My Favorite Bride (Governess Brides, Book 6)

Samantha Prendregast could tolerate many things, but injustice wasn't one of them. Unfortunately, trying to right an injustice just lost her another governess position, and much needed references. So the proprietor of the Distinguished Academy of Governesses has exiled her to the wild Lake District of England, to care for six young girls at the Devil's Fell estate. Being a London girl, living in the country is a little frightening, what with wild animals and such. The most frightening part of her position comes in the form of her disturbingly handsome employer, and the unmistakable attraction that quickly develops. Colonel William Gregory, military officer and widower, always does the correct thing to keep his life in perfect order, and it isn't logical to give in to desire to bed your children's governess. Or is it? To fight his attraction, William invites Lady Marchant, pretty, rich, and with noble roots, to act as hostess of his house party. She, after all, would be his logical mate. Samantha stands up to him, contradicts him, pushes him to the edge, and he can't stop thinking about her. So much so, it's interfering with his work on uncovering the ring of spies that have been wreaking havoc. And Samantha has problems of her own, her six charges have gone through eleven governesses, and she's to be next. The children she can handle with a little cunning and guile, but their infuriating father is another story. He's becoming harder to resist, and what will he do if he ever discovers the secret of her past?First of all, I'm presently a huge fan of Ms. Dodd's work. However, this was my very first read by her, and knowing nothing of the author, I read it simply because the premise sounded interesting. It surpassed my expectations, and I went in search of the rest of the series. Now Ms. Dodd is an auto-read for me. Obviously, I didn't read the Governess Bride series in order, since this is the last installment. This book is not only one of my series favorites, but one of my favorite romances period. The number of reviewers who don't like this story because of its familiarity surprises me. Yes, I quickly recognized the Sound of Music inspiration in the story. Believe me, I've seen that movie more times than I can count. This book is still wonderful, and the story is strong enough to stand on its own merit. It's sexy, funny, clever, and fast-paced with interesting, well-developed characters. Samantha was the typical Ms. Dodd heroine I love - strong, outspoken, intelligent and independent. William was also strong, handsome and principled. And yes, his principles also made him rather inflexible, and he accused Samantha undeservingly toward the end of the book. Since he saw things in black and white, I felt what he did was in line with his character. But the secondary character that almost stole the show for me was Lady Marchant. She was delightful, and when she finally cut loose and we saw the real Lady, that was a treat not to be missed! This book rem

I really can't believe some of the reviews I have been reading about My Favorite Bride. However, since I haven't seen "The Sound of Music" (I'm really not sure how that's possible, but true) or read any of Dodd's previous governess series, this book didn't seem unoriginal at all, to me. I thought it was quite a welcome reprieve from all of the dashing rakes and noble ladies, etc, etc. I enjoyed every character in this story. Samantha was intelligent and humorous and entirely likeable. Since I'm about sick of all of the dark, dangerous, and mysterious heroes, William was refreshing. I thought it made the love scenes all the more memorable (read: HOT) that William was a straight-laced fellow overcome with lust. While William did get rather despotic, Samantha held her own throughout the book. William's children were adorable, and there are several very touching and humorous exchanges between Samantha and her charges. In response to those who thought that Lady Marchant's character was not consistent: expand your horizons; consider complex characters for a change. Lady Marchant was also unique in the fact that the she was actually an intelligent and thoughtful nemesis to the heroine. About the plot: I have to agree with other readers that most of the spies in the book would make quite horrible spies in reality. And the spy sub-plot is rather obvious and not all that suspenseful. But the rest of the book definitely makes up for it. The love scenes are fantastic, also. One reviewer complained that the love scenes seemed almost to emphasize force, which is crazy because in every scene Samantha was completely willing. There definitely was a theme of dominance and submission (hey, it went both ways), but that was to be expected with characters as strong as William and Samantha. And to cap it all off, the ending was just about the sweetest thing ever. To the reader who complained that William didn't suffer enough for his treatment of Samantha, that may be true, but his groveling in the end evened the balance in my opinion.

I have been a big fan of Christina Dodd's governess series from the first book. Each time I read one I think, there's no way she can write a better one, she has peaked. Then, she goes and proves me wrong. I truly loved MY FAVORITE BRIDE. The heroine was sassy and sweet, the kind of woman you want to be friends with. The hero was dark and enigmatic enough to be really appealing. And, as always, Ms. Dodd develops her scenes in a way that make the reader feel as if she has fallen through a time warp and landed in the scene. I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Dodd at a writer's conference last year. She was such a kind and generous person. I believe those qualities bleed over into her writing. More governess books, please.

The day I bought 'My Favorite Bride', I just couldn't fall asleep. The usual...too many things on my mind and a husband snoring contentedly (but loudly). So I got up to read about 11:30 and never went to sleep. The book is wonderful! Sure it's about a 'real family', but aren't all legends and fairy tales based on some real life event? A culture's way of explaining some event whether imagined or actual. I would think that out there in the real world, at some time and place, a 'Sabrina' has happened. As long as it didn't involve a poison apple and a wicked witch, most story lines have probably happened to real people.Buy the book, grab a glass of wine and some chocolates and escape the world of terrorism and politics for awhile.

Miss Samantha Prendregast is a former pickpocket, rehabilitated by Adorna (from previous Governess books), and currently a competent governess herself. Unfortunately, Samantha is blessed with a kind heart that can't bear injustice, and when she manages to get herself in trouble in London, Adorna sends Samantha to the wilds of the Lake District to be a governess to Colonel William Gregory's six daughters. Sure she's going to be eaten by bears and wolves, she quickly finds out the kids are a lot more trouble than any wildlife, and their father is a handsome despot. Soon she's got the kids eating out of her hand, but William isn't so easy to manage. He demands disciple and respect. Instead, he gets an intelligent young woman with a witty tongue who is far too attractive. With spies on the loose and a gorgeous woman in his house, William quickly finds catching the spies are the easy part -- more important, he must earn Samantha's love.Dodd wraps up the connected spy stories from IN MY WILDEST DREAMS and LOST IN YOUR ARMS in this funny, satisfying addition to the Governess Brides series.