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The Bride (Lairds' Fiancées #1)

4.25 of 5 stars 4.25 · rating details · 18,105 ratings · 672 reviews

By the king's edict, Alec Kincaid, mightiest of the Scottish lairds, must take an English bride. And Jaime the youngest daughter of Baron Jamison, is his choice. From his first glimpse of the proud and beautiful English lady, Alec felt a burning hunger stir within him. This was a woman worthy of his fearless warrior's spirit. And he aches to touch her, tame her, possess he...more

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published June 5th 2002 by Atria Books (first published 1989)

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Dec 26, 2011 Kristen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance, favorite-heroine, humorous, 5-star, aar-top-100, favorite-books, julie-garwood, sweet-romance, spunky-heroine, endearing-heroine, fabulous-hero, all-time-favorite

Huge 5+ Stars

I loved this book. It's one of those feel good stories that leaves you smiling for days. If I was to sum-up this book with one word, "delightful" comes to mind.I honestly can't think of a better word to describe the experience I had while reading it.

Jamie has become one of my all time favorite heroines. Julie Garwood has a way of writing heroines that are strong willed without becoming annoying (hard to do in my opinion.) Jamie'sone of the most endearing character I've read. She's i...more

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Apr 05, 2012 Ronyell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: action-adventure, best-books-of-2011, book-series, books-i-want-to-own, chapter-books, drama, favorites, highlander-romance, historical-romance, humor-satire, manners, read-in-2011, reviewed-books, ronyell-s-epinions-reviews, scottish-books, julie-garwood, strong-heroine, strong-hero, sexy-bad-boy-hero, aar-top-100-romance-books-2010, my-blog-reviews

Now as you have noticed, I have been reading many historical romance novels lately and some of my favorite types of historical romance novels have to deal with Highlanders since the men in those novels are ultra sexy! Well, Julie Garwood’s “The Bride,” is definitely no exception and it was the first book that I have read from romance author Julie Garwood. “The Bride” is surely one hot romantic story that will set your romantic senses afire!

By order of King Henry and King Edgar, the strong and mi...more Now as you have noticed, I have been reading many historical romance novels lately and some of my favorite types of historical romance novels have to deal with Highlanders since the men in those novels are ultra sexy! Well, Julie Garwood’s “The Bride,” is definitely no exception and it was the first book that I have read from romance author Julie Garwood. “The Bride” is surely one hot romantic story that will set your romantic senses afire!

By order of King Henry and King Edgar, the strong and mighty Scottish laird Alec Kincaid to marry an English bride and who does he choose but a strong and independent woman named Jamie Jamison! At first, Jamie refused to get along with the mighty laird and Alec wanted to tame her strong heart, as these two are from two different worlds, they will soon realize that their different worlds might come together!

(Whew! Let me pull myself together here!) Alright, this book was so amazing that I am almost at a loss of words to figure out how to express my love for this book! Julie Garwood has certainly done an excellent job at writing this book as it is full of hot romance, drama and even a little humor here and there. I loved the way that Julie Garwood included so much humor in this romance novel as many romance novels that I had read in the past rarely contain a degree of humor. What I really loved the most about this book were the characters, especially Jamie and Alec, the two most interesting characters out of the entire book! Out of all the romance heroines that I have ever read about, Jamie had to be my favorite one! Jamie was such a strong and independent heroine as she had courage beyond all reason as she easily stood up to the supposedly dangerous Highlanders and can even fight like a lioness! I also loved the way that she cared for other people, especially her stepsisters whom she loved very much and how she refused to let anyone get in the way of doing her duties for her family.

Now Alec Kincaid, man he was truly something else that I had to save the best character for last! Alec Kincaid is easily one of the best heroes ever created as he is both gentle and strong in his nature. What I really loved about Alec Kincaid’s character was the fact that he is extremely strong, especially during the scene where he beats up a band of outlaws single-handily by using his bare hands (my heart is seriously pounding fast for the awesome power of this handsome Highlander!) I also loved the detail that Julie Garwood puts in describing Alec’s physical appearance, which is mainly muscled and huge and that makes him one sexy giant Highlander! I also loved the brief glimpses of Mary and Daniel’s relationship with each other and I am definitely looking forward to reading more about their relationship with each other. There are also many love making scenes that will have romance fans swooning over with joy and I was nearly swooning myself when I read these scenes!

There are many sex scenes in this novel and they are a bit graphic in nature, so anyone who does not like sex scenes might want to skip over these scenes.

Overall, “The Bride” is definitely a novel worth checking out and fans of Highlander romance will definitely enjoy this awesome novel and I am definitely looking forward to reading more of Julie Garwood’s works!

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
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Sep 03, 2011 Carolyn F. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, audiobook-and-owned-book

Re-read by audiobook. I also have the paperback.

The narrator did a great job for as bad as the sound quality is. I enjoyed the book the second time just as much as the first.

Complaint about the cover - she wore black to tick the groom off at her wedding so why the cover shows a girl in white is beyond me.

review on 12/18/09Absolutely loved this book, so funny and sweet. Just love the hero and heroine (as I do in most of her books). Totally recommend it.

