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Bridal Stories #1
The Bridal Season
Book by Brockway, Connie
349 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
About the author
Connie Brockway
62 books730 followersNew York Times and USAToday best selling author Connie Brockway has twice won the Romance Writers of America's Rita award for best historical romance as well as being an eight time finalist. After receiving a double major in art history and English from Macalester College, Connie entered grad school with an eye to acquiring her MFA in creative writing. Soon enough she jettisoned the idea of writing serious literature for what she considered (and still considers) the best gig in the world, writing romance.
Connie has received numerous starred reviews for her romances in Publisher's Weekly and Library Journal. Library Journal also named her Her 2004 romance, My Seduction, one of the year's top ten romances.
In November of 2011, THE OTHER GUY'S BRIDE (a sequel to the perennially popular AS YOU DESIRE) was Amazon's Montlake Publishing's launch title. Here next book, NO PLACE FOR A DAME will be published September, 2013. A regency set romance, it is also the sequel to ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT.Today Connie lives in Minnesota with her husband David, a family physician, and two spoiled mutts.
Connie has received numerous starred reviews for her romances in Publisher's Weekly and Library Journal. Library Journal also named her Her 2004 romance, My Seduction, one of the year's top ten romances.
In November of 2011, THE OTHER GUY'S BRIDE (a sequel to the perennially popular AS YOU DESIRE) was Amazon's Montlake Publishing's launch title. Here next book, NO PLACE FOR A DAME will be published September, 2013. A regency set romance, it is also the sequel to ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT.Today Connie lives in Minnesota with her husband David, a family physician, and two spoiled mutts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
November 4, 2018
This 2001 Victorian romance is one of my Brockway favorites. It's fun, frothy and totally romantic. And the hero is one of my all-time favorite HR leading men. He's just so gosh-darned good and honorable (not to mention handsome, sexy and somewhat intense) that I fell in love with him right along with the heroine.
The plot would make a really fun rom-com movie. Sometime music hall performer and part-time scam artist Letty Potts needs to flee London and manages to find herself masquerading as an upper-class wedding planner in a small English village. Letty, who had been sitting at Paddington railway station when the real wedding planner tossed her ticket away and eloped with her French suitor, picks up the ticket and ends up in Little Bidewell, where everyone assumes she is Lady Agatha, the wedding planner.
So she assumes Lady Agatha's identity, but along the way she manages to recover the heart and conscience she had of necessity buried inside herself while in survival mode in London. Brockway makes her heroine strong and street-smart yet vulnerable and a much better and kinder person than she believes herself to be.
All the characters, main and secondary, are delightful, deftly drawn and three-dimensional. And the romance? Romantic and swoon-worthy. This is light and frothy. In the hands of a less deft author, it would probably be the kind of romance I dislike. But Brockway writes so well, has such great characters and such excellent dialogue that there's not a trace of the silliness or absurdness that annoys me in other lightweight romances I have read.
The plot would make a really fun rom-com movie. Sometime music hall performer and part-time scam artist Letty Potts needs to flee London and manages to find herself masquerading as an upper-class wedding planner in a small English village. Letty, who had been sitting at Paddington railway station when the real wedding planner tossed her ticket away and eloped with her French suitor, picks up the ticket and ends up in Little Bidewell, where everyone assumes she is Lady Agatha, the wedding planner.
So she assumes Lady Agatha's identity, but along the way she manages to recover the heart and conscience she had of necessity buried inside herself while in survival mode in London. Brockway makes her heroine strong and street-smart yet vulnerable and a much better and kinder person than she believes herself to be.
All the characters, main and secondary, are delightful, deftly drawn and three-dimensional. And the romance? Romantic and swoon-worthy. This is light and frothy. In the hands of a less deft author, it would probably be the kind of romance I dislike. But Brockway writes so well, has such great characters and such excellent dialogue that there's not a trace of the silliness or absurdness that annoys me in other lightweight romances I have read.
May 11, 2015
The Bridal Season was a quirky book, and aside from the one token and very brief sex scene, I would consider it historical fiction instead of historical romance. This story is more about the small town of Little Bidwell than it is about an epic love story. There is a slew of secondary characters, a charming setting with a ton of nicknames, local gossip, a bad guy, a town saint (who really is a bit petty and mean), a society wedding, and a wicked game of croquet.
Letty Potts is a con woman, a musical actress, and a soul in desperate need of an escape. When a famous wedding planner suddenly elopes and Letty is left in possession of her train ticket, she jumps at the opportunity and heads to Little Bidwell. When the people of Little Bidwell assume Letty is the famous wedding planner and offer her food, lodging, and clothes, well, Letty just cannot turn that up.
