Tempting the Bride (Fitzhugh Trilogy, #3)

Oct 18, 2012 new_user rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical

I feel like Ms. Thomas got too much whining from readers about too much angst in her books, and this Fitzhugh series is the result. They're light on everything... Short. I would have liked some more good times between Hastings and Helena, maybe learn more about them, get more profound moments. As it is, he was really sweet, especially with daughter Bea, although it is either pompous or cowardly to confess one's love via manuscript.

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Nov 17, 2012 willaful rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: unrequited-love, reunited-or-have-history, o-performer-artist-creative, special-needs-autism, series, amnesia, heroines-behaving-badly

If you've read the previous books in this series -- or the erotic short story "written" by Hastings, "the Bride of Larkspear," you'll know there's several ways this enemies-to-lovers story could have gone. One would have been for Helena's indiscretions with her married lover to have forced her to marry Hastings, as he half expected, dreaded, and fantasized about in "the Bride." Another would have been for Helena to have read the manuscript of "the Bride" that Hastings gave her in Ravishing the H ...more If you've read the previous books in this series -- or the erotic short story "written" by Hastings, "the Bride of Larkspear," you'll know there's several ways this enemies-to-lovers story could have gone. One would have been for Helena's indiscretions with her married lover to have forced her to marry Hastings, as he half expected, dreaded, and fantasized about in "the Bride." Another would have been for Helena to have read the manuscript of "the Bride" that Hastings gave her in Ravishing the Heiress, realized that his nasty exterior was a facade hiding his hopeless love for her, and reevaulated her own feelings towards him in light of that.

Thomas chose to go a different route -- although the forced marriage does kinda sorta happen. An accident causes Helena to lose memories of half her life -- the half in which she knew Hastings. Which leaves her open to realizing that he's a very attractive man and intensely devoted to her.

Since Helena has known Hastings since she was 14, her memory loss has to go back pretty far; however, for the story not to be extremely icky, she has to still feel herself to be a grown woman. I'm not sure how medically realistic this is -- though when you think about it, it's actually fairly plausible -- but it was a little jarring. Still, I liked that Helena was definitely still Helena, not a blank slate -- she's as tough, stubborn, and opinionated as ever. She isn't driven into Hastings' arms through feeling lost and vulnerable, as you might expect. And there's another way in which this isn't a typical amnesia romance: (view spoiler)

The emotion in this story comes primarily from Hastings -- finally getting the chance to earn Helena's love, but knowing that at any second it could be snatched away from him. I was touched when Helena, not realizing it's for the second time, sees the rooms he had prepared and painted for her -- "taking in the panorama that had taken him years to complete, through many a frustrated Season, when reaching her had seemed no more feasible than holding starlight in his hands." Not only is she then emotionally able to fully appreciate what he did, but he is finally able to admit that yes, he had gone to a great deal of trouble specifically to please her, rather than passing it off as nothing.

I have to agree with other reviewers that this story wasn't as rich or emotional as Thomas' previous work; in fact, "the Bride" was not just filthier, but considerably angstier. (view spoiler) Also, the story is a little too similar to Ravishing the Heiress (in fact, every member of the Fitzhugh family was the object of long-term unrequited love in this series. It should be called, "There's Something About the Fitzhughs.") It's still very well written, and the banter between Helena and Hastings is sharp and witty, especially when playfulness is added to the mix. But I hope to see Thomas go back to the more powerful writing of her standalone books.(less)

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Oct 07, 2012 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle-edition, historical-romance

Ms. Thomas continues to write wonderfully romantic and tender love stories with a dark and sexy twist. "Tempting the Bride" is the perfect ending to the the Fitzhugh trilogy. Through out the first two books we witness the strained relationship between Helena and David. The couple has know each other since they were very young. David fell in love at first sight..and Helena couldn't stand him. Everyone else in Helena's family knows that David is in love with her, but she doesn't have a clue. In th...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Kelly22 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of Sherry Thomas and the series/Fans of unrequited love.

Shelves: 2012-releases, 2012-historicals, viscount-earl-marquess, traumatized-abused-heroine, sweet-reunions-second-chances, previous-ties, powerful-secondaries, historical-romance, hero-smitten-in-love-in-pursuit, hero-accomplished-lover, family-moments, enemy-to-lover, childhood-ties, banter-all-the-way, gorgeous-handsome-attractive-hero, weak-unsatisfactory-ending, silver-tongued-sweet-talker-hero, made-me-cry, love-triangle, intense-powerful-storyline, hidden-or-mistaken-identity, hh-single-parent, heroine-wild-child-unconventional, heroine-unworthy-of-hero, heroine-annoying, hero-i-am-crazy-abt, hero-good-boy-gentleman, hero-gods-gift-to-woman, hero-flirt-playful-skilled-charmer, favorite-hero, beta-hero, beloved-favorites

4.00 Stars - Historical Romance/1895 England.

David Hillsborough, Viscount Hastings, loved Helena Fitzhugh all his life. She in turn has an outrageous liaison with another married man she always loved. When a clandestine rendezvous with the said man goes wrong, David happens to be the only man who can help to put matter into rights by sprouting a false tale of her eloping with him! But since childhood, they have an odious relationship in which Helena heartily hated David, and David energetically...more 4.00 Stars - Historical Romance/1895 England.

David Hillsborough, Viscount Hastings, loved Helena Fitzhugh all his life. She in turn has an outrageous liaison with another married man she always loved. When a clandestine rendezvous with the said man goes wrong, David happens to be the only man who can help to put matter into rights by sprouting a false tale of her eloping with him! But since childhood, they have an odious relationship in which Helena heartily hated David, and David energetically plagued and mocked her to save his pride and hide his unrequited love. Then suddenly an accident causes Helena to lose her memory. Now Helena thinks she is David’s wife. David, the most charmingly handsome man she has ever seen! David, with a startling voice of a man who could stop the wars between heaven and hell only if he chose to coax! In absence of her past and presence of the enigmatic David, Helena finds herself very much drawn to the man in all regards, who as well returns the favor.