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Jan 27, 2011 Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of heartwarming, humorous romance

Shelves: aar-top-100-romance, arranged-marriage, historical-romance, marriage, owned-copy, need-to-reread, medieval, scottish, favorite-or-autobuy-author, favorites, funny-read, possessive-and-or-jealous-hero, hero-i-loved, heroine-i-loved, heroine-drop-dead-gorgeous, character-is-a-healer-or-herbalist, warrior, warrior-woman, 2011-reading, january-2011-lk-group-read

I'm not feeling very literate today, so I am going to compose this review around a list of reasons why I loved this book.

Reasons Why I Loved The Bride by Julie Garwood

1. Jamie is a great heroine. Okay, she might have some Mary Sue-ness going on, although I hate using that term. She is really gorgeous, very nice, oh-so sweet, great at pretty much everything, giving, and self-sacrificing. However, she's totally loveable. For me, that's the opposite of a Mary Sue, because Mary Sues are characters...more I'm not feeling very literate today, so I am going to compose this review around a list of reasons why I loved this book.

Reasons Why I Loved The Bride by Julie Garwood

1. Jamie is a great heroine. Okay, she might have some Mary Sue-ness going on, although I hate using that term. She is really gorgeous, very nice, oh-so sweet, great at pretty much everything, giving, and self-sacrificing. However, she's totally loveable. For me, that's the opposite of a Mary Sue, because Mary Sues are characters that the writer tells you that you should love, but you don't. Julie Garwood has a way of writing heroines that it is impossible to dislike. Jamie is self-deprecating, and she has enough quirks that I wanted to give her a hug. I love her quick temper, because it usually ends up causing me to laugh instead of annoying me. I thought it was hilarious how she was always giving Father Murdock shillings to pay for indulgences when Alec got on her nerves (because he was sinning in her mind). She was very good at making lemonade out of lemons, and had a way of dealing with people that was fair but also had the people wondering what hit them. When Alec hurt her feelings, I wanted to hurt him. I was like, "Why are you being mean to this sweetheart?" Her heart is so big, that you just want to be friends with her, which is always a plus when it comes to characters in the books I read and enjoy.

2. This was a fun medieval didn't seem terribly inaccurate. Julie Garwood and I both know that she was playing some things for laughs. She's not trying to get me to buy this book, hook, line and sinker as 100% historically accurate, and that's fine. I found the setting to be believeable, and I was able to plausibly accept that Jamie could have lived back in the medieval times and married Laird Alec Kincaid. Good enough for me. Normally, I prefer books that are more historically accurate, but Julie Garwood is an author who gets the "Get out of jail free card" because her books satisfy in so many ways even if they aren't necessarily spot on in that way.

3. Alec might be the big, arrogant, "I know everything, and I will have things exactly the way I want them", but he was a really good guy. He learned pretty quickly that he loved his wife, and wanted to see her happy. He wasn't bossy and obnoxious. I found his arrogance endearing, in fact. He was tough and dangerous, as a Highland laird should be, but also warm and loving. Great combination!

4. Jamie and Alec were a great couple. The passion was sexy and hot, but also sweet. I liked that they both grew as people and grew together. As usual for a Julie Garwood hero, Alec thinks he is in charge, and that has his marriage all figured out, and Jamie will adjust to doing things his way. Ha-ha! Nope. Alec came to realize that his life was better for the chaos that Jamie brought into it. He was willing to give on things to keep his wife happy, although he was no pushover. That is not to say that Jamie wasn't willing to meet him halfway and adjust her life to his. She did plenty of that.

4. I love the fact that this book made me laugh, had its poignant moments, and had a little suspense. The suspense wasn't a huge part of the story, which is just how I like it. I'm not real fond of historical romances that are mainly suspense anyway.

5. Scottish Highlander books are just awesome to me. Yes, I realize that the Scottish Highlands aren't really like this. But, I enjoy my happy time with hot men in kilts with Scottish burrs, and claymores, and I'm a happy girl.

6. Like most of the Julie Garwood books, The Bride took me to that happy, warm and fuzzy place. There were plenty of 'sighworthy/happy joy-joy' moments, which made for an uplifting read. It was so lovely to read this book, and enjoy the zany results when Jamie and Alec met. It was like two storm fronts colliding head on, but the results were fruitful and delightful.

I've run out of steam here. But, I'm cool with that. Somehow, I thought I had read this book, because my memory is kinda bad at times, and I read every historical romance my library carried growing up. So, I assumed I read this one. But, I'm pretty sure I didn't now. So, I'm glad this was the January read for the Lisa Kleypas group. This was such a fun, loveable read, and it's yet another Julie Garwood book that's going on my keeper shelf.(less)

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May 20, 2012 Melanie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arranged-marriage, alpha-hero, favorites, historical-romance, married-hero-heroine, protective-heroes, romance, scottish-heroes-or-heroines, spitfire-heroines, virgin-heroine, travelling-together, owned, audiobook-duplicate

I loved loved LOVED this book! Jamie was so feisty, and spunky enough to stand up to hunky Alec, who had strict opinions about how ladies should act.. Good thing Jamie overthrew them all!! :-) Now one of my favorite books! :-)

7 likes · like · see review

Feb 11, 2013 Mitzi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: writer-julie-garwood, audiobook, genre-romance-historical, heat-3-boiling, heat-4-sizzling, narrator-rosalyn-landor

Very good Book. Love the narration! Reread/listened to audio book Sept 2012. Love it again!

6 likes · like · see review

Nov 07, 2012 Susanne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: everyone-should-read, best-couples, best-heroes, giggles, perfect-for-me, genre-medieval-romance, comfort-reads, buddy-reads

Outstanding and amazing! Where is the sixth star?

I waited forever for this book but it was well worth the wait - it was utterly amazing. I laughed so much. I am so glad that JG didn't listen to the expert who told her to downplay the humor and gave in to the urge. It was hilarious! But the humor didn't take away the divine romance between Alec and Jamie.

The trouble with too good books is that there is no words to do it justice. I loved everything about this book! Alec was an amazing über hot her...more

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May 13, 2013 LibraryLass rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: keeper, h-romance, 2011, mine, 2013

Fabulous! Another keeper from Julie Garwood. I love the mix of history, humour, romance and heat that Julie Garwood seems to accomplish so well in these older historicals.

4 likes · like · see review

Sep 15, 2010 Becky rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, owned, historical-fiction, 2010, blog_etb, humorous, reviewed, challenge-1010

I have to admit, I enjoyed this book quite a bit more than I thought that I would. I am not a romance reader by nature. I do enjoy romance in the stories I read. I just don't go for books in which the romance is the central plot or point of the story. Give me soul-crushing tear-jerkers about human suffering, or horror, or a classic, or, really just about anything else first. But I agreed to read at least 5 romance books for a friend's blog activity for September, so here I am, reading and surpri...more I have to admit, I enjoyed this book quite a bit more than I thought that I would. I am not a romance reader by nature. I do enjoy romance in the stories I read. I just don't go for books in which the romance is the central plot or point of the story. Give me soul-crushing tear-jerkers about human suffering, or horror, or a classic, or, really just about anything else first. But I agreed to read at least 5 romance books for a friend's blog activity for September, so here I am, reading and surprisingly enjoying romance.

The basic premise here is that a 12th century Scottish laird is ordered to take an English wife by his king, and an English Baron is ordered by HIS king to marry one of his daughters to him. Oh, the atrocity! Those Scottish are barbarians! The English are cowards and weak! Ack! Hiss! Boo!

So the marriage takes place, and all of a sudden Alec Kincaid, Laird of the Kincaid clan, is saddled with a feisty and not at all thrilled to be married Jamie (who has a man's name).

Hilarity ensues (at least to me) when their personalities clash. Oh my goodness, I found their disagreements and misunderstandings and attempts to rile each other extremely funny. In fact, I spent a good 3/4 of the book giggling to myself like a crazy woman. I think that it was this aspect, more than anything else that caused me to like the book. True, the lurvin' was pretty steamy, but it was admittedly a little repetitive too, as were certain ~~conversations~~ ~~disagreements~~ arguments between husband and wife.

On top of this, there was a secondary mystery plotline, which was meant, I'm sure, to ratchet up the suspense: Just when things are getting cozy, there's an attempt on Jamie's life! But the way that it was written felt awkward and out of place. There would just be a random paragraph from the Mystery Murderer at the end of random chapters, in italics, and in 1st person narrative.

So he thinks to take an English wife. Well, she's no match for me. I hope he loves her. It will make it all the sweeter when I watch her die and challenge him. MWAHAHAHAHAHA!

Yep, like that. Well, maybe without the maniacal laughter. That may have been an embellishment on my part. But I did hear it in my head every time I read one of these little sections!

There was very little that was historically accurate in the book. I mean, the big stuff, like the King and the clan feuds and that stuff, sure, but the devil is in the details, and it just felt a bit modern. The dialogue was definitely modern, but after a while I just got used to it. But I still wanted to mention it.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It was a quick read and provided me with some laughs, so maybe I'll look into more of Garwood's books in the future. ;)(less)

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Apr 29, 2013 Hanife rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance, 2009, own-a-copy, favorites, marriage-mated-bonded, alpha-male-character, medieval, reading-turkish, favorite-author, pregnant-or-children, scottish-romance, made-me-laugh

Bu yorum aynı zamanda Romancekolikte yayınlanmıştır.