Letty has always been a con out of necessity, but the residents of Little Bidwell start to make her feel all those emotions that have never haunted her before--guilt, love, hope, the list goes on. Letty is also irresistibly attracted to the local magistrate, and when most of the town sees the attraction, they work behind the scenes to continue to throw them together.
This story was unique in that much of the romance was told from the view point of other characters. And there was a lot of "telling" and less "showing" of what was going on, simply because there was so many people involved that there was not time to tell the story any other way. I enjoyed the light story, but I thought that the romance was weak and the love declaration did not feel true and actually felt a bit theatrical. However, it was still a fun weekend read and the heroine was not your typical regency fare...she was very different, very real, and very funny.
Not great for the romance aspect, but still a fun read.
Letty Potts is a con woman, a musical actress, and a soul in desperate need of an escape. When a famous wedding planner suddenly elopes and Letty is left in possession of her train ticket, she jumps at the opportunity and heads to Little Bidwell. When the people of Little Bidwell assume Letty is the famous wedding planner and offer her food, lodging, and clothes, well, Letty just cannot turn that up.
Letty has always been a con out of necessity, but the residents of Little Bidwell start to make her feel all those emotions that have never haunted her before--guilt, love, hope, the list goes on. Letty is also irresistibly attracted to the local magistrate, and when most of the town sees the attraction, they work behind the scenes to continue to throw them together.
This story was unique in that much of the romance was told from the view point of other characters. And there was a lot of "telling" and less "showing" of what was going on, simply because there was so many people involved that there was not time to tell the story any other way. I enjoyed the light story, but I thought that the romance was weak and the love declaration did not feel true and actually felt a bit theatrical. However, it was still a fun weekend read and the heroine was not your typical regency fare...she was very different, very real, and very funny.
Not great for the romance aspect, but still a fun read.
August 1, 2014
Letty Potts finds herself in the right place at the right time when she needs to get out of London fast, and heads to Little Bidewell, where she is mistaken for Lady Agatha Whyte. There she meets Sir Elliot March, magistrate, war veteran, and all-around gentleman. THEY FALL IN LOVE.
Here's the thing I really enjoy about Brockway: the books I've read of hers thus far have all been late Victorian / early Edwardian and she manages to capture those times in such a skilled way. You can feel the implications of the Industrial Revolution, and the rise of America as a contender in the world's affairs, and the strain on the divide between the classes, and the need for greater societal awareness. It's there in Brockway's novels without needing a bunch of heavy-handed devices, and I appreciate it so much.
In that vein, I've been considering the "feelings" these different periods can have on a text when they're done well; how "England" (the England of historical romance, at least!) was and how it would necessarily impact those individuals living in it. The late Georgian and Regency periods--even the early Victorian era, to a certain extent-- have always felt like "small worlds" to me. Not that there wasn't travel and "exotic" influences, but that society was a small bubble, and travel down the road was a day-long undertaking. Later in the Victorian and Edwardian periods, the world cracks open and there is the sheer breadth of other cultures and societies suddenly everywhere. And finding those distinctions in these novels is delightful.
Here's the thing I really enjoy about Brockway: the books I've read of hers thus far have all been late Victorian / early Edwardian and she manages to capture those times in such a skilled way. You can feel the implications of the Industrial Revolution, and the rise of America as a contender in the world's affairs, and the strain on the divide between the classes, and the need for greater societal awareness. It's there in Brockway's novels without needing a bunch of heavy-handed devices, and I appreciate it so much.
In that vein, I've been considering the "feelings" these different periods can have on a text when they're done well; how "England" (the England of historical romance, at least!) was and how it would necessarily impact those individuals living in it. The late Georgian and Regency periods--even the early Victorian era, to a certain extent-- have always felt like "small worlds" to me. Not that there wasn't travel and "exotic" influences, but that society was a small bubble, and travel down the road was a day-long undertaking. Later in the Victorian and Edwardian periods, the world cracks open and there is the sheer breadth of other cultures and societies suddenly everywhere. And finding those distinctions in these novels is delightful.
June 12, 2009
Another good book that took a while to get where it was going - this ended up a very strong 4.5* but not quite a 5* read. I do love stories where the heroine has the willpower and the strength to pull herself out of a bad situation and create a better life, and I knew that was going to happen eventually (this is a romance story, after all), but it didn't really 'drag me in' until chapter 10. After that, it was like a train going downhill! Letty's emotional and moral journey was so very believable and great to watch. I loved Little Bidewell and all its inhabitants (well, maybe not all, but I did come to an understanding of sorts with Catherine). And Elliot is that curious mix of alpha & beta - he knows when to take charge and when to appear not to be taking charge.
