Reviews for The Bride Thief

The average rating for The Bride Thief based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-05-11 00:00:00 Elmer Mollett Reviewed for THC Reviews The Bride Thief was a delightful read in so many ways. It was utterly romantic, as sweet as the honey Samantha used in her hand creams, and frequently made me laugh out loud. This story was a fun, fairy-tale fantasy with an eccentric, plain-Jane spinster heroine who finds her hero in the form of a man who carries off would-be brides from unwanted arranged marriages. The Bride Thief was a charming tale that had a refreshing lightness and certain aura of innocence about it, with even the darker, more dangerous parts managing to carry some weight without being too heavy. With only one actual love scene, there isn't a lot of heat in this one, but I found that one scene to be just a little bit daring while also being sweetly sensuous. Jacquie D'Alessandro is masterful at creating a strong emotional connection and sexual tension with mere looks and gentle touches, and I've yet to find another author who does this quite as well. In addition, I absolutely love Ms. D'Alessandro's sense of humor. I found myself laughing every few scenes for the entire first half of the book. Eric being jealous of himself every time Sammie waxed romantic about the Bride Thief was hilarious, and Sammie's creative way of getting out of her arranged marriage, as well as a conversation with her three married sisters about birth control nearly had me rolling on the floor. Ms. D'Alessandro definitely has a knack for spinning tales that find a great balance between entertainment and emotion. Eric and Samantha were two of the most wonderful characters I've read in a while. Eric perhaps carries a bit too much guilt over not being able to stop his beloved sister's miserable arranged marriage, but it's also what drives him to be the Bride Thief and makes him a compassionate and progressive-thinking hero. He has a heart of gold and treats all the women in the story with kindness and respect, even the ones who aren't as deserving of it. He is also a very understanding man who sees beyond the outward eccentricities (read: geekiness) of both Samantha and her brother, Hubert, and in fact, finds both them and their scientific pursuits to be genuinely fascinating. Overall, Eric was very kind, caring, loving and a whole host of other adjectives. I don't think there was really anything not to like about him. To say that Samantha is an unconventional heroine would probably be an understatement. She is physically plain, right down to dressing in a very ordinary way and having poor eyesight that requires spectacles. She'd much rather be observing nature, inventing things with her brother in their lab, or studying the stars through their telescope than attending balls and soirées, not to mention, she's a firmly on-the-shelf spinster. While she's OK with the idea of not marrying and doesn't believe anyone would ever want an oddball like her anyway, Sammie does keep a diary in which she writes romantic stories about the true love of her fantasies. She is also very honest and plain-spoken, and I admired her boldness in just telling Eric that she wanted to be lovers and continuing to pursue him even after he'd turned her down once out of a sense of honor. All in all, I related to Sammie very well, and can't think of anything that I didn't like about her. The secondary characters were very entertaining and likable as well. I found Sammie's close family connections with her parents and siblings to be very endearing. Sammie is always patient with everyone including her melodramatic mother with her amusing planned fainting spells. It also went the other way with Sammie's three sisters adoring and protecting her in spite of the fact that she is their complete opposite. I also loved Sammie's interactions with her teenage brother, Hubert. They were certainly two peas in a pod, who probably understood each other better than anyone else ever could. At first it seems that Sammie is a protective, motherly figure to Hubert, but eventually the reader discovers that Hubert is equally protective of Sammie, which I thought made for a beautiful reciprocal relationship. Eric's connection with his own sister, Margaret, runs just as deep, and when she returns home after the death of her evil husband, their scenes are laden with emotion. There is also Eric's loyal stable master who is more like a father to him and is initially the only person who knows about his masquerade as the Bride Thief, as well as the magistrate, Adam Straton, who is determined to apprehend the Bride Thief but is also an honorable man who has harbored a deep love for Margaret for years. Overall, it was a very well-rounded supporting cast with personalities ranging from outrageously funny to deeply touching. I have to admit that after finishing The Bride Thief, I had a rare moment of indecision on how to rate it. I really loved the story and wanted to rate it a bit higher, but there were a few things that I thought could have been improved. The pacing was a little slow and uneven in places, and I found a small continuity error in which Hubert's age changed from fourteen to sixteen and then back to fourteen again. There was also some repetition in details, some of which could be cute and fun like the running thread of Eric and Samantha coming up with words to describe each other that all began with the same letter, but another of which had the characters almost constantly sighing over one thing or another. Although this was a pretty minor thing and it did always fit with the scene, I just thought that perhaps a little more creativity was in order. In the end, I think the thing that bothered me the most was that Eric and Samantha began the story with a very stark honesty to their characters which I found extremely refreshing, but then the major conflict devolved into the cliched misunderstanding which was a bit disappointing. In spite of the minor detractors that kept it from just missing keeper status, The Bride Thief was definitely a solid 4-star book that was an absolute joy to read. Anyone looking for a lighthearted, escapist fantasy that is a breath of fresh air should look no further, and after two lovely reading experiences in a row from Jacquie D'Alessandro, I'm certainly looking forward to continuing my exploration of her work.

Review # 2 was written on 2019-05-06 00:00:00 Grant Knutson "The Bride Thief" is the story of Samantha and Eric. Ok, I need to gush. AAAAAAAAAA!!! In this unconventionally charming read, meet our heroine Samantha Briggeham- the 26 year old plain-jane, spinster, eldest and the only unmarried daughter of the Briggeham household, scientist, inventor, lover of insects, pets, science, astrology and mentor to her nerdy brother Hubert. She lives with her forgetfully oblivious father, a zealously matchmaking mother; has seen three of her beautiful married sisters-thanks to her mum; and now enjoys imparting her vast knowledge to her youngest brother Hurbert. Yes, she is the combination of Mary and Elizabeth Bennett to her charming and gorgeous Jane like siblings. When her parents try to get her married off to a boring old coot, she takes it upon herself to get out of the situation. What she does not imagine is to be kidnapped by the infamous "Bride Thief", and be potentially "rescued". She instantly informs him of his error, yet is fascinated by the man who is willing to risk his life to give her a better one. When he actually delivers her back to her home, she becomes the talk of the ton- much to her chagrin! Everyone is fascinated by the one "bride" the thief did not disappear with, and it is at one of these particular soirees she meets Eric Landsdowne, the dashing and seductive Earl of Wesley. Eric Landsdowne took to rescuing unwilling brides when he was not able to rescue his own sister from an abusive marriage. He, however has never has he been fascinated by a woman as much as Samantha, the bespectacled, curious minded, honest woman who is smarter than all the chits combined. He tries to stay away from her, but cannot stop himself from involvement in her life, and her brother's too! Also, every time he looks at her, his heart goes "Mine, Mine, Mine". Strange, huh.. Soon attraction begins to soar its beautiful head. But while Eric is hell bent on avoiding marriage, so is Samantha. Both want a no strings affair, for their own reasons. But with the magistrate on his heels, secrets and lies brewing between them, and fate having its own plan, will they find their HEA? Endearing leads, fabulous plot, sizzling attraction, heartwarming scenes with engaging and likable secondary characters that add significantly to the story. I really loved both Eric and Samantha- she gave me a very Penelope Bridgerton feel- and that is always AMAZING! We also get a bonus love story at the very end, and overall the book just makes you feel..GOOD. Thank you GR for the suggestion! Safe 4.5/5