Sanırım 3,4 defa okumuş ve Alec! Alec! diye ölüp bitmişimdir. Bu kitap benim ikinci iskoç hikayemdi. Ahh Alec, daşlığıyla yaktı, geçti beni. Höt, zöt tavırlarıyla içimizi eriten yaratık. Çok seviyoruz onu! Kızımıza bolca acıdım aslında. Hiç tanımadığın bir adamın eline düş, vahşi topraklara gelin git, adamın karısını öldürdü diye adı çıkmış olsun, peşinde birde katil yelloz olsun, bu kız acınıp, bağra basılmazda ne yapılır ha ne? Ama sonunda y...more

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Mar 12, 2013 Esra Çetin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Okuduğum ilk historical romandı... Alec'in kızın üzerinde bıraktığı ilk izlenimler, ondan korkması falan bayılarak okumuştum... Tüm o sertliğine rağmen Alec'in zırhının altındaki kişiliği sonunda ortaya çıkmıştı gelinin başına gelen talihsiz kazalar sonucunda... Serinin devam kitabında da nasıl bir baba olduğunu okuduk.. Ahh ahh ilk İskoç aşkım kendisidir :D İlk elime geçtiğinde art arda kaç kere okudum hatırlamıyorum.. Ama baya uzun zaman olmuş elime almayalı fark ettim.. Kapsamlı bir yorum içi...more

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Apr 27, 2009 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance-historical, medieval, highlanders, favorites, read-own, read-in-2009

Wow Wow Wow! This book was absolutely amazing! It's the very fist novel I have read by Julie Garwood and also the very first Historical Novel I have read and I am sold on both!

This takes place during a time when the Scots and the English despise one another. Alec Kincaid, a Scottish Laird, is ordered by his King to travel to England and chose an English Bride. He chooses Jaime, a stubborn and feisty young women who drives him crazy. As Jaime, wins the hearts of his people she also wins the hear...more

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Mar 21, 2012 Mili rated it 1 of 5 stars

i have to say i was disapointed by this book. i love Julie Garwood and she is a wonderful auther but this just didnt pass muster. the story it self was just fine, it's the characters that bugged me to no end. the way the characters were writen was very confusing because at the begining you are miss lead that the heroine is a strong and independednt woman who is capble and smart, yet a few chapeters later and a few conversations with her and all those descriptions are tossed out the window and in...more

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Oct 22, 2008 Red rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fun

A fun, quick read. Takes place in historical Scotland, when nearly naked kilt-wearing Scots were everywhere. I have no idea how historically (in)accurate this story is, and I don't care. The heroine has pretty modern ideas and manners, which I don't mind either. This story had a nice balance of eye candy, humor, steam and Kilts to keep me happy.

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May 13, 2012 Jenny E rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

** 5 stars **

This was one of those epic reads that I will not soon forget. I just loved everything about it...well not *everything* it ended, of course, and I wanted an epilogue, but we can't have everything I suppose! This book really had everything else that I love about romance novels. I will miss these characters!

I've had this book forever, but was a little hesitant to read it because I thought it might be dated, as it was publish in 1989, but with the exception of some "quivering" and "plu...more

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May 17, 2013 Joana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: alpha-male, favorites, highlanders, historical-romance, kick-ass-heroine, possessive-jealous-hero, read-2013, too-much-chemistry-for-me-to-handle

I need to say first, that I freakin LOVE this book!!!!

Now, let's crack up the review, shall we?

"It will be a frigid day in heaven before I marry you, milord, a frigid day indeed."
" You've just described the Highlands in winter,lass. And you will marry me."
"Never."
Exactly one hour later, Lady Jamison was wed to Alec Kincaid.

By orders of his king, Alec Kincaid must take an english bride. So alongside with Daniel, he goes to pick one of baron's Jamison daughters.
And well, after getting some ad...more

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May 15, 2012 Tessamari ♥Many Waters...♥ rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, lead-character-bad-boy

3.5 Stars

I must say, I liked the story, but I expected a little more. After all the wonderful reviews I saw on this, I was left a little disappointed.

The positives:
- I really liked the H/h. Alec was very much the alpha male character I love in my stories. Jamie was as likable as heroines can come. She worked her magic on him and his clan.
- I love when the H/h argue. To me, it creates a lot of tension between them and usually results in great chemistry. Alec and Jamie had opposing temperaments a...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Jilly rated it 4 of 5 stars

First, I have to say that the description just doesn't really explain the book. True Alec is forced to take one of the Baron's daughters as his wife and yes he picked Jamie ("It's a man's name"). The rest of the description doesn't really seem like the book.

Alec likes to tease and is gruff and demanding. He won't even consider Jamie being a bride in name only once he sees her. She, on the other hand, just assumes that would be the way of things as it is a marriage appointed forcibly by their kin...more

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Aug 03, 2012 Giulia~Bubbles rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favourites, highlander-romances, want-to-own, historical-romance

I love love LOVE this book! What a romance. Garwood had me captivated from the first pages right up to the end. I think what hooked me was the premise: two sisters being forced to marry Scottish lairds because their father is a fool who forgot to pay their taxes. I'm a sucker for these ridiculous storylines were the couple know practically nothing about each and have to marry and then fall in love.

But what truly made me love this book was the characters. I have to love Jamie. Now, most heroines...more I love love LOVE this book! What a romance. Garwood had me captivated from the first pages right up to the end. I think what hooked me was the premise: two sisters being forced to marry Scottish lairds because their father is a fool who forgot to pay their taxes. I'm a sucker for these ridiculous storylines were the couple know practically nothing about each and have to marry and then fall in love.