October 26, 2012
THE BRIDAL SEASON immediately shot to the top of my "Best Reads of 2001" list. It's fresh, funny, and thoroughly delightful from the first page to the last. You can't help but root for Letty and fall in love with Elliot. It's not Letty's strengths, but her flaws that make her such a compelling character. I hate reading about perfect women because I've never been one! The croquet game is truly a classic scene. All of the secondary characters are perfection, even Fagin/Lambikins. I liked this book so much that I ordered it in hardcover (...) after I'd already read it in paperback. Bravo, Ms. Brockway!
August 28, 2014
4.5 ชอบมาก ไม่มีช่วงไหนที่อ่านแล้วรู้สึกเบื่อเลย สิ่งแรกที่ชอบคือคาแรคเตอร์นางเอก คือเป็นผู้หญิงที่แตกต่างจากหญิงสาวในสมัยนั้น คิดต่าง มีความร่าเริงในตัว เหมือนกับใครอยู่ด้วยก็อดหัวเราะและมีความสุขไปด้วยไม่ได้ กล้าหาญและเสียสละโดยความเป็นธรรมชาติในจิตใจ แต่ไม่ได้ขนาดว่าเป็นผู้หญิงแสนดี๊ดี อะไรก็ยอมคนนะไม่ใช่เลย ชอบพระเอกที่ดูเป็นคนขรึมๆ เป็นสุภาพบุรุษทุกกระเบียดนิ้ว แต่ๆๆๆๆการที่มาเจอนางเอกทำให้ตบะแตกได้ ขำเวลาพระเอกโมโหนางเอก กระวนกระวายที่นางเอกหลบหน้า โอ่ยยยย น่ารักมากๆ ชอบมากกับเหตุผลที่พระเอกบอกว่าทำไมถึงรักนางเอก มันเป็นเหตุผลที่เราอ่านไปแล้วก็คิดเหมือนกันว่ามันใช่อ่ะนางเอกเป็นคนแบบนี้มันทำให้เรารักเธอ
March 30, 2023
One of my favs, due to the funny ow scenes.
It’s not one of those emotional angsty ow stories where the H has left over feelings for the ow, but she certainly wasn’t over him, and boy was she jealous of the h.
The h is better in every way. Absolutely loved this sassy girl with a smart mouth.
5 stars when I read it over 10 yrs ago, 4 after a reread.
Virgin h.
Not a manho, straight laced H.
No cheating.
H never truly loved the ow. He never told her he loved her, and was never intimate with her.
It’s not one of those emotional angsty ow stories where the H has left over feelings for the ow, but she certainly wasn’t over him, and boy was she jealous of the h.
The h is better in every way. Absolutely loved this sassy girl with a smart mouth.
5 stars when I read it over 10 yrs ago, 4 after a reread.
Virgin h.
Not a manho, straight laced H.
No cheating.
H never truly loved the ow. He never told her he loved her, and was never intimate with her.
December 30, 2009
My all-time favorite romance novel.
Yes, the new tag means I'm re-reading it, again. Deal with it, it's that good.
Yes, the new tag means I'm re-reading it, again. Deal with it, it's that good.
December 15, 2019
4.5 stars. Really enjoyed this one. It is Letty and Elliot's love story. This one has humor, romance, and a village of interesting people.
February 5, 2017
Well, this book certainly surprised me. I'm always looking for books to borrow from Overdrive (e-library/kindle/audio), my city's electronic library source. I've stayed away from this book because their version of the cover is a modern looking bride in white. Initially I didn't even think it was a historical but it is, taking place during 1890's in England. This is another departure for me from the darker tones I seem to prefer (or so I thought). This book was so darn clever and it was refreshing to actually like both the MC.
Letty Potts is an aspiring singer/actress but due to life circumstances has found herself entangled with con man Nick and has assisted him in what she feels are fairly harmless (they have lots of money after all) confidence schemes. She draws the line at his next scheme and is attempting to get away from him when she finds herself at a train station. It is there that she overhears a gentleman professing his love for Lady Agatha, a wedding planner. He convinces her to run off with him and be married even though Lady Agatha has made a commitment to a bride to be in Little Bidewell where she is to lend her expertise to an upcoming wedding. As Lady Agatha leaves the train station, she drops her ticket and Letty, having nowhere in particular to go, picks it up and figures she will go there herself.
You can well imagine the rest of the story from here. Of course, the family and the townspeople mistake Letty for Lady Agatha. She has no intention of bilking these nice people but as time goes on she finds herself entangled more and more. Of course, one of these wonderful residents of this enchanting little hamlet is our hero, Elliot. He is an awesome hero and her growing love for him adds to Letty's dilemma and reluctance to leave.
