Rebellious Bride (Avon Romance) [Mass Market Paperback]

This is the second installment to the Saint of Seven Dials series that began with a Rougs Honor.

Quinn an American shipping heiress is in London with her father to establish an office for their shipping business and to visit with estranged family. Quinn does not like the restraints the are imposed on her in London so in order to escape and have some time to herself she dressess in her borrowed brothers cloths and heads out on a mission to help a young maid. One thing leads to another and the next thing she knows she in in Lord Marcus house. It only takes a minute for Marcus to know that she is not a street urchin but a young lady. Once he realizes his mistake he tries to get her out of his house without any scandal but who should be outside the front door but London's biggest gossip.

The next night both Marcus and Quinn end up at a ball together and are surprised to be seeing each other. Both pretend that they have never met each other and this is working until the Gossip sees both of them together. With her loud mouth things start to fall apart and the next thing they know they are betrothed to each other.

The story is fast paced and entertaining but there seemed to be a lack of something important. I think it may have been how long it took for these two strong willed people really took so long in communicating to each other how they felt.

Still it was an entertaining read even if it seemed slow going at times.

I'll admit, I went into the reading of this book with a bit of a jaundiced eye, as I'd been thoroughly bored by another of this author's books, "Innocent Passions". (Yes, I realize now that I read them out of order, but I didn't know that they were a part of a series when I read them.)

This was a book that had a lot of potential, but missed the mark. First off, I didn't really much care for the "Saint of the Seven Dials" plot line. I thought I would like a "Robin Hood" theme more, but it just didn't seem to quite click with me.

My biggest complaint was with the characters. I couldn't like Mr. Peverill, Quinn's father. There is matchmaking, and then there is don't-give-a-darn-what-you want, outright lying, I-know-better-than-you high-handedness. I think that he stepped over the line of matchmaker into horrible controlling, domineering behavior. His first, necessary lie to save Quinn's (and thus his family's reputation) was forgiveable. But his subsequent actions where he kept making it worse with more lies because he thought he knew better than Quinn and Marcus were not forgiveable.

I also felt that Quinn and Marcus were a little bit stupid. Because Quinn's father keeps lying to them, and telling each of them that the other is eager for the match, they both believe him. Which would be believable if he never gave them a change to speak to each other. Yet they spend time together, and it should be perfectly obvious that Quinn's father is lying through his teeth, and yet neither of them figure it out! Huh? If Marcus is supposed to be smart enough to break and enter and steal from his peers without getting caught, then how is he dense enough to not catch on to Mr. Peverill's game?

Quinn struck me as rather stupid as well, and for more than the reasons I just listed. Wandering around London alone is what got her into trouble in the first place. Yet she does it again without even a moment's hesitation. I wanted to smack her and tell her to grow the heck up and learn from her mistakes.

This is the second book I tried to read by this author that was a complete let-down. There will not be a third.

I loved Rogue's Honor and couldn't open this book quick enough. Would Marcus be able to follow in Luke's footsteps? Both the plot, characters, and writting could not. Quinn was okay, but she seemed like an American-version of Pearl. I started to wonder if Ms. Hiatt could write any other kind of female characters. Luke seemed to be the only developed male character in the series. Marcus just never seems to come alive and the romance between him and Quinn is tiring. I just couldn't get passed the repetitiveness of this series.