But what truly made me love this book was the characters. I have to love Jamie. Now, most heroines in these historical romances are usually feisty and stubborn and innocent and want to somehow gain some semblance of power or control over their husbands, and Jamie is no different. But I love how she does it! She doesn't scream or shout or play the serene little maiden. She just questions everything Alec tells her. And it's downright hilarious how it's her feelings everyone from the kindly old priest to her soon adoring husband are trying to protect. She also has the entire household's loyalty almost immediately because she saves Angus's life and becomes the local nurse to which even enemies are sending their sick children to for healing. Of course, that minor fact nearly starts a war, but it was only one of three she started with her cultural blunders, all of which left me literally laughing out loud because Alec would end up with that twitching muscle on his cheek that Jamie so worried about although she never realized she was the cause of it! It really is sweet how quickly everyone learns to love her and wants to protect her even though she's English and they all hate the English. And it's her kind, caring nature that wins all of them over. That and her spectacular displays of temper when she does lose patience.

As much as I loved Jamie's character, it was definitely Alec I loved the best. He first appears as the terrifying, silent and gigantic man that rumor has it, may or may not have killed his late wife. Jamie doesn't realize it's her he's decided in out of her four sisters, and wears black to the wedding after he asks her to dress in white, just to irk him. When he found this amusing, he won me over completely. Now, as is typical in these romances, he doesn't want to love her. He's marrying her because he was ordered to. It's a marriage of convenience and he likes the idea of bedding her. Her constant questions, which he perceives as her attempts to command him when he ought be commanding her, annoy and amuse him and he keeps intending to show her the way of things in a marriage. But it's all bluster as Jamie would say. It really does bother him that Jamie is sometimes afraid of him, and I love his efforts to control his temper so she won't be afraid. And with all the trouble Jamie gets into, he does have to control his temper quite a lot, which leads to that twitch. Their many arguments produced scenes of hilarity and sweetness, and the secondary characters who are witnesses to these scenes also had me laughing with their observations on Alec's change in behavior because of Jamie.

This story had a bit of a mystery too. From the beginning, it was clear Alec's late wife was a victim of murder and not at his hands, and as soon Jamie arrives at his home, it's clear someone wants her dead too. I kept flopping back and forth between a couple of characters, who I thought might be the killer, but really I wasn't sure and that also kept me engaged throughout the book. A really great read--a great couple that fit nicely together once they each get over their bluster stage with each other, lots of tender scenes, a good smattering of steamy scenes, great character development, a mystery, wonderful supporting characters and a HEA. Not sure what else we could want from a romance!

FIVE glittering stars. And this goes on my favourites shelf.

More reviews at www.devastatingreads.blogspot.com (less)

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Apr 15, 2010 FlibBityFLooB rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, marriage-of-convenience, era-medieval, scots-and-kilts, read-in-2010, loved-the-audiobook-narration, made-me-laugh, zzauthor-garwood-julie

This was the first book that I’ve read by Julie Garwood, but it won’t be my last. Garwood managed to capture my interest and tell a *very* interesting story that took place in the Middle Ages (1102 in England & Scotland). The basic premise was an arranged marriage mandated by the King of England and the King of Scotland between an English Lady and a Scottish Laird. It was definitely a fish-out-of-water plot in that the heroine had very strong negative pre-conceptions and opinions about Scots...more This was the first book that I’ve read by Julie Garwood, but it won’t be my last. Garwood managed to capture my interest and tell a *very* interesting story that took place in the Middle Ages (1102 in England & Scotland). The basic premise was an arranged marriage mandated by the King of England and the King of Scotland between an English Lady and a Scottish Laird. It was definitely a fish-out-of-water plot in that the heroine had very strong negative pre-conceptions and opinions about Scots as an English Lady.

I was highly amused by the banter between the heroine (Jamie) and the hero (Alec) throughout the novel. There was an ongoing battle for Jamie to win Alec’s soul time out of purgatory by paying indulgences to the local priest. She was *always* pulling more coins out to pay for more sins. It was kind of cute. Jamie, herself, had a knack for causing trouble, and she started no less than 5 wars during the course of the book. She was a spitfire heroine, but still managed to be vulnerable as a character. That is always a tough thing for an author to be able to accomplish with a character. I worried that Jamie would be too much of a feminist for the era that this was supposed to take place in, but I felt that Garwood did a good job of exploiting the fish-out-of-water situation to help mask the historical inaccuracies. Yes, this is not a historically perfect novel, but it was a fun read. hehehe

I loved watching Jamie try to win over all the obstinate Scots that she met throughout the book. The end scene was a reward for me as one of the many obstacles in her story came to call and had to be handled. I loved how the Lairds handled the last scene. Don’t want to spoil it if you haven’t read it, but it was very heart warming :)

My only complaint was that I felt at times that the story was too short. I would have liked to hear more about what happened between Jamie’s sister Mary and her Laird that she married. At first, I wasn’t sure if Garwood’s next book in the series would be about Mary, but I don’t think that it is. Then again, I am not sure if Alec/Jamie might be in the next book, so I guess I will have to read it to find out.

I listened to the audiobook for this novel, and though the narrator had a bit of a strange voice for the Scots in the novel, I really enjoyed the accents and things that she was doing. I think one of my favorite moments was when Alec finally told Jamie he loved her in Gaelic. It was a sweet moment and the audiobook narrator did a good job of making it sound like a tender whisper.(less)

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Jan 02, 2009 Alaine rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: romance readers who like their books set in Scottish Highlands.

