The Bride Says Maybe by Cathy Maxwell

March 5, 2014
It’s tough being beautiful… boo hoo!

http://www.cathymaxwell.com/
The Bride Says Maybe is the second book in The Brides of Wishmore series by Cathy Maxwell. I admit up front that I started to read the first book in the series, The Bride Says No, and didn't get very far before I put it down. The reason - I didn't like the secondary character of Tara, the spoiled snot sister of Lady Aileen. Bet you can't guess who the heroine of The Bride Says Maybe is? Go ahead, give it a try. Yep, it's-all-about-me Tara. Gee-willikers, I didn't like our heroine. She was written as an extremely beautiful woman, but it's all on the outside. Anyone, who yells and then hits a dog is in my black books for a long time. Just because the dogs were a little over enthusiastic in their greeting was no reason for her to strike out as she did. So, it took me a long time to see any good in Tara. The story is slow in showing any transformation. It does come, but almost too late. I would have liked to have learned about the reason she is the way she is just a little earlier. You see, for one thing, people leave her. Even though she's beautiful, they just leave her. So, she doesn't really see herself as a worthy person. And, honestly I didn't either. She needed more redeeming then she was given in this story.

Then we have Breccan, our hero. He's one of those big gentle heroes. He's very self-conscious about his size, which is one of the reasons he has to have Tara. He thinks that if people see this gorgeous woman by his side, they will think better of him. Which, once again for Tara, means someone wanting her for her beauty. So, the whole relationship was one big conundrum.

Breccan was a wonderful hero, too good for the Tara at the beginning of the book. Because Breccan was obsessed with Tara in the beginning, I thought this might be a quick jump-into-bed story, but that's not the direction Ms Maxwell took. The obsession slows down and a romance blossoms slowly as these two people get to know each other. Tara eventually turns into someone who is beautiful inside and out and Breccan realizes there is more to Tara than her gorgeous surface.

I was surprised at how fast I read through this story - it was a one day read. This isn't my favorite Cathy Maxwell book, but it is a pleasant fast read with a huggable hero and a heroine who eventually is rehabilitated. And, by the way, the dogs are wonderful characters. I suspect they are based on real-life pets.

Time/Place: Early 1800s England/Scotland
Sensuality: Hot