How this is resolved and a HEA are ensured is the stuff of fairy tales I guess. No matter, this book made me smile on several occasions and sometimes that is all I need.
Letty Potts is an aspiring singer/actress but due to life circumstances has found herself entangled with con man Nick and has assisted him in what she feels are fairly harmless (they have lots of money after all) confidence schemes. She draws the line at his next scheme and is attempting to get away from him when she finds herself at a train station. It is there that she overhears a gentleman professing his love for Lady Agatha, a wedding planner. He convinces her to run off with him and be married even though Lady Agatha has made a commitment to a bride to be in Little Bidewell where she is to lend her expertise to an upcoming wedding. As Lady Agatha leaves the train station, she drops her ticket and Letty, having nowhere in particular to go, picks it up and figures she will go there herself.
You can well imagine the rest of the story from here. Of course, the family and the townspeople mistake Letty for Lady Agatha. She has no intention of bilking these nice people but as time goes on she finds herself entangled more and more. Of course, one of these wonderful residents of this enchanting little hamlet is our hero, Elliot. He is an awesome hero and her growing love for him adds to Letty's dilemma and reluctance to leave.
How this is resolved and a HEA are ensured is the stuff of fairy tales I guess. No matter, this book made me smile on several occasions and sometimes that is all I need.
December 3, 2009
YES! I loved this book! It had a sense of humor that really tickled me! Yes, again, improbable plot, but I dunno, something about the main character and her hubris and heart really drew me in. I was rooting for her, and most of the ladies in historical romances make me want to slit my wrists. I really REALLY enjoyed this book, and thus recommend it!
July 29, 2008
Funny very funny. Letty is charming and knows how to hold her own. I could not put this one down and kept waking my hubby by laughing. Very fun.
December 30, 2023
Great read. Almost perfect.
May 5, 2024
4.5 stars
Re-reading an old favourite!
Re-reading an old favourite!
May 20, 2021
Late Victorian era romance with two likeable characters and a whole bunch of secondary characters - the family, neighbours and servants. It was sometime hard to keep track of them all!
October 11, 2015
My mother got this book free for buying the complete set of the Harry Potter series for me when I was twelve.
It didn't take me much to realize that it was Romance, and being twelve, I was at that time very distant from the genre of Romance.
As naive as my mother was, she handed this to me without giving it a second look ... and discovering it's genre I put off reading this book until I was well into my 17 years.
And reading it, I must express this book... is beautiful!
Elliot (Yes, I still remember his name) is beautiful! Absolutely beautiful!
A must read for anyone who likes a lot of fluff, and idiotic villain, and extremely sweet happy endings!
P.S. I Have read this book a total number of FIVE times. Yes. It's that sweet!
It didn't take me much to realize that it was Romance, and being twelve, I was at that time very distant from the genre of Romance.
As naive as my mother was, she handed this to me without giving it a second look ... and discovering it's genre I put off reading this book until I was well into my 17 years.
And reading it, I must express this book... is beautiful!
Elliot (Yes, I still remember his name) is beautiful! Absolutely beautiful!
A must read for anyone who likes a lot of fluff, and idiotic villain, and extremely sweet happy endings!
P.S. I Have read this book a total number of FIVE times. Yes. It's that sweet!
December 19, 2014
This is one of those books that I have to recommend to everyone, it was so good. Letty is an amazing heroine; she is very funny, enthusiastic, sweet and resourceful. She never lets anything get her down for long. Elliot is a very worthy hero...he is generous and has a depth of emotion that a lot of male characters seem to lack. This is such a fun book; I'm considering reading it again very soon.
"Resist demonstrating that your worldliness was more fiction than fact,” he whispered. “You, Lady Agatha, in the common parlance with which you are so fascinatingly familiar, ‘ain’t so tough."
"Resist demonstrating that your worldliness was more fiction than fact,” he whispered. “You, Lady Agatha, in the common parlance with which you are so fascinatingly familiar, ‘ain’t so tough."
November 9, 2010
What a fun and touching book. An unemployed actress/singer on the run from a man she has helped, in the past, with con games, finds an abandoned train ticket and winds up mistaken for the wedding planner who left it behind. As she positions herself to get as much out of the situation as possible, she finds herself becoming more and more emotionally entwined with the people she meets in the small community where the wedding will take place. They love her and, much to her chagrin, she loves them, too. Too bad for her that the one she falls in love with is the local magistrate.