Recommended to Alaine by: Sheree

Shelves: romance-historical

Maybe I was just in the mood for a really good romance but I loved this book. It reminded me of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew which is my favourite Shakespeare. The characters where interesting and the book had a twist to it that added an element of mystery to the story. Over the years my favourite historical romance books have all reminded me of Taming of the Shrew so I guess it's fair to say that I like the heroins to be strong and stubborn and I like my heroes to have a certain amount of...more

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Jul 23, 2009 Stevie rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: lovers of alpha males and spitfire women

Recommended to Stevie by: reviews and ratings of this genre

Okay, I loved this story. I happen to be a fan of alpha males and spitfire women. Alec is one of my favorite characters. You have to love highlander type books to love him. That said, my favorite thing about him is his character doesn't change once he finds himself in love. Some characters start out so strong and then change into someone else when their heart softens, but not him. Garwood gives her characters flaws so endearing and complete you can't help loving them. Jamie's always getting lost...more

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Jul 08, 2010 Shell Schroth rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I tried to like this book, I really tried.

I went into this story with such enthusiasm cause of all the fantastic rating my GR community had been given it. It had some great moments, I will admit, but they were too few and far between to make the story itself great.

In the past, I started another of her books,

, and couldn't make it past the first few chapters. I think I may have to admit this particular author's style, is simply not my 'cup of tea'

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May 01, 2013 Vizi rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is such a cute book. Even thinking about it makes me smile. Julie Garwood's historical romances are the best! Alec is an amazing hero. He is an alpha male who is ...well..perfect!! He is sweet but not very verbose;) Jamie the heroine is so funny. She made me laugh all through the book. She is beautiful, kind and well a little crazy. I understand why she drives him crazy all through the book. The best thing about this book is that it maintains the flow of the romance all thru but still manag...more

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Apr 23, 2013 Kiki KiAri HMS rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

This is the first novel, written by Julie Garwood that I read and until today, still one of my most often read novels. I never actually got the urge to purchase this novel but I just passed my wish (to my sister) to own it recently. I hope to get it SOON.

The story in this novel, somehow is a twisted version of "Cinderella" story in which it circulates around a main character who is a young lady named Jamie. Jamie is the youngest daughter of an English Baron who owes the crown money and in order...more

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Mar 31, 2013 Lover of Romance rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, medieval, historical-romance, scottish-highlands, top-favorites

Jamie is the youngest of her sisters, but is the one that has always protected them. For her that is normal, however for most families...its not. So when the king orders that one of her sisters marry Alec Kincaid, she is at a loss on how to comfort them..for they will have to marry a scot and a barbarian. However when she meets Alec, he chooses her as his bride. At first Jamie doens't comprehend why he would want to marry her, but knows that she has no choice, better her sacrifice than any of he...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Erinaceina marked it as unfinished-only-read-part

Shelves: 2013-reads, alpha-heroes, anachronisms-ahoy, historical-romances, marriages-of-convenience, mediaeval, tstl

It only took me five days and twenty-odd pages to decide that I really didn't want to read any more of this. To be fair, I knew that it was going to be anachronistic and, because I'm a medievalist, that was going to bother me more than it would in, say, Victorian romances. That's why I've by-and-large stopped reading medieval-set romances. But I was drawing towards the end of Outlander and really wanted to read a romance with a Scottish hero. I thought I could overlook the anachronisms, but, it...more It only took me five days and twenty-odd pages to decide that I really didn't want to read any more of this. To be fair, I knew that it was going to be anachronistic and, because I'm a medievalist, that was going to bother me more than it would in, say, Victorian romances. That's why I've by-and-large stopped reading medieval-set romances. But I was drawing towards the end of Outlander and really wanted to read a romance with a Scottish hero. I thought I could overlook the anachronisms, but, it turns out, I couldn't. I just felt that this book wasn't even trying.

Her name was Jamie. I knew this before I bought the book, and it should have been a dead giveaway. Her sisters had sensible names that actually sounded like they belonged in the period (Alys, Mary, and one which I forget now), but the heroine's name was Jamie. Every time I read it, I bled a little from the eyeballs. Equally, her father's name, Jamison, didn't ring true either. Was it meant to be his surname? There weren't any. Was it meant to be his first name? A name like that would be improbable. It may seem petty, but the sort of names you choose affect the atmosphere, the sense of place and time.

The hero and his friend decide who gets first pick for a bride by tossing a caber. Really? So, you go, find a tree, strip it, find someone to judge your competition, fling this log around at the English court... Couldn't you just toss a coin or draw straws? It just felt like Garwood was looking for the most Scottish thing EVER to settle a dispute.

This is set in England and Scotland around the year 1100, and yet there is nothing that distinguishes it from being any generic high-medieval setting. The Norman Conquest was within living memory, and yet there is no sense that this book couldn't be set in some generic version of the fourteenth-century. As members of the aristocracy, Jamie and her sisters would most likely have spoken Norman French, not English, and would not have thought of themselves as English. Just a couple of years earlier, England was invaded by Robert Curthose, Henry I's brother. There's no sign that this kind of event was even possible in the book.

