The perfect bride

The perfect bride by Brenda Joyce (book 7 in the de Warenne dynasty)

Published by HQN

Why I read this: The De Warenne dynasty is one of my favourite historical series on the market.

A childhood trauma has left Lady Blanche Harrington incapable of all emotion, least of all love. Now circumstance demands she marry, and Blanche dreads choosing from her horde of fawning suitors. For one very eligible gentleman has not stepped forward . . . A war hero and a recluse, Rex de Warenne has long admired Lady Blanche. Though fate and his own dark nature have robbed him of any hope for the kind of future such a lady deserves, Rex is determined to aid her -- and keep his feelings to himself. But when their growing friendship leads to a night of shocking passion, Blanche's newfound memories threaten their fragile love . . . and Blanche's very life.

In this seventh de Warenne dynasty book, Sir Rex de Warenne is in his castle banging the maid when in walks Lady Blanche. Blanche was the gal who was engaged to Tyrell de Warenne in The Masquerade.

Blanche and Rex have been friends for years. When she visits him at his home with her maid she stays on longer than planned and their friendship grows. They each have major faults and accept each other how they are. They both also have secrets and even though Rex has shared his secret with Blanche, she takes a long time in sharing hers with him. If this book had taken place in our time Blanche's diagnoses would have been post traumatic stress disorder & panic attacks. However, in 1822 any type of mental illness was hidden and considered something to be ashamed of.

The harder in love Blanche falls for Rex, the more intense her panic attacks become. The morning after she and Rex become betrothed she has one of her biggest ones and she takes off out fear, thinking that her happiness with Rex is the cause of her 'episodes'.

Rex eventually sees her in the middle of an attack and recognizes it as the same thing that happened to him when he came home from the war. He is very sweet and gentle with her and helps her through them, promising that she will get better.

The perfect bride plot was very good. I think the physiological angle was very well written and accurate according the era. However, I'm afraid that the change in writing style that was introduced in the last Brenda Joyce I read has flowed on over into this one.

Even though it wasn't as bad as it was in Dark Seduction, both the Hero and Heroine of this book 'cried' a lot, plus the Hero murmured very often. There was also an over abundance of the Hero 'flushing'. I can handle a Heroine who blushes, but a big strapping war hero doing it so often kinda turns me off.

I'd love to just forget about all that, but it really took away from the story for me and made it hard to enjoy a book that I have been looking forward to reading. Because of that, this is my least favourite de Warenne dynasty novel. C.