But what happens when her memory comes back? Will her present emotions prove strong enough to dominate her past feelings or will she resolute to choose her past passion and aspiration over her present to raise and build her ultimate future?

Known for her inspirational and powerfully emotional romances, Sherry Thomas writes another vivaciously innovative story. This book has an enchanting blend of strong plotting, inventive character depictions, thoughtful dialogues and musings with beautiful writing of the RITA award-winning Thomas! Fans are FORBIDDEN to leave out this one!

Favorite Bits:

It was easier to pull a lion’s teeth than to change her mind. (David’s musing about Helena)

“If I stopped looking at you lecherously, you’d miss it.” (David to Helena)

“My voice is generally considered to possess the power to lure unicorns out of their secret forests.”(David to Helena)

“My, such adamant faith in my corruptibility. I almost hate to disappoint you” (David to Helena)

“You used to make fun of them (David’s hair). You told me that if Bo Peep had a child with one of her sheep it would have hair like mine”. (David to Helena)

(less)

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Sep 04, 2012 TJ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adc-reviews, historical-romance, own-or-have-a-copy

4.5/5.0
I tend to have a schizophrenic relationship with Sherry Thomas books. I absolutely adore her writing style and voice while simultaneously loathing some of her infuriating characters and ridiculously unbelievable plot-lines. This one seems to meld the two into a delightfully acceptable compromise.

For a complete review, visit Affaire de Coeur magazine.

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Apr 18, 2013 Suzainur K.A.R. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I used to scoff at romances written before the 90's that have the hero and heroine bickering of mutual hatred and then suddenly falling into each other's arms. But that's mostly because that kind of trope are often clumsy when you are pushing for virginal heroines who are unworldly (read: stupid) in face of world-weary cynical heroes who are often at least a decade (or even much more) older than her.

But here Ms. Thomas has deftly woven a story about how a bickering pair can overcome past hurts a...more

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Mar 28, 2013 RomReader rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical

27yo book publisher can’t remember her husband as well as her siblings’ spouses. Hero feels both despair and relief about the temporary amnesia she has due to an accident. He is astonished at how she’s considering him without her usual expressions of disgust & irritation that she’s displayed towards him in the 13 years since they’ve known each other. As she’s getting re-acquainted with him, she feels niggles of emotions that something is not quite right. Hero sees this time as his chance to...more 27yo book publisher can’t remember her husband as well as her siblings’ spouses. Hero feels both despair and relief about the temporary amnesia she has due to an accident. He is astonished at how she’s considering him without her usual expressions of disgust & irritation that she’s displayed towards him in the 13 years since they’ve known each other. As she’s getting re-acquainted with him, she feels niggles of emotions that something is not quite right. Hero sees this time as his chance to get it right with heroine & tells her things he’s never confessed to her before. But will recovering her memory bring back her old feelings towards him? Or will Hero succeed in winning her favor this time around?

-------------------------------------------------SPOILERS: Don't read if you don't want to know the book's details-----------------------------------------------------------

I thought I wasn’t going to like this Thomas book. In the 1st ¼ of the book, heroine is in love with another man (OM) & didn’t even bother with Hero, who’s been secretly in love with her(his friend’s sister) since he was met her when she was 14 & despaired of ever having her return his affection. However, her still being a virgin despite her secretive assignations with the other man peaked my interest in the story. Even though it was the other man who stopped them from having sex, I thought it was a good decision on Thomas’ part that they didn’t consummate their relationship. It would’ve put a bigger damper on the romance for me. I was about the DNF(do not finish) this book until that part. After page 72 (around the time she suffered from amnesia due to the accident) the book took a turn for the better. You can basically divide this book as pre-accident & post-accident. There was a huge difference with how heroine was with Hero. Pre-accident, Hero stood no chance of her even viewing him even a bit favorably. She was all about OM, chasing him without regard of the disastrous scandal that would affect her whole family. Post-accient, she soon fell for Hero—for his caring, kindness, integrity, & good looks. She couldn’t fathom why she was attracted to OM when she was re-introduced to him. Even when her memory came back, it was feasible for her feelings to change re: OM, especially when she realized that he wasn’t the man she idealized him to be.

The major emotional drive of this book, however, is H’s unrequited love & secret obsession with heroine. It was so angsty reading about how much he secretly pined for her all those years (even painting a mural like the Italian portrait she liked in a room in his house in hopes that someday she’ll live there & stocking all the books her publishing house published as well as all the books she liked & thought she would like in his library) but not being able to turn off his pride & thus, continuing to behave offensively towards her as a kind of defense mechanism. His honesty with heroine & making himself open & vulnerable to her b/c he wanted to do it right this time was stirring. He took a huge risk, even to have her spend time with OM, because he cared for her happiness & wanted her to love him for him & not because she didn’t have all information. Hero is quite the man. I recommend this book just because of him.

Recommended. (less)

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Mar 07, 2013 Belinda rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review is from: Tempting the Bride (Mass Market Paperback)
I truly wanted to read this book by Sherry Thomas. Because this book was in a series, I expected a lot more than the author gave. I know historical romances are fiction, but to have the main heroine get amnesia was totally ridiculous. Helena Fitzhugh was acting like a spoiled brat and was trying to have a love affair with a married man. The married man was weak and worthless. Since there was no sex between them, I felt they were bot...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Limau Nipis rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-reads, historical-romance, on-nook

3.5 stars for the end of the Fitzhugh trilogy.

