The Sherbrooke Bride (Bride Series, Book 1)

I read the "Sherbrooke Bride" and I'm looking forward to read more books from Catherine Coulter. I agree with a reviewer that wrote that this isn't earth-shattering literature, but it's a trully enjoyable read, fast-pacing, funny and with witty dialogues. Of course Douglas may sound as a beast at the beginning, but he's so outrageous that the whole affair seems hilarious. It is a fun read after all and not Dickens. Alexandra is a great heroine, loving him since a child and willing to forgive his mistreating her since she realizes that he feels trapped in their marriage. I like it when one of the heroes can see thgrough the other's point of view and not stick to their own beliefs and sentiments. The book is a most enjoyable read, one you never want to end and one I'm certainly going to read again!!! If you are not looking for serious historical romance try it. Else check mrs McNaught books.

But eihter way it will draw you emotional. There is just no way you can be neutral about this book. Personally I loved this book. In the begining I was a little disgusted at the heroines' charecter, but as the book went on she grew and developed into a stronger person. As far as Douglas being a jerk of coarse you would think that because he says some down right nasty things. The truth of the matter is he felt betrayed by his cousin and the heroine due to the fact that he thought they trapped him. So of coarse the reader thinks he just crawled out of a cave because we know the truth ...that Alex was acting out of love and we all knew that he was going to be Sooooo very sorry by the end of the book. If I felt as betrayed as he did of coarse I would feel angry and want to lash out, especially at the person I held responsible. If you notice over the rest of the book he realizes how wrong he has been and trys to rectify the matter. This would have been a very flat book indeed if the charecters were all perfect and there was no conflict. Romance can not always be wrapped in a nice neat little package and Catherine does a superb job of both charecter and plot developement. By the end of the book our plucky heroine knows just how to handle her man. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book for anyone who is in the mood for a tear jerking, heart racing, thought provoking, and long remembering romance novel for it will never fade.

As of today, THE SHERBROOKE BRIDE, is my favorite novel by Catherine Coulter. Honestly, after I read MAD JACK, I was thinking about giving up on her books. But I remembered that I enjoyed reading THE HELLION, as well recalled that THE SHERBROOKE BRIDE is the first book in the Bride trilogy, and decided to give it a try. And you know what? I enjoyed it tremendously! Douglas Sherbrooke, Earl of Northcliffe is twenty-eight and believes it has come time for him to marry. He remembers the VERY beautiful Melissande Chambers, and believes her to be the perfect wife. However, when Douglas goes off to France and sends his cousin, Tony to marry him to Melissande by proxy, everything goes wrong from that point on. Tony decides to marry Melissande himself, and marry Douglas to Melissande's younger sister, Alexandra Chambers. Alexandra has loved Douglas for three years, since she was fifteen. When Douglas returns home to his estate, excited and hoping to see Melissande waiting for him in his bedchamber, he comes across Alexandra who is total stranger to him. He soon finds out the truth from Tony, and begins treating Alex horribly. Near the beginning of the story, Alexandra puts up with Douglas' mean insults, hoping in her heart that Douglas will come to accept her. But gearing near the middle of the story, she loses hope and tries (many times, for your information) to return home, but Douglas always manages to stop her. ;) Awwwwwww. Soon the plot thickens, when Douglas' enemies from France come to England to harass him. However that is not the main plot of the story, you only get a glimpse of that near the beginning and the end of the story. The focus of the novel is, 'How does Douglas eventually fall in love with his wife?' That is the mystery, and the only way to find out is: Read the book. =) I loved this story because of the plot, the dialogue and the characters. Alexandra is very sweet, and I was kind of disappointed in Douglas at first, because he treated her so unkindly and kept comparing her to her TOO beautiful sister. But in the end, Douglas definitely makes up for his mistakes....

This was one of the first romance novels I ever read, was the first Catherine Coulter I read, and I still consider it her BEST!!! This is an EXCELLENT book!! I just had to add my recommendation to anyone wanting a fun read that had me, at times, laughing out loud. (By the way, it is the only one I liked of the bride series; I despise the marital rape in Hellion Bride, and Sinjin was disappointingly weak in Heiress Bride.)