The Bride Wore Scarlet

Lady Wombat says:

After a reading spate of first-time romance authors, it was heavenly to return to an author who knows how to write -- how to plot, how to create interesting characters, and does it all in lovely prose. Though I'm not a big fan of the supernatural historical romance, the supernatural stuff here was linked well to character development. And meeting up with the children of lovers in previous books (Anais, the daughter of Catherine & Max, from No True Gentleman) and Geoff (who we actually met as a child in Three Little Secrets), who have a love affair of their own, is lots of fun.

The heroine has been training all her life be a member of the Guardians who watch over the gifted individuals all over the world but the fact that she's a woman denies her entrance. The hero is shocked to see a woman in his club and refuses to accept a female can ever be a guardian. But when he needs a woman to accompany him to Brussels to find and rescue a Gifted child, he must turn to her for help. She accepts the position because more than anything she wants to help people and see the world. The hero knows from the instant he sees her that, though she's no beauty, he's fated to desire her and want her above all others. He instantly regrets courting another woman and spends the first couple of days of their trip steeling himself show more against the urge to take her in his arms. The heroine has been burned by hansom men in the past and refuses to allow herself to be hurt again. The hero is by far the most hansom of men but she's intrigued by the fact that he doesn't seem to know how truly beautiful he is. Despite this, she's made a promise to her grandmother to marry a man from Tuscany and she's positive that she has the perfect man in mind with all the perfect characteristic and knows that the hero is not that man. At first, this certainly allows her freedom of enjoying his company and they soon become lovers. But very quickly, she realizes she's made a huge mistake is taking him into her bed because he's also gotten into her heart as well. I truly loved this story. The heroine is such a strong character. She's determined to accomplish her goals and will stop at nothing to reach them. She has a very open and welcoming nature and is able to laugh and tease the rather stuffy hero. Though she's at times stubborn and takes her anger out on boxing bags, overall, she's happy to be in a partnership with the hero and finds him to be good company. The hero has spent his life trying to rebuild the Guardianship and control his powerful Visions and he's succeeded at both. But now, he must strain to see any visions at all and when he receives them, he's often taken deep into a madness like state and is completely unaware of his surroundings. He falls in love with the heroine quickly enough to realize that he's never giving up on her and that this perfect man she's looking for is absolutely going to be him. He's possessive but in a gentle nonstalker-ish way and worries about her constantly as she takes risks on their mission. But he does believe in her strength and her capability to be a Guardian and in the end cast his vote to gain her membership. show less

Anais de Rohan has been trained to become a member of a secret paranormal society. After some to-do (the members don't permit females to enter), she is teamed up with Geoff, Lord Bessett, to go to Brussels to rescue a child who has paranormal abilities. Of course, the two have a sexual attraction, but Anais is sure that she is going to marry a Tuscan prince based on a Tarot reading done by her grandmother. So Geoff is Mr. Right-for-now and the two fall into bed while trying to complete their mission.
Liz Carlyle is kind of hit or miss with me and unfortunately, this book was a miss. Anais was kind of bratty and Geoff was a bit of a stiff. I could have gotten past that if they had grown together more, but this was another romance that show more seemed based strictly on the sex and not much else. show less

Liz Carlyle has long been a sure buy in the romance industry, and her latest offering, 'The Bride Wore Scarlet' should please those seeking a summer romance.

Carlyle's current series (which is not in this reader's opinion her best effort) involves the members of the mysterious St. James Society. Its members, who have a number of varying psychic gifts, act as guardians for other psychics who require protection.

'The Bride Wore Scarlet' introduces the beautiful and psychically gifted Anais de Rohan who wants to play with the boys and join the St. James as a full-fledged guardian. And when Lord Bessett questions her membership, the astute romance reader knows where the plot is headed. Anais and Geoff are off to Belgium to prove whether or show more not Anais is worthy to be a guardian as they plot to rescue a young psychic. Carlyle's readers may rest assured that both the rescue and hot sex will result.

Liz Carlyle has written some of the most complex, intriguing, multi-layered romance novels currently on the market. And while 'the bride wore....' series is not in their league, it's still far better done that much that's being published at the moment.

So while not a keeper, 'The Bride Wore Scarlet' is worth a look. show less

Liz Carlyle's second entry in her "Fraternitas Trilogy" hits the ground running and offers great romantic adventure all the way to the last page. "The Bride Wore Scarlet" is an enthralling love story with strong paranormal elements and a well-matched romantic duo. Anais de Rohan and Geoff Archard (Lord Bessett) are both gifted with special mental abilities and great physical prowess, making them the perfect pair to carry out a rescue mission for the mysterious St. James Society. This "sparks flying fast and furious" twosome act out a personal duel of wits and wills, leading to a challenge of swords and a surrender to sizzling passion! A well-paced, compelling romance!

Review copy provided at no charge by Amazon Vine

The premise intrigued me, and I wanted to like the characters, but I just couldn't get into it. The dialog often felt wooden, with too many bits of as-you-know-Bob worked in.

THE BRIDE WORE SCARLET by Liz Carlyle is an exciting historical romance set in 1837 London.It is written with depth and details.The characters will capture your heart.It has romance,sweet sensuality,
secrets,love,some magic,passion,mystery,the mysterious men of the St. James Society,and a dangerous mission to save a little girl whose has a frightening gift.Two unlikely people meet,are attracted,thrown together trying to save a little girl and her mother. Anais de Rohan and Lord Bessett must not only face danger at every turn but also pose as a newly married couple.Both have a special gift.Both are attracted to each other.Soon intrigue and danger will draw them closer together. This is a fast paced story full of show more adventure,intrigue,suspense,love and romance with a little magic in the fix. A great read. This book was received for the purpose of review from the publisher.Details can be found at Avon,an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers and My Book Addiction Reviews. show less