With Ravishing the Heiress, the second book in the trilogy, it was like reading a whimsical prose with more monologues than dialogues. Your heart fluttered when Millie yearned for her own husband.

In this one, being the third and final book of the Fitzhugh trilogy, it focuses on Helene, the twin of Fitz. Helena Fitzhugh is 27-year old. She defies the norm, by entering university and opens a publishing company. She does not mind to be a spinster. She a...more

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Dec 25, 2012 Miss rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sherry Thomas! You just gave me Fitz and Millie, I know you can do better than this. :( Ugh why did David have to be such a dick, like I understand getting stuck in bad patterns with certain people but at some point you have to grow up and break them, preferably before you've irredeemably cemented yourself as a douchebag in my eyes. :< Post-amnesia Helena and David were nice enough but it didn't make up for his unrelenting awfulness in the first half of the novel. Honestly I was offended, I'm...more

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Dec 15, 2012 Tasmia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, genre-romance-2012, rom-2012-12, ebooks

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I expected this to be my least favourite of this trilogy, but here I find myself willing to give it a higher rating than the others. Once again Thomas takes a really annoying trope (the amnesia here, the mask business in Beguiling the Beauty) and manages to wring an appealing story out of it through her beautiful prose and emotionally deft characterization. Hastings' fixation sometimes bordered on creepy obsession, and a few of his lines on passion vs consent rubbed me totally the wrong way, but...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Barbara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-2012, romance-regency

Loved this book; I had been waiting for David and Helena's story since the series began and I was not disappointed. David has been in love with Helena since they were very young but Helena cannot stand him. And it is his own fault; when he is with her he is rude, insensitive and has a biting wit. Of course Helena is the same way with him. Everyone else sees that David, her twin brother's best friend, is in love with her but she loves a married man, Andrew. The other books even include that part...more

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Oct 16, 2012 Janga rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the third book in Thomas’s Fitzhugh trilogy, following Beguiling the Beauty (Venetia’s book) and Ravishing the Heiress (Fitz’s book). The pattern of a Fitzhugh past the first blush of youth finding the love of her/his life with someone who has loved her/him from a young age is sustained in this book. Despite this similarity, each story is unique. In this one, Thomas takes some of the conventions and tropes I dislike in romance and weaves them into a story that I loved, regardless of my...more This is the third book in Thomas’s Fitzhugh trilogy, following Beguiling the Beauty (Venetia’s book) and Ravishing the Heiress (Fitz’s book). The pattern of a Fitzhugh past the first blush of youth finding the love of her/his life with someone who has loved her/him from a young age is sustained in this book. Despite this similarity, each story is unique. In this one, Thomas takes some of the conventions and tropes I dislike in romance and weaves them into a story that I loved, regardless of my prejudices.

First, I’m not a fan of the hero and heroine who begin as word snipers constantly tearing at one another verbally. This kind of thing makes me really uncomfortable in real life, and I don’t like it any better in fiction. Helena and Hastings’s pointed exchanges are a minor thread in the first two books, so it’s been going on for quite a while. But because Thomas made me care about Hastings from the beginning by showing him as more than the man Helena sees, I wanted him to have his HEA. I wasn’t persuaded that Helena deserved him even for much of this book. But Thomas undercut my dislike of the character by having Helena think exactly what I thought of her earlier behavior: “She could hardly breathe for her searing aversion to this reckless, selfish woman. . . .”

Speaking of aversion, I have an aversion to amnesia plots. It probably dates from an addiction to soap operas in my teens. But I found Helena’s physical and emotional reactions to her amnesia believable. I don’t know if anything else would have served so well to render the self-assured Helena vulnerable. The character was much more likable after she lost her memory.

Triangles don’t have much appeal for me either, especially when they involve adultery. But Helena is so clearly the pursuer in her relationship with Andrew that it’s difficult to hold him responsible. Gentle, anxious, and so easily controlled by strong-willed women, he is such an unlikely partner for her. Nothing makes this clearer than the final scene between the two where Helena’s farewell action is to give Andrew commands involving both his marriage and his writing.

On the other hand, Hastings’s love for the willful Helena is the kind that leaves me sighing. He has no illusions about her, but he views all she does through the lens of a love that understands and accepts. When the amnesiac Helena is horrified by the knowledge of all she has risked in her determined pursuit of Andrew, Hastings comforts her: “You lost him when you loved him the most, a difficult blow that never quite softened with time.” Helena is solaced by his kindness. “She let herself wallow in the magnificence of his compassion, the sweetness of his friendship.” We see that generosity of spirit in Hastings’ love for Helena and just as movingly in his love for his illegitimate daughter, Bea. He’s also an artist and a writer and a passionate lover. He’s close to the perfect hero in my opinion, and my favorite moment in the book is when Helena fully realizes what she has. The epilogue is a very pretty bow on the wonderful gift of this story.

See full review at The Romance Dish:
http://www.theromancedish.com/2012/10...(less)

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Oct 09, 2012 Chucha rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: art-buff, artist, boy-in-love-forever-with-the-girl, ex-enemies, deceit, friend-s-sibling, i-so-love-these-books, mistress, pretending, regency

“Sometimes people fall in love with those who do not return the same strength of feelings. It is as it is,” he said with a quiet intensity. “What I give, I give freely. You owe me nothing, not love, not friendship, not even obligation.”

