The Wedding Challenge

Author Candace Camp seems to be building to a crescendo in her intriguing Matchmaker series with the third of four books depicting love and witty repartee among the upper classes in Regency England. While I was increasingly engrossed by the first two books in the series, The Marriage Wager (Matchmakers) and The Bridal Quest, The Wedding Challenge had me from "Hello." Camp's true strength as a romance novelist is her ability to seamlessly weave subplots and minor characters into the main story. Here she has done that masterfully, and pushed what could have been a merely journeyman effort about the attraction of the sister of a duke and a secretive earl to highly entertaining first-rate romance. Lady Calandra, the much younger sister of the tall, dark and handsome Duke of Rochford, has decided to approach Lady Francesca, matchmaker to the rich and desperate, about finding herself a husband. At twenty-three and having enjoyed five years out in society, Calandra (called Callie by friends and family) is tired of hearing her continued single status harped upon by her grandmother and the other older ladies of the ton. However, Callie is determined to choose her own husband rather than pick from the boring, but upstanding, men who are being pushed upon her by the older set. In approaching Lady Francesca, Callie has a secret motive, however. She has met someone who makes her heart go pitty-pat, a new face on the social scene -- Richard, Earl of Bromwell. But for some reason her formidable brother has forbidden her to see the dashing Lord Bromwell. So Callie figures that she will be freer to explore romantic possibilities with sexy Brom if she is being chaperoned by Francesca, and is far away from her brooding brother's influence. What follows is a scintillating mixture of romance and revenge, as the character of Brom's sister, Lady Daphne, enters the picture and we find out that both Daphne and Brom have reason to despise the Duke of Rochford. They despise him enough to entertain thoughts about exacting retribution on him and on his unsuspecting sister. The question is: Just how far are they willing to go? The story unfolds just fast enough to keep the reader glued to the page. The sexual tensions grow, not only between Brom and Callie, but between Francesca and the enigmatic Duke. Readers of the first two books in the series will be interested to discover some fascinating history about Francesca and the Duke. But though this book sets the reader up perfectly for the final book in this wonderful series, it never strays from the central romantic story being told and does stand on its own. I love this series and recommend it highly to romance fans who love tightly-written prose and a strong story line which leads to a satisfying conclusion.

Although she is already twenty-three years old and many of her peers proclaim she is on the shelf, Lady Calandra Lilles is not rushing out to find a husband. None of her wannabe suitors have been able to face her protector, her unapproachable brother, the Duke of Rochford. At a masquerade ball, the Earl of Bromwell dances with her and for the first time in a long time she feels an attraction, but assumes he will turn into a coward when he meets her sibling. Instead to her shock, he shows his animosity towards Rochford. Intrigued by the reactions of the two men, Callie is further stunned when her brother orders her to never see Bromwell again; she asks why but he offers no explanation. Not afraid of her sibling, Callie obtains the help of friend Lady Francesca Haughston so that she can continue to see Brom although she knows someday a reckoning between her and the two men in her life will occur. The keys to the third delightful Matchmaker Regency romance (see THE MARRIAGE WAGER and THE BRIDAL QUEST) are once again the strong support cast and the hostile relationship between the two men the heroine loves. The story line contains mystery elements involving Callie's need to know why her brother and her beloved are such loathing enemies. Fans will relish Candace Camp's terrific historical as revenge appears to trump love. Harriet Klausner

I really liked this installment of the Matchmakers series. It was well written and thoroughly entertaining. Also it laid the ground work for the next book and left me anxiously waiting to see if Francesca and Rochford get together (I'm sure they will, but I can't wait to see how it unfolds). Anyway this was a really good read that is sure to keep you turning the pages.

I thoroughly enjoyed the third installment of the matchmakers series. I wondered how the author could possibly explain the past history for Francesca and Rochford but she delivered. I won't go into the plot--you'll just have to read it. But now, I have to wait until February for the finale!!!

Lady Calandra, age 23, is the sister of a Duke. Beautiful and well dowered, she is much sought after, but she has been in no hurry to accept a suitor. No one had really held her interest until the Earl of Bromwell came along. Although he would appear to be a good match and seems interested in her, the Duke orders his sister to have nothing to do with the man. Uncharacteristically, he refuses to explain his actions and much upset, Lady Calandra goes to stay with her friend Lady Francesca Haughston, the Matchmaker of the series. Lady Haughston does not know that the Duke has forbidden his sister to see the Earl, and under her watch eye, Bromwell begins to court Calandra. Although the desire between Callie and Bromwell practically sizzles on the paper, all is not well. The Earl has a sister with a grudge against the Duke and he pretends to himself and to her that he is only seeing Calendra to annoy the Duke. He has no idea how much of a troublemaker his sister really is, however. The plot is a simple one - a romance is building but an impediment must be resolved. The pleasure in reading the story comes from the characters themselves, the growing friendship of Calendra and Francesca, the respect between the Duke and his sister, the essentially honorable nature of the Earl. These are nice people, you want them to be happy. I appreciated the fact that the author has not exaggerated the characters to make an overly dramatic story. The Duke isn't an ogre but a concerned brother. Callie isn't a wild child but someone who carefully weighs her feelings against her brother's wishes and tries to do what is proper. The Earl doesn't set out to ruin Calandra but just to pique her brother. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.