To Catch a Bride Book

From Rafe's mad, death-defying driving as they race to the wedding of Harry & Nell (H/H from "His Captive Lady"), Luke senses that his BFF, the usually cool, calm, collected Rafe, seems to be exorcising some inner demons. Rafe's facing a bleak prospect of being the convenient instrument for Rafe's bro, who hatched the cold-blooded marriage stipulations that Rafe will marry the chosen bride of good breeding & bloodlines, beget his family heir & then his child will be raised by Rafe's bro & his infertile wife. Before he takes the plunge into holy matrimony hell, 28 y/o Rafe takes on a mission : go to Egypt & find Alicia Cleeve, the thought-dead granddaughter of an elderly wealthy lady, a good friend of Rafe's late grandma.

Equipped w/ only sketches of the long-lost gal & an interpreter, he scours Egypt & voila, he finally finds Alicia, by using Ali - the li'l pickpocket who tries to steal the sketches - as a bait to lure Alicia into his domain. After a hard-fought tussle, he discovers that the dirt-covered youth who tries to rescue Ali, is none other than the luvly spitfire he's been looking for. She's fluent in French, Arabic & English & is adamant that she's Ayisha, not Alicia. Rafe doesn't believe her 'cuz she's the spitting image of the sketches. She's been flying under the radar for 6 yrs by donning a boy's disguise (complete w/ a street urchin haircut) & living w/ Ali & Laila, a 35 y/o divorcee w/ a heart of gold, who rescued 13 y/o Ayisha from starvation & doom after her beloved parents' death by plague. Rafe cajoles & guilt-trips her into going w/ him to England. He's determined to drag Ayisha away from her current perilous half-life, kicking, screaming & rolled up in a carpet if necessary. When some thugs try to harm her as they suspect her real identity, her fate is sealed. Ayisha recognizes 1 of 'em as the same creep who had robbed her house & tried to kidnap her (young virgins are high in demand) on the nite her mom expired. She's reluctant to leave her adopted family behind, but realizes that word-of-mouth has spread that Rafe's sketches - that he's been showing around to people - bear a striking resemblance to her, hence her covers are blown. While embarking on a sea voyage back to England, Rafe's afflicted by fever. When the ship captain & crew freak out that it might be the much-dreaded plague & try to dump Rafe off ashore, Ayisha stands her ground, locks herself in w/ Rafe & single-handedly nurses him back to life. Another brownie point in Rafe's eyes.

Rafe - already smitten w/ Ayisha from the get-go - becomes more enamored w/ her. As he gets to peel away her layered secrets & grim tales of survival, the more he realizes that she's a rare find indeed : a dignified, beautiful, resourceful young woman w/ incomparable courageous spirit & inner strength that can't be found in any of the English chits of the ton. She's miraculously survived life on the street when the odds were stacked up high against her. She's unquestionably loyal & protective to those who matter the most to her. Rafe doesn't know what love is, 'cuz it's been a foreign concept to him all his life, ignored by his late father (who favored & groomed Rafe's older bro to be the heir to his family throne). The closest "love" he ever felt was the friendship he's nurtured among his circle of friends, who've been w/ him thru' thick & thin, who've welcomed him to their families' homes during school holidays. Now, he starts to feel another kind of love (he still doesn't label it so @ this point) tho', one that completely alters his outlook on life & puts his usual debonair façade to shame, 'cuz he seems to inadvertently put his foot in his mouth again & again in his dealings w/ Ayisha. Despite all his screw-ups, there's no question @ all that he's compromised her rep during their self-imposed quarantine & he must marry her. Besides, it'd be like killing 2 birds w/ 1 stone, a more-palatable solution, now he won't have to marry his already-chosen fiancée. It makes no difference that Ayisha has no wish to marry.

When they're attacked by pirates, she shows her indisputable bravery by fighting side by side w/ Rafe, even tho' he specifically orders her to stay put (this is romance, after all, so of course, she risks his wrath by doing the opposite LOL…), earning the respect & gratitude of the ship crew & the snobby high-born ladies on board. Rafe is incensed that a 19 y/o gal dares to defy him, a seasoned 28 y/o war vet. She's too gutsy for his peace of mind. Naturally, Rafe & Ayisha find a suitable outlet for their pent-up desire & growing attraction, after the fierce, bloody battle.

Even after all the trials & tribulations, her biggest challenge is yet to come, will her grandma welcome her whole-heartedly & believe she's truly Alicia ? Rafe also has to come clean w/ his bro' 'bout his intention to marry Ayisha & makes a shocking discovery 'bout his bro & SIL, in the midst of surprising twists & turns before reaching a HEA.

The 1st 261 pages of the book were 'bout 'finding & convincing the missing gal in Egypt to return to England' & their blossoming romance on the sea voyage. Too much was spent w/ Rafe's illness & nothing on the entrance into the ton, the built-up expectations came to naught. Woulda luved it more if we got more glimpses of how Rafe & Ayisha were able to muddle thru' the uncharted territory of braving the ton, even w/ the neat tied-up loose ends (can't really go into them but they're a li'l too pat IMHO). It kinda lacked the delightful charm & to-die-for heroes in previous ones I've read. Fortunately for those who dislike 2ndary romance, AG keeps her trademark to the bare minimum here, between Laila & Johnny Baxter, the English cousin of Rafe's friend who became a permanent Cairo citizen & who agrees to become li'l Ali's benefactor after Ayisha returns to her grandma's nest across the pond. Also, Ayisha never explained to Rafe why she didn't tell him all 'bout her deceased mom, we only knew her reason thru' her thought process as she eavesdropped. Rafe never questioned her during their final reunion. Rafe comes off more sympathetic, he didn't wanna tell Ayisha that he's already engaged & that his fiancée is a titled lady. He wants Ayisha to want him for himself. His feelings & pride have taken a good beating when his bro' callously set the terms of Rafe's ghastly wedding bargain. They withhold pertinent info 'bout their aspects of their lives 'till the end. I didn't think they really were soul mates, it's as if proximity & dire circumstances have pushed 'em together, but their lack of honesty w/ each other throughout the book made me feel a bit detached.