Sherry Thomas is one of my favorite romance author and this is the story I've been dying to read since I started the series - and my expectations were met. Ms. Thomas made an amazing love story of a man who can't say the right words to the woman he wanted for a l...more

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Oct 06, 2012 Lizzie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: erotic-romance, historical-romance, read-in-2012

I take back all the mean thoughts I had about this book while reading Ravishing the Heiress. Despite several problems, this book hooked me far more strongly than its two predecessors. Thomas masters the classic amnesia trope (a guilty favorite of mine since I read Until You in middle school) and delivers a surprisingly compelling, if brief, story of antagonism sliding into mutual appreciation. Yes, the beginning of the book is infodump for the previous two installments. Yes, it is hard to unders...more

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Oct 06, 2012 Barbara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, keepers, romance-goodies

While never overly fond of the amnesia plot, it really works in this story. Helena and Hastings are sooo locked into their personal (very bad) dynamic, that it takes something drastic to shake them up and break the pattern. And the amnesia doesn't last a really long time, either--Helena doesn't lose her self-identity, she just loses about the past 10 years. This time frame is plot necessary, so that she doesn't remember how awful Hastings was when they were both teenagers. It was rather fun to w...more

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Nov 08, 2012 Amy Raby rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I feel like Sherry Thomas is that author determined to prove that any romance novel trope can work if the author is sufficiently skilled. This novel's heroine begins the book willingly and knowingly trying to have an affair with a married man. And you know what other crazy trope we have in here? Amnesia!

I would never in a million years have thought this book could have worked, but I bought it anyway on the strength of its reviews and because I've read everything else by Sherry Thomas and I know...more

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Dec 31, 2012 Krista rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The amnesia doesn't occur until almost halfway point, and since this book is less than 300 pages, that really didn't leave much time for Helena to fall in love with David.
I didn't really like the main couple. I know David secretly loved her since forever, but he really acted like a huge ass towards her. For example, he very harshly mocked her job or her small breasts, even though he secretly has read every book she has ever published and fantasies about her breasts. I really didn't have any res...more

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Nov 04, 2012 Leslie rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book because it was recommended by "Smart Bitches, Trashy Books"

Although I liked that the female lead was a strong and independent woman, and the male lead says he was quite content to allow her that role I was put off by the fact that she had to experience brain trauma in order to overcome her negative experiences.
In fact, the heroine was pretty much treated like she was mentally disturbed through out the book. She's crazy for having an affair with a married man, so David has to in...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Ashley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, romance

Originally posted at:
Geekery and Book Reviews
"Sometimes people fall in love with those who do not return the same strength of feelings. It is as it as," he said with a quiet intensity. "What I give, I give freely. You owe me nothing, not love, not friendship, not even obligation."- Tempting the Bride

Tempting the Bride is a book that is deeply intertwined with the previous books Beguiling the Beauty and Ravishing the Heiress. Helena is the twin sister of Fitz (fr0m Ravishing...) and sister to Ven...more Originally posted at:
Geekery and Book Reviews
"Sometimes people fall in love with those who do not return the same strength of feelings. It is as it as," he said with a quiet intensity. "What I give, I give freely. You owe me nothing, not love, not friendship, not even obligation."- Tempting the Bride

Tempting the Bride is a book that is deeply intertwined with the previous books Beguiling the Beauty and Ravishing the Heiress. Helena is the twin sister of Fitz (fr0m Ravishing...) and sister to Venetia (from Beguiling). Helena was involved with in a scandal with a married man in the previous books and was shipped off to America with her sister in an effort to keep her away from temptation. Upon her return she sets on the same course again to meet with the same married man only to be saved by her brother's good friend, the Viscount Hastings. Hastings announces their elopement as a way to save Helena's reputation but, she has no interest in marrying this man. Helena has known the Viscount since they were children and they're never gotten along. Suddenly, Helena suffers a tragic accident where she loses her memory up until her teenage years.

I love Viscount Hastings in this novel. Seriously, if Helena didn't want Hastings I would have figured out someway to transport myself into that novel and run away with him. I'm sure it would've been scandalous but, at least I appreciate his literary and artistic talents. Viscount Hastings is a man that you could very easily dislike except for the fact that he's a good man. He is a very flawed man but, he tries so hard to overcome his flaws for the sake of the woman that he loves. While Helena is suffering from amnesia I LOVED that Hastings was honest to her about everything. He made a conceited effort not to manipulate her in any way. He also honored her choices and apologized when he made a mistake.

Helena on the other hand is not a likable character at the beginning of the novel. Like Hastings, she is also very flawed. She chooses to continue to engage in an adulterous relationship despite the fact it's immoral, detrimental to her reputation and her family's reputation. After the accident, the amnesia gives her a more innocent personality. It's as if the years after the age of 16 caused her to become this jaded individual that only cared for herself. I really enjoyed seeing Helena put her life back together and reevaluate her choices. While I won't spoil the ending I will say that the characters really grow in this novel. Tempting the Bride lovingly crafted story about second chances and creating new memories.

"Why allow all the old memories to have supremacy? Make new ones, memories of such luster and beauty that, should the old ones come back, they would be pallid and impotent in comparison."- Tempting the Bride(less)

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Jan 02, 2013 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

Review originally published at scATX Reads.

This historical romance is third book in Thomas’ Fitzhugh Trilogy (I loved all three and have reviewed the first one, Beguiling the Beauty). By this point, we know the two protagonists, Helena Fitzhugh and Viscount Hastings (David), pretty well. Helena is in love with a married man who refused to marry her for fear of angering his mother. David is in love with Helena and has been for many years, something Helena does not realize. Helena has been carryin...more Review originally published at scATX Reads.

This historical romance is third book in Thomas’ Fitzhugh Trilogy (I loved all three and have reviewed the first one, Beguiling the Beauty). By this point, we know the two protagonists, Helena Fitzhugh and Viscount Hastings (David), pretty well. Helena is in love with a married man who refused to marry her for fear of angering his mother. David is in love with Helena and has been for many years, something Helena does not realize. Helena has been carrying on with this married man and David, worried about her reputation, has been keeping a close eye on her, even as watching her fawn over someone else breaks his heart. Oh, and Helena hates David.

