chemistry between them. Soon, Aileen and Blake are falling in love and Tara is being spurned by Ruary and is now desperate to marry Blake. That should give you an idea of how mangled this whole thing has become. Tara is not a character I felt any warmth for and that is what the author intended. She is all about doing what serves her best interest. She doesn't want Blake anymore than he wants her, but if she can't have her horse trainer she is set on settling for Blake. She never stops to consider the feelings of others. She gets Ruary in trouble with Jane and has him confused as to how he feels about Tara. She also jerks Blake back and forth more than once and it doesn't matter to her one wit about her sister's feelings toward Blake. She is selfish, immature, and spoiled and has no idea what she really wants.Saying Aileen is bitter about love and marriage is a massive understatement. She is sick about her father's arrangement for Tara after her own arranged marriage was such a disaster. She practically pounds the pulpit in an effort to convince her father, Blake and Tara that arranged marriages and selling women off for money , or in Blake's situation, a chance to legitimize himself and have heirs that would inherit without the "bastard" label he carries now. Blake is pretty much in agreement with Aileen on matters of the heart and he respects her far more than he does Tara. When he learns of Aileen's troubled marriage and her father's deplorable behavior towards her , he begins to see that all the tongue wagging gossips are very wrong about Aileen. It was never the intention of Aileen or Blake to fall in love, but fall in love they did. But, Tara is not finished with Blake. She may not know her own mind , but she's not leaving Scotland without a wedding ceremony. The steam level is very low in this one, but there was a reason for that. The plot would not have worked if things had gone too far between any of the characters caught in the web they were all dragged into. The epilogue will have you howling when you realize that Tara and Aileen's father did not learn his lesson the first two times he tried to arrange marriages for his daughters because he can't manage his own affairs. It seems he's at it again and book two in this series promises to be just as much fun as this first one. Cathy Maxwell is a seasoned historical romance author and I have enjoyed many of her books, this one is no exception. 4 stars

Very complicated relationships in this story. Aileen left home with high hopes of finding a man to love and who would love her. Instead, her father married her to a man who turned out to be cruel and abusive. She faked an affair in order to obtain a divorce, and is now back in Scotland living a quiet life. She has no intention of ever getting involved with a man again. Meanwhile, her younger half sister went to London and is engaged to the wealthy bastard son of a duke. Three days before the wedding, Tara shows up in Scotland, having fled in order to take back up with the horse trainer she had rejected three years earlier. But Ruary has moved on and is engaged to another woman. The next day, their father and her fiance show up, claiming that the marriage is still on. Blake isn't about to let himself be humiliated by Tara. But he soon finds himself far more interested in Aileen than in Tara. So we have two love triangles going on here. There is the one involving Tara, Ruary and his fiancee Jane. There is also a conflict with Tara, Blake and Aileen. The common denominator of course, is Tara. She shows up expecting that the man she had rejected will be ready to take her back, and is surprised to find out that he isn't. She's not at all happy to find there is a rival to her getting what she wants. Ruary is surprised to see her, but not willing to give up Jane. He does seem to waffle a bit at a couple points, but his intentions stay true, even when Tara succeeds at making trouble. Tara doesn't really want to marry Blake, but she's not going to give up the bird she has in her hand until she can catch the one in the bush. Blake has spent a long time trying to get the approval of his father, and marrying Tara seems to be doing the job. As a bastard, he's always felt a lot like he was on the outside looking in, but his marriage could open doors for him. He doesn't love Tara, but figures they'll do okay together. He is surprised by his reaction to Tara's sister, who challenges the way that things are done. The sparks between them are instant, but neither is willing to be dishonorable to Tara. Spending time together brings them closer until they can't help but react to their feelings. They want to be together, but Tara won't give up her claim on Blake, even though they've agreed they're not in love, and Blake can't honorably call it off himself.Aileen is the type of person who takes care of everyone else before seeing to her own needs. She had done what her father wanted and ended up in a miserable marriage. She's not happy about the reputation she now has, but is willing to live with it. When Tara shows up, Aileen is determined that she won't be forced into marriage the way she was. Though she does not approve of what Tara has done and what her plans are, she will stand up for her right to choose. She puts up a great argument to her father and Blake, but is floored when Tara suddenly announces she will go through with the wedding. Aileen tries to talk to Blake, but he is uncooperative. She also discovers that she is attracted to him, but as he is engaged to her sister, she won't do anything about it. That's hard to maintain as she and Blake discover how much they have in common and the attraction starts to heat up. By the time that they realize they are in love the wedding is only days away and Tara isn't budging.Tara's selfishness is about to ruin the lives of several people. The way she chases Ruary has caused problems between him and Jane. Ruary is slightly tempted by Tara, but realizes that the one he really wants is Jane. But by that time Tara's antics have sent Jane running and Ruary has to decide if he is going to fight for her. I enjoyed seeing what he did and how his story turned out. Once Tara discovers that Ruary is no longer an option she is even more determined to hang on to Blake. I really wanted to shake her and then lock her in her room till she grows up. I loved seeing her cousin Sabrina tell her just what a selfish brat she is. It begins to open her eyes a bit as she takes a good look at her life. As her wedding day dawns, Tara has to decide what she's going to do.While I understood Aileen and Blake's decisions to do the honorable thing, I really wanted to smack them both. Doing the honorable thing isn't necessarily the right thing and three lives would be wrecked by it. They really needed to take charge of their own destinies. I did enjoy the ending and loved seeing what Tara did at the church. I'm looking forward to her story and seeing what changes she goes through.

