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The Perfect Bride (The Dewarenne Dynasty Series)
Author: Brenda Joyce
ISBN: 0373772440
Publisher: HQN Books - 2007-08-01
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Book Details Customer Reviews
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Customer Reviews:

First Period novel after Jane Austen

Love the story. After reading Jane Austen's books several times, I was ready for another period story. This story fulfilled the need. This is the first of the deWareen Dynasty series that I read. Since reading this book, I've purchased and read 3 more of Ms. Joyce's novels--The Masquerade, The Stolen Bride, and A Lady at Last. All quite enjoyable thus far. Today I just ordered the rest of the deWareen Dynasty books.

Loved this one

The story grabbed my attention from the very beginning, BJoyce has done it again, it was lovely to see well developed characters. This is certainly a keeper. Please give us more of this type of reads. I always admired your style of writing and this is certainly one of your best. Thanks for keeping us well read and entertained.

Beautiful story!

This is one of the loveliest romances I've read in a long time. For once, the hero and heroine actually fall in love with one another, rather than just fall in lust, declare love, and get hitched. This is a love story. So refreshing!

The heroine, Blanche, is marvelously drawn. She is sweet, generous, mature, and truly lovely. She doesn't stamp and pout like other heroines, she isn't mean and cruel to her hero to keep the tension going, she isn't silly, she isn't stupid. She's a fantastic character.

Sir Rex is also extraordinary, to me. He truly is the tortured hero, brooding and dark, but unlike other "tortured" heroes he does not sulk or do inexcusable things and then blame them on past traumas. He is honorable and respectful and intriguing, kind and thoughtful, and very, very passionate.

I think what I like so much about this book is that the main characters are ADULTS, who act in a mature manner. And they truly respect one another, as well, and treat one another with kindness and courtesy. There's one plot point in the book where Blanche does hurt Sir Rex, but she doesn't do it out of selfishness or cruelty.

There are some problems with the book: historical inaccuracies, and there's an Other Woman of sorts in the book, which seems weird and out of place in this novel, to me. Typos also clutter up the pages. There are a few words and phrases that get repeated a little too often (people "breathe," "startle," and "cry" a lot in this novel, while "wide-eyed," and so forth) but it doesn't hurt the book for me.

But I do love this novel. Rex and Blanche are so good together, love each other so much, and are so good to one another. The plot is actually very melodramatic, dealing with hidden sons, murdered mothers, scheming maids, insanity, and combined with the bleak Cornish backdrop, it's very Gothic. It's a testament to Brenda Joyce's writing that I love every melodramatic aspect of it, and it doesn't actually feel melodramatic at all.

Wonderful novel!

Finally, Rex's story

The Perfect Bride's first encounter between the hero and heroine is so entertaining. Lady Blanche who (to quote Mary Poppins) is practically perfect in every way, literally stumbles into a room and sees Rex de Warenne engaged rather intimately with his housekeeper. Her sensibilities are astounded yet also piqued.

Lady Blanche is the perfect London hostess. She is totally devoid of real emotion. This was somewhat hard to believe because she seemed loyal to her friends back in London and was compassionate to others too. She suffered a trauma as a child and her coping mechanism is too feel no great emotions of love, passion, hatred and rage. Surprisingly this did not make her all together bland because she instantly feels emotional connections with Sir Rex.

Rex is absolutely brimming with emotion. He is a war hero but suffers from its trauma. He is reclusive and described by the ton as boorish. So it is with great surprise that Lady Blanche has come to his estate. She is there only because she has been duped by her well meaning friends into believing she has property interests in the area.

As Blanche develops feelings for Rex she also begins to suffer memories of her childhood trauma. Believing she is going mad she feels she has no one to turn to. She acts irrationally once or twice but fortunately, comes to her senses rather fast. Rex is loyal and kind hearted. It was easy to see why Blanch loved him.

There are some inconsistencies in this romance. For instance, Lady Blanche is totally unchaperoned at the estate. During Regency England, this would have forced an immediate marriage. However, I got past this because I genuinely liked the characters. This story is not as good as some of the other De Warenne novels but it has a certain charm. Blanche's awakening to love and passion is slow moving but believable. And Rex's determination to protect her from her memories and the horde of suitors for her hand is heart warming.

Inaccuracies killed the story for me

I could not get into the story from the first page, when the author states that a merchant's daughter was totally accepted by the ton due to the fact that the viscountancy was granted so long ago that everyone had forgotton. If her father died at 62, it must have been granted about 20 years before unless he made a fortune in manufacturing as a teen. Daughter of a viscount is not "Lady Harrington" (title only of a married woman) or even "Lady Blanche", have to be a daughter of at least an Earl. Also manufacturing fortunes were not made that early, much better to have her father been an East Indian Nabob.

Book would have been better set seven years after Crimea when some of the actions, woman staying unchaperoned at a unmarried non related male's house for over two weeks, for example, was not even commented on by the neighbors or anyone else. Most regency's would have her considered ruined after 1 night in such a situation.

Then having the hero when asked what he was drinking at his club, to ask for a Cabernet!!!!!. That is an American name for wine, never used in the 19th century.

Also being knighted for war service maybe, but a grant of property for service in the Napoleonic wars? No way. And what was the second son of a loving and rich earl doing being poor. Something would have been settled on him, most likely a minor property.

Plot was ok and characters interesting, but a real lack of conflict or villans made the book suffer.

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Editorial Reviews:

A childhood trauma has left Lady Blanche Harrington incapable of all emotion, least of all love. Now circumstance demands she marry, and Blanche dreads choosing from her horde of fawning suitors. For one very eligible gentleman has not stepped forward.â¦

A war hero and a recluse, Rex de Warenne has long admired Lady Blanche. Though fate and his own dark nature have robbed him of any hope for the kind of future such a lady deserves, Rex is determined to aid herâand keep his feelings to himself. But when their growing friendship leads to a night of shocking passion, Blanche's newfound memories threaten their fragile loveâ¦and Blanche's very life.

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