David’s response to Helena’s disdain? Constant tormenting. As Thomas writes, “More than even her scorn he feared her apathy—the opposite of love was not hate, but indifference: to exist in such proximity to her, yet make no impression upon her awareness, upon her soul.”

Then a close relative of the wife of the man with whom Helena is having an affair sets a trap to catch Helena and her love in delicto flagrante. David learns of the setup and rushes to protect Helena. And so they are caught together. On their way to elope, though, they are in a terrible carriage accident which seriously injuries Helena. While waiting to see if she will recover:

[David] took hold of [Helena's] hand. “Come, wake up. Tell me to keep my hand to myself. Tell me to get out of your room. Tell me to—” This time he could no longer hold back his tears. And with them came words that he’d never been able to say to her his entire life. “I love you, Helena. I have always loved you. Wake up and let me prove it to you.”

And she does wake up. But (isn’t there always one?) she has amnesia. The oldest cliche in the world of soap opera in the hands of Thomas becomes a beautiful story of discovery between a man deeply in love and the woman whom he has always wanted. They begin almost anew, their animosity suddenly thrown out. They have told her that David is her husband (thinking that would be easier to say than to explain the complicated situation in which they found themselves before the accident). Helena re-learns David and their relationship is strong.

And yet, their journey is not an easy one as Helena slowly regains parts of her memory. It all comes to a head when she suddenly remembers the way she used to feel about David and that she used to love a married man. But she does not forget the weeks after waking following the accident. It all mixes together and Helena must figure out how to make sense of it all. I will not ruin how this plays out but it was not what I expected in the best possible way.(less)

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Oct 12, 2012 Malin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-books

This is technically the third book in the Fitzhugh-trilogy, where each Fitzhugh sibling gets their own book. This book stands fine on its own (and frankly, I wasn't overly fond of the other two books - hence no reviews), though there may be spoilers for the two other books in the series.

What if you could have a second chance to make a first impression? David Hillsborough, Viscount Hastings, has loved Helena Fitzhugh since they were both fourteen years old. Her older sister Venetia is the legend...more

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Apr 22, 2013 May Mostly Romance rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical

ตั้งแง่กับนางเอกเล่มนี้อย่างมาก เพราะหลังจากอ่านสองเล่มก่อนหน้าในชุดที่เฮเลนามีบทบาทแล้ว บอกตามตรงค่ะว่า เกลียดยัยคนนี้มาก ๆ เป็นผู้หญิงที่แย่เสียจริง เห็นแก่ตัวก็เท่านั้น ดังนั้นเมื่ออ่านจบเราสามารถรู้สึกเป็นบวกกับเธอได้มากขึ้น เราก็ว่า หนังสือเล่มนี้ประสบความสำเร็จแล้วล่ะค่ะ

เฮเลนาน้องสาวคนเล็กในตระกูลฟิทซ์ฮิวส์ มีทุกอย่างครบถ้วน ยกเว้นผู้ชายที่เธอรัก เมื่อหลายปีก่อนหลังจากถูกมารดากดดัน ชายคนรักของเธอก็บอกเลิก และแต่งงานกับผู้หญิงคนอื่น เฮเลนามีชีวิตต่อไป เธอเฟื่องฟูด้วยซ้ำ บัดนี้เธอเป็นเจ้าของ...more ตั้งแง่กับนางเอกเล่มนี้อย่างมาก เพราะหลังจากอ่านสองเล่มก่อนหน้าในชุดที่เฮเลนามีบทบาทแล้ว บอกตามตรงค่ะว่า เกลียดยัยคนนี้มาก ๆ เป็นผู้หญิงที่แย่เสียจริง เห็นแก่ตัวก็เท่านั้น ดังนั้นเมื่ออ่านจบเราสามารถรู้สึกเป็นบวกกับเธอได้มากขึ้น เราก็ว่า หนังสือเล่มนี้ประสบความสำเร็จแล้วล่ะค่ะ

เฮเลนาน้องสาวคนเล็กในตระกูลฟิทซ์ฮิวส์ มีทุกอย่างครบถ้วน ยกเว้นผู้ชายที่เธอรัก เมื่อหลายปีก่อนหลังจากถูกมารดากดดัน ชายคนรักของเธอก็บอกเลิก และแต่งงานกับผู้หญิงคนอื่น เฮเลนามีชีวิตต่อไป เธอเฟื่องฟูด้วยซ้ำ บัดนี้เธอเป็นเจ้าของสำนักพิมพ์ที่ประสบความสำเร็จ แต่เวลาที่ผ่านไป ก็ยิ่งทำให้เธอนึกถึงสิ่งที่เสียไป และนั่นทำให้เธอตัดสินใจเริ่มต้นความสัมพันธ์กับแฟนเก่า ปัญหาก็คือ เขาแต่งงานแล้ว แต่เฮเลนาไม่แคร์ เขาและภรรยาไม่ได้ใช้ชีวิตร่วมกันอีกต่อไป เธอไม่แคร์ว่าจะเกิดอะไรขึ้นกับชื่อเสียงของเธอ หากเรื่องนี้ถูกเปิดเผย ตลอดเวลาในสองเล่มแรก นี่เป็นประเด็นหลักที่พี่สาว และพี่ชายของเธอพยายามกันให้เฮเลนาออกห่างจากชู้รัก

มาจนถึงเล่มนี้ เฮเลนาก็ยังไม่แคร์ ซึ่งในที่สุดก็นำไปสู่เรื่องอื้อฉาว เมื่อเธอตกกับดักแผนการร้ายที่เปิดโปงความสัมพันธ์ของเธอกับชู้รัก โชคดีว่า เดวิดซึ่งเป็นเพื่อนของครอบครัว ศัตรูคู่ปรับของเฮเลนา โผล่มาช่วยไว้พอดี ผลก็คือเธอและเดวิดต้องแต่งงานกันเพื่อปกปิดความลือ