July 6, 2013
I needed something to read on a slow Saturday at work. I had read a novella by Brockway and generally found it amusing, so I grabbed the first title that I saw was available. This was cute, and escaped the romance novel trope of "this could all be solved in a single conversation, but we're not going to have that conversation." I would recommend to romance novel readers, and those looking to branch out into "historical" romances as well as romance in genera.
April 14, 2018
Wonderfully humorous, laugh out loud at times. Letty is such a marvelous character, full of spunk and street smart shrewdness, it's a pleasure to watch her reinvent herself. The ending was a bit saccharine, but overall the drama was superb. he was one sexy devil too, a goody goody led astray
May 14, 2015
I got as far as the heroine describing the hero as 'yum!', and that was it for me I'm afraid. Man has to have standards.
August 18, 2020
It's such a tragedy that Connie Brockway doesn't have more readers. She and Judith Ivory are my favourite romance writers of all time. The thing I love most about Brockway is the originality of her romances. She doesn't stick to traditional tropes, although she always works within the confines of her genre. Her characterisations are superb. Characters are nuanced. There are shades of grey. 'Rakes' are actually rakes not good men who the author pretends are hell-raisers. Brockway also writes good men - men who are virtuous, who aren't womanisers, men who are actually decent.
Elliot, the hero in 'The Bridal Season' is one such character. A magistrate about to be elevated to the peerage, Elliot went away to war and came back a harder man. His so-called true love left him for his best friend (a man with a more esteemed heritage than Elliot) and since then he hasn't been able to reopen his heart. I absolutely adored Elliot, he is the kind of hero I really love: intelligent, stubborn and good.
Enter Letty Potts - small time wheeler-dealer and swindler who, with a dash of good fortune and a lot of cheek, manages to impersonate a very successful wedding planner - Lady Agatha. She travels to the town of Little Bidwell (an adorable English village where Elliot is magistrate) to organise a large society wedding. Initially she thinks she'll just steal Lady Agatha's clothes and make a run for it, but quickly she becomes enmeshed in the lives of the family whose daughter's wedding she is planning - proving her kindness, empathy, and strength of character, seducing 'cold' Elliot along the way.
There are so many things to love about this book. The first being that the main character is not some silly lady, she's a working class lass on the make, which makes her so much more relatable and also adds for real conflict as class differences are a great source of humour and actual strife throughout the novel (without being preachy or overdone). Elliot is also an amazing hero and I'm so happy he's not the typical rake (a stereotype used too much in historical romances). I also love that Letty, while she makes mistakes, it's never out of some kind of false sense of martyrdom, she's a woman who makes decisions that make sense. When she makes a sacrifice it's for the right reasons and completely believable not because Brockway is manipulating her character.
I LOVE this book. It is one of Brockway's best and deserves to be read.
Elliot, the hero in 'The Bridal Season' is one such character. A magistrate about to be elevated to the peerage, Elliot went away to war and came back a harder man. His so-called true love left him for his best friend (a man with a more esteemed heritage than Elliot) and since then he hasn't been able to reopen his heart. I absolutely adored Elliot, he is the kind of hero I really love: intelligent, stubborn and good.
Enter Letty Potts - small time wheeler-dealer and swindler who, with a dash of good fortune and a lot of cheek, manages to impersonate a very successful wedding planner - Lady Agatha. She travels to the town of Little Bidwell (an adorable English village where Elliot is magistrate) to organise a large society wedding. Initially she thinks she'll just steal Lady Agatha's clothes and make a run for it, but quickly she becomes enmeshed in the lives of the family whose daughter's wedding she is planning - proving her kindness, empathy, and strength of character, seducing 'cold' Elliot along the way.
There are so many things to love about this book. The first being that the main character is not some silly lady, she's a working class lass on the make, which makes her so much more relatable and also adds for real conflict as class differences are a great source of humour and actual strife throughout the novel (without being preachy or overdone). Elliot is also an amazing hero and I'm so happy he's not the typical rake (a stereotype used too much in historical romances). I also love that Letty, while she makes mistakes, it's never out of some kind of false sense of martyrdom, she's a woman who makes decisions that make sense. When she makes a sacrifice it's for the right reasons and completely believable not because Brockway is manipulating her character.
I LOVE this book. It is one of Brockway's best and deserves to be read.
December 31, 2024
3.5 stars for this one. It started out not that great, but fortunately get better as it went on, till by the end was quite enjoyable. Set in England in the late 1800s.
At first, as the characters and plot were being established, it was a little confusing to work out who was who and what was what. I wasn't too keen on the heroine Letty once I realised she had been involved in (petty) criminal activities, and was planning more. Yeah I get she needed to survive, and was also being bullied by the unpleasant Nick, but still, not my fav for a romantic HR heroine. But more was later revealed of her past, which made it easier to swallow for me. Her actions during the book also helped redeem her, till by the end I quite liked her.
