The Accidental Wedding

A nice satisfying historical. The plot was familiar. Nobleman falls off horse in front of impoverished gentlewoman's cottage and she nurses him back to health. It was easy to figure out all of the mysteries and there were not unexpected plot twists. This was a fairly light hearted story. There was no angst.

There were several areas however, where the author did a better than average job and lifted this book above its competition. The writing was light and fluid. For the most part the actions of the characters were not wildly anachronistic and there was a fairly good sense the time period. There was some sex but there was more justification for it, at least the first time than most regencies today which seem to entirely ignore social show more mores of the time. The children were well written but did not overtake the story. The heroine stood up for herself without seeming to be just a modern woman in a long dress. There was one time in particular where the author set up a familiar situation and then totally had her heroine do something not normally done in romances. The heroine overhears the hero's aunt bad mouthing her to the hero's brother, an earl, all about how she is a scheming hussy and needs to be bought off. Instead of slinking away and crying and/or taking off for parts unknown, the heroine barges into the room and treats the old lady and the Earl to a tirade about their lack of manners and lack of faith in the decisions the hero makes. I was all "you go girl!" show less

Maddy along with her five young siblings, are all orphans since their father passed away. She has been living in a small cottage making it by on honey and the garden. When she finds a stranger slipping from his horse and falling on his head. Knowing that she just can't leave him out, she beings him inside her cottage, and stays by his bedside. When he wakes up, he has no idea who he is, and is injured and recovering from a fever. Maddy knows how dangerous it is to have this man in her home, but there is something intriguing about the man that only draws her closer to him. When Nash Renfrew finds himself in the care of a young woman and five children, he is fascinated by her caring nature. When his memory does return, he doesn't at first show more tell Maddy, wanting to kindle the desire that is growing between them. Maddy is not at all what he would wish for in a wife, but he wants her in his life even though he knows he could never give her love...but he can give her a life of passion and desire and tenderness.As the fourth in the series, I have truly enjoyed seeing these five friends, who are rakes, but to see love prove them wrong. There is a certain way about that way Anne Gracie puts together her stories. I won't say she is my ultimate favorite author...but I have truly enjoyed reading her works. The Fourth book is Nash's story. I do love a good amnesia story, and this one was well done. Sometimes they aren't always done very good, but this one had a bit more to the plot and I loved the witty humor that comes out of the story. There is also a fun lightheartedness about it that captivated me from the beginning. The five young children were absolutely delightful and they were a ROMP!! There is a instant attraction, but their relationship is more gradual too. We see how much they like each other, but the love side of things isn't instataneous. The level of sensuality was warm, not too strong in the story, but not light either. I felt like it was perfectly balanced along with the story line. The Accidental Wedding proved to be a memorable story that captured my heart from the first page. Definitely worth your time and you will not be disappointed. The only con I could see in this story is it takes a little bit to get into the story, but once you do...you will be hooked! :)

Favorite Quote
He slanted a wicked grin at her. "And am I all right? Nothing broken? In need of attention?"
His head and his ankle were injured: she'd been looking right smack bang in between. Where she had no business to be looking. She squirmed with mortification.
"It doesn't matter," she mumbled
"Actually I'm feeling a bit hot. And I'm sure there's a swelling. And it's aching. Are you sure you wouldn't like to check me?" His expression was pure, laughing devil.
"No, I--"
"Little liar." He reached out a lazy hand, cupped the back of her head, and kissed her.
It was a slow, soft kiss, warm as the morning sun, laced with the dark mystery of the night. Rich with promise. show less

I've come to the understanding that I'm a total sucker for stories where the rake/rogue falls in love with the heroine AND her adorable children (or in this case, young siblings). Georgette Heyer's [b:Frederica|311196|Frederica|Georgette Heyer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173644878s/311196.jpg|2128291] is a classic example.

In The Accidental Wedding, Anne Gracie takes a familiar scenario -- handsome injured stranger with amnesia nursed by poor but proud and of course beautiful young woman in a cottage leading to a marriage of convenience -- and creates a whole new story. All of the characters, but especially the hero, are charming, even the old dragon great aunt. Nothing is entirely predictable, except the guaranteed HEA.

A show more delightful read. show less

This book is part of Anne Gracie’s Devil Riders series. In it, she brings to life a wonderful story of two people who are product of their upbringing. Maddy Woodford is a respectable, single and hard-working young woman who lives in a tiny run down cottage raising her five younger half-siblings. Her life is made difficult by a father that left them destitute, an Estate Manager that threatens their home and livelihood, as well as a mysterious ghost that haunts them at night.