เราไม่ชอบเฮเลนา ไม่ชอบเธอมาก ๆ ตั้งแต่อ่านเล่มแรกในชุด แล้วก็ไม่ชอบเธอต่อเนื่องมาจนถึงเล่มนี้ เรารู้สึกว่า เธอช่างเป็นหญิงสาวที่เราไม่อยากรู้จัก ไม่อยากคบเป็นเพื่อน อันที่จริงไม่ควรเป็นนางเอกด้วยซ้ำ แต่ความสามารถของคนแต่งก็คือ เมื่อจบเรื่องนี้ เรามองเธอด้วยสายตาที่ดีขึ้น แม้ว่าคนแต่งจะต้องไปงัดเอาพล็อตความจำเสื่อมมาใช้ก็ตาม

<เราพยายามทำความเข้าใจความคิดของเฮเลนา ที่เอาตัวเข้าไปยุ่งกับชายที่แต่งงานแล้ว เราคิดว่า เธออยู่ในความเหงาที่ต้องอยู่ตัวคนเดียว ผู้ชายที่เธอเคยรักที่สุด และคิดว่า เขาเข้าใจเธอที่สุดก็คือ ชายคนนั้น และเมื่อดูเหมือนว่า การแต่งงานของเขาจะไม่มีความสุข เฮเลนาก็คิดว่า เธอควรจะคว้าโอกาสที่จะมีความสุขในชีวิตของตัวเองบ้าง เราพยายามเข้าใจเธอนะคะ แต่สิ่งที่เกิดขึ้นในตอนต้นเรื่อง แม้เธอจะรู้ว่า การกระทำของเธอไม่เป็นที่ยอมรับในสังคม จะทำให้เธอกลายเป็นคนนอก ถูกกันออกห่างจากครอบครัวของตัวเองด้วยซ้ำ ซึ่งนี่คือสาเหตุที่เธอยอมแต่งงานกับเดวิด ถ้าเฮเลนาเข้าใจผลกระทบจากสังคม และพ่ายแพ้ต่อแรงกดดันของมัน (จนเธอยอมแต่งงานกับเดวิด) ทำไมเธอถึงได้เอาชื่อเสียงไปเสี่ยงครั้งแล้วครั้งเล่า จนเกิดเรื่องล่ะ เฮเลนาจึงเป็นนางเอกที่เราไม่อาจเข้าถึงได้ และนี่เป็นส่วนที่เราไม่ชอบเธอมากที่สุด>

ในขณะที่นางเอกเป็นคาแร็คเตอร์ที่มีปัญหา พระเอกก็เป็นอะไรที่ตรงกันข้ามมาก ๆ อ่านเรื่องนี้แล้ว อยากเจอ หรือได้คนอย่างเดวิดเข้ามาในชีวิตสักคน เขาหลงรักเฮเลนาตั้งแต่แรกพบ (เป็นอีกครั้งนึงที่พล็อตนี้โผล่มาในหนังสือของเชอร์รี โธมัส) ตอนที่เธอมองไม่เห็นเขาด้วยซ้ำ และก็เหมือนเด็กผู้ชายส่วนใหญ่ที่ทำอะไรไม่ถูกกับความรู้สึกของตัวเอง เมื่อสาวเจ้าไม่สน เขาก็ทำทุกอย่างให้เธอสนใจ แม้จะหมายถึงการแกล้งเธอ

มันเป็นจุดเริ่มต้นที่ผิดพลาด และศักดิ์ศรีก็ค้ำคอเดวิดไว้ไม่ให้เผยความรู้สึกที่แท้จริงออกไป ทำให้ตลอดชีวิตเฮเลนาไม่เคยรู้เลยว่า เขาคิดอะไรกับเธอ ว่าเขารักเธอมากขนาดไหน

เรื่องนี้จึงเสมือนถูกแบ่งเป็นสองส่วน ก่อนอุบัติเหตุที่ทำให้เฮเลนาความจำเสื่อม และหลังจากนั้น สำหรับเราเหตุการณ์หลังอุบัติเหตุเป็นส่วนที่ดีที่สุดในเรื่อง เฮเลนาไม่เหมือนหญิงสาวเห็นแก่ตัว เอาแต่ใจที่เราเจออีกต่อไป เดวิดที่เกือบจะเสียหญิงสาวที่เขารักไปให้กับความตาย ตัดสินใจเปิดเผยความรู้สึกที่แท้จริง เขาไม่กลัวที่จะบอกรัก ดังนั้นช่วงครึ่งหลังของเรื่องจึงอ่านสนุกมาก

แต่เราก็ไม่แน่ใจนะคะว่า การใช้พล็อตความจำเสื่อมเป็นความคิดที่ดีไหม เราว่า มันเป็นทางออกที่ง่ายเกินไป มันเหมือนการลบตัวตนของเฮเลนาที่เราไม่ชอบออก แล้วสร้างเธอขึ้นมาใหม่ให้คนอ่านยอมรับได้มากขึ้น มันไม่ใช่วิธีการอธิบายให้คนอ่านเข้าใจในการกระทำของเธอ

เรื่องนี้เป็นเล่มที่เรารู้สึกคิดถึงบรรณาธิการคนเดิมของเชอร์รี โธมัสที่สนพ.แบนตั้มอย่างมาก ไม่ใช่ว่าเรื่องนี้ไม่ดีนะคะ แต่เรารู้สึกว่า มีหลายประเด็นมากที่ยังไม่ชัดเจน ที่เราคิดว่า คนแต่งน่าจะโฟกัสลงไปให้รายละเอียดมากกว่านี้ เพื่อที่เราจะได้เข้าใจตัวละครมากขึ้น (และที่สำคัญยอมรับพวกเขาทั้งมีข้อเสียแบบที่เราไม่ชอบ) ในอดีตโดยเฉพาะงานที่เชอร์รีเขียนให้กับสนพ.แบนตั้ม เรารู้สึกว่า ประเด็นเรื่องตัวละครจะชัดเจน กว่าที่เป็นในเล่มนี้ค่ะ

