The Wedding Escape (Orphan)

The Wedding Escape could have been no more than a runaway bride/reverse Cinderella story, but once again author Karyn Monk takes us below the surface, into the hearts and souls of her characters. The result is so much more satisfying this way! At first, we could consider Amelia and Jack a case of opposites attracting, but its the similarities and inverted aspects of their lives that I found most compelling. She, a pampered American heiress has to go into Cinderella-before-the-ball mode to find work and survive as her own person to discover her worthiness as a woman, not just a rich man's daughter. He, rescued from prison as a child of the streets and raised as the adopted son of good-hearted nobles, must overcome deep-rooted insecurity and disgust at his baseborn heritage to recognize his worthiness as a man.The journey of these two characters is anything but stodgy. Again, Ms. Monk imbues her stories with equal parts humor and intensity. There's no such thing as a smooth trip for readers as we go along for the ride. We laugh, cry, cheer and fear with these people. If we have to dive into some very dark lows, it only makes the bright triumphs that much more rewarding for Amelia, Jack and us.Ms. Monk always surrounds her main people with the most colorful clans of supporting characters. Jack's siblings, also all adopted from jails and the streets, return from the previous book The Prisoner, as do the funniest servant family you've ever read. These people make the landscape even richer and you'll fall in love all over again with each of them. (Thank goodness, the next book tells the story of sister Charlotte!)

Another winner from Karyn Monk!Amelia is an American heiress whose parents believe that it is in her best interest to marry an English title. Even if the groom attached to the title is an arrogant man who hates the bride. So Amelia takes matters into her own hands and climbs out the church window-and jumps into Jack's carriage. Jack grew up on the streets of London and knows what it feels like to be trapped and desperate and is willing to help Amelia in her escape. The only problem is the man she thought she was running to has found another heiress to marry. So Amelia must hide from her family to avoid her original marriage. Jack's siblings help Amelia get a job so she can support herself in her new life and they become great friends. But, of course, this happy scenario does not last long- in comes the evil fiance, intruige, old secrets and an plot against Jack.Overall, it was a great read. Well-written with an interesting plot and characters I grew to love. I can't wait to see the next installment that has Jack's sister as the main character!

Set in England, 1883. Amelia Belford was an American heiress. Her parents arranged for her to marry Lord Whitcliffe. They wanted his title and he wanted their fortune. However, Amelia wanted none of it! Amelia and Whitcliffe found each other to be disgusting. Only minutes before she was to march down the aisle, Amelia leaped out of a church window and into the coach of Jack Kent.Jack Kent was a seafaring Scotsman who was only in town long enough to see his family and then take off again. The damsel in distress put a chink in his plans but he felt honor bound to help her out of her mess. Jack planned to keep his family OUT of it though. He would deal with it himself. Problem was his family was a lot like his servants, most wee thieves and orphans hired right out of prison and put to work. So of course they would stick their fingers into the mix. In addition, Jack was having trouble with his ships. A saboteur was at work and Jack needed to capture him before he lost his business.Author Karyn Monk is a MASTER at turning madness, mayhem, and chaos into an exciting story that readers are unable to put down. I read only for a few minutes and was surprised to look at the clock and find out that hours had flown by. Exciting story from an amazing author.

Following the tender love story of THE PRISONER, Ms. Monk revisits Haydon and Genevieve Kent's family of orphaned children in her latest novel, which tells the tale of Jack Kent. Though some twenty years have passed since Jack became the ward of Haydon and Genevieve, the Marquess and Marchioness of Redmond, he is still unable to come to terms with his inauspicious beginnings, from imprisonment for petty thievery to moments of extreme poverty. When American heiress Amelia Belford chooses Jack's carriage to escape from her arranged marriage to the aging Duke of Whitcliffe, Jack feels compelled to abet her in her journey to London where she believes her true love waits. While researching the sabotage of his fledgling shipping company, Jack also discovers that Amelia's "true love" no longer pines for Amelia or her money. As Jack and Amelia escape to his home in Scotland, he reveals his well-hidden tender nature to her, and she proves that she can survive without the trappings of her wealthy upbringing. The depth of their mutual love instills within Amelia the confidence to obtain employment, and Jack is finally able to realize that his unspeakable childhood has not forever tainted him. But the journey to true love is never a straight path, as Jack and his siblings don disguises on their mission to recover Amelia when she returns to her parents' London abode. Ms. Monk's affection for history shines through in her carefully researched accurate details of the late nineteenth century. With the addition of a subplot concerning the whereabouts of Jack's biological father, she has penned a novel whose depth is enhanced by its realism. Add in a cast of enigmatic characters and a moving and sensual romance between two unlikely lovers, and you have a novel that is sure to garner more fans for Ms. Monk, whose novels never fail to enthrall her readers.

Set in England, 1883. Amelia Belford was an American heiress. Her parents arranged for her to marry Lord Whitcliffe. They wanted his title and he wanted their fortune. However, Amelia wanted none of it! Amelia and Whitcliffe found each other to be disgusting. Only minutes before she was to march down the aisle, Amelia leaped out of a church window and into the coach of Jack Kent. Jack Kent was a seafaring Scotsman who was only in town long enough to see his family and then take off again. The damsel in distress put a chink in his plans but he felt honor bound to help her out of her mess. Jack planned to keep his family OUT of it though. He would deal with it himself. Problem was his family was a lot like his servants, most wee thieves and orphans hired right out of prison and put to work. So of course they would stick their fingers into the mix. In addition, Jack was having trouble with his ships. A saboteur was at work and Jack needed to capture him before he lost his business. ***** Author Karyn Monk is a master at turning madness, mayhem, and chaos into an exciting story that readers are unable to put down. I read only for a few minutes and was surprised to look at the clock and find out that hours had flown by. Exciting story from an amazing author. ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch.