The Stolen Bride

When widowed Beth Hawley, former governess to Lady Wraybourne, sets out to visit and help with the wedding preparations for Lady Sophie Kyle's and Lord Randal's wedding, she picks up two fellow travelers after their carriages met with accidents. While the first fellow traveler, tall, handsome Sir Marius, shakes Beth's composure profoundly with his ambiguous suggestions, the second fellow traveler, Edith Haven, remains a mystery to everyone. Who is this old lady and why does she want to join the wedding? And after reaching her destination, the young couple puzzle Beth even more - is it just bridal nerves they are facing or has something changed between the lovers? Maybe also the anonymous, threatening letters sent to Sophia and Randal are not to be underestimated, leaving everyone wondering - will the wedding take place as planned? Another early romance by one of my favorite authors - Jo Beverley. To tell the best first: There really is an exciting ending full of suspense. But to get there takes a lot of time, a very long time, which brought me to the brink of giving up on the book in the beginning. So on the whole this book is not absolutely bad, but there are surely nicer and more interesting ones. If you want to get to know Jo Beverley at her best I always recommend "The Unwilling Bride" - my all time favorite of her books.