Equally, the portrayal of Scotland could have been of a very much later period. During the time when this book was supposed to be set, parts of northern Scotland (such as Caithness) were under heavy Norse (Viking) influence. Of course, this is first and foremost a romance novel, so I wouldn't necessarily expect much detail on this, but I would have liked a sense of a Scotland which wasn't neatly divided into the Highlands and Lowlands and one which was not the same as the Scotland of the fifteenth century or the eighteenth.

It would have been extremely improbable for King Edgar of Scotland (or any king, for that matter) to have broken up a contracted marriage alliance just to make sure a baby got a good home. Not only would that be one way to really piss your more powerful subjects off, it would also be bad politics. Give me a plausible reason for this to happen, and stop making medieval kings into kindly, meddling uncles.

Oh, and the attempts to render accents/dialects. I don't know if they were meant to be yokel-y or medieval-y, but, owww, my brain, my eyeballs. Replacing is/was/were/are/am with 'be' does not constitute rendering an accent.
it.
Individually, I think even I could have dealt with these things, but taken together, they drove me round the bend. In addition to this, all the characters seemed like cardboard cutouts - oh look, a kindly, avuncular servant who shows how down to earth the heroine is! Oh look, her sisters are wailing idiots who show how practical she is! Oh look, her father had barely tie his own shoelaces - she's caring but needs someone to take the weight of the world off her shoulders! And Jamie herself was an egregious Mary Sue. I can deal with a little over-perfection in a heroine (more in a hero), but she made me want to yell and throw the book against the wall.

I know that many people absolutely love this book, but I just couldn't bear to go on with it. At least I've got Pamela Clare's Surrender on order now.(less)

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Mar 07, 2013 Ratna Novita Sari rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've just read this and finished about 4 days.
First I read this having a little bit curious of the background (Scotland, English, and their old tradition form clothes etc). But thanks that the translation (Indonesian) is not that bad to understand.
Nice story, romantic, but the sex was not that fully understand well cause it's only about kissing and touching but romantic that the way they talking and acting so touching me.
I recomend this to anyone to read who likes romance.
The ending is good too...more I've just read this and finished about 4 days.
First I read this having a little bit curious of the background (Scotland, English, and their old tradition form clothes etc). But thanks that the translation (Indonesian) is not that bad to understand.
Nice story, romantic, but the sex was not that fully understand well cause it's only about kissing and touching but romantic that the way they talking and acting so touching me.
I recomend this to anyone to read who likes romance.
The ending is good too and to makes me cry.

Ceritanya tentang Jamie(tokoh utama wanita) yang merupakan anak bungsu anak tiri yang disayang papanya (mamanya meninggal waktu kecil kuranglebih 7th). Disayang di sini bukan berarti dimanja ato gimana tapi lebih cenderung seperti pembantu, mulai dari berburu untuk mencari makanan untuk keluarga mereka dan mengatur rumah tangga dan juga sayang kepada papanya dengan cara-cara tertentu, dan juga satu hal yang penting dia suka membantu orang lain dengan menyembuhkan luka2 atopun sakit dan juga melahirkan. Jamie punya 2 kakak kembar dan satu kakak lagi namanya Mary yang jadi tokoh wanita kedua di sini.

Karena kelalaian papanya menyetor pajak pada rajanya mengakibatkan Papa Jamie harus menikahkan kedua anak perempuannya kepada orang Skotlandia.
Rencana awalnya papanya hanya akan menunjukkan ketiga anaknya dengan istri pertama kepada laki2 Skotland tapi karna Beak, pengurus istalnya merasa kasihan pada Jamie dan sayang jika Jamie hanya akan diperlakukan seperti pesuruh saja meski tidak sekasar itu, maka secara diam-diam Beak menceritakan Jamie kepada Alec (tokoh utama laki2 suami Jamie, karena Beak tahu papa Jamie tidak akan bercerita pada laki2 Skotland kalo dia punya anak gadis 4 org.
Dan tanpa sepengetahuan Jamie Alec telah memperhatikan Jamie waktu berkenalan denagn Beak secara diam diam.

Karena Alec memenangkan pertaruhan dengan Daniel (tokoh kedua sekaligus suami Mary) maka Alec berhak memilih wanitanya terlebih dahulu. Dan menikhalah Jmie dengan Alec dan Daniel dengan Mary. Lalu mereka semua diboyong ke Scotland. Dari sini sebagian banyak menceritakan tentang Alec dan Jamie.

Banyak konflik terjadi karena tradisi Inggris dan Scotland berbeda. Jamie yang dididik di Inggris sangat sopan dan lemah lembut, sedangkan Alec yang dari Scotland ya kasar dan cuek, tapi cinta pada Jamie hanya gengsi gak mau diliat seakan akan dia lemah kepada cewek.

Saat Jamie melihat si Angus prajurit Alec luka2 dan dianggap oleh anak buah Alec pasti meninggal, langsung mengambil peralatannya dan mengobati luka2 toh pikirnya kalo mati juga si Angus juga gak jadi masalah karna semua orang beranggapan seperti itu kecuali Jamie. dan ternyata si Angus terus hidup selanjutnya.