Lady Aileen has suffered from being married, to a man who was conceited and selfish and a brute. She has no wish to even come close to that type of suffering ever again. Now that her sister is engaged, she is happy for Tara even though Tara can be selfish and full of herself. Then suddenly her sister comes back home saying she has decided not to marry after all. Then her betrothed comes after her, and somehow Tara decides to commit herself back to her fiancee. Aileen knows that Tara is almost acting like a child, but loves her and is willing to do whatever it takes to make her happy. But what surprises her most is the attraction that builds between Aileen and Blake. Blake has worked his whole life building respect from others and refuses to lose everything to a fleeing fiancee, and if her actions are known could ruin him. So he goes after her, even though she is a beauty and would look good on his arm, he doesn't feel anything for her. But when he meets Aileen, for the first time in his life, he sees a woman he could admire and even love. Even though there is a barrier between Blake and Aileen, sometimes love does conquer but only if the two hearts involved are willing to fight for it with everything they have...The Bride Says No is the first in Maxwell's latest series the "Brides of Wishmore". I was given this ARC in return of a honest review. This is your typical forbidden lovers type of story. The hero is locked into a marriage agreement, one that could cause scandal and ruin if he steps away from it. The heroine is forced to fall in love with a man that will be her sisters husband soon. I have always been a big fan of this author, and I enjoyed the unique style of the plot and the way the story pans out in the end. This is quite a romantic setting. It is set in the countryside of Scotland, in the Regency era. I have read many Scottish romances, and this seemed on the border of a very lightly tinted Scottish romance. There was only a bit of the Scottish Brogue--that makes my body tingle. :) So this seemed more on the regency genre. I did enjoy the first meeting between Blake and Aileen, boy the room sparked I thought a explosion would occur with the heated exchange that begins. Definitely brings a smile to your face when a heroine isn't humble and meek, but is a fighter. Aileen's past divorced marriage, has forced her to look at things in a different light and I would put her in the "Bluestocking" category of heroines. She was a delight though. Blake has a commanding presence, arrogant in his own way, and sexy as sin. *sigh* loved every part of his characters. Now another key player is Tara, I had some serious issues with this gal. She seemed to have this superior attitude toward her sister I disliked and it was very tasteless, I kept thinking she needed a good kick in the rear or be tossed in the lake or something. Even though at the end she somewhat proves herself, it took over 300 pages to do it. However despite my frustrations with that character, I immensely enjoyed the chemistry between Blake and Aileen. At times it was sweet and tender, but then at other times it was hungry and passionate. One of my favorite aspects of this authors writing is how she blends those two aspects into her stories so perfectly. It is never over done. I always end with a satisfied sigh, and this book was no different.Overall this story seemed to be packed full of everything that makes a winner of a romance. Beautiful setting, magnificent characters, vivid detail, sweet romance, and a HEA!!! You can't get any better than this! LOVED IT!!

Great characters who I wanted to read about, an enjoyable read.

