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whiskeyinthejar's review against another edition
2.0
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Adam and I had been kicked out, were running for our lives, and the morning sun hadn’t even risen.
Ruth and Adam had a whirlwind romance that had them going to Gretna Green to get married. Adam hasn't been completely honest about who is and plots involving his uncle stealing money that have him in danger, so before they can fully enjoy their happily ever after, evil snatches it away.
Fourth in the Advertisements in Love series, The Bewildered Bride gets the story rolling right away, almost too quickly for me. I haven't read the others in the series and for the first twenty or so percent I felt like I was missing some background or key information. There is some lying by omission going on from Adam and he isn't completely honest about how much danger his uncle is, leaving Ruth in the dark in a way that completely hamstrings her. I felt even more lost than Ruth with the plot about Adam's evil uncle, I'm wondering if there was some information about this in the previous book or if Adam and Ruth's relationship starts there, as they're getting married when we first start the book. The middle was a still a bit muddled for me but towards the end, the author untangled everything to make things clearer.
“I have to believe the good in him. He did not take me to Gretna Green just to have at me. We married. I was a bride. I was loved.”
The star of the show was definitely our heroine Ruth. Since no one in her family ever met Adam, they don't believe she was married, making her family having to rescue her from a brothel and then delivering a baby nine months later, a dark mark on her reputation. Ruth's mother and sister don't believe her story about marrying Adam either, letting their friends say hurtful things to Ruth. I felt for her and her pain was palpable on the pages, it was just the construction of the story plot that I couldn't completely get on board with.
On their way back from Gretna Green, they are attacked by men possibly sent by Adam's uncle and it ends up where Adam thinks Ruth is dead and Ruth thinks Adam is dead. Ruth doesn't have any proof that she was married to Adam and Adam has a tough road to travel before he can get back to being in control of his own life again. This is a great set-up for some drama but when our hero and heroine meet back up again, Ruth doesn't recognize Adam (the first time because she doesn't have her glasses on). Adam proclaims some weak excuse for not telling her and for the vast majority of the story, we have Adam lying to Ruth again and some unreliability that she can't recognize him. I just didn't feel the romance between the two.
Ruth was a strong and heartbreaking character with all she had to deal with, while I felt like I couldn't connect with Adam and his lying. The evil uncle plot was a bit hard to follow but the author did a great job of portraying the emotional and historical feel of the times; classism and racism. I could have missed some information starting with book four, if you're a reader of the series you'll definitely want to read this for Ruth and if you're starting here, be prepared to maybe be as bewildered as Ruth.
Adam and I had been kicked out, were running for our lives, and the morning sun hadn’t even risen.
Ruth and Adam had a whirlwind romance that had them going to Gretna Green to get married. Adam hasn't been completely honest about who is and plots involving his uncle stealing money that have him in danger, so before they can fully enjoy their happily ever after, evil snatches it away.
Fourth in the Advertisements in Love series, The Bewildered Bride gets the story rolling right away, almost too quickly for me. I haven't read the others in the series and for the first twenty or so percent I felt like I was missing some background or key information. There is some lying by omission going on from Adam and he isn't completely honest about how much danger his uncle is, leaving Ruth in the dark in a way that completely hamstrings her. I felt even more lost than Ruth with the plot about Adam's evil uncle, I'm wondering if there was some information about this in the previous book or if Adam and Ruth's relationship starts there, as they're getting married when we first start the book. The middle was a still a bit muddled for me but towards the end, the author untangled everything to make things clearer.
“I have to believe the good in him. He did not take me to Gretna Green just to have at me. We married. I was a bride. I was loved.”
The star of the show was definitely our heroine Ruth. Since no one in her family ever met Adam, they don't believe she was married, making her family having to rescue her from a brothel and then delivering a baby nine months later, a dark mark on her reputation. Ruth's mother and sister don't believe her story about marrying Adam either, letting their friends say hurtful things to Ruth. I felt for her and her pain was palpable on the pages, it was just the construction of the story plot that I couldn't completely get on board with.
On their way back from Gretna Green, they are attacked by men possibly sent by Adam's uncle and it ends up where Adam thinks Ruth is dead and Ruth thinks Adam is dead. Ruth doesn't have any proof that she was married to Adam and Adam has a tough road to travel before he can get back to being in control of his own life again. This is a great set-up for some drama but when our hero and heroine meet back up again, Ruth doesn't recognize Adam (the first time because she doesn't have her glasses on). Adam proclaims some weak excuse for not telling her and for the vast majority of the story, we have Adam lying to Ruth again and some unreliability that she can't recognize him. I just didn't feel the romance between the two.
