No Man's Bride

It's pretty rare that I read a book-- even a light romance novel--in one night. So imagine my surprise when I not only read this book in one sitting, but I started it at around 11 at night and didn't put it down until I finished it in the wee hours of the morning! I love when I get so engaged in a book and I cherish when that happens. It was such an unexpected treat because I picked it randomly off the shelf at a bookstore one evening when I needed to pass the time.I'd never heard of Galen before, but I'm so glad I took a chance. She is now definitely one of the authors I'll watch for her new stuff. I'm disappointed to see that the other books in this series aren't written yet. I'm ready for the next one! Loved the hero (although I agree that it took him awhile to figure out she wasn't a schemer)and the story was just so so sweet (without being syrupy and eye-roll inducing). At times the heroine annoyed me a little because I think she was a bit difficult, but her background was more than enough reason for that and so it didn't bother me too much. I loved her relationship with her cousins and can't wait to read their stories! I agree with another reviewer-- if you like Lisa Kleypas, in particular the Wallflower series, I think you're going to love this one.

This is the first in a series of four books based on four young cousins who vow never to marry when they grow up and so they call themselves the "Spinsters Club". I don't understand one of the other reviewers who said this story was unbelievable because I thought the author did a great story explaining the abuse behind the behavior. Catherine Fulbright is the daughter of a noble family's second son. Her father is bitter because he never had any sons and he did not inherit his brother's, the Earl, wealth. He is a physically and mentally abusive alcoholic and takes out the brunt of his anger on his daughter Catherine "Catie". He allows his other daughter the hateful and cruel Elizabeth to join in the abuse. In his mind, at least he can marry the petite, pretty blond Elizabeth to a nobleman and reap financially from her match. One of their favorite abuses is to lock Catie in a closet under the stairs for days in the dark. A now adult Catie is terrified of crowds and crowded spaces as a result. Catie's old fashioned father decides that in order to marry off his younger daughter he must first find Catie a husband. Catie is terrified of men and vows that she will not marry. When Elizabeth becomes bethrothed to Quint- Lord Valentine, Catie is determined to scare off the groom to keep herself free of a potential match. Her cousins promise to help her prove Elizabeth's true mean, selfish nature. Quint knows he needs a wife to help him politically. Petite, pretty Elizabeth seems a good choice and his betrothal is announced. When Quint meets Elizabeth's sister Catie he is surprised by his attraction to her. She is a tall brunette, not the normal petite blond he favors. Also, she is a shrewish woman who takes every oppurtunity to badmouth her sweet sister. When Catie's father plots to further his own agenda, Quint is tricked into marrying Catie. Quint finds out he doesn't really mind and is actually happy to have Catie as his wife, but she must be able to help him further his political career. He discovers the abuse that Catie endured and vows to bring his wife out of her shell. What follows is Catie's struggles between fear of men and her desire to be happy with her husband and marriage. This book is delightful...serious when it needs to be and amusing in the appropriate places. Good series, great book.

Catherine Fullbright vows she will never marry when she grows up because she has learned the hard way that a woman is nothing more than a punching bag for a man's anger. So when years later her sister makes a match with Quint Childers, Lord Valentine her father decides that Catherine needs to marry first. This second son is not going to break the rules. Before the younger daughter could marry...the older on must. But Catherine decides instead of marrying she will simply break up the engagement of her little sister. There was no tender emotions involved in the match...it was for social and political reasons. But instead of breaking them up...Catherine finds herself marrying Quint. She is ill prepared for what her future holds and doesn't know if she can trust the kind and loving way her new husband treats her. Can this marriage actually work...and will these two people find a happy ending? Catherine and Quint were wonderfully crafted characters. Ms. Galen has treated the concept of spousal and child abuse fairly...making it an critical part of the telling of this story. She has gone a long way showing how growing up in this kind of environment actually forms the ideas and thought processes of the survivor. Quint is a perfect hero in the way he deals with his damaged bride. Despite the serious background Catherine has to deal with...this is first and foremost a romance and readers will not be disappointed. This appears to be the first in a new series by Galen and I can't wait to read the rest of the stories she plans on writing.

This is an excellent read. It is the first book I have read by this author and it will not be my last.

Catherine Fullbright has learned how nasty men can be having spent time locked in a closet by her abusive father when she was a preadolescent; she also observed males behaving like hedonistic pigs as she saw first hand how her scandalous father treated women. Thus as a child she and her three female cousins vowed to never marry. By 1811, Catherine's father needs his two daughters married off, but feels the eldest must wed first. Catie refuses though her younger sister Elizabeth is as always compliant, obedient, and nasty but also engaged to Lord Valentine. Dad gives Catie until tonight's ball to choose a mate or he will find her one. She and her cousins plot to stop Lizzie's nuptials, but her father trumps her. Catie marries Lord Valentine, Quint Childers; angering her sibling and making her new husband wonder when this wildcat hellion will destroy his political career as he planned on the compliant one as his wife. Still he enjoys her spirit, her caring about the welfare of others and that she seems to genuinely love him like he does her. However, he must persuade her to trust him as not all men demand strict obedience supported by punishment. This is an interesting Regency romance starring a young woman who learns as a child the excesses of dominating males and takes that lesson to adulthood as she has vowed to remain a spinster. Quint is a patient protagonist who reassesses his ambitions once he finds the wrong wife in his bed; he gives Catie time to adapt, but fears she will never overcome the abuse. Fans of deep character driven historical tales will appreciate Shana Galen's strong tale. Harriet Klausner