My Favorite Bride [Mass Market Paperback]

My Favorite Bride is Christina Dodd's latest book in her Governess Bride series. Like In My Wildest Dreams, My Favorite Bride has a theme that the reader has seen before. But, instead of Sabrina, we see the Sound of Music.

Samantha Prendregast was a pick pocket before she was rescued by Lady Adorna Bucknell, and recruited to be a governess. She is sent to the wilds of Cumbaria, in Northern England where she goes to work for Colonel William Gregory, a widower with six girls. The Colonel lost his wife when she was killed by thieves in Kashmir, and since that time, William has been trying to bring down Russian spies, whom he holds responsible for his wife's death.

Samantha comes in and interrupts his neat and orderly life. She brings happiness and laughter back to his house, and helps his children to be happy also. She really does wonders for the family, and she is really a great character. She has a lot of backbone for a female, especially an ex pick pocket. She is not afraid to stand up for what she believes is right, which was why she got dismissed from so many other previous posts.

Of course William can't resist Samantha's feisty ways, but he tries very hard. He even brings in his wife's best friend Lady Teresa Marchant whom he hopes to make his new wife. Conflicts abound in this story, but nonetheless it is very engaging. Samantha is a wonderful character. I really enjoyed reading about her antics and the way her and the Colonel fell in love. There is even a charming side romance between Lady Marchant and William's best friend Duncan which adds to the story.

If anything, the Russian spy plot took away from the story. I looked on it as more of an annoyance. I was much more interested in the romance between Samantha and William, and reading about how William changed from a dispassionate parent, to a man who was much more comfortable in the role of father. This is a great story. I would definitely recommend it to any romance fan. Don't let the Sound of Music like theme throw you off either. I was not very tempted when I heard how it was comparable to that classic story, thinking this book would turn out like In My Wildest Dreams, which wasn't very good in my opinion. But, in fact My Favorite Bride is a wonderful story that will have one wanting to march off to the wilds of England to find their own true love.

Well, I almost don't know where to begin. Many reviewers have complained about the formulaic love story, which I find hilarious, because as someone who has read MANY romance novels in my life, it must be said that they aren't known for their original plotlines. The reader knows exactly what she is getting when she picks one up, and therein lies their allure. That is not my complaint of the book.

I also recognized "The Sound of Music" from the moment of reading the book jacket, and even though the story was a blatant rip-off of that fine film, there were enough differences in the details that I could get past that. In fact, like many readers, I really enjoyed the character of Samantha Prendregast (note spelling other reveiwers!) and her relationship with her 6 charges. I felt it was unique to make all of the children girls, as well as so close in age. Many writers would find it a challenge to give each of the children a unique personality under those circumstances, but I thought Ms. Dodd did an admirable job.

The spy subplot was weak, although I suppose it was a necessary diversion for the Colonel. It (theoretically) explained why he was so distant and out of touch with the needs of his children. However, I would say that a wealthy, landowning military man living in 1840's Britain would not be expected to bother himself with the day-to-day necessities of 6 little girls. He did hire each one of them her own nursemaid besides a governess to see to their education. His disinterest would be fairly historically accurate, if not romantically desirable. My point is that the spy business really only served to be the cause for the Colonel's house party, which would prove to be the catalyst for all of the relationship plot developments, including the ones between Lady Marchant and Duncun. They were an enjoyable couple, and I almost wish they had their own book! That relationship definitely could have been developed more, if there had been time in the novel.

Now we get to my major issue with the book. I was pretty accepting of William until the end. To all of you readers who thought the love scenes were "hot," I've got news for you. What he did to Sam the second time was tantamount to rape. *spoiler alert* Think about it -- he was furious with her, stormed her cottage, kicked in her LOCKED bedroom door, pinned her to the bed and ripped her nightgown with a KNIFE and then threatened her if she tried to get up. Just because he didn't beat her, doesn't mean he didn't force her. Also, just because she enjoyed it in the end, does not make it right. Many a man has used manipulation to demand sex from an unwilling woman, and most experts would still classify that as force.

I must also comment on what brought on William's fury in the first place. I know he supposedly saw everything in "black and white," but his anger was SO out of proportion with Sam's confession of being a former pickpocket. You'd think she had admitted to being a spy by his reaction. By this point in the novel, he had already accepted so much of her with almost no complaint, and he had just hours before heard the story of her wretched childhood. Was he really so surprised that she had to steal in order to survive? It's not as if she was selling her body to strange men, or as previously suggested, a traitor to her country. I am not suggesting that he should not have been upset, but he treated her inhumanely from that point on. And as someone else said, his apology was too little too late, and Samantha forgave him WAY too easily.

The first two-thirds of this book were actually pretty enjoyable, but the end just ruined it all, which is why I cannot recommend "My Favorite Bride."

Miss Samantha Prendregast is a former pickpocket, rehabilitated by Adorna (from previous Governess books), and currently a competent governess herself. Unfortunately, Samantha is blessed with a kind heart that can't bear injustice, and when she manages to get herself in trouble in London, Adorna sends Samantha to the wilds of the Lake District to be a governess to Colonel William Gregory's six daughters. Sure she's going to be eaten by bears and wolves, she quickly finds out the kids are a lot more trouble than any wildlife, and their father is a handsome despot. Soon she's got the kids eating out of her hand, but William isn't so easy to manage. He demands disciple and respect. Instead, he gets an intelligent young woman with a witty tongue who is far too attractive. With spies on the loose and a gorgeous woman in his house, William quickly finds catching the spies are the easy part -- more important, he must earn Samantha's love.

Dodd wraps up the connected spy stories from IN MY WILDEST DREAMS and LOST IN YOUR ARMS in this funny, satisfying addition to the Governess Brides series.