Ruth was a strong and heartbreaking character with all she had to deal with, while I felt like I couldn't connect with Adam and his lying. The evil uncle plot was a bit hard to follow but the author did a great job of portraying the emotional and historical feel of the times; classism and racism. I could have missed some information starting with book four, if you're a reader of the series you'll definitely want to read this for Ruth and if you're starting here, be prepared to maybe be as bewildered as Ruth.
emmalita's review against another edition
3.0
I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Vanessa Riley writes diverse romances set in Regency and early Victorian England. As she says on her website:
Yes, Black People existed in the Regency.
Content warnings: rape, physical violence, racism
Ruth Croome Wilkey is a single mother and the daughter of a wealthy merchant specializing in fabrics. The Croome family is black. Ruth eloped to Scotland with her husband, Adam Wilkey, who passed for white. After a few days of wedded bliss, Ruth insists they return to London so she can assure her family she is well. Along the way, they are attacked and each assumes the other was murdered. Adam was sold to the Navy and Ruth was sold to a whorehouse.
Four years later, Ruth is back home with her family and her young son. Her diminishing vision and trauma from the attack have made her reluctant to venture out of the house. On top of that, no one believes her. They think she ran off with a man, was abandoned and ended up in a whorehouse. Her family and friends think Adam Wilkey is a fiction. She has no proof of the marriage because her husband took the record of the wedding out of the registry and tore it in half. Half went into Ruth’s trunk and half was mailed to his father. Tired of living in her parent’s house and living with the knowledge that no one believes her, Ruth has advertised for a husband and is on her way to becoming engaged to a barrister. Unexpectedly, the trunk she took with her on her elopement is returned with half the wedding record. Ruth decides to venture to her father in law’s house to see if he has the other half of the record. When she arrives, there is a man with a whip evicting the former tenants. That man is her long lost husband, but because she doesn’t recognize him, he claims to be her husband’s cousin.
I think Ruth is a great character. She is struggling to overcome trauma and make a life for herself and her son. She has survived almost four years of even her family thinking she is at best crazy and at worst a liar. She is down, but not out. She deserves a partner so much better than Adam, who never seems to learn the right lesson. In this case, I think the right lesson was, don’t lie to your partner about what’s happening and who you are. Adam lies to, or withholds the truth from Ruth repeatedly. When they eloped, he didn’t tell her who he really was or about his enemies. She was making decisions with out crucial information. When he returns and she doesn’t recognize him, he lies more. His lie doesn’t keep her safe, but is does inflict emotional damage. Adam insists to himself and others that he has grown and changes, that he is wiser, but mostly he seems to double down on his previous mistakes.
My issue may well not be your issue. I enjoyed Bewildered Bride enough that if secrets/secret identities don’t bother you, you should give this a read. I liked it enough that I’m interested in reading more of Vanessa Riley’s books.
Vanessa Riley writes diverse romances set in Regency and early Victorian England. As she says on her website:
Yes, Black People existed in the Regency.
In London there were over 10,000-20,000 that lived in London during the time of Jane Austen. The number has been estimated to be as high as 30,000 across England, Scotland, and Ireland. So with less than 28 dukes during that time period, who are you more likely to run into, a duke, or a person of color who found love?
Content warnings: rape, physical violence, racism
Ruth Croome Wilkey is a single mother and the daughter of a wealthy merchant specializing in fabrics. The Croome family is black. Ruth eloped to Scotland with her husband, Adam Wilkey, who passed for white. After a few days of wedded bliss, Ruth insists they return to London so she can assure her family she is well. Along the way, they are attacked and each assumes the other was murdered. Adam was sold to the Navy and Ruth was sold to a whorehouse.
Four years later, Ruth is back home with her family and her young son. Her diminishing vision and trauma from the attack have made her reluctant to venture out of the house. On top of that, no one believes her. They think she ran off with a man, was abandoned and ended up in a whorehouse. Her family and friends think Adam Wilkey is a fiction. She has no proof of the marriage because her husband took the record of the wedding out of the registry and tore it in half. Half went into Ruth’s trunk and half was mailed to his father. Tired of living in her parent’s house and living with the knowledge that no one believes her, Ruth has advertised for a husband and is on her way to becoming engaged to a barrister. Unexpectedly, the trunk she took with her on her elopement is returned with half the wedding record. Ruth decides to venture to her father in law’s house to see if he has the other half of the record. When she arrives, there is a man with a whip evicting the former tenants. That man is her long lost husband, but because she doesn’t recognize him, he claims to be her husband’s cousin.