Kemudian datang konflik karena Jamie membiarkan kakaknya si Mary tinggal di klan Alec selama Mary mau yang jelas membuat Daniel marah dan akan mengajak Alec perang jika tidak membiarkan istrinya segera pulang (tapi ga seheboh itu kan mereka sahabatan).Dan lagi setelah itu dari Klan MC pherson menyuruh Mary yang merupaka sekutu Mc Pherson untuk membawa bayinya pada Jamie karna tidak mau minum susu dan muntah2, sehingga hampir saja klan Alec akan beperang dengan klan Mc Pherson karna Klan Mc Pherson tidak bersekutu dengan klan Alec, untungnya gak jadi wong babynya di tangan Jamie malah tambah chubby.

Setelah itu yang trakhir adalah Justin anak dari klan Harold yang merasa kegantengan tiba2 mencium Jamie yang langsung buat Jamie marah dan tentunya lakinya Alec juga marah dan menawarkan seminggu untuk mehyenangkan hati Alec (minta maaf maksudnya) ato kalo tidak akan mengajak klan Harold perang.

Tiba2 terdengar kasus Andrew yang adalah baron Inggris dan dekat dengan Jamie rencananya mau menikahi Jamie kalo seumpama nggak dikawinkan dengan Alec datang ke Skotland gak tau untuk apa. Tapi sebelum Andrew datang ke Skotland dan bahkan sebelum Jamie menikah ternyata ada kejadian di mana Andrew memberi papa Jamie uang yang sekalinya adalah uang untuk menikahkan alias kaya uang muka kawin.
Jadi Jamie rencana mau nemui Andrew sendirian tapi ketahuan Alec dan kalan kaln lainnya sehingga terjadilah pertemuan dengan Andrew dan klan klan Scotland. Dikira Jamie Andrew akan dibunuh sekalinya si Alec malah akan membayar uang yang telah dipinjamkan Andrew pada papanya Jamie dengan mata Ruby pedangya dan klan-klan lain juga memberikan batu di pedangnya kepada Andrew sebagai ganti uang Andrew( pas terakhir ini aku menitikkan mata WOW hebat Jamie sampai bikin orang berkorban demi dia ckckck)bye(less)

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Feb 22, 2013 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: highlander-romance

I just discovered the "Highland " novels ...at this point I have read about 5 of them and this is one that was recommended to me and it would be an I justice not to pass on the same information!!! If you are into romance novels, or historical romance at that... this book takes you back to times when Scotland lairds ruled their own lands and aside from their king, each laird governed the members of his "clan ". Speaking broadly on HIGHLANDERS.. the men of each clan are referred to as warriors, so...more

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Feb 05, 2013 Fanny Roswita Ria rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dastan, romance, funny

Setahu gw, ini sudah gw buat review-nya tapi kok malah belum ada sama sekali di goodreads?rating aja blm gw buat..ini kenapa mendadak amnesia yak gw??

Cerita The Bride ini, menurut gw, dikategorikan ke alur yang lumayan lucu dimana si Jamie, digambarkan seseorang yang cantik; polos; pandai mengatur rumah tangga; pintar berburu; suka jahil juga dan selalu positif thinking. Sedangkan Alex Kincaid, Laird Skotlandia, yang digambarkan begitu besar; luar biasa maskulin, agak dominan; sedikit humoris; p...more

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About Julie Garwood

Julie Murphy was born in 1946 in Kansas City, Missouri to a large Irish family. At the age of six, Julie had her tonsils removed and complications from the surgery resulted in a long period of recuperation. She fell hopelessly behind in school and never caught up. "I was a slow, slow reader," Julie says. "I hated it." At the age of 11, her mother discovered her daughter's secret and promptly enrol...more

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Quotes from The Bride

“She still hadn't caught on. Alec sighed. "Change your gown, Jamie, if that's your inclination. I prefer white. Now go and do my bidding. The hour grows late and we must be on our way."

He'd deliberately lengthened his speech, giving her time to react to his announcement. He thought he was being most considerate.

She thought he was demented.

Jamie was, at first, too stunned to do more than stare in horror at the warlord. When she finally gained her voice, she shouted, "It will be a frigid day in heaven before I marry you, milord, a frigid day indeed."

"You've just described the Highlands in winter, lass. And you will marry me."

"Never."

Exactly one hour later, Lady Jamison was wed to Alec Kincaid.” — 25 people liked it

“Go and change your gown, Mary," Daniel interjected. "I'm partial to gold. If you've a gown in that color, wear it to please me. If not, white will do well enough. I'm wedding you, Lady Mary."

Lord Daniel Ferguson caught Lady Mary before she hit the floor. He wasn't at all irritated that his intended had just fainted dead away, and he actually let out a full burst of laughter as he swept Mary up into his arms and held her against his chest.

"She's overcome with gratitude, Alec," Daniel called out to his friend.

"Aye, Daniel, I can see she is," Alec answered.” — 21 people liked it

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