A Bride So Fair

The Chicago World's Fair is a fascinating place to work, and Emily Ralston loves it. She's employed at the Children's Building when Steven Bridger, a handsome Columbian guardsman brings in Adam, a little boy who is apparently lost. The day passes, and no one shows up to claim the child, so Emily takes him home with her. Then a dead woman is found on the fairgrounds, and it's possible she is Adam's mother. The people who killed her are searching for the boy, and Emily and Steven combine forces to solve the murder before anyone else is killed. Emily isn't interested in romance, but her landlady, Mrs. Purvis is a matchmaker supreme, and she has plans for Steven and Emily. Carol Cox does a good job of bringing this fascinating time in our history to life. A Bride So Fair is a delightful historical romance with a fascinating setting and well developed characters.

This is absolutely one of the best books that I have ever read in my entire life so far. A Bride So Fair by Carol Cox is the first work of Carol Cox's that I have had the privilege to read, but I'm excited now about finding more from her. First off, of the edition that I have, I love the cover of the girl looking off in the distance holding the quilt, it is just beautiful! The other cover edition I've seen, with the main characters standing there, well it's okay, but not as fabulous as this one with the purple. This story was so hard to put down. I have a lot to read, so I figured I'd start this one and get through a couple chapters if I could. Well, next thing I knew I was half way through and unwilling to stop. Then I'm at the part where my heart is beating so fast I can hardly contain myself and I have no idea what is going to happen or how things can be fixed, and then my husband gets home... *sigh* So, I had to stop make his dinner, eat mine, and then I'm back on the couch reading as fast as my eyes will let me and my mind is comprehending. Then I realize I'm going too fast and have to re-read a couple of passages, but then I have my good rate back. *sigh* Such a fabulous story! There is a mix of romance, and intrigue, and pure suspense. This story is unlike anything that I have read, but at the same time there are smidgens of little things that make my mind tangent off to something else I once loved. Such as: Anne of Green Gables the Continuing Story, much of Anne I see in Emily, and of course Dominique in Adam. Then there is a hint of the fast paced "Oh my goodness, he is so evil! What can possibly happen?!?!" that I felt from Tracie Peterson's Yukon Quest series. If you want romance, it's here. History, got it. Mystery, oh definitely with plenty of cozy suspense. Really, I cannot urge you to read this book enough. DO IT!

A Bride so Fair By Carol Cox Emily Ralston, a young woman raised in an orphanage, is taking her first steps toward independence. She worked at the orphanage, even after she was old enough to leave because it was the only home she'd ever know. Now she steps into true adventure by taking a job working at the children's building at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, better know as the Chicago World's Fair. Emily and her friend Lucy are part of the crew that babysit for children while their parents tour the fair. Stephen Bridger, is a security guard at the fair. He and Emily meet when Stephen brings, three-year-old Adam, a lost child to the Children's Building. No one comes for Adam. The work day ends and Emily and Lucy, both raised as orphans, know what lies ahead for Adam if he's turned over to the police, as would be proper. Even if they only put him in the orphanage for a short time, it will be a traumatizing experience for the sweet little boy. The evil man who wants Adam, draws Emily and Stephen into a web of intrigue and danger. The danger only deepens when a body is found at the fair. A young woman who resembled very much the description of Adam's mother. With danger swirling all around, Emily and Stephen struggle with what's right and wrong. And Stephen's heroic streak won't let him hurt Emily, even as his decision to help her protect Adam could cost them their lives. This is the third book in Carol Cox's `A Fair To Remember' series. I have loved these books. The stories are great on their own, but Cox has done such great work setting the World's Fair up as a back drop that it becomes a character all it's own. Cox is masterful at using words to pull you into the story, as if you're riding that Ferris Wheel yourself, walking through the pavilions, seeing the wonders of the modern world, like cars and electric lights. It's very well done and my only real regret is that this is the final book in the series. I think Carol ought to write a book set in each and every building in that fair just to give us a closer look. But it's not to be. The summer is gone. The fair is closing. I will miss this fast paced series with it's rich setting very much.

"A Bride So Fair" by Carol Cox is an incredibly written romantic suspense novel. I love the play on words in the title - Emily is not only beautiful, she works at a fair. At the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, Emily works in the children's building to care for those too young to accompany their parents during the day. Stephen is a Columbian Guard who just met her and can't get her out of his mind. Young Adam has been abandoned by his mother at the fair, and is brought to Emily at the child care facility by Stephen. Then the tangled web of intrigue begins to unfold. It only took a few pages for me to really engage these characters. I am so impressed with Carol Cox's elegant writing. Her eloquence takes the reader back to the time period of more civilized days gone by. Her humor and vivid description make the novel sparkle! Tiny details of the time period add depth to this beautifully written suspenseful romance! Emily is a strong, yet feminine heroine and Stephen is a compellingly dashing leading man.

A Bride So Fair by Carol Cox is her third book to take place at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. In this installment, Emily Ralston is working at a babysitting service at the fair when security guard Stephen Bridger brings in a little boy who has lost his parents. But when no one comes to pick up little Adam at the end of the day, Emily takes him home to her boarding house rather than turn him over to the authorities who would put him in an orphanage. Emily's decision quickly puts her in peril when Adam's mother's body is discovered in a storage shed at the fair and his father turns out to be one of the most dangerous men in all of Chicago. Cox packs a lot of description and interesting info about the World's Fair into this suspenseful romance. Cox incorporates faith and history in an engaging manner in this romantic story.