Elliot, the fine upstanding ex-soldier magistrate, was easier to like, although somehow his character didn't seem to be as vividly drawn as some of Ms Brockway's other heroes in books of hers that I have read. Still, I liked him, and it was nice to see how he fell for Letty, showing her his true inner feelings rather than just the serious front he habitually wore in public.
As usual with Ms Brockway's books, the secondary characters were interesting and well-drawn, including Elliot's father Atticus, and the servant Cabot with his intriguing back story. The matchmaking efforts were fun.
There was a very funny set piece with a croquet game and a jealous competitor. I actually enjoyed it much more than the famous croquet scene from Julia Quinn's The Viscount Who Loved Me. (Bridgertons). Interestingly, both books appear to have been published at the same time, so apparently it must be just a coincidence, and not an example of one of the authors borrowing from another's ideas.
I liked the way Ms. Brockway handled the ending. It could easily have been too 'pat', but she'd thought it through and it worked quite well. The final scene was lovely, and well-deserved for both of them. Overall, an enjoyable read, although not my fav by this author (and IMO not as good as the second Wedding Planner book).
At first, as the characters and plot were being established, it was a little confusing to work out who was who and what was what. I wasn't too keen on the heroine Letty once I realised she had been involved in (petty) criminal activities, and was planning more. Yeah I get she needed to survive, and was also being bullied by the unpleasant Nick, but still, not my fav for a romantic HR heroine. But more was later revealed of her past, which made it easier to swallow for me. Her actions during the book also helped redeem her, till by the end I quite liked her.
Elliot, the fine upstanding ex-soldier magistrate, was easier to like, although somehow his character didn't seem to be as vividly drawn as some of Ms Brockway's other heroes in books of hers that I have read. Still, I liked him, and it was nice to see how he fell for Letty, showing her his true inner feelings rather than just the serious front he habitually wore in public.
As usual with Ms Brockway's books, the secondary characters were interesting and well-drawn, including Elliot's father Atticus, and the servant Cabot with his intriguing back story. The matchmaking efforts were fun.
There was a very funny set piece with a croquet game and a jealous competitor. I actually enjoyed it much more than the famous croquet scene from Julia Quinn's The Viscount Who Loved Me. (Bridgertons). Interestingly, both books appear to have been published at the same time, so apparently it must be just a coincidence, and not an example of one of the authors borrowing from another's ideas.
I liked the way Ms. Brockway handled the ending. It could easily have been too 'pat', but she'd thought it through and it worked quite well. The final scene was lovely, and well-deserved for both of them. Overall, an enjoyable read, although not my fav by this author (and IMO not as good as the second Wedding Planner book).
January 13, 2019
This was a very enjoyable book. Sir Elliot, the hero of the story, is one of the best male characters I've read in a long time. It's much more of a slow built-up type of romance between Sir Eliott and Letty, and I liked that. I think I've gotten a little tired of the quick to fall in love/lust and into bed stories that are just excuses to write erotica.
What I liked about this book:
- The book is full of well-written characters ... even the dog has a distinct personality. There are a lot of characters in the book, and you really feel that you get to know everyone in the town of Little Bidewell.
- The female lead character who was very entertaining. Letty is a music hall/confidence trickster (con man) who had to flee the humorously named villain, Nick Sparkle. LOL! I enjoyed that she was a quick thinker who through her own determination turns into a better person and does what is right.
- I liked that Letty was willing to come clean and risk going to jail to make sure Nick Sparkle didn't swindle the people she had come to care about.
- It was a engaging story that made me not want to put the book down. It didn't bog down and the plot didn't wander off into the weeds.
What I didn't like as much:
- There were some grammar errors and missing punctuation that caught my eye several times.
- At times the dialogue almost became a little too modern. I don't think many young women of that time would look at the man and think "yum."
- The cover is way too modern. This is definitely a historical romance and not contemporary.
- I read the ebook version so this might not apply to the hardcover versions, but there weren't dividers between a scene change in the middle of a chapter. For instance, you're reading along and the scene is Letty and one of the other characters, and then the next line is Eliott speaking to his dad at their house. Not sure if it's just a case of the graphic divider or double spacing between paragraphs missing from the ebook version or what. But it was a little confusing when it happened as your brain went ... what?!
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will definitely read the next book in the series.
What I liked about this book:
- The book is full of well-written characters ... even the dog has a distinct personality. There are a lot of characters in the book, and you really feel that you get to know everyone in the town of Little Bidewell.
