A Perfect Bride by Samantha James
Published by HarperCollins on July 27, 2004
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Historical / General
Pages: 384
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The incomparable USA Today bestseller Samanth James cordially invites you to Regency England for a Sterling affair . . .
Perfectly Marvelous
Devon St. James must surely be dreaming! She closes her eyes in London's poorest slum, and awakens wrapped in fine linens . . . staring into the eyes of the most gorgeous man she has ever seen! Sebastian Sterling, marquess of Thurston, is clearly shocked to have a girl from the streets in his bed, though the heat of the desire burning in his gaze is unmistakable. But if he believes Devon will easily submit, he is quite mistaken!
What the devil has he done? It's bad enough their family is already mired in scandal, now Sebastian has to deal with the exquisite young beauty in rags he had impetuously carried into his home! Worse still, the lady is driving the serious, responsible marquess to distraction with her fiery spirit and breathtaking sensuality. But perhaps, just perhaps, with some of Sebastian's private schooling, this low-born enchantress can learn refinement and manners—and be miraculously transformed from merely his passionate obsession into . . .
A Perfect Bride
Pygmalion story. My favorite of all the great plot lines/myths of Western culture.
And while a considerable effort, I am not sure Samantha James is quite as incomparable as Avon pitches her.
There’s a hokey ending, which has a high sugar content but is critical for the story to be even remotely believable. And there is the hero who is perhaps not quite as developed as he should be.
And then there is the meat of the book…the transformation. This is where it really takes a dedication to hist-ro to slog through…its just boring. None of the delicious tension or witty banter.
But at least she tries. And tries.
That’s all I am going to say. You give it a whirl for yourself, and if you’re like me you’ll pull it from your stack when you’re out of newbies. Dust it off, and dive in as your toes touch the water of the tub.
And then, if you’re like me, you’ll fling it aside in regret of your choice and decide that you’d rather close your eyes and tell your own stories. Because A Perfect Bride is a less than perfect evening companion.
