regency

Coulter rounded out the Bride trilogy in a very good way. If you read the books in order, you have watched Sinjun grow. Now, in The Heiress Bride, she is all grown up and has fallen in love. Take a ride with Coulter on the rollercoaster of dispair and delight that she has created for Sinjun. The bad, along with the good, makes this book a delightful, although emotionally draining, read that I will enjoy for many years to come.

Catherine Coulter's The Heiress Bride is a masterpiece on my bookshelf. The general flow of the novel is fast paced though it does slow down enough in spots for readers to catch their breath and their bearings. From the begining of the series you have watched Sinjun grow into her self, while in this hilarious novel, not only is she getting to know herself, but Colin Kincross as well.
Colin Krincross is the an impoverished Scottish earl, who needs an heiress to increase the estates coffers. Throughout this delightful tale they battle for the right to be the "man" of the family. Sinjun with her no-nonsense ways; Colin with his male pride, battle it out to create a delightful romance and slight mystery.
To find out who wears the britches in the family, read the novel. Though, be prepared to laugh, and be a little frustrated with Colin (maybe Douglas and Ryder, too). Enjoy one of Catherine Coulter's finest works!

Many women have spotted the man of their dreams across a crowded room, and knew they were gazing at their destiny. Sinjun Sherbrooke was no exception. She saw Colin Kinross, the Scottish earl of Ashburnham, across the crowded dance floor of a London ballroom, and couldn't stop looking at him. He was simply the most beautiful man she had ever seen.

At a later London event she searches him out, and this time overhears him telling a friend about his desperate financial situation, and how he needs to marry an heiress to save his home and his people. Sinjun quite boldly walks up to Colin and introduces herself as the heiress that she is, and suggests he could marry her. Colin is not sure how to react to such forwardness and doubts her identity. Upon meeting her brother Douglas, and sister-in-law Alex, he comes to realize she was truthful in her introduction.

After someone sends an anonymous letter to Douglas accusing Colin of murdering his first wife, Douglas postpones the wedding until the matter can be investigated. But Sinjun's love for Colin prompts her to run off with him and elope. Her new home is an old castle in Scotland, but many secrets await her arrival, and she'll need every ounce of her strength and determination to weather all the upcoming obstacles. Her biggest obstacle may be keeping her husband with her long enough to win his heart.

This is the third installment in the Bride Trilogy, and overall I did enjoy this story. After reading the first two books in this series, I couldn't wait to read about Sinjun, because she was such a great character growing up.

She's now nineteen, and during the first few chapters, I really felt I was reading about the spunky, forthright Sinjun who was so endearing in the previous books. Up to a point, the story was funny and refreshing, because she was the aggressor and had chased Colin. Plus the dialogue was witty; mostly due to the outrageous things she would say to him.

Then we come to their wedding night, and this is where I began to have some misgivings about this book. I don't usually find myself thinking the hero raped the heroine. I didn't think that in the first two novels, when other reviewers did. However, their wedding night consisted of Colin "taking her" three times. The first two times were painful for her, but occurred in rapid succession, so I was only mildly bothered by this. But when he "took her" the third time, and she was uncooperative and basically crying due to the pain, that was over the top for me. It was hard to view him as a tender and loving man, after he had basically used her without thought to her feelings, even though he apologized to her several times. Also, Sinjun's character seemed to change after this, and the humor in the story just wasn't that strong anymore. Not to say that I didn't enjoy the rest of the book, but the wedding night disaster remained in my mind throughout the rest of the story.

I really don't understand why the heroine has to suffer in the marriage bed. I read romances for enjoyment and escape. It's not enjoyment I feel when I read about forced sex. The other two books of this series, "The Sherbrooke Bride", and "The Hellion Bride" also contain forced sex themes, although for me, it was not between the hero and heroine in these instances. The thing is, Ms. Coulter is a talented writer, and unfortunately I am not sure I will read her anymore, past the Scottish Bride, which I've already bought.

I only deducted one star from my rating due to the forced sex issue, because the remainder of the story is quite good. I would still recommend this book, as long as you're aware of, and can get past the wedding night, to enjoy the rest of the story.