- The female lead character who was very entertaining. Letty is a music hall/confidence trickster (con man) who had to flee the humorously named villain, Nick Sparkle. LOL! I enjoyed that she was a quick thinker who through her own determination turns into a better person and does what is right.
- I liked that Letty was willing to come clean and risk going to jail to make sure Nick Sparkle didn't swindle the people she had come to care about.
- It was a engaging story that made me not want to put the book down. It didn't bog down and the plot didn't wander off into the weeds.
What I didn't like as much:
- There were some grammar errors and missing punctuation that caught my eye several times.
- At times the dialogue almost became a little too modern. I don't think many young women of that time would look at the man and think "yum."
- The cover is way too modern. This is definitely a historical romance and not contemporary.
- I read the ebook version so this might not apply to the hardcover versions, but there weren't dividers between a scene change in the middle of a chapter. For instance, you're reading along and the scene is Letty and one of the other characters, and then the next line is Eliott speaking to his dad at their house. Not sure if it's just a case of the graphic divider or double spacing between paragraphs missing from the ebook version or what. But it was a little confusing when it happened as your brain went ... what?!
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will definitely read the next book in the series.
February 8, 2019
I can't believe that not until recently did I accidentally come across such a beautiful story like this one. I've read quite a lot of romance books, both written these days and back then, and love many of them. But this book is a GEM hidden that you must trust your own instinct to discover. I mean, the rating doesn't do it any justice. Any doubts I had before devouring the book, it was crushed as soon as I started turning pages.
I'm into Letty, a clever heroine, which means she is no saint. She's practical and she knows what she is doing. She knows what is good for her and what not, a real badass. However, she also loves with all her heart and sympathize with people although she always claims herself a woman of the world and such things like crying and such only shows weakness.
If Letty fails to mesmerise you, wait until you see Elliot. I can't help but roll in bed whenever the story is told in his perspective. He keeps no secret about his feelings for Letty. He's self possessed but passionate like hell. I know such type of hero are a bunch out there in romance books but somehow the author succeeds in making me prefer him to the other likes. Perhaps there's a bit difference in him. I think he's more warm and honest. He doesn't try to act cool and play bad boy role. He always thinks for Letty first.
What makes me like this book even more is the way the relationship between main characters and the secondary ones. Usually when I'm aware that the hero or heroine has an ex, I have the tendency to say goodbye to the said book. Nevertheless, with this one, that kind of trouble is handled so well that I hardly suffer any frustrations. Not to mention the lovely supporting characters play excellent roles in the book.
It surpasses any expectations of mine. I wish more people would read it. It deserves more attention.
Sorry for my flawed English. If you read my review hope you know how much I adore this story.
I'm into Letty, a clever heroine, which means she is no saint. She's practical and she knows what she is doing. She knows what is good for her and what not, a real badass. However, she also loves with all her heart and sympathize with people although she always claims herself a woman of the world and such things like crying and such only shows weakness.
If Letty fails to mesmerise you, wait until you see Elliot. I can't help but roll in bed whenever the story is told in his perspective. He keeps no secret about his feelings for Letty. He's self possessed but passionate like hell. I know such type of hero are a bunch out there in romance books but somehow the author succeeds in making me prefer him to the other likes. Perhaps there's a bit difference in him. I think he's more warm and honest. He doesn't try to act cool and play bad boy role. He always thinks for Letty first.
What makes me like this book even more is the way the relationship between main characters and the secondary ones. Usually when I'm aware that the hero or heroine has an ex, I have the tendency to say goodbye to the said book. Nevertheless, with this one, that kind of trouble is handled so well that I hardly suffer any frustrations. Not to mention the lovely supporting characters play excellent roles in the book.
It surpasses any expectations of mine. I wish more people would read it. It deserves more attention.
Sorry for my flawed English. If you read my review hope you know how much I adore this story.
June 27, 2019
I read to the 70% mark, jumped ahead & then back again.
This featured a 'confidence trickster' Letty with a Cockney
accent, who ran away from her greedy and cruel criminal
mentor boyfriend Nick, who burned her apt. Letty assumed
the identity of Lady Agatha, wedding planner/daughter of
a duke. Letty had been an actress/ singer who knew several
accents. IMO Letty felt unconvincing as Agatha.
Sir Elliot March, accompanied Eglantyne to the train station
to fetch Lady A. (Letty) to plan the wedding of Eggie's niece
Angela. Local magistrate, Elliot, became suspicious of Agatha
from the start. Letty made too many social faux paus to be
Agatha. Elliot's former sweetheart (now wed to his BMF)
Catherine acted rude towards Lady A. ( Letty). Catherine used
a biting, condescending voice: a witch-on-wheels. My fav.
scene: when mediocre singer Cath pressured Agatha to sing
at a social event.