I think Ruth is a great character. She is struggling to overcome trauma and make a life for herself and her son. She has survived almost four years of even her family thinking she is at best crazy and at worst a liar. She is down, but not out. She deserves a partner so much better than Adam, who never seems to learn the right lesson. In this case, I think the right lesson was, don’t lie to your partner about what’s happening and who you are. Adam lies to, or withholds the truth from Ruth repeatedly. When they eloped, he didn’t tell her who he really was or about his enemies. She was making decisions with out crucial information. When he returns and she doesn’t recognize him, he lies more. His lie doesn’t keep her safe, but is does inflict emotional damage. Adam insists to himself and others that he has grown and changes, that he is wiser, but mostly he seems to double down on his previous mistakes.
My issue may well not be your issue. I enjoyed Bewildered Bride enough that if secrets/secret identities don’t bother you, you should give this a read. I liked it enough that I’m interested in reading more of Vanessa Riley’s books.
izziede's review
4.0
It's okay.
A bit choppy in parts.
Mystery over the events during the separation esp concerning the heroine.
No intimate scenes with anyone other than the Hero and heroine.
HEA.
A bit choppy in parts.
Mystery over the events during the separation esp concerning the heroine.
No intimate scenes with anyone other than the Hero and heroine.
HEA.
izziede's review against another edition
4.0
It's okay.
A bit choppy in parts.
Mystery over the events during the separation esp concerning the heroine.
No intimate scenes with anyone other than the Hero and heroine.
HEA.
A bit choppy in parts.
Mystery over the events during the separation esp concerning the heroine.
No intimate scenes with anyone other than the Hero and heroine.
HEA.
librosamoralibros's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
beckymmoe's review
4.0
Reviewed on my blog, Becky on Books, on 8/15/19.
The Bewildered Bride is a sloooooow moving/slow burn second chance romance (though only one character actually is aware of their second chance status for 80% of the book!) that has a whole lot going on besides the romance. Revenge. Secrets. A hidden identity. Tragic and often-horrific pasts. A fatherless child who may or may not be illegitimate...
So. Much. Going. On.
Ultimately, The Bewildered Bride had a very sweet ending, but goodness, it took so much to get us all there. Adam kept his true identity hidden from Ruth way longer than he should have--I lost count of how many times she thought goodness, this [add in a thing about the baron here] reminds me so much of Adam! or his [fill in aspect of his person/personality here] is just like Adam's! Seriously, it was near constant, and soooo frustrating. She also did an awful lot of waffling between wanting to be with him--he made her feel so safe and protected!--and not trusting him at all and pushing him away. All part of being a "bewildered bride" I guess? The alternate first person POV (Ruth's) and third person (Adam's) was a bit disconcerting; I never did fully get used to it.
The drama with Adam's relatives, who were the villains of the story from start to finish was solid, though, and kept me turning the pages to find out just how many evil deeds they were capable of and how and when they would finally get their due. They did not disappoint, either in their villainy or in their comeuppance. ;)
This is the 4th book in the series, but it worked just fine as a standalone. It's not at all obvious who here might have even been in previous books (Ruth's sister, maybe?) so going into it not knowing anything about the rest of the series books wasn't an issue at all for me.
Rating: 3 1/2 stars / C+
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
The Bewildered Bride is a sloooooow moving/slow burn second chance romance (though only one character actually is aware of their second chance status for 80% of the book!) that has a whole lot going on besides the romance. Revenge. Secrets. A hidden identity. Tragic and often-horrific pasts. A fatherless child who may or may not be illegitimate...
So. Much. Going. On.
Ultimately, The Bewildered Bride had a very sweet ending, but goodness, it took so much to get us all there. Adam kept his true identity hidden from Ruth way longer than he should have--I lost count of how many times she thought goodness, this [add in a thing about the baron here] reminds me so much of Adam! or his [fill in aspect of his person/personality here] is just like Adam's! Seriously, it was near constant, and soooo frustrating. She also did an awful lot of waffling between wanting to be with him--he made her feel so safe and protected!--and not trusting him at all and pushing him away. All part of being a "bewildered bride" I guess? The alternate first person POV (Ruth's) and third person (Adam's) was a bit disconcerting; I never did fully get used to it.
The drama with Adam's relatives, who were the villains of the story from start to finish was solid, though, and kept me turning the pages to find out just how many evil deeds they were capable of and how and when they would finally get their due. They did not disappoint, either in their villainy or in their comeuppance. ;)
This is the 4th book in the series, but it worked just fine as a standalone. It's not at all obvious who here might have even been in previous books (Ruth's sister, maybe?) so going into it not knowing anything about the rest of the series books wasn't an issue at all for me.
Rating: 3 1/2 stars / C+
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
jillmlong's review
3.0
Grab your tissues, you will need them! This story of second chances was truly heartbreaking. The main character, Ruth, has been through so much and yet she is still standing. Her strength through so many hardships was the pinnacle of the story for me. However, I did not have any good feelings towards Adam. He was deceitful. I couldn't get past that.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.
molliemoments's review against another edition
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Torture
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
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