I think there's a hero in all of us. - John BubberThe above quote comes from the 1992 movies with Geena Davis, Dustin Hoffman, and Andy Garcia, portraying a journalist, con man, and homeless veteran, respectively. Their lives interest after Davis’ plane crashes, Hoffman rescues the passengers, but Garcia (as Bubber) is hailed the hero. How does a contemporary movie relate to a historical romance? Cathy Maxwell delivers an emotionally satisfying love story with characters, like those in HERO, who are not quite who they seem to be. Lady Aileen thinks she is immune to love after a scandalous divorce. Lady Tara believes she must the center of attention to validate her being. Blake seeks society’s acceptance despite his own financial success. Yet their lives interest in Kenmore, Scotland – a picturesque village on Loch Tay. Ah, the Highlands. Maxwell’s characters are not immune from Alba’s magic as they find themselves wishing for more in this new series about the Wishmore Brides. Maxwell takes advantage of every scene to create her own magic. For example, Blake’s valet unveils his Scottish brogue once they are ensconced in the country house. When Blake comments that he did not realize the valet was Scottish, the valet responds that coming home brings out the best in him. I find it appropriate that Maxwell sets up the love triangle(s) in Kenmore, Scottish Gaelic for “big head”. Several characters indeed have large egos that are ultimately humbled by a Corinthian, er, a verse from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7:Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.Maxwell shines as she humbles her characters – characters who come all varieties: gentry, villagers, beautiful, plain, successful, and disgraced. In one particular scene after Sunday service, Blake scans the church yard and observes the local folk. It is then he realizes that the trappings of London have no effect on the content residents of Kenmore. Nuances like these are Maxwell’s strength as she challenges readers to consider who is the hero in THE BRIDE SAYS NO. Getting back to the quote, the film HERO opens with the journalist (Geena Davis) accepting an award. She pulls out an onion, peels it at the podium, and demonstrates that no matter how much she peel away the layers, she find nothing new. The scene mocks the public's serach for something that may not be hidden but facing them in plain sight. The characters in THE BRIDE SAYS NO also peel back the onion, hoping to find the comfort that eludes them. Yet it takes several lessons in humility for them to realize that love is within their reach. Thank you, Cathy Maxwell, for this endearing adventure.Recommended read for fans of heartwarming romances. And, of course, readers who appreciate Scotland’s mystique.I received an ARC from the author for my honest review.

I LOVE Cathy Maxwell. Somehow she always manages to suck me in and make me fall in love with her hero and heroine. She gets the "love" part of a romance every time and for that, I will always be a fan. She's also witty and funny (heard her speak at a conference!) The Bride Says No is not a typical romance as Cathy explores several secondary characters and their love lives, but I quite liked reading about the different people on the pages. I wasn't a big fan of Aileen's younger sister, Tara because she was portrayed perfectly as a spoiled, pretty girl used to getting her way. But that was the point. And I do wish, the scenes with Aileen and Blake had been maybe more intense at times, but overall, I read until my eyes watered and could barely wake up the next morning! Well done. Can't wait to read the next one.

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After reading reviews on this, I almost passed on it but I enjoyed this story of Tara and her sister Aileen. From some of the comments, one would think that Aileen viciously stabbed her sister in the back and stole her one true love. What happened was much more complicated and less horrible. This is a tale of two sisters who were very different but who loved each other. In the world of regency England, women were given and taken by fathers, step fathers and brothers with little care to what they thought of their chosen. And, as with Lady Aileen, father's cared little what happened to them after the marriage took place. The brutality of her first husband ended her marriage in divorce. Even though her husband had been a brute, she was considered the ruined woman. Perhaps the relationship between she and her sister's fiancee' was a bit rushed but it seems she knew what she wanted in a man...and she knew that her sister did not want that man. Plus, I don't think Tara would have been happy with the stable man or with Blake. She needed to give a little and make her heart wee bit bigger. Tara and Aileen reached above and beyond what society demanded and the end was a happy surprise, IMO! And in the next book, (SPOILER ALERT) Tara finds her true love. So all is well that ends well.

I did enjoy this book. It was interesting that it was about the main H and h, but there were so many different story lines it’s hard to think they developed such a strong relationship in so little time with so little moments together. Don’t get me wrong I did enjoy those stories, but it would have been nice to see the relationship build more. Also, Tara did drive me nuts. She was so spoiled and wasn’t until the very end that she made better decisions. It’s hard to tell if she learned anything.

This was a fun easy to read story! I did it in one day since I had to find out what happens! Love the twist and turns and how everybody is jumping from their soon to be to be with someone else! Has the strong female, spoiled female, gambling father and a brooding hero! Series off to a great start.

This had interesting characters, dynamics, and a twist I didn't expect. Aileen is sweet and a bit of a mother hen. Tara is a brat and Blake is sweeter than I expected. The smut is pretty low key and it's more about the emotions than the "motions" ;)

Loved this bookMrs Maxwell is fabulous! I love her books! I cannot wait to read the next one in this series! Tara needs to find herself like Aileen did!

This was a cute story. I read it in one night. The only critique I might have, is that the main character didn't always seem like the main character. Sometimes it seemed like her sister.