BTW, real Lady A. was en route to France w/ her intended.
Elliot could charm any woman but we saw him as tough-as-
nails in court. Responses of neighbors to Letty's real ID & the
H+h's agreed upon compromise: both seemed too perfect.
This featured a 'confidence trickster' Letty with a Cockney
accent, who ran away from her greedy and cruel criminal
mentor boyfriend Nick, who burned her apt. Letty assumed
the identity of Lady Agatha, wedding planner/daughter of
a duke. Letty had been an actress/ singer who knew several
accents. IMO Letty felt unconvincing as Agatha.
Sir Elliot March, accompanied Eglantyne to the train station
to fetch Lady A. (Letty) to plan the wedding of Eggie's niece
Angela. Local magistrate, Elliot, became suspicious of Agatha
from the start. Letty made too many social faux paus to be
Agatha. Elliot's former sweetheart (now wed to his BMF)
Catherine acted rude towards Lady A. ( Letty). Catherine used
a biting, condescending voice: a witch-on-wheels. My fav.
scene: when mediocre singer Cath pressured Agatha to sing
at a social event.
BTW, real Lady A. was en route to France w/ her intended.
Elliot could charm any woman but we saw him as tough-as-
nails in court. Responses of neighbors to Letty's real ID & the
H+h's agreed upon compromise: both seemed too perfect.
February 10, 2019
if i had one criticism it's that i wish we had spent more time with letty and elliot getting to know each other because when the "i love you" happens it's just a bit too sudden for me but everything else? i loved. i loved letty SO MUCH! how tough she was, how resourceful she was but also how kindhearted she was. i also loved how wonderfully petty she was at times too. i really enjoyed elliot as well. i love a good slightly stiff and overly serious hero meeting someone who finally gets him to let down his guard and he's slightly taken aback by it. not only that but i loved the cast of characters in little bidewell and how much its inhabitants cared so much about elliot and wanted him to be happy but also how much they grew to care about letty. i would happily read more books set in little bidewell simply because brockway did such a good job with those characters and making me care about them as well.
and despite my criticism of thinking the romance happened a bit too quickly the love declarations here were VERY swoony that i'm willing to let that minor quibble go tbh!
and despite my criticism of thinking the romance happened a bit too quickly the love declarations here were VERY swoony that i'm willing to let that minor quibble go tbh!
September 19, 2024
Okay this is my first time reading Connie Brockway and she did not disappoint. I was actually looking for a fun historical rom com and the author delivered!🙂↕️🙂↕️🙂↕️
I love love love Letty, her character, the most amusing, headstrong female lead who called spade a spade. She was presented a chance and she snatched it, what's a girl gotta do, when life threw lemons?!!
And Elliott, one of the most charming male lead.
Safe to say I love both the lead characters. And the story based on small towns? Give me, give me, give me. And a 4 star from me.
I've refrained the 5th one cuz I felt there could have been better run ins and moments between the two (I could not have enough of them) and a better ending. But well, I'll still take it.
I love love love Letty, her character, the most amusing, headstrong female lead who called spade a spade. She was presented a chance and she snatched it, what's a girl gotta do, when life threw lemons?!!
And Elliott, one of the most charming male lead.
Safe to say I love both the lead characters. And the story based on small towns? Give me, give me, give me. And a 4 star from me.
I've refrained the 5th one cuz I felt there could have been better run ins and moments between the two (I could not have enough of them) and a better ending. But well, I'll still take it.
January 6, 2021
Look. Look. Whatshisface. The hero. Elliot. Literal best man. Probably unrealistically perfect, but I love him, so whatevs. Also Letty. They were so fun together. I loved this book so much. While writing this attempt at a review I'm feeling strangely guilty for publicly enjoying it so much. As if I need to add some disclaimers:
-low on conflict
-everybody is too good
-like really, how are the people so nice?
But the thing is, I really didn't care. So if you want a sweet low effort book, this is it.
-low on conflict
-everybody is too good
-like really, how are the people so nice?
But the thing is, I really didn't care. So if you want a sweet low effort book, this is it.
November 12, 2021
entertaining with major and minor characters filling out enjoyment of plot, too awhile to get into the story esp with Lady Agatha/Letty about to get away as fast as possible. Elliot a true hero. the end was much to chopped to be satisfactory hence only three stars. but it has my interest sufficiently fixed that i will try the next one. seems the early connie's work has much more quirk and banter, that i like
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