คะแนนที่ 73(less)

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Oct 05, 2012 Juli rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This third book in the Fitzhugh trilogy was my favorite. The story of Helena and Hastings has been building through the earlier books, so I was glad to see them take center stage. I thought I knew what to expect from this book -- they would marry to save Helena's reputation, and she would gradually come to see that her feelings for Andrew Martin were not really love, but that she could love Hastings. Which is pretty much what happens (that's not really a spoiler for a romance, is it?), but the p...more This third book in the Fitzhugh trilogy was my favorite. The story of Helena and Hastings has been building through the earlier books, so I was glad to see them take center stage. I thought I knew what to expect from this book -- they would marry to save Helena's reputation, and she would gradually come to see that her feelings for Andrew Martin were not really love, but that she could love Hastings. Which is pretty much what happens (that's not really a spoiler for a romance, is it?), but the path to get there is strewn with unexpected gems.

Hastings as a character was far more than I would have believed -- his painting, the various pieces of heart-warming evidence of his long love for Helena, lots of things made me pull for him harder than I anticipated. And then there's Bea, his illegitimate daughter -- a withdrawn, compulsive child who completely won me over, as did her father's care for her.

And then there's the amnesia. I know, some readers thing that's a worn-out device, but while I've seen MANY amnesia plots on television and in movies, I haven't really come across that man in romance. Jennifer Haymore had one that worked well for me in A Hint of Wicked, and this one also worked. Helena's memory loss gives Hastings a chance to be honest with her about his feelings, which he has never done before, but a wonderful tension arises when he determines to be honest with her about pretty much everything -- so that even while he's dreading her memory returning, he's also telling her about some of the things she doesn't remember. He wins her with honesty, patience and trust, and I thought it was just beautiful.

Helena is a complex character -- a strong woman, determined to do what she wants with her life in many areas. That includes being determined to love Martin even if he's married, and the same stubbornness that led her to university when few women could go and to found her own publishing business made it unlikely she'd reconsider. She faces a difficult situation with her memory loss, and I was pleased to watch her take it as a series of challenges and opportunities to do more than just get her old life back.(less)

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Oct 03, 2012 Mandi Schreiner rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical

David Hillsborough, Viscount Hastings has loved Helena Fitzhugh for most of his life. When he was just a kid, he would make fun of her, pull her hair, the types of things boys do when they like a girl but are not mature enough to process their feelings. The problem is, as Hastings got older, he never stopped making fun of her. He loved her so much and was so afraid of his feelings, he would rather put her down or anger her to get a rise out of her, than own up to how he really feels.

Helena can’t...more David Hillsborough, Viscount Hastings has loved Helena Fitzhugh for most of his life. When he was just a kid, he would make fun of her, pull her hair, the types of things boys do when they like a girl but are not mature enough to process their feelings. The problem is, as Hastings got older, he never stopped making fun of her. He loved her so much and was so afraid of his feelings, he would rather put her down or anger her to get a rise out of her, than own up to how he really feels.

Helena can’t stand Hastings and his snide remarks. Instead, her attentions have wandered and secured on an Andrew Martin. The problem is, Andrew is already married. He is not happy in his marriage, but he is married nonetheless. This doesn’t stop Helena and Andrew from meeting secretly and sharing kisses. While they consider what they are doing an ‘affair’ (and by all accounts it is) they never have sex, fearing the consequences. Hastings discovers Helena sneaking into Andrew’s room one night at a house party, and while he is disappointed and sad that she is doing this, he also alerts her family that she may not be acting appropriately, hopefully helping her keep her free from being ruined. But drama ensues when Andrew’s wife sets Helena and Andrew up to be caught. Hastings swoops in to save the day (somewhat, with a forced engagement to Helena), but later that day when Helena gets hit by a carriage and loses her memory, Hastings may have a fresh start with the woman he loves.

I’ve been anticipating Hasting and Helena’s story through both of the previous books (although this can be read as a standalone). Hastings is so – sarcastic and for appearances so cocky and arrogant, but when we get his POV in this book, oh - it kind of breaks your heart. He is so in love with Helena and he has some really romantic moments as he lusts after her in this book.

Except he didn’t go to his room. Instead he took himself to an alcove that allowed him a limited view of her room – unrequited love meant staring at closed doors, imagining otherwise. A faint light still shone under her door;she was probably reading in bed.

Just a few more pages.

Hampton House, her childhood home, had been of a modest size. When he’s visited, he’d had a room three doors down from hers. Every night, her governess would come around and urge her to turn off her lamp. Invariably, she would answer, Just a few more pages.
And when the governess had left, he would slip out of his own room and peer at her door until her light was extinguished at last, before he returned to bed to stew anew in lust and yearning.

When Helena gets into a carriage accident, she goes unconscious for days. Hastings is beside himself Again, as she lays there unmoving, his romantic side overtakes him:

He took hold of her hand. “Come, wake up. Tell me to keep my hand to myself. Tell me to get out of your room. Tell me to – “

This time he could no longer hold back his tears. And with them came words that he’d never been able to say to her his entire life. “I love you, Helena. I have always loved you. Wake up and let me prove it to you.”

Oh Hastings. This starts to bring us to the point in the book I had trouble with. I’m not a huge fan of amnesia storylines. When Helena wakes up, she doesn’t remember who Hastings is. So of course, she sees him fawning over her, and loving her, and she doesn’t remember the heartache he caused her for all those years. She also doesn’t remember Andrew Martin. But we all know where this story is headed. The conflict when she starts to remember is so predictable. I just didn’t like the second half of this story. I wish they had fallen in love under different circumstances. And the end was so rushed, once Helena realizes she is truly in love with Hastings, we have no time to explore this. Great start, disappointing ending for me.