To complicate matters more, she now saves a life of a stranger who gets thrown from his horse in front of her cottage. While she tends to his injuries, and upon learning that he’s lost his memory, she tries her best not to get too close to him, but living in show more cramped quarters and during long cold nights, she inevitably falls in love with him. She does wonder, what will happen when her “dream” man remembers who he is…

Nash Renfrew, our wonderful hero has been brought up in a strict Aristocratic home with not one iota of affection from either his parents or servants. His only source of any kind of love came from his brother Marcus, much too snobby Earl. He is a diplomat with love of adventure that his job provides. He returns to England from his latest post in Russia to do two things: a) check on an estate he has inherited from his uncle, Sir Jasper Brownrigg and b) to find a suitable bride; one of high birth and impeccable breeding, someone who would complement his station in life.

All this he plans to accomplish in a month or so. On his way to view the Estate, he gets thrown from his horse in front of a cottage and upon waking up, he finds himself suffering of amnesia, in bed with a woman who seems familiar, yet is a stranger to him. As he slowly recovers from his injuries, and slowly regains his memory, Nash is determined to fight his attraction to the young lady that saved his life….

There is much to recommend this book: all characters were well written, three-dimensional and believable, (even the secondary ones). The children were charming, friends and the bad guys were all interesting, but be warned: the mystery of who is tormenting Maddie and her brood is predictable.

But, as much as I loved it (I TRULY DID; I’m an all time sucker for amnesia stories, as well as Ms. Gracie’s books), I still found it not to be original and just too similar to her Novella of “A Virtuous Widow” from 2002′s “Gifts of the Season”. Now, that story is an original and I HIGHLY recommend you find and read.

Regardless of all this, I had a lot of fun reading it as well as adding it to my Anne Gracie Keeper Shelf. show less

The Accidental Wedding by Anne Gracie
Historical Romance- Oct. 5th, 2010
4 ½ stars

Anne Gracie brings to life another wonderful Regency that is part of her Devil Riders series. I instantly came to love the indomitable and pure heart of the heroine and the dashing hero who comes to save her

Maddy’s loves her half brothers and sisters. She has finally found a home in a tiny run down cottage owned by the lately deceased Sir Jasper Brownrigg. They may not be rich but the locals respect her and her new found family makes her happier than she can remember. But this bucolic life is disturbed by the estate manager Mr. Harris who demands she pay an exorbitant rent or he will kick her out and a mysterious and scary ‘ghost’ that haunts show more them at night. When a dashing stranger suffers a head injury when his horse throws him Maddy’s tough life is made more difficult. But she refuses to let this handsome stranger die. However, even having an unconscious man in her cottage when she is unmarried could ruin her reputation. To complicate matters further, when the man awakens he suffers from amnesia! On his road to recovery Maddy can’t help but be charmed by his manners and kind patience to her brothers and sisters. But what will happen when the obviously wealthy gentleman remembers who he is…

This book was a pure pleasure to read! Maddy’s gentle heart and sweet goodness carry the story. She is a heroine that anyone will easily admire. The author’s writing is masterful. This caring and tender story captured my attention and never let it go. The charming brothers and sisters make for mischievous and delightful reading. I enjoyed how much they all loved and supported each other even if they were poor and often in difficult circumstances. The heroine’s spirit, courage and willingness to sacrifice for those she loved were heartwarming. Nash was a charming rogue and the moments with him and the children who adopted him are sweet and poignant. The only quibble I would have about this book was how much Nash fought against acknowledging his love for Maddy. Because Maddy suffered so much I wanted him to be her knight in shining armor immediately. I was very impatient with his stubbornness.

Heartfelt and charming this is a wonderful book to warm your heart.

Reviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book show less

An unoriginal pick-and-mix of historical romance tropes, unrelieved by either characterisation or narrative.

The first few chapters were delightful. A handsome aristocrat is thrown from his horse and suffers head and leg injuries right outside of the cottage of a beautiful, intelligent, impoverished, hard-working Cinderella stereotype. With the help of the brood of Trapp Family kids she’s raising, she takes in the injured stranger and nurses him back to consciousness and health. A nice meet-cute, but the annoyingly perfect kids should have started the alarm bells ringing.

Once the stranger recovers first his consciousness and then his memory, two or three story lines begin to develop, none of them interesting enough to keep this show more reader’s attention.

The hero proves to be not what he seems, neither does the heroine. A bunch of forgettable anatagonysts—mean gossips, miserly crooks, et al. are vanquished and the heroine proves her aristrocratic background with a perfectly executed curtsy.
The author writes well, if you ignore the anachronistic bloopers. Unfortunately the content is weak.
I
f I had to sum up this book in a word, it would be ‘generic’. show less

One of the best romances I've read this year. Anne's characterisation skills are fantastic.