Rating: C(less)

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May 09, 2013 Karen Wilson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: pining-hero, amnesia

Very emotional, tear-jerker of a story. It is about second chances for a hero who was his own worst enemy.

My only issue is that since the heroine has a penchance for blindness or not seeing what is true ( ie. Billy and Lord Hastings' real personality), I am rather concerned about her future behavior or POV.

The other bit of a bummer is, I felt that the focus was too much on Hastings and not enough on her. Lots of character growth and background history for him; lots of realization on her. I know...more

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Oct 20, 2012 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, cranky-reviews, reviewed

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. So, I’m discovering that Thomas is a bit hit or miss for me. When she hits, I like her work quite a bit, when she misses, wow does she whiff it. I liked the first two books in this series. Man, I do not like this one.

Our hero, Hastings, who heretofore has appeared in the previous books as a snarky and somewhat adversarial friend of our heroine is revealed to be a complete and total creeper who is loathed by Helena. Hastings, you see, has been pining for Helena since they were kids. Of course ins...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Lord Rose rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: era-victorian, heroes-that-cry, romance, children, genre-historical-romance

4.5 stars

I adored Hastings. I just tend to like heroes with desperate unrequited love. And also heroes who take care of their illegitimate children.

I usually don't really like amnesia plots, but this one worked for me.

And then there were large portions of the story when I just wanted to hit both the hero and heroine over the head with a large object. Especially in the beginning when Hastings was miserable but too proud and Helena was in love with the (lame) other man.

I really wasn't sure if I'd...more

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Oct 26, 2012 SidneyKay rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance-victorian

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Don't run away mad! Your may get run over by a horse! You may lose your...oops, too late.

I love Sherry Thomas! I've thought her voice was magnificent ever since she made her appearance four years ago. However, when she introduced the Fitzhugh family series I knew I was in for a rough ride. You see, this series was jammed packed with my numerous pet peeves and triggers. But, I thought - hey - this is Sherry Thomas, she can pull it off. So, I held my breath as each story in the series was released...more

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Oct 05, 2012 Lint rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: unrequited-love

I haven't ready anything by Sherry Thomas since Private Arrangements, a book that I wasn't too, admittedly, enamored by. To be fair, however, I'm not adverse to reading another novel by Thomas simply because I was put off by one book. None of the premises of her other novels seemed promising until I chanced upon Tempting the Bride. It's a third in a trilogy but it works well as a standalone.

To briefly summarize, Viscount Hastings - long-time family friend to the Fitzhugh siblings and best friend...more I haven't ready anything by Sherry Thomas since Private Arrangements, a book that I wasn't too, admittedly, enamored by. To be fair, however, I'm not adverse to reading another novel by Thomas simply because I was put off by one book. None of the premises of her other novels seemed promising until I chanced upon Tempting the Bride. It's a third in a trilogy but it works well as a standalone.

To briefly summarize, Viscount Hastings - long-time family friend to the Fitzhugh siblings and best friend to Helena's twin brother - has held an unrequited love for Helena ever since his early adolescence. Since the young Miss Fitzhugh never cared to give him the time of day, the young man often resorted to less than stellar means of gaining her attention.

Not surprisingly, Sherry Thomas doesn't seem to shy away from some of the more unsavory aspects of romance novels like infidelity. Although David is painted as the profligate rake, the weight of the scandal that happens in the book falls upon the female heroine. Much like the time period in which this book is written (turn of the twentieth century), Helena exhibits something of a progressive feminist philosophy in regards to marriage and relationships. While Helena often comes across as sufficient, smart, and driven, she is also at the same time remarkably blind, reckless, and short-sighted when it comes to her own personal prejudices.

I know that Thomas also sought to write David as a similarly flawed character, but for the most part, I found him extremely sympathetic and likeable. Outside of the verbal sparring and spats he has with the heroine, he is pretty much perfect. He's an intelligent man and a writer, an artist, as well as a devoted and loving father. His love for Helena is touching in almost every regard except when he happens to be around her, during which time he falls back to elementary schoolyard posturing.

I'm not fond of amnesia plots either, but I thought the use of this tired trope was decently handled. Just to be clear, the amnesia is not a complete wipe out of her collective memory since childhood. It happens to conveniently have been wiped out right before she met David, so she that remembers nothing about him. The best thing about the amnesia was that it stripped away all of Helena's prejudices and irrational dislike of David. It gives both of them a chance to honestly communicate with one another without allowing past pettiness and pride to override their chances to truly know each other. It gives Helena a chance to see her actions with a new perspective and clarity.

It does get messy, however, when her memories start to come back. I felt terrible for David throughout this whole situation. It was as if he was continually offering up his heart on a platter to be broken. And believe me, it happens quite a few times, which made me inwardly cringe for the poor man. If the situations had been reversed, I would have definitely called for a good amount of grovelling plus a grand gesture from the wrongdoer. As someone else mentioned, the ending was definitely wanting. Even the small epilogue did very little to give us a satisfying close to the novel. I wanted a grand speech, some regret, a little more grovelling from Helena given what she put David through.

All and all, it was a good read. I can't help but feel that there was some wasted potential to capitalize on some angst and turmoil, but I realize that some people don't care for so much drama in their romances. Though it shares some of the same problems I had with Private Arrangements, at least one of the characters was considerably likeable and I didn't have to put up with a terrible misuse of flashbacks. I guess I'm not so lost on Sherry Thomas after all.

3.5 out of 5 stars. (less)

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Tempting the Bride (Fitzhugh Trilogy #3)

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